its a long process to be honest Paul... I get the paint off... and then prep the surface with some 240 grit paper... then I polish it with an 8" sisal mop with coarse soap, then with a cotton mop with medium soap on that, and a final polish with fine soap, all of which come in big solid bars and is quite cheap, as are the mops. I buy all my stuff from a local company below. the key bit is the polishing machine... its all about power, speed, and heat. Mt polisher is home made from a 2HP motor with a mop spindle on... hence the reference to danger... it can literally rip parts out of your hand! you have to be very careful how you hold the item, and polish "off the edge" so you dont catch it on the mop. I used to have it done out, but I had so many parts damaged by over polishing that I now do it myself... final polish is with some Peek on a rag. the other thing I find really great are the little scotchbrite polishing mops you can get fro the Dremel... they are £10 for 80 and are brilliant, but dont last long... but at that price who cares. Oh, and dont buy a Dremel... buy a cheap GOXAWEE 130W Multi-Functional Mini Grinder at £25, they are brilliant! https://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/80x-Drem...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Engine installed in the frame! I cant think of any bike that is so simple to get the engine in the frame… I remember three of us struggling to get a Laverda 1000 lump in a freshly painted frame years ago, trying desperately not to mark the paint!
I wanted to change the colour of the rear spring from yellow to red, and tidy up the shocker… which meant getting the spring off! its no easy task as its VERY strong. I drew up a couple of plates on CAD and sent the drawing to the laser cutter… few days later these came. made it an easy and safe job!
It's a shame the stand doesn't hold the engine at the correct level and a little higher. You can more or less build a bike on a stand.
That's a nicely made frame! I have something similar that fits on the back wheel, and makes the bike mobile when its on the floor, and solid when its on the hoist.
Yes indeed ! If I have anything more than a quick job to do on the heads , I take the engine out .... or to be more accurate ..... I put a home-made wooden cradle under it , take the back wheel off , then " wheel-barrow " the rest of the bike out of the way . It takes me an hour or so , but it makes top-end work SO much easier . " Some called me insane " .... what's that movie ?
It sounds bonkers I know , but the first time I shimmed the valves with the engine in place was the last time for me . Once the exhaust system is off , and the water hoses out of the way , the rest is easy and quick ...... and the oil cooler can stay connected ( big bonus ! ) . Disconnect the fuel lines and all of the engine electrics , and the throttle and choke cables ( if need be ) and remove the bell-mouths from inside the airbox.
well its back on its wheels... I am pleased at how the Multistrada footrest conversion has worked out, it brings the foot pegs forward quite a bit and should achieve the riding position I was looking for. Just about to rebuild the brakes... the fronts are fine and the pistons came out easily, but the rear caliper is seized absolutely solid! I have left it connected to the air line overnight, but the pistons have not moved yet! Not sure about the gold discs on the front... they may have to be changed... we will see...
Yesterday I rebuilt all the hydraulics. I replaced the seals on the rear caliper as this was seized solid and I had to use some penetrating oil to free the pistons. The calipers came out nice... My bead blaster now gives a really nice finish, that with a coat of ACF-50 keeps its shine. I was never happy with the finish until I picked up a tip from the guy who blasts my big bits... he said my problem was I was working at too high a pressure, and that was shattering the tiny glass beads! sure enough, I turned the pressure right down and the difference is clear! I may try an anodising kit in the future after the success of the zinc plating! Also made a wheel spacer to replace the speedo drive which I am not going to use.
I know its a bit old school… just like me but I love the look of a mega on a bike… plan was to make a pair but I had trouble finding anyone here who could roll a cone, so I ended up modifying a couple of cheap stainless silencers I bought off Ebay. the removable baffles will satisfy the MOT man and they are now re-packable
the weather has been crap for a few days, so some garage time made some ends for the swinging arm as I didn't like the originals and they were marked... also made some new stainless bolts. may wheel it out the garage tomorrow
Got the bike out today into the daylight for the first time in months... Have to say my Iphone takes great pictures! Next job is to start the wiring... its a job I actually love doing, making a loom from scratch. here is my collection of wire from meany years! there is some new stuff in there as well that I got from some newish cars in the vehicle dismantlers last year. Its just too expensive to buy all the colours you need new, its a great source of wire!
Yes Its finished! It started life as a writing box, my wife saw it when we were helping clear a friends mothers house, and it was going to be thrown out as it was badly damaged... But my wife liked the box so we took it... been in the loft for a couple of years, I saw it a few months ago, around the time she mentioned she would like a jewellery box... I hope she likes it! The way its been flocked makes it look and feel nice inside, and I am pleased the way the wood has come up with a few coats of 2K lacquer
