Topic: What did you do to your bike today ?

[Kelly E]

I am about halfway through blasting the 74' 550. I just love sandblasting because it works so well but it is nasty business. I have to get it done so I can paint the frame and hang it up to dry while I assemble the motor.

[Bankerdanny]

I am about halfway through blasting the 74' 550. I just love sandblasting because it works so well but it is nasty business. I have to get it done so I can paint the frame and hang it up to dry while I assemble the motor.

I spot blasted the visible rust on my frame, I didn't see the need to take the frame back to bare metal to paint. If I were going to be power coating I would blast, but not to paint.

[Kelly E]

I am about halfway through blasting the 74' 550. I just love sandblasting because it works so well but it is nasty business. I have to get it done so I can paint the frame and hang it up to dry while I assemble the motor.

I spot blasted the visible rust on my frame, I didn't see the need to take the frame back to bare metal to paint. If I were going to be power coating I would blast, but not to paint.

There is too much compromised paint to not blast the whole thing. Besides, I don't cut corners just because it is quicker. If I am going to all the work to set up to blast I am going to blast the whole thing. That way I am sure about what is under the paint. The last bike I blasted was a 75' 400 Four and it came out great. My friend can't ride it anywhere without someone trying to buy it.

[FourUsTry]

resurrecting a '78 550k, yesterday's progress was clearing brake lines from sludge, new brake fluid, then test ride. Front brake actuates but does not easily return to free state, so either piston is getting stuck or the pads aren't sliding back into position. Time to take it all apart.

In mine this was caused by the 2nd, "return", hole in the master cylinder reservoir being completely blocked. Had to get a tiny drill bit to open it up.

Did you do this with the fluid still in, or was it empty?

And second, you mean there's 2 holes in the cylinder?

No, I was rebuilding the master cylinder anyway so drilling out that hole was done on a dry reservoir. The holes I'm talking about are on the bottom of the fluid reservoir and they go into the master cylinder from the top. Lots of posts here about that darn tiny 2nd hole that always gets clogged.

[WhyNot2]

resurrecting a '78 550k, yesterday's progress was clearing brake lines from sludge, new brake fluid, then test ride. Front brake actuates but does not easily return to free state, so either piston is getting stuck or the pads aren't sliding back into position. Time to take it all apart.

In mine this was caused by the 2nd, "return", hole in the master cylinder reservoir being completely blocked. Had to get a tiny drill bit to open it up.

Did you do this with the fluid still in, or was it empty?

And second, you mean there's 2 holes in the cylinder?

No, I was rebuilding the master cylinder anyway so drilling out that hole was done on a dry reservoir. The holes I'm talking about are on the bottom of the fluid reservoir and they go into the master cylinder from the top. Lots of posts here about that darn tiny 2nd hole that always gets clogged.

And it just so happens , that another was having issue with their's and the post in there answered all I needed to know about those 2 holes.

Thanks for the reply.

I learned something new 2day.

Kewl

[Bankerdanny]

There is too much compromised paint to not blast the whole thing. Besides, I don't cut corners just because it is quicker. If I am going to all the work to set up to blast I am going to blast the whole thing. That way I am sure about what is under the paint. The last bike I blasted was a 75' 400 Four and it came out great. My friend can't ride it anywhere without someone trying to buy it.

I don't see sanding as corner cutting. Properly prepped a repainted frame with old paint underneath new will still look perfect. That said if I had a cabinet rather than having to blast outside I would probably blast the whole frame since it is faster than sanding and ensures a uniform finish.

[Kelly E]

There is too much compromised paint to not blast the whole thing. Besides, I don't cut corners just because it is quicker. If I am going to all the work to set up to blast I am going to blast the whole thing. That way I am sure about what is under the paint. The last bike I blasted was a 75' 400 Four and it came out great. My friend can't ride it anywhere without someone trying to buy it.

I don't see sanding as corner cutting. Properly prepped a repainted frame with old paint underneath new will still look perfect. That said if I had a cabinet rather than having to blast outside I would probably blast the whole frame since it is faster than sanding and ensures a uniform finish.

This bike is for me. I have cleaned, de-rusted, and stripped every piece of it. The 73' 500 Four that we are also going through is getting everything cleaned and de-rusted then repaired. We are trying to keep it all original, it is a survivor and we will be selling it after it is ready to ride.

[Terry in Australia]

Well it was actually last weekend, but I forgot about it until now. This weekend at the Broadford Motorcycle Raceway is a huge annual event, also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the CB750. I'll be riding my old bitsa there, and it'll be great to see all the tricked out 750's (the pristine restored stockers are a bit of a yawn for me) with lots of 1970's period trick parts.

