1983 E Cleanup

[6pkrunner]

The parts to be cleaned is getting smaller and things are spinning out. I had the rear wheel off for some time and usually the rear rim gets more abuse than the front. This rear rim cleaned right up and just the black had to be resprayed. When the front end came off the front wheel was pock mark central.

I learned to polish aluminum on my 900 project a few years ago. I've polished for many years, but that was the first for a lot of pieces from one bike. Those guys can have it. Hats off to the pro polishers - you earn it.

Plus if I did it I would go way past the as-cast look and wind up closer to chrome. Nature of the beast. When I polish its full on - I don't know how to stop at certain lustres and make them look good. I keep going and they always wind up at the chrome end of the spectrum. So its two stage powder coat to save my fingers and get a closer to the factory look. So another chunk of coins just got up and walked away.

Here's a few of the rims.




A before and after of the center stand hardware. They've already shed a good bit of crap from one dunking.




Then the second torpedo struck.




The next two are of the next-to-nearly last bunch of parts. The progress slows and the piles are smaller.








The fork tube/pipe/stanchion/to-be-slid-upon and the rims were not good for the old project funding and the estimated completion date expectations. I've gone to the well three times up to now, and now the serious stuff starts to happen. The front springs and rubber are covered, but rear shocks, powder coat, main color, and more than likely top end peek are all unfunded liabilities. And who knows what evil lurks in the top end of this old girl? The Shadow knows and he knows it ain't free

[Octain]

Lookin good!
Keep going!

Slow down now it might be next spring before ya ride it.
(ask me how I know this?)

[6pkrunner]

Lookin good!
Keep going!

Slow down now it might be next spring before ya ride it.
(ask me how I know this?)

A thousand and one nightmares dance in my head. It's really digging its own grave now. You get to the point where you say, "Well I gotta finish it." and this is way, way past the point for not only diminished returns but vanished returns.

Labors of love and insanity are the only way to justify it. It's the ratio of them that's the scary part.

[Frank Z.]

Is it possible to restore a bike better than factory original Nice work there 6pack!

[GateKeeper]

This you got to tell me how the heck you polished these items, to the shine you got, there is no way, or I really got some more studying to do on polishing.....

[6pkrunner]

And as we near the end of the pieces, the posts will be lamer of goodies. More than likely one will do as any progress from here on in is VooDoo baby! But plug we shall.

I'm lazy tonight so it'll be Skool me on all the benefits of going back to the 530 and ditching the 630. Okay reciprocating weight amplifies the static weight. So what's the savings there - I thought I saw 8 pounds in the difference somewhere. More? And the inherent added friction and heat from the larger, heavier mass.

The real reason is that this one came with a very new O ring 630 and not too shabby and some life left sprockets. My idea was to hopefully ride with the 630 until they either die and then swap or someone here can give me a better reason to swap now?

Anyway the old sprocket and drive (left with some patina - don't know why? Guess I know they're going.) and the "DRUM,REAR SPROC" as labeled by Suzuki.



And assembled





And the other fork leg looks like this Dave. Several small and one larger pit on the tube/pipe/fork inner/stanchion/pipe-on-which-things-slide. The first shot has a massive line pointing to the big one. The others are all there and its above all the lower triple tree stuff. I'm pretty sure it's inside the headlight ears. But the price is right if I get a nice pair.

[sedelen]

A thousand and one nightmares dance in my head. It's really digging its own grave now. You get to the point where you say, "Well I gotta finish it." and this is way, way past the point for not only diminished returns but vanished returns.

Labors of love and insanity are the only way to justify it. It's the ratio of them that's the scary part.

So, I was following this thread, and then it abruptly died. Anything new and exciting? or was that eloquent quote above a heads up for the rest of us this project was done? temporarily, I hope. It truly is a labor of love and insanity and vanished returns for most of us.

[SVSooke]

I think he's waiting on better stanchion tubes http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=190719 .6pack on the chain thing,if you have a decent 630 set run it till it dies.then do the 530,I'm doing the 530 on the 78 1000 because I have no chain to speak of so it's a no brainer here.

[6pkrunner]

I think he's waiting on better stanchion tubes http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=190719 .6pack on the chain thing,if you have a decent 630 set run it till it dies.then do the 530,I'm doing the 530 on the 78 1000 because I have no chain to speak of so it's a no brainer here.

Yup, I'm on that boat with the chain. I can replace a lot of stuff, but a near-new chain and sprocket set is hard to ignore. I doubt the bike had more than the drive home from the shop, or a blast up and down the road if he did it himself. So I can't bear to toss it away. And this thing will never see that kind of constant leaning on to burn it up quick.

