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| Shreddie |
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Shreddie
Spanner Monkey
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
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 Posted: 00:05 - 09 Mar 2011  Post subject: Post winter strip, clean and polish (pic heavy) |
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Well, it's the time of year when I do my annual strip of the bike to sort out the winter salt damage. Perhaps not the most interesting of subjects but as this is the first time for me with this bike, there's rather more work than the 2-3 days it usually takes me... And as I like mirror finished metal work, I'll also be hitting the polishing wheel in earnest.
Here it is just after I bought it last year...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000130.jpg
It's a '96 VFR750, at the time of that photo it had just shy of 25,000 miles on the clock, now it's a trip in to town short of 30k. It is a very tidy looking machine, but don't let that fool you, it does have history. There's dinks in the frame from where the foot pegs have hit when it's been dropped on both sides and if you look again at the photo, you'll see that the tank has a slightly orange tinge compared to the rest of the bike, the right hand bit of the fairing leading back from the indicator has also been resprayed. From other bits of touched up paint on the metalwork, it's obvious that it's also been reasonably well looked after. It's a very good machine for it's age. Even 'interesting' with the performance modifications done to it by the first owner.
Although I've tried to keep it clean over the winter, as there were bits of flaking paint here and there, it's still suffered with the salt which is liberally used in my rural area so I started stripping it this afternoon.
This evening, it looks like this...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p10003851.jpg
Almost as stripped as I want it, the front mudguard still has to come off but I need a smaller 8mm socket to undo the brake link pipe bolt, the one I have is too large to fit into the space available. The exhaust clamp was seized solid so I got some oil on it, got the blow torch on it and managed to free one of the bolts which was just enough to get the pipe off. The other bolt will be dealt with in due time, both will be replaced.
Stripping the bikes down like this isn't just for cleaning and touching up paint, it's also a good way to check for any faults. An especially good thing to do on bikes with fairings as those plastics can hide a multitude of sins. Regular strip downs also save you money in the long run as you deal with problems before they really become a problem and will certainly make your bike last far longer than it might otherwise do... That's how my formerly badly abused GT550 got to 172k miles. It's only when I got lazy and let it rot that it died.
Here's my essential to-do list so far...
 Exhaust
Polish rust out of silencer welds. de-rust, strip and respray link pipe. De rust and respray exhaust clamp.
Rear end
Thoroughly clean and wax/protect the swing arm. De-rust, paint and lube suspension linkages. Touch up rear subframe as necessary. Thoroughly clean and de-rust chain (it's past it's best but it should last another year with a little TLC, a bad can of chain lube which dried out far faster than expected has caused the rust). Thoroughly clean brake calliper. Attend to rust on rear disc. Attend to minor rust on the front of the heat shield and major rust on the rear.
Front end
Thoroughly clean callipers. Grease front wheel and head bearings. Attend to rust spots on fork stanchions. Attend to small crack in front mudguard (spotted today).
Engine and carbs
Sort minor fuel leak on choke valve (spotted today), get the toothbrush in all the nooks and crannies, straighten bent oil cooler fins (done). Straighten bent radiator fins. Touch up timing cover to prevent further corrosion. Lube all carb linkages.
General.
Grease or lube all controls, switches, cables, electrical contacts etc. Touch up any metalwork and replace fasteners as required.
As for non essential stuff... I've just acquired a bulk pack of elbow grease and the buffing wheel is about to get abused!
Polishing
Anything metal! Foot pegs and hangers, grab rails (although they won't be fitted just yet as my GFs epilepsy has returned so she's not allowed on the back), brake and clutch levers, silencer, main frame spars, the small alloy heatshields, visible parts of the stainless pipework (it's brown, mucky and blotchy in places) and anything else I find... I don't want to take the whole exhaust system off just for polishing yet (I'm super skint and can't really afford new gaskets anyway) so I'll only deal properly with what's visible and easy to get to, I'll still give the rest a good clean for now, all the pipework will hit the polishing wheel next year... Along with the swing arm.