The carb return spring someone recommended here was way too stiff for my puny wrist, so I whipped the carbs off and put a slightly softer spring in, which improved it a bit. Had a great ride, and only problem was when I stopped for a beer at my local club it missed and farted all the way home until I realised that one of the float needles was stuck open and I was dripping fuel all the way home. A tap with the pliers from the tool kit fixed that, and it was good to go again. All ready for tomorrow's ride.

Redneck carb spring change 14 Apr 2019 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Redneck carb spring change 14 Apr 2019 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Redneck carb spring change 14 Apr 2019 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Redneck carb spring change 14 Apr 2019 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[Peekster]

I am about halfway through blasting the 74' 550. I just love sandblasting because it works so well but it is nasty business. I have to get it done so I can paint the frame and hang it up to dry while I assemble the motor.

I spot blasted the visible rust on my frame, I didn't see the need to take the frame back to bare metal to paint. If I were going to be power coating I would blast, but not to paint.

There is too much compromised paint to not blast the whole thing. Besides, I don't cut corners just because it is quicker. If I am going to all the work to set up to blast I am going to blast the whole thing. That way I am sure about what is under the paint. The last bike I blasted was a 75' 400 Four and it came out great. My friend can't ride it anywhere without someone trying to buy it.

I sandblasted my whole engine and got it all hung up to be cerakote. it came out great! Take your frame to a powdercoating shop and have them sand blast it. it would take me 10 minutes to blast the whole frame 
if your going to do it,, do it right. BLAST and for petes sake, POWDER COAT it. its the only way to go

[dave500]

replaced the brake fluid,also I found an unopened bottle of motul 7.5 light/medium fork oil other day so I thought id replace the auto trans fluid and try actual fork oil!also gonna try out these mirrors I found,bit shorter in the arm and thicker aswell,might not vibrate so much?

[BRG-BIRD]

Went for the first ride of 2019. New rims and spokes corrected the shake it had last year, overall ran very nice and felt good to be back on the road.

[Kelly E]

I am about halfway through blasting the 74' 550. I just love sandblasting because it works so well but it is nasty business. I have to get it done so I can paint the frame and hang it up to dry while I assemble the motor.

I spot blasted the visible rust on my frame, I didn't see the need to take the frame back to bare metal to paint. If I were going to be power coating I would blast, but not to paint.

There is too much compromised paint to not blast the whole thing. Besides, I don't cut corners just because it is quicker. If I am going to all the work to set up to blast I am going to blast the whole thing. That way I am sure about what is under the paint. The last bike I blasted was a 75' 400 Four and it came out great. My friend can't ride it anywhere without someone trying to buy it.

I sandblasted my whole engine and got it all hung up to be cerakote. it came out great! Take your frame to a powdercoating shop and have them sand blast it. it would take me 10 minutes to blast the whole frame 
if your going to do it,, do it right. BLAST and for petes sake, POWDER COAT it. its the only way to go

The powdercoater's around here are expensive and I am on a budget. Last summer it cost $100 to blast and coat an engine pulley, two brackets and blast only a 6" wide lower valance. They wanted $350 to blast and ceramic coat a 400 Four header so no I won't be powdercoating unless I do it myself. The theme of this cafe build is vintage, like it was built in the 70's and perfect powder coat would look out of place. Besides, if I had a bike that nice it would get messed up on the quarter mile of dirt road to get to the pavement.

[Peekster]

I am about halfway through blasting the 74' 550. I just love sandblasting because it works so well but it is nasty business. I have to get it done so I can paint the frame and hang it up to dry while I assemble the motor.

I spot blasted the visible rust on my frame, I didn't see the need to take the frame back to bare metal to paint. If I were going to be power coating I would blast, but not to paint.

There is too much compromised paint to not blast the whole thing. Besides, I don't cut corners just because it is quicker. If I am going to all the work to set up to blast I am going to blast the whole thing. That way I am sure about what is under the paint. The last bike I blasted was a 75' 400 Four and it came out great. My friend can't ride it anywhere without someone trying to buy it.

I sandblasted my whole engine and got it all hung up to be cerakote. it came out great! Take your frame to a powdercoating shop and have them sand blast it. it would take me 10 minutes to blast the whole frame 
if your going to do it,, do it right. BLAST and for petes sake, POWDER COAT it. its the only way to go

The powdercoater's around here are expensive and I am on a budget. Last summer it cost $100 to blast and coat an engine pulley, two brackets and blast only a 6" wide lower valance. They wanted $350 to blast and ceramic coat a 400 Four header so no I won't be powdercoating unless I do it myself. The theme of this cafe build is vintage, like it was built in the 70's and perfect powder coat would look out of place. Besides, if I had a bike that nice it would get messed up on the quarter mile of dirt road to get to the pavement.

