Winter maintenance and frame work, ideas needed plz...

[Chris45]

Right guys, here's the story. Have a faithful old GPZ 500 S (98) with 30K on the clock. Do all my own maintenance in my shed, BUT, have noticed some big issues needing done this winter while it's off the road for three months.

1. The frame is beginning to suffer from rot, all over. I don't mind spending hours to refurb and restore as far as practical, but don't have a clue where to start. Need help with things like, rubbing down the affected frame to bare metal? Emery paper? What primer should I use and what type of paint when I repaint areas of the frame?

I have a professional paint sprayer (bought at a car boot for £25) and I can do a nice spray of the frame areas affected.

2. Have a leaking fuel tap which I've known about for ages. However it's getting worse so is it worth trying a repair kit first?

Any other advice while I have the tank and panels off would be welcome guys. I've been really lucky with my bike over the years, really reliable and strong engine, although the brakes are a bit dodgy!

Thnx every1.

Chris
Inverness.

[mudcow007]

cant help with the frame, but ebay tap repair kits.

mine cost £20 for my Bandit - sorted it out a treat

[smegballs]

My GN is in a similar state, it is very reliable but does need some attention now before things become terminal.

My bike is very much a workhorse and as such I'm not at all fussed on looks. My plan of attack is to attack the frame with various items such as wire cup-brush in the angle grinder and various drill-mounted wire brushes. I will then proceed to brush on a load of red-oxide primer and then paint it (with brush) with the thickest gunkiest form of black I can find. Apparently truck-bed liner does quite a good job. The end result will likely look pretty rough but be resistant to further corrosion.

I'm sure a few people will chime in soon telling you to just send away the frame for powdercoating, which I believe is actually quite reasonably priced and probs worth it if you want a nice finish, esp as they can prep/shotblast for you before it gets coated.

All depends what kind of finish/looks you want really. I hate any kind of painting/bodywork with an absolute passion and hence see the point of paint is to stop corrosion rather than looking pretty.

[pompousporcup...]

Just how bad is the rot? post some pics

having stripped two gpz500s back to a frame, de-rusted and re-assembled, im going to tell you to not spend more than you really have to.. they're just not worth much money, even if you make it "mint".

what i would do if i were you, and have done myself, is to get it down to a frame** (about an afternoons work if you're efficient, maybe 2 if you are going to meticulously label everything, which you should be doing)

Once its a frame, de-grease the shit out of it and then get the rust bits down to bare metal as best as possible doesn't really matter what you use, although a wire wheel will work nicely. Course(ish) grit paper will work fine too, start and a course grit and work up to 1500 if needs be
Cover the frame in this stuff, which will neutralise whats left of the corrosion (half litre should be fine)
https://www.rust.co.uk/fe-123-best-in-every-test-rust-converter/p405034

Once thats done and the frame prepped and rust free (ish) just use rattle cans of your choice (be it hammerite or some fancy stuff)
let it dry/cure properly and then reassemble the bike... if its a work horse, that's about the work i'd do to stop the rust for a long while yet.

Anything more is (in my personal opinion) a waste of money and time. You could at this point replace the head and wheel bearings as its not a lot more money and will save hassle in the future
If you haven't done so already, fit a braided line with decent pads (not ebay shite) which will help.

I ride my gpz5 daily and i don't baby it around. The brakes, while shite in comparison to sport 600+'s, work well enough for me.

fuel tap repair kits:
https://www.wemoto.com/bikes/kawasaki/gpz_500_s_ex_500_e5-e10/98-04/picture/fuel_tap_repair_kit/

https://www.gpzzone.co.uk/acatalog/gpz500sFuel_Tap_and_Tank.html


I would also hammerite the bottom of the tank whilst its off as this area is prone to corrosion

** you can spray the frame with the engine still in but its a lot easier with the engine out

[Teflon-Mike]

[chris-red]

I wouldn't bother doing it yourself. You should be able to get it blasted and powder coated for ~£100.

You get a better finish and save hours. Once you price in materials it won't cost much more.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Shinigami]

there was surprisingly little rot on my '91 gpz frame, for the rust that was there I sanded down until the rust was gone, spread some 'rust converter' on it, cleaned it off after a few hours then painted it with Hammerite rust inhibitor paint. No idea on longevity of the tart up as not got it back on the road yet as doing the bodywork now and a few other bits
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[Chris45]

First up - thanks for all the replies. Am gonna print them out and use them as reference. Second up - yeah, my gpz has been looked after in my ownership (8 years), always dry stored, however she is starting to look a bit shabby. I intend to remove the tank, panels, radiator, and fairing. Should give me a good idea of the extent of work needed. Also have plenty of time to do the work, Dec/Jan and possibly feb. But I'm not going for the shot blast method, soz, cos I aint that mechanically competant. Reckon if I could treat all the corroded frame parts by rubbing down to bare metal, red oxide, then a spray finish, that would be good enough. Aint looking for a mint finish just a decent looking bike, which is all it is. Any advice on spray paints, manufacturers please guys. Am hoping to get everything ready and will deffo send some phot's as the work progresses. Thanks for all your suggestions and advice, including the fuel tap leak. Am gonna order those parts today.

[Azoth]

[Shinigami]

gpz repair kits for fuel tap (diaphragm etc) are about £10 on ebay for gen 1, not sure how much for later,.


I used hammerite 'straight to rust' spray on my frame

I don't have a before the rust pic but this is the frame mostly done
https://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/Stevie_J/14292238_10153692832280810_5569473529680987088_n_zps2yogcsks.jpg
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[Chris45]

[Azoth]

[Robby]

[Teflon-Mike]

[Chris45]