Other stuff
Touch up paint chips on wheels, clean lots, find that bloody irritating rattle in the bodywork and cure it. Maybe re-paint front forks (there's a good few stone chips).
 Notes for today...
Have found exactly where rear shock rubs the swingarm, must be replaced as soon as funds allow. Silencer internals are falling to bits, it's like an oversized babys rattle. Need new fairing fasteners, will buy in future. Fuel pipes are past their best, replace at next strip along with fuel filter. Really tiny oil leak spotted, probably just the cam cover gasket leaking a little, should rectify itself at the next service. Find my circlip pliers asap, I want to get the right footpeg hanger serarated from the lever. I still prefer air cooled fours to work on.  The engine and frame are ugly as sin under the bodywork, it'll never make a nice looking streetfighter if I drop it. It sounds fantastic and farts flames without the muffler but makes chidren three doors away scream. 
 Tally for today...
Oil cooler fins straightened.
 Tips for today...
For seized bolts, give them a little oil then use blow torch to heat them up and attempt to turn them before they cool, it can help to free them. Take care to use metal shields if heat sensitive objects are near by and keep a fire extinguisher handy. DO NOT handle the heated parts with bare hands until you are sure they're cool.
EDIT:- And this post hast thrust me into the realm of gold blobness. Supoib!
Last edited by Shreddie on 22:58 - 23 Mar 2011; edited 1 time in total |
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Raf
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Redoko
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Shreddie
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| chillyman0 |
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chillyman0
Nearly there...
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Posted: 13:00 - 09 Mar 2011  Post subject: |
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Cool man, was gonna do a milder version of this at the weekend (fairings off, check bolts, do some lubing, clean everything) all with a shitty 5 quid tool kit with half the bits missing
We can then compare notes  and pics if I can be bothered.
____________________
preivious : 2007 Skyjet 125 (died), 1991 gsf400 (problems, rotting in garden)
1996 gsf600n (sold)
current : 1996 VFR750 for sale, PM for info! 2000 E1 ZX-9r |
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Shreddie
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| Posted: 20:42 - 09 Mar 2011 Post subject: |
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| chillyman0 wrote: | Cool man, was gonna do a milder version of this at the weekend (fairings off, check bolts, do some lubing, clean everything) |
That's what I normally do but as it's the first time with the VFR there's a whole load of other stuff I want to/have to do.
Back when I got my old GT550 (this was over 10 years back), it was mechanically sound but cosmetically it was one hell of a state. As I needed it to be on the road I had to do it as a rolling project which took over three months.
The corrosion on the alloy was like concrete (literally) and was 2-3mm thick. It took me 21 hours to shine up the front wheel alone. The only time it was completely stripped was on a bank holiday weekend (3 days) where I stripped it to the frame, sorted out the rust and rebuilt it in time for work on the Tuesday (I worked on it for about 14 hours a day over those three days. I also sorted out some dodgy hacked up wiring at that time). By the time I had finished it genuinely looked better than it would have done when it came out of the factory. It was absolutely gleaming, you were able to see your face and in the engine casings and there wasn't the slightest hint of insect body parts. The day after I had finished all the polishing and touching up, I serviced it which got the engine running smooth as you like and took it down the road... Only to crash it within 4 miles after an encounter with a spud on a corner (I kid you not!).
It was basically written off but I rebuilt it regardless then proceeded to put over 130,000 miles on it until it died.
Although it was one hell of alot of work sorting it out (twice), through doing it I got to know the bike well and saved myself alot of work in the long run. Doing regular (once or twice a year) strips helped to keep it in pretty much tip top condition. Another thing I've found is that if you get a bike properly clean, it's a damned sight easier to keep it clean in the long run as long as you keep on top of it. 2-3 hours each or every other weekend is all it takes most of the time. There are a couple of people who have asked me how I keep my bikes so clean when I use them all the time and I've told them what I do... But they groan in dismay that I actually clean the bike as it seems they'd rather spend 6-12 hours a week watching DVDs and gaming instead.  I still do that of course and I spend a shit load of time online each week but it ain't hard to take a little time out to spend on the bike to keep it clean and shiny.