And yes, I'm awaiting all manner of contracted out parts. The wheels went to the powder coater as the rubber I got for the old girl arrived at the shop and they would like the tires out - no big rush, just a friendly note. So when the powder coater arrived to pick up a pair of rims, I gave him all the gloss black stuff and some high wear semi gloss black things - fork lowers and a couple of trinkets. The worst part is when I ordered the rubber I had wanted the Pirellli Sport Demons. The 130/90x17 rear was in stock but the 100/90x19 was out of stock and not available until June. So I panicked and got the Bridgestones which were in stock. Given the timing of the rims, I should have ordered online. Hindsight's always 20/20.

This week the painter I usually use called up trying to drum up some overtime business. I had taken my daughter's car to him several weeks prior for a ballpark estimate for a rear bumper job and he wanted to have another "look" - he needs work and wants to trap me and convince me to leave it. I put the tank, side covers, cowl, and front fender in the trunk and too it up. Bottom line, I drove her car home and there was nothing in the trunk. He said maybe three weeks. Not factory Suzuki Red. And he doesn't know I don't have any money. Boy he's going be happy

As for the little I have done here -

The starter/kill switch was flaky according to the previous owner. He had it on and off so often looking he stripped the threads and jammed drywall screws to hold it. What he did was screw right into the orange/white wire and promptly grounded it. I got a set of switches from a board member in Montreal. His start switch had a spliced wire that was clearly visible when installed. I soldered up by old stuff - one of the wires was off the kill switch was his initial hassle. It laid against the switch quite when taken apart and I imagine when remounted would vibrate and cause all kinds of fun for the driver.



The harness at the top with the spliced wire. My guts ready for the good switch halves.



When I stand up to stretch the old back, I often wonder what causes this type of insanity

[img]

And how it can self generate. I get a call from a bike club buddy asking if I want a CB750? His neighbor gave it to his son to restore. The kid wanted nothing to do with it, wanting a crotch rocket. So he even delivered it and wouldn't take even gas money. Its a 1979 CB750K and is the first in the DOHC Honda series - in any displacement. And its the one year only boattail. I think its ugly, but it thins the herd a bit and whenever or even ever these become anywhere near collectible it'd be a shame to cannibalize it for parts. But it needs a friggin' total resto and as of now ain't worth the tie involved.



Another shot of insanity



And back to what counts. A shot of the factory parts as of last week. There are more currently on their way.



And when two similar items are apart nice to cross check pieces and their numbers. A wave washer missing from one of the forks. If I lost it, I certainly couldn't find it and I looked for quite a while before giving up. However both wave and flat washers are still in Suzuki inventory and I got four of each coming as spares. Buck something each - coffee money.



The next two show the "exploded 1100" to date. Few pieces yet.

[6pkrunner]

I exceeded the 10 image per post rule. Here's the last one

And the gloss black stuff that left last Tuesday. I had already done the torque arm and chainguard in semi-gloss, but sent them out for gloss - don't know why?

[6pkrunner]

And a shameless plug for Frank Z. and his terrific switch decals. Good as it gets! One really has to look to see the seam between decal edge and switch. The flash of the camera exaggerates in the photos here, and they're pretty good themselves.

Anyway a terrific product for little coin.

[6pkrunner]

Latest update and it sucks. Life punishes the lazy or the stupid. When looking for a set of fork tubes, I erroneously assumed that the E's and the ES's used the same part. Dampening and springs probably more than likely different between models, but tubes? So didn't bother to check numbers. Bad guess Einstein. I would hazard a guess for better accessibility of the air valve with a fairing made them move the whole unit up including, of course, the air inlet on the leg. And there are the two different part numbers 51110-49500 for the E and 51110-49540 for the ES. So basically I got a nice ES front end that is of no value to me. What's a ballpark number these are going for? I'd like to sell them complete as I got them and also a check to see if I got it hard in the 'nads. I don';t think so, but when shipping went on from Montreal to here, the shipping was crazy. Anyway I would think that all the usual wear parts should be replaced - but other than that, these are pretty nice. I could clean them up to look better, but that's pretty cheap.


This isn't an ad in truth - just trying to see what I can ask for them IN an ad.*

Sounded like a politician didn't it?

[img]




And the different location for the air assist.

[GateKeeper]

are you actually going to use the air ? if not can you not just plug the hole and still use the tubes ?

.

[6pkrunner]

True enough. I hadn't thought as much as making them serviceable as that they are not correct for the bike. But if I can swap out this front end for a decent set of E forks, I'd sooner go that route. If it drags on and there's no solution - then something like that would have to be considered.

[6pkrunner]

The updates are slow coming. Here's one - the wheels are back from the powder coater. He did a really good job. His "near chrome" is a tad lighter and brighter than the factory, but its more than close enough for me.