'85 GS700e restoration

[Good Times]

Happy Birthday SS!!!

That cover looks like it's been welded to me. If it's aluminum and pretty solid you may be able to smooth it out. Maybe.

You planning on painting or polishing it? Something else?

That bare frame looks good.

 

[soundsource]

Even more fun trying to get the motor back in......take a peek at my build thread on how I put mine back in....

have fun....

And Happy Birthday...

Hey GateKeeper, I just re-read your build thread... Looks like I'm going to be closely following your reassembly pretty soon. Love your polishing and painting work, how long do you think it took for all the cleaning/polishing?

Thanks!

 

[soundsource]

Happy Birthday SS!!!

That cover looks like it's been welded to me. If it's aluminum and pretty solid you may be able to smooth it out. Maybe.

You planning on painting or polishing it? Something else?

That bare frame looks good.

Many thanks Good Times! I was planning to polish rather than paint. Sure looks like weld doesn't it, I'll give it a crack at smoothing down when I get around to starting the cleaning/polishing part of the process...

 

[SVSooke]

Do you have access to a bench grinder?If you can find polishing wheels and compounds as well your polishing will be much easier.Done most of my polishing with that setup but recently goy myself a 8 inch buffer.Be careful it can be addictive.Yeah and I got it BAD

 

[soundsource]

Do you have access to a bench grinder?If you can find polishing wheels and compounds as well your polishing will be much easier.Done most of my polishing with that setup but recently goy myself a 8 inch buffer.Be careful it can be addictive.Yeah and I got it BAD

Haha SVSooke! I'm slightly worried about your addiction, I get the feeling I might be similarly afflicted! You can never polish too much now, can you?

I don't have a bench grinder handy so will have to go with drill and wire wheel/buffing wheel. Would you recommend sanding first or just go straight on with the wire wheel?

 

[GateKeeper]

Haha SVSooke! I'm slightly worried about your addiction, I get the feeling I might be similarly afflicted! You can never polish too much now, can you?

I don't have a bench grinder handy so will have to go with drill and wire wheel/buffing wheel. Would you recommend sanding first or just go straight on with the wire wheel?

It all depends on what type of finish you are after, a high gloss mirror finish, or a more subdued finish, matte type of finish. There are many stages one has to go through to get the high end mirror finish, every thing from a wire wheel, to 6-8 grades of sand paper (wet sanding) and then your choice of polishing stages as well, typed of wheels your going to use, and the compounds.

Have a look in my thread for some of the polishing I have done, then have a look at Good_Times thread as well, he has gone hard core on his polishing (I put on sunglasses each time I am in his thread) and there are many other threads you can view to get an idea.

I did some high polish parts, and some parts were left with a satin finish, some I painted, and didn't like it so I polished instead and did the opposite as well.

It's all up to you....and the look and finish your after....

.

 

[soundsource]

It all depends on what type of finish you are after, a high gloss mirror finish, or a more subdued finish, matte type of finish. There are many stages one has to go through to get the high end mirror finish, every thing from a wire wheel, to 6-8 grades of sand paper (wet sanding) and then your choice of polishing stages as well, typed of wheels your going to use, and the compounds.

Have a look in my thread for some of the polishing I have done, then have a look at Good_Times thread as well, he has gone hard core on his polishing (I put on sunglasses each time I am in his thread) and there are many other threads you can view to get an idea.

I did some high polish parts, and some parts were left with a satin finish, some I painted, and didn't like it so I polished instead and did the opposite as well.

It's all up to you....and the look and finish your after....

.

GateKeeper I think I'll probably go the same way as you: some parts high polish, others satin finish. I'll definitely follow your advice on the reading as well... I remember both yours and Good_Times covers came out looking slick!

In the meantime, an update on progress: I know I said I wouldn't get anything done today as it was my birthday but the weather was so nice (very rare for the UK) and once I had pulled what is left of the bike out of the garage I didn't really stop until I was beginning to lose nuts and bolts because of the dark!

So anyway, here she is (apologies for the crap dark photos):

So now, having bled the brakes and pulled the calipers (praise the lord, both sides with nearly new pads), I moved on to the rear wheel and shock absorber. I wasn't able to pull the swing arm as my 21mm socket was cracked by a friend who tried to use it to pull the wheel-nuts off his car. I'm going to have to buy a new one anyway but might just borrow one for now...

I moved on to the handlebars, removing everything except the actual bars, which I won't do until I've cleared some space, organised and categorised all my bits of bike and got the frame clear in the middle of the garage, where I'll need it for cleaning and painting.

Last up was the front mudguard.

All of these bits came off without too much fuss and only one semi-rounded nut (the one at the bottom of the shock where it meets the swing-arm) so all in all quite a happy birthday! I'll post some more pictures of the bits in the light tomorrow but for now time for birthday dinner with my wife.

 

[Billy Ricks]

I had a look for those valve cover bolts and didn't come across them. The head came with a valve cover but I guess no bolts. Sorry I couldn't help.

 

[soundsource]

I had a look for those valve cover bolts and didn't come across them. The head came with a valve cover but I guess no bolts. Sorry I couldn't help.

