Dremel for Christmas (Day 134)

Look what I got for Christmas.  So I started a few experimental polishings:



 Let's get down to it.

 Not quite there . . .

 But I am getting the picture.

More Parts Coming Off (Day 124)

I took off the RHS caliper and all the bake hoses during a little sunny spell when I had a moment.

Rubber collar above fits into bent metal piece below.

Also got a photo of the last screw holding the wiring harness to the frame.  That will be coming off very soon.

 

Carb Paint Scheme?

How about these for funky carbs?  I would go for a satin black or crinkly black.  Love the hex bolts and the chromed tops and bottoms.

Got the pic from renobruce over at the GS Resources Forum.

 

New Parts Arrive (Day 124)

Unless you are actually involved in a rebuild / restoration project like this, you will simply have no idea how exciting it can be to get a parcel of parts.

 

I ordered these (see: blog entry here) on 21st November from Everett Powersports in Washington, USA and they arrived today.

 

First of all there is that wonder of how amazing it is that you can find stuff on a computer that can be anywhere in the world, you can pay for it and then get it sent to you.  Never ceases to amaze me.  Then there is the fact that I am ordering a part for a motorbike that is now 30 years old and that part is still available!  Then when you are 124 days into your project, the garage is freezing cold (so I don't want to go out there and do any more work on the bike), it is dark outside at 3:45 pm, this little package arrives.  You open the box and it even smells good. 

 

The possibility of the whole project comes sharply back into focus.  You start dreaming of which colour you might paint the engine.  My latest fantasy is to paint the carb bodies with a crinkly black paint and have the tops and bowls chromed.  Then with stainless hex bolts top and bottom you would have an amazing looking carb.  How sad are we when we go to sleep at night dreaming of painted carburettors? This thing has got it's hooks in me.

 

Just think dear reader, one day soon you too may have a box like this arrive at your house:

It has 4 carb boots, 4 O rings and 4 screw up clips.  My Christmas is complete.

 

My Old Suzuki GS750EF

Just found this photo of me on my trusty Suzuki GS750EF.  It was taken outside our house in Oakville in Canada in 1984.  I drove it across Canada to the Rocky Mountains and up to Saskatoon to visit my brother Anthony who was living there.  Trip was about 7,500 klms.  It was a long way.  I had the handle bars altered to be more upright so I didn't get back ache on the journey.

 

Engine End Shaft Drive Gear

Not really sure of the technical name for this part; it is where the drive exits from the rear of the engine casings.  The shaft of the shaft drive bolts on to this part to transmit the drive to the rear wheel.   There is a rubber O ring (which I must replace when I reassemble) and also a metal gasket.  Does this need replacing too? (click on photo to enlarge)

Rear End Parts (Day 113)

Just putting some parts away and cataloguing them. These are all from the rear light / rear mudguard (fender) area.

 Rear light plate

 Number plate (licence plate) holder.

 Rear mudguard bracket

 Rear mudguard sticker

 

Engine Wash (105)

The sun came out today so it was a chance to go wash the engine and get it inside for the winter strip down.  I had a sack barrow (or trolley depending on which side of the pond you come from) and some car ramps I was given by my father-in-law.  Everyone had a set of these in the 50s, 60s and 70s when you used to fix up holes in your car exhaust pipes and change your own oil.  They are antique relics now but serve a good purpose as an engine stand for big Suzukis.  I set it up like this to start with:

 Stops all the water going into the exhaust outlets anyway!



 Using the old gunk.  The Ultra was useless (maybe mine was watered down) but the Green was actually quite effective.  Some of this baked on oil has been on here for 20 or more years.

It all came off in the end even it what I was left with was alot of corrossion.
Then I put the same ramp set up in the garage so I can work on her over the winter.

 

Base Gasket (Day 104)

I ordered a "Genuine Suzuki" base gasket from the USA a couple of weeks ago, from an Ebay advert (click on images to enlarge):

Ebay Base Gasket Purchased

 

It arrived today and I am now wondering if it is genuine.  It was too cheap at $14 surely (and quit calling me Shirley).  There is no such thing as a free lunch - right?

This is what I got:

Is this a genuine product or is it a product for genuine Suzukis?