SR500 street tracker from boxes

briandk

Been Around the Block
This is the starting point, an ‘84 48T frame, a 2j4 engine that was taken apart for unknown reasons, a pair of 18” spoked wheels, no seat, tank, forks or shocks, but a few boxes of old dirty bolts and bits.


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First goals are to get the engine sorted and a rolling chassis.

I split the rest of the engine and dropped the cases, cylinder and head off for vapor blasting. I found a cracked valve guide so that certainly needs to be replaced and the kickstart ratchet stop had broken like they do, other than that the engine seems to look ok.


I’ll have the cylinder bored and honed anyway and got a new 90mm wössner piston

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Unfortunately I also received a bag of broken rings, so currently waiting for a replacement

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I wish these came available around me. A box of engine aside, seems like a good kit to work with.
 
The rims are 1.85" front and 2.15" rear. they are OKish, but do have some pitting and especially the front has gouges from a violent tire change sometime in it's past.

I was toying with the idea of lacing up slightly wider rims. I've usually used CWC in the UK for rims but with them leaving the EU, I'll have to pay 25% vat on import and it just gets complicated. Instead I think I'll go with these, have the hubs blasted swap in some stainless spokes from KEDO.

Anyone tried vapor blasting the actual rim? I like the brushed/satin finish they have now over a polished finish and I guess vapor blasting would give me something in that style.

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I got a set of forks from eBay. It was a bit of a mystery buy as the stanchions had bellows on them and I couldn't actually see the condition, but they turned out to be near perfect.

The lowers had a bit of oxydation and some greenish tint to them, so I took some scotchpads and tried to give them a brushed look. I'm not super happy with the result - they do look nicer but the brushed pattern isn't exactly how I'd like.

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I wish these came available around me. A box of engine aside, seems like a good kit to work with.

The SR and XTs seems to be most popular in Germany and Asia, coincidentally this is also a German imported frame. The big owner communities are also German, I’m right next door in Denmark and am lucky enough to read German, so don’t have to rely on Google translate.


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First bunch of parts back from vapor blasting.

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The exhaust valve guide has seen better times. Wonder if the engine bend a valve at some time? New bronze guides are in the mail.

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I’m also waiting on a new +50% oil pump from Kedo before I can put it all together, but for now I’ll rinse what I can in the ultra sound cleaner, to get rid of any blast media and helicoil a single thread for the oil pump cover where I had to drill the screw out.


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First bunch of parts back from vapor blasting.

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The exhaust valve guide has seen better times. Wonder if the engine bend a valve at some time? New bronze guides are in the mail.

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I’m also waiting on a new +50% oil pump from Kedo before I can put it all together, but for now I’ll rinse what I can in the ultra sound cleaner, to get rid of any blast media and helicoil a single thread for the oil pump cover where I had to drill the screw out.


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Are you going to clear the vapor blasted covers or leave them? If left alone will they show finger prints?
 
Are you going to clear the vapor blasted covers or leave them? If left alone will they show finger prints?
I plan to leave them alone, but actually the ultrasonic cleaner fluid I used seems to have left some slightly lighter areas on some of the covers, so maybe I'll need to work over e.g. the stator cover, to get a uniform look on it, not quite sure yet. Fingerprints don't seem to stick to the blasted surface though.
 
I plan to leave them alone, but actually the ultrasonic cleaner fluid I used seems to have left some slightly lighter areas on some of the covers, so maybe I'll need to work over e.g. the stator cover, to get a uniform look on it, not quite sure yet. Fingerprints don't seem to stick to the blasted surface though.
I'm in the process of building a vapor blasting cabinet. It's almost impossible to polish the covers with all the little nooks and crannies.
 
Got my hands on a TT500 aluminum fuel tank. The SR tank is actually nicely shaped, but I couldn’t resist this one. It has a few dings but nothing real bad. Still a bit of that lovely orange color left. Hope to get to the shop soon and see how it’ll look on the frame. Don’t tell the wife I had a fuel tank anywhere near her pink couch.

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I love that tank. Personally I'd have a hard time not running it with that patina left alone.
 
This is a project I'd keep an eye on, looks like you have some good plans and that tank is splendid :) Throwing the assembled parts together for an overall look is next, right?
 
I love that tank. Personally I'd have a hard time not running it with that patina left alone.
Yeah, I had originally planned to get it painted, now I am not so sure. I'm sorely tempted to just run it as is.

This is a project I'd keep an eye on, looks like you have some good plans and that tank is splendid :) Throwing the assembled parts together for an overall look is next, right?
Thanks! Yeah juuust about there. I was waiting for my hubs to come back from my vapor blaster, but he ran into some trouble with the machine so it's dragging out a bit. I think I'll borrow another set of wheels so I can get her rolling and get a better idea if the look I have in my head, will work out in reality..
 
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A little peak at how it looks on the bike. I want it sitting slightly lower, but I have to shave the original tank mounts for that and I need the bike inspected before I start modding the frame. Nevermind the bars, they where just what I had around.



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Finally picked my hubs up from blasting and gave wheel building a try. It took a few tries before I got it right. I knew to lace the inner spokes first and I had another wheel to see the pattern from, but always messed up when flipping the wheel over and starting on the 2nd side. In the end I found this super detailed and helpful video
and everything just fell into place.

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I also stumbled onto some cheap 17” warp9 supermoto wheels on eBay, so I’m toying with the idea of having two set of wheel, these 18” with some more knobby rubber and the supermoto wheels with some sticky sports bike tires. I’ll see when they arrive how much work it’ll be to make them fit.
 
This is going to be nice! Will you do the head work yourself? Pressing out that bust old valve guide and pressing in the new bronze one?
 
This is going to be nice! Will you do the head work yourself? Pressing out that bust old valve guide and pressing in the new bronze one?
Thanks I hope it will :)

I really like doing things myself when I can, in fact I may actually like working on bikes more than riding :D
But, in this case I had the local machine shop that bored my cylinder change the guides. I do have a press but I was a little worried about doing more damage than good.

I'm also outsourcing when it comes to porting, so the head is currently in Italy with "hudriwudri" from the German sr500/xt500 forums for some flow optimisation.
 
Both wheels build up again and some fresh rubber is on the way in the mail. Can wait to be able to roll it around. I’m also trying out a Storz style flat track rear. I think it can work well with the XT tank.

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Thanks I hope it will :)

I really like doing things myself when I can, in fact I may actually like working on bikes more than riding :D
But, in this case I had the local machine shop that bored my cylinder change the guides. I do have a press but I was a little worried about doing more damage than good.

I'm also outsourcing when it comes to porting, so the head is currently in Italy with "hudriwudri" from the German sr500/xt500 forums for some flow optimisation.
I am actually very much the same - riding is fun, but building/wrenching is even more fun. Good call outsourcing that stuff, I did the same and am very happy with the results :)

Nice wheels!
 
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