T500 build-----It's on the ROAD!!!

Re: T500 build

If you're all not bored yet.... And if you are, for Pete's sake tell me!!!

Tank dent repair is coming along nicely
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Rear shocks - one after a little elbow grease
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Front rim with tire removed.
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I had snapped up a bunch of pictures before pulling the spokes---kinda to show how fuzzy some were with dirt/grime/rust....only to realize that the sd card was not in the camera. D'oh!

In the meantime, front hub and accompanying uncleanliness.
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Then went at the spokes and nipples with degreaser and a wire brush. Look a lot better than they did before!
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Re: T500 build

.....then repeated the process on the rear wheel.

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Not shiny enough yet to hang as decorations on the Christmas tree, but maybe next year!
 
Re: T500 build

Work is progressing on the seat and tank. Visited my upholstery buddy and worked out materials etc. Will drop off the pan sometime in January.

And the tank now wears primer.

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Re: T500 build

That tank looks nice. As long as you are going to paint the fenders then why not pick up some fiberglass ones, that rear fender looks too nice to cut up. Fast From the Past sells fork braces, a good thing for these spindly forks.

This is a cool project, suscribed.
 
Re: T500 build

CarbsAndCylinders said:
That tank looks nice. As long as you are going to paint the fenders then why not pick up some fiberglass ones, that rear fender looks too nice to cut up. Fast From the Past sells fork braces, a good thing for these spindly forks.

This is a cool project, suscribed.

I had picked up a used front fender off a Kawasaki....thinking that it would become the front, and the oem front would become the rear. But you know.....you're absolutely right. I will keep the OEM front and rear fenders intact....maybe clean them up a bit and offer them up.

That Kawasaki front is long enough actually to serve both front and rear. It perhaps does look decent in photos, but there's hundreds of little scratches in the chrome, so it needs some tlc to make it look better. It went to get sandblasted last week (along with the frame/swingarm and rims).

In the meantime though, a conversation on Suzuki2stokes.com led me to www.anythinggoes74.com for my oil tank.
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And....figured it was time to attack those hubs in earnest.
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Re: T500 build

Yes, I know....

Dozens and dozens of you have been at this point before, and nothing in this post is going to be so world-changing that your hands are blown away from keyboards, but just bask briefly with me and savour the moment when old things become almost new looking again....

ry%3D400


:)
 
Re: T500 build

Your spot -on there tattoo those wheels are looking ace 8) following all the way ;)
 
Re: T500 build

thanks lads! yes, original spokes....they were solid, and they cleaned up well enough for me!!
 
Re: T500 build

coupla more pics....

Got the wheels trued - they're now ready for rubber.

Cleaned up and rebuilt carbs have come back from a pal's shop
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And the KZ400 front fender I picked up got sandblasted and then chopped into what will be a short rear hugger and the starting point for a shorter front. Had to fill in the old mounting holes, then attempt to smooth out the top surface. I think I'm there. The pic shows where I think I'll be cutting it off, but want to line it up on the forks/wheel before committing.
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Also re-contoured the original front fender brace/bracket.
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yeehaw!
 
Re: T500 build

Wow-----pushed to page 4 after 3 quiet weeks!! Great to see so much activity here.

Well, where are we?

With my cleaned up and rebuilt carbs having come back from a great pal who's been invaluable to this newbie build attempt so far, I so badly wanted to get the engine back in the frame and hooked up and started. If you recall, I dove right into dismantling without really knowing if th engine will even start (classic newbie mistake #1).

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This also allowed me to hook up and test that KZ400 fuel tank that I had acquired and worked on.

Spark was intermittent, so we replaced old points/condensers with new ones that I have bought, which sorted that out.
Compression as per our thumbometers seemed good, and gas was flowing. On the 4th or fifth kick she started up.
After 5 or 6 starts, the left cylinder was running strong, and the right was coming along (with no air filters, and timing not perfectly set yet...). Content, we tore the engine back out of the frame.

