Member Contributer Thumbs Posted September 19, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 19, 2020 Why are you pulling the engine? Rebuild the carbs, find a plenum chamber/air filter, fluids and you’re ready to fire it up ....a first run on flushing oil will clear any sludge out Personally I’d take the plugs out and turn the motor over for a few minutes on the crankshaft to be sure oil is circulating to the journal on start up Quote
damionj Posted September 19, 2020 Author Posted September 19, 2020 4 minutes ago, Thumbs said: Why are you pulling the engine? I had thought that since it was sitting for 12 years, it probably needs new seals everywhere... perhaps not? I mean, the oil was clean, the coolant was clean... no leaks... I'll think about it while I try to find the airbox. Quote
damionj Posted September 19, 2020 Author Posted September 19, 2020 6 hours ago, Gebruiker said: Meanwhile, if you're tempted to cut the rear fender down for a more contemporary look, you might think of scrounging a cut one off Ebay. No cutting of the fender here. I'm not opposed to the look. 1 Quote
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted September 19, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 19, 2020 1 hour ago, damionj said: I had thought that since it was sitting for 12 years, it probably needs new seals everywhere... perhaps not? I mean, the oil was clean, the coolant was clean... no leaks... I'll think about it while I try to find the airbox. Leave the engine in I'd say..... 1 Quote
squirrelman Posted September 19, 2020 Posted September 19, 2020 used regularly or sitting for lotsa years our bikes don't need preventative seal replacement, so leave the engine in. BTW, i have a great set of gen3 carbs freshly cleaned and rebuilt for sale in classified, ready to go. 1 Quote
damionj Posted September 20, 2020 Author Posted September 20, 2020 Good news! Found an air box and base plate on eBay. While I wait for delivery... more cleaning. What have you all used to restore plastics? 1 Quote
Member Contributer DannoXYZ Posted September 20, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 20, 2020 23 hours ago, Dutchy said: Leave the engine in I'd say..... yeah, maybe squirt oil down plug-holes and spin engine by hand around couple times. Then do compression-test Then use starter to crank it over some more and build oil-pressure. 1 Quote
Member Contributer evl_twn Posted September 21, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 21, 2020 18 hours ago, damionj said: What have you all used to restore plastics? https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/ Quote
Member Contributer Gebruiker Posted September 21, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 21, 2020 18 hours ago, damionj said: While I wait for delivery... more cleaning. No cleaning suggestions from me. My standards are pretty modest compared to a lot of guys in here. But it looks like you're pretty serious about doing this right. SInce you have the gauge cluster apart, you might consider getting LEDs for in there. They're pretty cheap these days, and much brighter than the original lamps. You've already heard about not worrying much about leaks. That seems right to me. The only leak I've found is at the clutch slave. That one is common enough. But it's relatively easy to access. You'd be able to replace the seal any time... Quote
Member Contributer paulmeisterpk Posted September 21, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 21, 2020 You should seriously check out the blog posts and how-to's at v4dreams.com He does a great job at restorations and has some very good tips for saving plastics and other original parts. I go just to see what the guy is up to every week. Saving clear-plastic windscreens: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/saving-a-windscreen http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/project-23-update Reviving black plastic mirrors: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/mirror-magic Cleaning out a rusty fuel tank: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/fill-er-upwith-vinegar Saving Original Bolts: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/bolt-therapy Repairing cracks in fairings: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/panel-surgery Buffing Fairings: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/cut-n-buff His maintenance tips page: http://v4dreams.com/maintenance.html 1 Quote
damionj Posted September 23, 2020 Author Posted September 23, 2020 On 9/21/2020 at 12:27 PM, paulmeisterpk said: You should seriously check out the blog posts and how-to's at v4dreams.com Looks like this is an amazing wealth of information. Thanks! Quote
damionj Posted September 23, 2020 Author Posted September 23, 2020 On 9/21/2020 at 9:27 AM, Gebruiker said: SInce you have the gauge cluster apart, you might consider getting LEDs for in there. Not a bad idea at all! I'll look up replacements. Quote
Member Contributer RC51Nick Posted September 23, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 23, 2020 On 9/20/2020 at 2:28 PM, damionj said: Good news! Found an air box and base plate on eBay. While I wait for delivery... more cleaning. What have you all used to restore plastics? I had good luck restoring the plastics on my ZX7R I redid with smearing everything that was black plastic with vaseline and letting them sit for 3 days and then buffing the parts out. I got that idea from Iconic Motorbikes on their website as a restoration tip. NIck On 9/20/2020 at 2:28 PM, damionj said: 1 Quote
Member Contributer scottbott Posted September 23, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 23, 2020 http://v4dreams.com/maintenance.html, never seen this site before and plenty of excellent reading, love the removal of the footpegs and may try and locate a second hand pair to play around with so I can keep my originals Quote
damionj Posted September 23, 2020 Author Posted September 23, 2020 Putting on the base plate for the air box is a bit of a bear! But I hooked up to a battery today and heard the motor turn over! All the electronics seem to check out. It sounded good. Just need to keep pushing along and find all my missing pieces. Quote
