A new project (includes pics)

[TamSV]

I bought another curvy a couple of weeks back. It looked like this from a distance



And looked like this close up





Bike runs well enough but is a wee bit unloved.

I started to remove bits for a tidy up, and have gradually reduced it to this



Wasn't too bad considering most fasteners had been tightened by Zeus and coated in salt water. A few screws were pre-rounded off which saved me doing it!

Got the engine up on the bench and treated it to a steam clean and a couple of coats of paint



Now the long road back I'll either keep you posted on progress or you'll see me selling all the bits.

[flymo]

nice one, mine was a pig up close too. with a little TLC they can gleam!

Looks like it could be fun.
Out of interest what paint did you use on the engine?

looks good so far, i love threads like this, and im determined to give it a go sometime this year
anyway, hope it goes well for you.

[andrewsmith]

i may to a resto to a dog over winter, but what? hmmm

Im considering doin a Jap 400, or maybe and older SV, whatever i can get me mucky mits on

[andrewsmith]

helping me mate on his gixer 400, when he starts it.

Wouldn't mind a 400 project, but parts are like hens teeth

[TamSV]

The paint is Halfords High Temp Engine paint. I've never used it before so we'll see how it lasts. The tin says it's fully cured after 16 hours, but it's still very soft. Maybe needs the engine heat to finish off.

I've never stripped a bike back as far as this before but I'm enjoying it so far.

You can't see in the photo but the fairing was badly cracked in several places so this will be resurrected as a naked bike with clip-ons. Would it be worth switching to a naked loom? There's a hell of a lot of wires to hide so I'm thinking the naked loom must be shorter.

[andrewsmith]

if you can get a loom, yes!
Bite the bullet and get a new 1 if you struggle

[TamSV]

This weekend I painted my frame and swingarm! Roughed up the paint with 240 grit wet and dry. 2 cans of enamel adhesion promoter followed by 5 or 6 cans of enamel matt black.

That's how I did it. I don't recommend you do. I recommend you get it powdercoated. Which is what I should have done.

I've seen plenty of threads where people have painted their frames but no one comes back a year later and says "my DIY paint job looks great". So I promise to let you know if it gets crap - I'm taking one for the team.

I'll get it done properly the next time I strip it down!

Anyway, crap phone pic in dark garage for you. It does actually look pretty good.


In between coats I did some other wee jobs. New spark plugs (easiest front plug change ever!) and stainless allen head engine bolts. Spruced up the starter motor too.





Today I thought I'd sort out the downpipes. Originally looked like this...



After many, many hours of scrubbing it currently looks like this...



It still needs more polishing - I'll finish it off tomorrow night. It's a **** of a job but I got a Jimi Hendrix CD for Fathers Day so got a listen to that (twice) and nobody caught me playing exhaust guitar.