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Finally got the ball rolling last night and picked up some decent fairings (cheers Baz) and I'm going to strip down the bike to powder coat the frame and wheels etc. I've never attempted something so drastic before and was wondering what parts I should order and replace and what jobs should be done whilst it's in bits. Any tips for rebuilding it would be much appreciated!

If it were me, headstock bearings, swingarm bearings, shock linkage bearings and wheel bearings; if they are being powdercoated too.

Will depend on your budget as original bearings are not cheap at all, head stock are 70ish quid for the set, there are cheap ones out there but depends how fussy you are? The needle roller bearings are about a tenner each and i couldnt find any alternatives for those. Plenty of grease on re-assembly, speaking of which you need molybdenum disulphide grease (or moly grease for short) for some of them, so invest in a pot of that.

Change what nuts and bolts you can to stainless.

Large pot of engine degreaser and autosol with wire wool should get the engine looking lovely

Chain and sprockets if you need them.

A good wad of cash always helps too

Very helpful, thanks Rob. I've already got a list as long as my arm so I suspect this could get expensive! I'm fussy in that I'd rather do it properly once, though I'm no racer so don't need the best of everything. I was looking at this site for bearings etc http://shop.wemoto.com/index.dyn?oid=1914495 but I don't know if it's junk?

What about engine work other than basic servicing? Anything worth doing while it's out?

Keep the old bearings as you might be able to use them to wack the new ones in (if you don't have the right tool/soccket). Copper grease will stop new bolts siezing, and thread lock will stop them vibrating loose.
Take lots of pics so you can see where things go (the microfiches on here can sometimes be hard to read), also so you can post your progress on here . When I stripped mine space was a real issue, so I put all the bolts in polystyrene cups and noted what was in each cup; it might seem obvious where they go but give it a few days/weeks and you won't have a clue.

I've used the wemoto bearings. So far they seem fine, but i've only had mine on the road for a few days so harly an intensive test. They didn't 'look' any different to the ones that came out though.

Tyrant wrote:What about engine work other than basic servicing? Anything worth doing while it's out?

I think the obvious is head gasket, cam chain and tensioner blades and valve clearances

Maybe give the clutch a once over but that can be done with engine in frame, and if it worked fine before then is probably best left, if it aint broke..........

I'm gonna be doing this on mine soon when I re frame it. Will be doing the headstock bearings as they're worn, and I'll examine all the other bearings and bushings and replace any that need doing. Am also gonna replace the brake pads all around and strip and clean the calipers, and while the motors out I'm gonna do the valve clearances, balance the carbs and maybe cam chain tensioner and clutch. Depends.

Other than that all I can think to do is clean and grease everything and make sure it's all spotless before going back together.

A tip with the headstock bearings. Put them in the frezzer over night, and heat up the headstock on the frame using a blow torch. Not just warm enough, not super hot!

This is a good tip ! I use it on anythink with interference fit - Wheel bearings,steering,gearbox bearings on my scooter....Wife doesnt like them in the freezer though..

mark400 wrote:This is a good tip ! I use it on anythink with interference fit - Wheel bearings,steering,gearbox bearings on my scooter....Wife doesnt like them in the freezer though..

Forgot to mention put them in a sandwich bag first! The wife will not appreciate oil and bearing grease all over her frozen peas!