Deconstructing my Seca

As some may remember, I bought a 1982 XJ650RJ last weekend. Today I finally got some time to start tearing it apart, and I put an album in my gallery of the way things look.

I can't get the carbs open yet -- the screws are seized both for the caps and the bowls. I've soaking them with PB-Blaster right now, and have my impact driver ready to go. I should buy a propane torch, but haven't yet.

There's a lot of rust on the right side of the bike, but most of it looks like surface rust.

Is there a way to remove the rear shocks on these bikes without removing the exhaust? The lower bolt for the shocks won't come out far enough because the cans are in the way.

Have a look at the gallery.

 

That poor bike looks like it lived by the sea somewhere.

Must be the salt on the snowy roads!?

Yer doin a good thing there saving that bike, be sure to keep us posted.

 

PB Blaster is your friend, let it do its thing. Get that rust, it will eat parts quicker'n you can catch it. Permatex Extends works well!

 

Phase I of the restoration is complete!!

Everything is off the frame, as can be seen here:


(Actually, this picture was taken prematurely -- since then, I got the center stand, sidestand switch, and brake light switch off it. Now it's REALLY naked.)

Next: clean/paint frame, fix/clean/polish engine, clean/polish exhaust.

 

Nice to see someone "going all the way" and doing it right!

Looks like your off to a good start.
Keep us posted

 

Powder coat??

 

Pretty good bet you won't be needing to set the Pilot Mixtures on that XJ-Bike for a couple of days.

But, we're all looking forward to the moment you do!

 

Do you think a powder coat would be a better choice than a spray-can job?

I did some paint/rust stripping yesterday, only to decide that all the nooks and braze-ons and corners are too hard to get into. So I'm leaning towards taking it to a sandblaster for the prepping. I'll make some calls today.

What are the advantages of powdercoating over spray paints?

 

Durability

Major Custom statement.
Wide assortment of coatings and color choices.

Huge Custom statement.