That KZ tank though decided to start leaking. Sourced a Caswell sealer kit, and voila. Sorted.
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Prior to removing the forks/steering head again though I took the opportunity to finalize where that KZ400 front fender would be cut, and got the grinder out. Drilled 4 new mounting holes and test fitted.
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The frame was partially detabbed (side cover mounts, steering head lock tab - I won't bother with worrying about locking the handlebars when I park it--). I still may remove the centrestand lift handle from the frame (need to sleep on that a bit) and once the seat is delivered and test mounted I'll cut the rear rails down. Put a couple of coats of primer on the frame and swingarm.
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Test fitted the oil tank that I had made up for the bike.
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Need to brace that bracket a little bit as the tank shakes around a bit a la Harley.....

And then got some miscellaneous bits ready for some DIY painting (went with a satin black).
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Will look into how difficult/daunting it is to apply some clearcoat and then do some sanding/polishing on the fenders and oil tank (at least)....might work up the nerve. I know it's the right thing to do. I think....

I am game too to painting the frame myself (thinking a semigloss black to match rims and contrast a little to the satin black on the misc bits.. The gas tank though I will entrust to someone more experienced and will provide the pop of colour.

Thanks for reading...
 
Re: T500 build

Couple of little tasks tackled this week. Spent some time getting the OEM speedometer cleaned up. There were some wear grooves around the top edge (from a cable probably?), and I figured that it should be painted in the same colour as the fenders, oil tank, etc.

Before:
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The gouges are just below the 140 MPH point. Filled in the gouges with some kwik-weld (I know....back yard hackery perhaps.....but hey...), sanded it all down, and shook up the rattle can.

After:
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Because the speedo will be mounted at more of a vertical angle than stock, I also wanted to do something about the bottom that would be somewhat more visible. It's not perfect, but built up a plate that bolts on to the existing mounting studs.
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These studs will eventually also run through two aluminum brackets (in process) that will hang from below the top triple to hold the speedo in place. Have decided to not run a tach, nor any dash lights.

Trying to make the little details matter!!!
 
Re: T500 build

Nudged (in a way) by something GrandPaul said in the BOTM thread....more, regular pix of a build. OK...I'll bite.

Bit of a quiet week...impatiently waiting for my finished seat to arrive from the guy who's building it for me----I want to "follow up" with him so badly!! Once I get it, I can finalize the frame rear rails cuts and get the frame painted up and start reassembling!

To keep myself busy though---I snagged another headlight. Nothing wrong with the original, just started thinking I wanted something a little smaller---as I'm hoping to locate it lower on the forks, and also want to mount the speedo a little lower, so thinking a smaller light would help all this.

This is off a....wait for it....a Honda "Titan"....technically a Honda GC150. Not road legal in Canada, but make excellent student bikes for the organization with whom I'm an riding instructor. Kinda cool too that it's going on a Suzuki 'Titan', no? It's about 1" smaller in overall diameter, and the lens is flatter, so it even appears smaller.

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Its housing is made of plastic too...so that shaves 1.03659483725 lbs of weight!!! ;D

Anyway, broke it apart, got it ready for paint, and will do it up in the same colour as the fenders, speedo, etc.

Also hoisted the engine into the driveway on Friday afternoon and went at it with some SuperClean and some scrub brushes. If I end up having to open the engine, it will get further cleaning, but until then, I still wanted to make it look a little more presentable.

When the bike came home:
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Engine out of frame, and likely after some cleaning (can't recall):
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In its current state:
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Onwards/upwards!

Have also started selling off the OEM bits that I won't be using--the seat, left side cover, footpegs and handlebars have all sold. Still have fenders, headlight, signal lights, taillight, chainguard, airbox/carb intoake boots/battery box, and a few other misc bits to go.

Still gotta get: new sprockets, new rear drum shoes, paint onto the tank, some sort of taillight (small, round unit...) some smaller signal lights, a little LithiumIon battery, tires, .......but it's starting to feel like it's coming together!!
 
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