1982 GSX 750 restoration project

[dragonpaul]

hi guys ive recently purchased a susuki gsx 750 and have posted a load of pics in the albums section for members to have a look, the bike was an american import in ireland and i would like to get it back to its original condition. parts of the head have been painted with an alloy type paint, which is beginning to lift off. there is bad rust underneath of the seat, think its a new seat or secondhand one. clocks will need re-conditioning as well. av alook at the pics, and I will post up the finished article at a later date.
regards.paul.

 

[Allie]

Boy she needs a lot of elbow grease but it's all there and looks sweet from a distance. One of the last of the beautiful clean GS bikes. Good luck with it!

 

[dragonpaul]

lots of elbow grease

lots of elbow grease

hi Allie, i would like to think ill restore mine as well as your bike looks, its a beauty, im unsure about the color of the decal stripes, i think they were gold and red, anyway close up you can see the amount of work needed, but hey ive loads of time on my hands, no work etc. im looking forward to it.
thanks. paul

 

[Flyboy]

Pha, methinks the Welshman does protest too much, a bucket of soap and water and she will clean right up.
Should be a good build, I am along for the ride on this one.
Only little inconveniences I can see, are the seat pan and the gauge needles, maybe ask the Katana guys what they do, Katanas break them all the time.

 

[dragonpaul]

moaning taffy

moaning taffy

hi flyboy, yea i know its not a very big deal, made a start today, stripped off the tank paint, ive noticed that there is a sealant type stuff in the tank, suppose its to prevent rust, im not sure what to do with it, there seems to be some rust in the neck of the tank, there is a new sealant out from the uk which is supposed to be unaffected by 100% ethanol, its made by a company called total tank care products, www.tankcareproducts.co.uk, they also do a stripping fluid which will remove all old sealants etc. rust is very bad on the pipes under the engine, hope i can get these re-chromed, ive my eye on a replacement seat, will let you know if im successfull with my bid.

 

[Flyboy]

Hey Paul, good to hear you have made a start on getting her back in ship shape, I don't know anything about tank sealing, we don't have the rust problem here, but a whole lot of guys here have gone through the process, so you are in good hands, I am sure they will chip in and steer you in the right direction.
It sounds as if the liner in the tank has failed if there is rust in there, so I would strip it all out and redo it.
Looks like you can get the job done yourself for about 45 quid, looking at your link.
I see they offer a service to do it for you for about 130 quid, mmmmmm, what to do, what to do, I know money is tight in this day and age, but maybe not a bad idea, I am sure if they do it, it will carry some sort of warantee on the work.
maybe keep an eye on fleabay for a tank, who knows, you may pick up one cheaper than it costs you to coat, stranger things have happened.
The other option is to take it down to your local radiator shop and ask them for a quote to clean it out, then seal it yourself, as I see it, the pain in the ass is going to be getting the old stuff out.
Keep us updated.

 

[hampshirehog]

I reckon you could find a very good tank for your bike for less than ?130, There was a pristine whole body set in silver on Ebay from a guy in Ireland just a few weeks ago that didn't sell - and it cheap. I can't find it in the completed listings - maybe you might have better luck. It was listed for an 1100 but it's a bolt on for a 750 as well.