Understand the vintage look and all makes perfect sense if you are close to austin texas ill blast it for you for free.

[Peekster]

Heres how my engine came out! i love it

[Peekster]

more shots

[Terry in Australia]

Well it was a magnificent day today, so I pulled old red out of the garage and rode to the Broadford State Motorcycle Complex for the annual "Easter Bike Bash". This years event was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the CB750, and CB750 owners were encouraged to bring their bikes.

I loved it, I haven't seen so many 750 fours since the "Good old Days" when it seemed that just about every second bike in the car park at a race meet was a fat four. It really took me back. I was happy to see that along with the perfectly restored bikes in the tents, the vast majority of bikes looked like they'd been ridden to the event, many from interstate. It was great to see plenty of patina bikes along with the pretty resto's. Great day!

thumbnail_IMG_3760 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3761 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3771(1) by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3772(1) by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Broadford Bike Bash 20 Apr 2019 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

 

[dave500]

I love anything old patina,its the real deal!faded paint n surface rust just looks real,the way it really is.

[Terry in Australia]

I love anything old patina,its the real deal!faded paint n surface rust just looks real,the way it really is.

Dead right Dave, without insulting perfect resto's, I'm not a big fan of show bikes, you know, the ones that are just trailered to every event, to me they're just statues of bikes, and of course, when you restore something, you erase it's history. Nice to look at I guess, but not my thing.......

Broadford Bike Bash 20 Apr 2019 27 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Broadford Bike Bash 20 Apr 2019 25 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Broadford Bike Bash 20 Apr 2019 28 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[MoMo]

 Looks like a perfect getaway day Terry   Sweet Seeley ...Larry

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Larry, there were some fantastic bikes there today, not just fat fours, lots of amazingly engineered race bikes, some rat bikes, and some great "specials".

thumbnail_IMG_3781(1) by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3784(1) by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3788(1) by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3775 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

thumbnail_IMG_3778 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[MoMo]

Terry, have you changed the way you upload into Flickr?  Images are much smaller than before...Larry

[toomanybikes]

resurrecting a '78 550k, yesterday's progress was clearing brake lines from sludge, new brake fluid, then test ride. Front brake actuates but does not easily return to free state, so either piston is getting stuck or the pads aren't sliding back into position. Time to take it all apart.

In mine this was caused by the 2nd, "return", hole in the master cylinder reservoir being completely blocked. Had to get a tiny drill bit to open it up.

If anyone is curious, now that I've taken apart the caliper, here's the sludge and piston. Probably time for a new piston given the pitting. I'll check the master cylinder return port as well, but that the reservoir looked pretty clean, so there's hope.

[Bankerdanny]

I sandblasted my whole engine and got it all hung up to be cerakote. it came out great! Take your frame to a powdercoating shop and have them sand blast it. it would take me 10 minutes to blast the whole frame 
if your going to do it,, do it right. BLAST and for petes sake, POWDER COAT it. its the only way to go

While I appreciate your opinion on this. Powder coating is much more expensive than painting and if originality matters, not what it came from originally, and finally, if it gets chipped, not easily repairable. It is neither better nor worse than painting, it is just a different option.

The paint I used on my project frame however looks fantastic, is indistinguishable from original, and the job was done in my driveway in a few hours for a total cost of about $25.

[Bankerdanny]

Well it was a magnificent day today, so I pulled old red out of the garage and rode to the Broadford State Motorcycle Complex for the annual "Easter Bike Bash". This years event was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the CB750, and CB750 owners were encouraged to bring their bikes.

I loved it, I haven't seen so many 750 fours since the "Good old Days" when it seemed that just about every second bike in the car park at a race meet was a fat four. It really took me back. I was happy to see that along with the perfectly restored bikes in the tents, the vast majority of bikes looked like they'd been ridden to the event, many from interstate. It was great to see plenty of patina bikes along with the pretty resto's. Great day!

Broadford Bike Bash 20 Apr 2019 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

What are those wheels on the Seeley I wonder? They look like Lesters with the centers of the spokes machined out.

[seanbarney41]

+1 Bankerdanny, and it only takes one glass bead in the wrong place to ruin an engine.  You've got a massive dis-assembly and cleaning job ahead of you, Peekster.