squirrelman Posted September 24, 2020 Posted September 24, 2020 without the air box and filter they usually run too lean for good performance. Quote
damionj Posted September 24, 2020 Author Posted September 24, 2020 19 hours ago, squirrelman said: without the air box and filter they usually run too lean for good performance. It was just an operational check. Making sure the starter and electronics were working. The air box arrived. Of course, it’s missing a hose connector. I’m modeling and 3D printing a new one. Should be done modeling, printing and in-hand by tomorrow evening. Basic shape is done... now some refining... 1 Quote
Member Contributer COS_VFR Posted September 25, 2020 Member Contributer Posted September 25, 2020 2 hours ago, damionj said: It was just an operational check. Making sure the starter and electronics were working. The air box arrived. Of course, it’s missing a hose connector. I’m modeling and 3D printing a new one. Should be done modeling, printing and in-hand by tomorrow evening. Basic shape is done... now some refining... Those two hose connectors attach to the PAIR system. Most people remove it and plug those connectors. From the pictures that you have posted, it is hard to tell the PAIR system has been removed from your bike. Quote
bdouvill Posted October 12, 2020 Posted October 12, 2020 On 9/24/2020 at 12:15 AM, damionj said: Putting on the base plate for the air box is a bit of a bear! But I hooked up to a battery today and heard the motor turn over! All the electronics seem to check out. It sounded good. Just need to keep pushing along and find all my missing pieces. Hello fellow VFRists, What the he... is that fuel warning light on the dash? Is that specific to US models? I don't think mine has one... @damionj keep up the good work, this bike is worth it. I enjoy mine anytime I ride it even if it deserves some upgrades I cannot afford right now 😉 Quote
Member Contributer Gebruiker Posted October 13, 2020 Member Contributer Posted October 13, 2020 On 10/12/2020 at 3:13 AM, bdouvill said: is that fuel warning light on the dash? Yes! On 10/12/2020 at 3:13 AM, bdouvill said: Is that specific to US models? Yes! Unless you count Canada, then No... 😁 On 10/12/2020 at 3:13 AM, bdouvill said: I don't think mine has one... You're not missing much. I think I prefer the old fashioned reserve switch...which we don't get. My fuel gauge is so finicky, the light comes on when I have about 2 gallons left in the tank. So I've learned to just keep an eye on the trip odometer which I reset at every fill up. Quote
bdouvill Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 8 hours ago, Gebruiker said: Yes! Yes! Unless you count Canada, then No... 😁 You're not missing much. I think I prefer the old fashioned reserve switch...which we don't get. My fuel gauge is so finicky, the light comes on when I have about 2 gallons left in the tank. So I've learned to just keep an eye on the trip odometer which I reset at every fill up. I did not realize that was replacing the reserve manual switch. Having to switch to reserve while driving always happens at the worst time, so I try to stay away from that as much as I can. I try to refill when I reach 150 km on the odometer because so far, I have only rode it around town or near town so no exceptional gas mileage. Quote
Member Contributer Gebruiker Posted October 18, 2020 Member Contributer Posted October 18, 2020 On 10/13/2020 at 4:47 PM, bdouvill said: I did not realize that was replacing the reserve manual switch. Having to switch to reserve while driving always happens at the worst time, so I try to stay away from that as much as I can. I try to refill when I reach 150 km on the odometer because so far, I have only rode it around town or near town so no exceptional gas mileage. I'm pretty sure the switch assembly can be installed on American bikes without much trouble. If you wanted the light....mmmmmm, not sure it'd be so easy. Besides replacing your odometer gauge, you'd need a sensor somewhere. I wonder if your bike is pre-wired for that. JZH or one of the knowledgeable guys might have an idea. But it sounds as if you have a perfectly good way to avoid problems anyway 🙂 Quote
Member Contributer JZH Posted October 18, 2020 Member Contributer Posted October 18, 2020 They are separate systems. You can have both a reserve switch and a low fuel light, but you need a bunch of parts from the US model, e.g., the fuel tank sender and the tachometer. Other than that, I think I just had to change the 2P connector for a 3P connector and add one wire. I happened to have a US model in parts, so it was easy to combine the two. Here's the two senders (US-spec on top): Ciao, JZH Quote
bdouvill Posted October 19, 2020 Posted October 19, 2020 19 hours ago, JZH said: They are separate systems. You can have both a reserve switch and a low fuel light, but you need a bunch of parts from the US model, e.g., the fuel tank sender and the tachometer. Other than that, I think I just had to change the 2P connector for a 3P connector and add one wire. I happened to have a US model in parts, so it was easy to combine the two. Here's the two senders (US-spec on top): Ciao, JZH Thanks again @JZH for sharing the thruth 😉 Will keep the reserve switch and keep relying on the odometer to determine when to refill. 1 Quote
Samedward Posted October 20, 2020 Posted October 20, 2020 On 9/18/2020 at 11:38 AM, damionj said: Found a coat hanger and was able to hook the latch for the seat. Keys are on order. The layers of... stuff... though... I really didn't want to pull the engine for cleaning, but I might just be easier to get it out at a good working height to get all the nooks and crannies... I guess that will make it easier to work on the frame clean up too. It's not all doom and gloom, the tool set is intact! Please do share the before and after picture. Quote
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