MWF FEED
5th February 2022, 11:00 AM
I found it hard going looking at the bike when it was looking so awful, so I painted it. The frame was sandblasted, everything else was stripped of paint by hand and the chrome guards roughed up.
Before painting some of the bits and pieces I had to get them ready: The foot pegs were 3/4" square tube which had been crushed, so I found some smaller square stock and bashed it down inside the footpegs making them square again. The foot peg mounts had forging flashes all over them so I ground them smooth with a power file, tank wasn't too bad, just one big dent but plenty of smaller ones. Guards were shortened and the rolled edges and stiffening braces removed. Swing arm and frame were made in Japan, absolutely abysmal fit, design and welding, so lots of filing with a power file and a little bog.
Acrylic lacquer was used, the final coat being a float coat. I never bothered compounding and polishing it as I knew it would get scratched and chipped as I fitted bits and pieces to it, I wasn't wrong. For those not aware, lacquer is old school paint, it scratches and chips quite easily and doesn't particularly like petrol, but it is easy to touch up. The idea was to wait until I'd finished, then strip and repaint with two pack. May seem like a lot of work, but when building a bike by hand, you need it looking reasonably decent to see what it looks like as it comes together and see what should be painted, polished, chromed, anodised and so on. I think I got it pretty right, well, at least I'm happy with the look.
This was supposed to be an end of life project, I can never ride it, but my body hasn't fared too well over the last few years, so repainting with two, pack may not happen, my elbows and hands aren't keen on the idea of pulling it apart and putting it back together again. The wife keeps asking what brand bike am I going to build next, don't I wish!
As I've already mentioned the motor has to be removed from the bike to work on it, except for clutch and alternator. But getting an assembled motor into the frame after painting isn't easy. I wrapped the frame tubes in thick cloth, laid the motor on it's side and armed with a very understanding wife, we lowered the frame over the motor, then fiddled around for ages trying to get the mounting holes lined up.
Once done, the next job was to get the bike up on the bench to work on it. So, for the next week the wife got breakfast in bed,
and plenty of cups of tea before asking her to help. First I made up a framework to bolt to the frame to keep it level on the bench, then stacked about 100 40mm pavers and two lengths of 25mm RHS next to the bench ready for use.
Once ready I slid the two lengths of RHS into the stand then lifted the front end up 40mm while the wife stacked a pile of pavers underneath, then pushing down on the RHS so lifting the rear end and allowing the wife to stack another pile of pavers under the rear end, and up we went 40mm at a time until we reached bench height, then we pushed the bike across onto the bench. In retrospect I should have just left the bike on the pavers, it wasn't going anywhere.
I've since bought an engine crane, which I used to get the bike off the bench. Couldn't do much without the wife, she comes out everyday, sweeps the floor, puts all the tools away and even cleans that yucky lathe and mill. When I need to do anything under the bike, the wife gets on the floor and I supervise. Whilst I don't have any problems getting down on the floor, I just sort of fall down there, getting up again takes some time.
Attached Images
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 120962246_2834378270155534_8265295377311814827_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396483&d=1644015767) (79.9 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 120930821_2834378380155523_8443831782990621044_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396482&d=1644015757) (92.6 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 11.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396481&d=1644015746) (178.4 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 271121287_3171982116395146_6762317969088839682_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396480&d=1644015301) (79.3 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 271185422_3171982073061817_6964508400528776854_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396484&d=1644015823) (70.0 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 271164074_3171981973061827_8181293444015696956_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396479&d=1644015283) (16.4 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif IMG20210102153246.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396477&d=1644014864) (249.5 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif WIN_20210630_16_32_29_Scan.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396476&d=1644014848) (11.6 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif IMG20210102153313.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396478&d=1644014881) (170.7 KB)
Read the full thread at metalworkforums.com... (https://metalworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=207692&goto=newpost)
Before painting some of the bits and pieces I had to get them ready: The foot pegs were 3/4" square tube which had been crushed, so I found some smaller square stock and bashed it down inside the footpegs making them square again. The foot peg mounts had forging flashes all over them so I ground them smooth with a power file, tank wasn't too bad, just one big dent but plenty of smaller ones. Guards were shortened and the rolled edges and stiffening braces removed. Swing arm and frame were made in Japan, absolutely abysmal fit, design and welding, so lots of filing with a power file and a little bog.
Acrylic lacquer was used, the final coat being a float coat. I never bothered compounding and polishing it as I knew it would get scratched and chipped as I fitted bits and pieces to it, I wasn't wrong. For those not aware, lacquer is old school paint, it scratches and chips quite easily and doesn't particularly like petrol, but it is easy to touch up. The idea was to wait until I'd finished, then strip and repaint with two pack. May seem like a lot of work, but when building a bike by hand, you need it looking reasonably decent to see what it looks like as it comes together and see what should be painted, polished, chromed, anodised and so on. I think I got it pretty right, well, at least I'm happy with the look.
This was supposed to be an end of life project, I can never ride it, but my body hasn't fared too well over the last few years, so repainting with two, pack may not happen, my elbows and hands aren't keen on the idea of pulling it apart and putting it back together again. The wife keeps asking what brand bike am I going to build next, don't I wish!
As I've already mentioned the motor has to be removed from the bike to work on it, except for clutch and alternator. But getting an assembled motor into the frame after painting isn't easy. I wrapped the frame tubes in thick cloth, laid the motor on it's side and armed with a very understanding wife, we lowered the frame over the motor, then fiddled around for ages trying to get the mounting holes lined up.
Once done, the next job was to get the bike up on the bench to work on it. So, for the next week the wife got breakfast in bed,
and plenty of cups of tea before asking her to help. First I made up a framework to bolt to the frame to keep it level on the bench, then stacked about 100 40mm pavers and two lengths of 25mm RHS next to the bench ready for use.
Once ready I slid the two lengths of RHS into the stand then lifted the front end up 40mm while the wife stacked a pile of pavers underneath, then pushing down on the RHS so lifting the rear end and allowing the wife to stack another pile of pavers under the rear end, and up we went 40mm at a time until we reached bench height, then we pushed the bike across onto the bench. In retrospect I should have just left the bike on the pavers, it wasn't going anywhere.
I've since bought an engine crane, which I used to get the bike off the bench. Couldn't do much without the wife, she comes out everyday, sweeps the floor, puts all the tools away and even cleans that yucky lathe and mill. When I need to do anything under the bike, the wife gets on the floor and I supervise. Whilst I don't have any problems getting down on the floor, I just sort of fall down there, getting up again takes some time.
Attached Images
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 120962246_2834378270155534_8265295377311814827_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396483&d=1644015767) (79.9 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 120930821_2834378380155523_8443831782990621044_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396482&d=1644015757) (92.6 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 11.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396481&d=1644015746) (178.4 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 271121287_3171982116395146_6762317969088839682_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396480&d=1644015301) (79.3 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 271185422_3171982073061817_6964508400528776854_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396484&d=1644015823) (70.0 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif 271164074_3171981973061827_8181293444015696956_n.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396479&d=1644015283) (16.4 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif IMG20210102153246.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396477&d=1644014864) (249.5 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif WIN_20210630_16_32_29_Scan.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396476&d=1644014848) (11.6 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif IMG20210102153313.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396478&d=1644014881) (170.7 KB)
Read the full thread at metalworkforums.com... (https://metalworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=207692&goto=newpost)