82 1100G Restoration...

[Good Times]

It feels good to get that polishing done doesn't it? Looks good!

Polishing the stator cover was one of the hardest parts of my build. It was pretty rough, but it turned out well.

Those parts are going to look good on the bike!

[Higgibaby]

Got the rear wheel all good, the harness will go in next get all that working and then the motor and fluids...here's a sneak peak!

[Good Times]

So very very nice.

[Joe Garfield]

I wanted to post my brake line experience at some point, this seems like a decent place/time to do it. I went down to a local hydraulic shop recently to get new brake lines made. Mine are original and have a 1981 stamp on it. I talked to the tech who kind of looked at me funny when I told him I wanted prices on new hoses. He humored me and gave me quotes, but then asked why I wanted new ones. After a few minutes talking, I find out this guy has been in the hydraulics business for over 30 years and also rides. He said the brake lines I brought in were in good shape, and said 'it's your call if you want new ones' but that he wouldn't bother. I asked if he'd ever seen hydraulic hoses that were deteriorating on the inside w/o any signs of rot on the outside, and he said no.

Suzuki and many other manufacturers recommend changing the brake lines every 2 years or 4 years or whatever, so I thought I had to. I personally will take a 30-year motorcycle riding hydraulic veteran's word for it any day of the week, but it is ultimately the rider's decision whether or not to perform 'scheduled' maintenance.

[dorkburger]

Regarding that, I replaced mine with braided lines- one of my fronts was damaged from the speedometer cable rubbing on it for years.
The steel lines gave a much firmer feel at the lever and better braking. Wether a bike needs it or not, I now consider it a performance/safety upgrade.

[Higgibaby]

Painting begins!!!

[Higgibaby]

Painting, getting there! Just a few more areas to do...it looks supper glossy here as it wasn't fully dried, that dissipates after a few hours by the heaters.

[jsandidge]

Looks great! What paint is that? I'll soon be doing mine and need suggestions.

[Higgibaby]

Looks great! What paint is that? I'll soon be doing mine and need suggestions.

i used the eastwoods high temp paint in universal aluminum with activator, it goes on well and holds up with the heat! It's good at taking knocks as well...doesn't chip easily! I actually did my 850glz with the same paint last year, check out my website for more images of that bike

[Good Times]

Looks really good!

[growler]

I'm a newbie when it comes to painting. How do you select what bolts, etc to tape off and what ones to paint over?

[Steve]

I think the general principle is to not paint any bolts that will need to be removed for general maintenance.

I could be wrong.

.

[Higgibaby]

I'm a newbie when it comes to painting. How do you select what bolts, etc to tape off and what ones to paint over?

Steve's right, its not ideal to paint over the bolts, so I serviced the motor as much as I could before painting...and if I need to get at any off them afterwards...the paint doesn't really chip or look bad. If it does, I usually just polish the bolt on a buffer...which sometimes looks better if I have enough of them to do. But there are a lot of areas I did mask...the oil pan bolts, tach, breather cover and the side covers all have new allen type bolts that ill use...and pretty much every bolt on the underside of the motor that are hard to get to when its on the bike. I Hope that helps...

[Higgibaby]

Got some more work done on the motor...new bolts, gaskets, new stator put in...and got it all back together. Did a fluid test and it seems ok right now, nothing spewing out but I'll hold my breath until she's running.

[Higgibaby]

Did just run into a snag, any idea how to rethread this exhaust screw hole?? I just put the bolts in 1 by 1 and I remember this one was hard to get out, and now won't go back in...doh!