New Sydney-based XJ owner - in deep

Hi! I'm Mike, I recently purchased a 1980 XJ650, that is in fantastic condition it's age.i am joining the forums to delve into wealth of knowledge there seems to be out there for this bike, and it's relatives.

I am in the process of cleaning it up (41 years of oil, dirt, oxidation etc), and am contemplating some sodablasting to rejuvenate some of the aluminum.

Besides restoring it to its former glory, It came without an air box, and thus after searching for quite a while to find one, i have resorted to pod filters (which were allegedly in the bike previously)

Anyways, sorry for the rant, I am really looking forward to panic reading in the middle of the night when I can't figure out what I have screwed up!

Thanks!

Mike

 

I’d recommend vapor-blasting vs. dry soda-blasting

 

How does one go about vapor blasting at home? Haha

 

You could always "invest" in the equipment and then make big money by vapor blasting for all of your friends.

Or find a local contractor. Whichever.

I would extremely rarely disagree with @hogfiddles. But in this case, I would say that while vapor blasting may be the best option in theory, you need to consider which parts are you thinking of "rejuvenating", what is your expected outcome, and what is your budget?

In other words, you can get a pretty nice finish with just you and a stack of various grit sandpaper, or you can outsource it.

Fast/good/cheap. Pick 2.