And just to make it clear, I loathe working on and cleaning bikes but as I rely on them so much I'd much rather put the effort in to keep them in good shape. It's a chore but it's just a part of maintenance as I see it... And it's always nice to be riding a shiny bike so there is a pay off too!
As for what I've done to the VFR today. I'm feeling rougher than a rough thing that's been roughed up by something rough so have done absolutely nothing. Early night tonight then early start tomorrow methinks.
Sometime in the next year or two I'm planning on restoring my GPZ750... That will take considerable work as it's been sitting in a damp garage for the last decade. |
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Shreddie
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| Posted: 22:58 - 23 Mar 2011 Post subject: |
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Sadly I've been pretty damned busy so not had as much time as I would have liked but it's about time I update this...
Here's the current state of the bike...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000399.jpg
Not much change really but I have popped off the clutch and brake levers to give them a blast on the buffing wheel...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000391.jpg
That's a before and after shot... The polished one isn't quite finished, I use fairly coarse soap which is good because it's quick but I always finish by hand.
I've also stripped the switchgear, cleaned them out as I don't think they've ever been lubed and gave them a decent coat of petroleum jelly from my Wilko party sized fun tub (the switches could sometimes be a bit dodgy but now have a very positive action), lubed my cables (mix of engine oil and WD40) and all the throttle linkages (mix of oil and high temp grease) (throttle grip too (moly grease)) and so all the controls move smooth as silk. I hadn't realised it but they were pretty stiff before.
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000396.jpg
Kinda in the process of doing it there but you can still see dirt and old grease in the switch mechanism.
All clean and reassemled...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000404.jpg
The forks were also rusted which has led to slight pitting...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000405.jpg
About 20 minutes later with some 1600 wet 'n' dry and a little bit of polish...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000406.jpg
I do know you can do a better bodge job with a bit of nail varnish to fill the holes but I'll either be replacing the forks or fork stanchoins at some time in the next year or two... As long as there's no rough metal to rip the seals I'll be happy enough for now.
Other stuff on the list...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000386.jpg
This is a pic from a few days back but it shows the back end in a pretty bad state... The subframe will be getting touched up, everything will be thoroughly cleaned, bolts will be replaced and the hub will be stripped and greased as the eccentric chain adjuster is pretty damned stiff. The chain is in a bit of a bad state but I'm going to do what I can to rescue it for now (I can't afford to replace it at the moment) and instead I'll replace it along with the rear shock and all the rear swingarm and suspension bushings later this year. |
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Shreddie
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| Posted: 23:14 - 23 Mar 2011 Post subject: |
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I've also come across one of the daftest bodges ever...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000410.jpg
The photo doesn't show it too well but there's a slightly yellowed plasticy deposit on the broken end of that bolt... That's superglue!
It's what's left one of the bolts that holds the front brake link pipe and front mudguard on. One of the previous owners has obvoiusly sheared the bolt at some point and glued what was left back in place. It was a bit of a bugger to get just that bit out but to get the rest out, I'm going to have to get the angle grinder on the captive nut that's on a plate attached to the inside of the mudguard... To be fair it is in a badly corroded condition and the bolt on the other side is also siezed solid. To sort it, I'm going to make a new plate out of stainless steel and use stainless bolts. |
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Shreddie
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| Posted: 21:00 - 24 Mar 2011 Post subject: |
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Not done much today as I spent most of the day chilling with the GF in the park. Although I have made a start on cleaning the rear end (was too dark to take piccies by the time I stopped, sorry) and have done a little experimental polishing...
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/p1000411.jpg
Not bad but not quite up to my usual standards, it needs sanding down more first to get rid of the roughness from when it was sand casted. Both pillion and rider pegs/peg mounts are going to be polished. |
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ajbsmirnoff
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Shreddie
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 14 years, 58 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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