New project...non-zxr

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matt black will show every scratch/mark i went for satin black on mine see here

the frame will need a good bit of prep before it goes to the powdercoaters, gonna make sure its pristing before it goes...not like im in a rush for it, so i can do a proper job.

there are a few frame mounting points to remove (where the fairings joined), one of the engine mounting allen bolts has been ground flush and has seized slightly so that area will need sanding smooth...all the current frame scratches will be 240/400 grit sanded back, once the engine is out the frame will be a lot lighter so i can then remove the swingarm and start to work on that as well

mounting bolt


current state of bike (am removing the electrics for a full re-wire)


thankfully its not a complicated loom


i have made sure to label everything and take photos of it all!

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that engine bolt...damn!

drilled and easy-out...nothing.
pack it with JB weld and ram a screw in there...nothing
JB weld outside and stick a nut on...nothing

in the end a forum member said its fairly common, hacksaw through the bolt just behind the frame and weld a nut on after and do it that way, if not it will be properly drilled and tapped later.

bike has shed more weight


back end is looking pretty bare now, now to decide on tail ends...will be a modern 600 or 1000cc bikes tail end going on, something small sleek and pointy methinks



gonna drop the engine today with the help of my wife and a mate of ours...thinking its gonna be ~110kg?

then i can start the full engine stripdown on one bench, and start attacking the electronics on the other

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engine is out! needed to be tipped forwards a fair bit before it eased its way out (was a bit gummed-in at the back), is now on my bench ready to be stripped down

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engine stripdown is commencing

my socket has just snapped (literally) so thats gone in the bin, am awaiting a breaker bar delivery, been taking external bits off the engine


sorry for shaky picture...but it was damn cold last night at 1am top of the engine, will take the cylinder head off when my breaker bar and 6mm long reach allen socket gets here...


the timing cover was held in by 3 head-stripped screws...manages to get 2 out, the 3rd has snapped...so that will require extracting at some point, have been removing the alternator and reg/reg (one unit), the starter motor, oil pressure switch and the neutral sensor...


more in a few days, might spend tomorrow cleaning up the usable piping for the cooling system, its bad on the outside, worse on the inside

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still working on the engine, have put the tank on the frame to check a few distances/sizes etc...

am gonna make a custom mount for the front...current one is all open and well ugly, will make a fiberglass cover and reposition the mounts wider.


might try to drop the tan a few mm to close this gap, if not i will fit rubber mounts so its tight to the frame.

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clutch will need new plates and springs...clutch friction plate minimum thickness = 2.8mm, mine = 2.1mm

spring minimum free length = 54mm, mine = 48mm...will stick new steels on as well, clutch hub seems fine.

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vivian has taken his suspenders off...


am 98% of the way through the main stripdown, just gotta remove the headstock and swingarm pivot bolt...then its all done...just hope i can put the damn thing together again now haha!


have pulled off most of the dirt, shouldnt take too long to get it all cleaned up

[masterofinsanity]

whats with the loo roll holder in the garage? lol

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haha, its the top of the spade we bought 5 months ago and have still to unwrap

its a protective cover for the handle

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cylinder head, no idea when/if it was ever last taken apart, might have done +46,000 miles and its in pretty good condition considering some ive seen...


cant remember what its called, but these are the pistons in the barrels.


probably the worst bit of the head


and the best


worst piston crown


best crown


5 minutes cleaning to the "worst piston crown" gave me...

...which is encouraging

am borrowing a valve spring compressor on wednesday or friday, will get my mate to bring his impact gun and we can take out 3 slightly-mashed, very seized, pozidrive screws so i can split the crankcases over the next week or so...

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Pistons are removed from the top of the conrods, and i only lost 1 of the metal split ring things! Will replace with new anyways. Everything looking good, no nasty lumps of metal anywhere, some small "ribbon" bits of metal, but it almost looks like bits of the very edge of a gasket, its very small and very thin so no big deal. nothing looks damaged/scored/moves too much etc...so thats looking up.

the only problem so far has been that the exhaust camshaft feels very tight in its housing on the LHS of the engine, part of it slots into a groove (i think its an oil passageway or some kind) and i think thats the bit thats tight, inlet is nice and spun freely, but the exhaust camshaft did feel very tight when i had to remove it, might have to look into that further...might be fitting new cams anyways...we will see, stock will go back on initially.

been hammering the sh1t out of the swingarm, manual shows a guy easily sliding it out of its housing...not mine, the easiest bit was the 130Nm nut! This is what greeted me on half of the swingarm


Completely rusted in place, no wonder it took 30 minutes of braying it with a rubber mallet...the inner cylinder was not much better either, no grease in sight, what was in sight was more rust, yay!


arent needle rollers supposed to roll?...will get them out at a later date


gotta get this cover off of the end of the camshaft, remove the clutch, then i can crack the cases and remove all the rest of the inside, ready for cleaning, sand-blasting, more cleaning, measuring/tolerance checking and reassembly...fun fun fun

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been cleaning the frame and the swingarm. a quick taster of the swingarm, still needs at least 1 more clean, but damn its a lot better than before!!


im gonna go for this tail unit, unsure as to whether to go for a tank pad (as in picture), or get a seat made for me, the latter would be comfier, but the former is the easier option...

[wes]

I'd be very tempted to nitromors off the laquer and polish the alloy frame and swingarm.

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nope, black powdercoat frame and swingarm to go with the orange paintwork

[Leey]

nope, black powdercoat frame and swingarm to go with the orange paintwork

Ace choice looking forward to seeing this finished.