No worries. Thanks for looking anyway Billy!

 

[GateKeeper]

As you are taking things apart, and removing nuts and bolts and bits and pieces, the easiest way to keep them sorted and all together, is to drop them into Zip Lock baggies, freezer bags, and you can write on them what they are for and where they came from. It will keep all the small bits from running away from you and getting lost....

just a tip if you have not read about it or used it in the past....

 

[Billy Ricks]

As you are taking things apart, and removing nuts and bolts and bits and pieces, the easiest way to keep them sorted and all together, is to drop them into Zip Lock baggies, freezer bags, and you can write on them what they are for and where they came from. It will keep all the small bits from running away from you and getting lost....

just a tip if you have not read about it or used it in the past....

While looking for the valve cover bolts I did run across a bag of bolts and nuts for the windscreen of an 1150 fairing I may use some day.

 

[Good Times]

As you are taking things apart, and removing nuts and bolts and bits and pieces, the easiest way to keep them sorted and all together, is to drop them into Zip Lock baggies, freezer bags, and you can write on them what they are for and where they came from. It will keep all the small bits from running away from you and getting lost....

just a tip if you have not read about it or used it in the past....

Wish I had done this. Good advice.

That black frame looks great in the dark!

You're doing great work. Keep it up.

I'm just catching up with the polishing discussion. I have used three tools to polish with:

1) $20 angle grinder with a 4 inch stitched wheel.
2) $20 bench grinder with a 6 inch stitched wheel.
3) $15 "Dremel" - Black and Decker high speed rotary tool I picked up at an outlet about 10 years ago.

I have used the bench grinder the most.

In the future I will probably pick up a sisal wheel.

I polished my grab bar today, but am not happy with the result and will redo it sometime soon.

 

[soundsource]

As you are taking things apart, and removing nuts and bolts and bits and pieces, the easiest way to keep them sorted and all together, is to drop them into Zip Lock baggies, freezer bags, and you can write on them what they are for and where they came from. It will keep all the small bits from running away from you and getting lost....

just a tip if you have not read about it or used it in the past....

Thanks GateKeeper, I've been using whatever glass jars or cut-in-half plastic bottles that I have lying around the garage for this purpose... Good tip on the Zip Lock idea though, I'll definitely take your advice when I start stripping the carbs down!

 

[soundsource]

Wish I had done this. Good advice.

That black frame looks great in the dark!

You're doing great work. Keep it up.

I'm just catching up with the polishing discussion. I have used three tools to polish with:

1) $20 angle grinder with a 4 inch stitched wheel.
2) $20 bench grinder with a 6 inch stitched wheel.
3) $15 "Dremel" - Black and Decker high speed rotary tool I picked up at an outlet about 10 years ago.

I have used the bench grinder the most.

In the future I will probably pick up a sisal wheel.

I polished my grab bar today, but am not happy with the result and will redo it sometime soon.

Thanks for the words of encouragement Good Times! Thanks also for being specific on your polishing methods! Someone had already recommended a bench grinder to me for this purpose so you saying you did most of your polishing with the grinder on top of the previous mention makes me think that I need to get hold of one.

I'm assuming the grinder is only used after a hefty amount of sanding, going through various grades of paper?

 

[GateKeeper]

Have a look here

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=195934

.

 

[soundsource]

Have a look here

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=195934

.

Nice work GateKeeper! Good to see your polishing setup as well, picture better than a thousand words eh?

I'm assuming the grinder used to have guards on the wheels? I was wondering how to really get into polishing the covers as all the bench grinders I have seen have covers on. Of course, common sense would tell me to do as you have done: take the covers off!

Thanks again for the info, I'm looking forward to buying my first bench grinder and following your lead in the polishing...

 

[GateKeeper]

you are correct,,,the covers were removed by me....and the grinder is angled one way or another depending on which wheel I am using and how big the part is, where I have it setup is not bad but the shelving can get in the way, it would be best on a stand, but I managed just the way it was, also the real polishing machines have longer shafts that stick out twice as far and that gives you more working area as well, but, I was able to do all that needed to be done with what you see......

have fun.....

and if your not going to clear coat the parts ( I didn't ) use some sort of polishing cream as the last thing, one that leaves a protective coating on your part, see the small blue jar,,,,something like that (blue magic metal polish) or what ever you find...

 

[MAJikMARCer]

and if your not going to clear coat the parts ( I didn't ) use some sort of polishing cream as the last thing, one that leaves a protective coating on your part, see the small blue jar,,,,something like that (blue magic metal polish) or what ever you find...

I've been wondering about this. Would a good quality wax work too or will it oxidize the metal?

 

[GateKeeper]

Wax could cause a build up of some sorts, this is why I have decided to use the product I mentioned, it will polish up the part again, and leave a protective coating at the same time, one just has to be willing to spend a bit of time, cleaning and protecting the work they have put into the polishing...

clear coatings can yellow as well.....if not done properly,,,,as I have read on here

.

 

[Billy Ricks]

I've always liked this to keep things polished after they been finished.