A crazy idea. Right? I mean... Right?

http://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/3215941327.html

That almost speaks for itself, doesn't it?

What if? How hard would this really be? Would I be in over my head?

(Obviously a compression test would be in order first... Though I guess at this rate I could probably just do a top-end rebuild while I'm at it? Why not throw another first in there?)

 

If you have the time, Go for it!

 

Looks like another project for Wizard.

 

What kind of time investment would I be looking at, though? I've never had my motorcycle--or any motorcycle--that far apart.

Though when I think about it, I have had it pretty close, just at different times. I've removed front ends before, removed both wheels at the same time, removed carbs, obviously the seat and tank, removed a caliper/MC... If I just did all that at the same time, and then also removed the engine, it'd basically be the same thing, right? Is that about what I'm looking at?

Does Haynes always start with disassembly and reassembly instructions? Maybe just using Haynes would be enough, no?

Also, do you think there's ANY hope for that tank?

 

Depends on what you plan on doing. Since its already all apart putting it back together is not that hard. Paint or powder coat the frame, then clean up the engine. Allow a week to do it right. You may as well rebuild carbs while the engine is out of the bike. Install center stand and things like that. Throw engine back into frame.Re install the electrical harness, i find this to be the biggest pain in the ass part of a rebuild. I forgot check frame for cracks and rust holes and repair. It can be done in one or two weeks maybe less depending how much time you want to spend on it each day.

 

I'm kinda known to my friends as the patron saint of lost causes...but that thing even scares me....WAY too much to do there, and every aspect of it looks used to death....

 

not crazy at all. Actually saves you dis-assembly time. If that was closer to me I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

I was wondering the same thing. Looks like there wouldn't be much of it left after getting all the rust out.

I'm always skeptical of the "all the pieces are there" deals, but if you got the time, space, and money to spend then why not? If it doesn't work out you can always part it out, maybe even refurb a few of the parts then sell 'em...

 

that would be a great deal for 100$

 

i once bought a bike in bits like that , honda cx500 it was, all the parts were there , but on inspection ,most of the bolts were missing.
some machined bolts were a real pain to obtain, i got there in the end, but it was like pulling teeth, finding the bits.
looks like there are parts missing from the photos, e.g. 3 header pipes, muffler, tyres, you'd have to factor the price of these in to the build
stu.

 

Good call, ben. I could imagine that being a pain.

 

That occurred to me too. Always a pain to find replacement hardware for any vehicle, there's just so much application-specific stuff on them. When it's missing, you'd better have access to a dealer stock or a salvage yard, because you won't find it at the hardware store...

Biggest problem I run into is most vehicle bolts, especially engine bolts, are full threaded shank...most hardware you can buy is only threaded at the ends...

 

If I could work on a bike, I would buy it. You would be surprised what bolts you can find at Lowe's these days. I'm sure you could find a bunch of hardware on ebay that would work. A tank wouldn't be hard to find.
Or, you could shoehorn that motor into your 650 frame. LOL

 

The tank on my GPz was rusted through on both sides with several pinholes. I patched it and it held up for over a year but started leaking. Patching and painting several times until finally I decided to do something about it so removed the cap and petcock and let it air out for a couple months. I then brazed the holes shut. Was not that big a deal but I wish I had done that to begin with instead of trying other methods. The paint looked about as bad as that one and I stripped it to the bare metal and the only bad spots were at the very bottom.

Also if you have rust in the tank you can use oxalic acid to remove it.

 

just depends on how much work you want to put into it. be it a full resto, or just a back together and safe to ride type of deal.