Thanks for welcoming me to the group I recently picked up a 1999 from a co-worker of mine. From my knowledge the bike has sat outside exposed to the elements of the harsh Texas seasons for over 4 years. Anxious to see what condition it was really in so the next day I brought it home and did nothing more than drain and replace the fuel and oil, pulled the deteriorating air filter and jumped with a car battery. Low and behold the bike came alive and I was quite impressed. Still far from decent shape I had a few problems expose themselves while stripping the machine down, first after removing the seat the frame was completely rusted through on the right side which has appeared to happen with another person on this forum so I ended up welding a steel bar that slid inside the tubing. The tank was cracked and replaced that with the acerbis model from justgastanks which I am currently working on figuring out fabricating the rear bracket for. The other current project is restoring the seat which I rushed and did more damage to on the first day by breaking the rusted bolts. Otherwise the majority of the parts are all there and looking forward to getting it on the trails!
-- Edited by revtxstate on Wednesday 10th of June 2015 01:29:56 AM
Here is how the frame was rusted through initially. Looked pretty bad but fortunately did not spread through the main frame towards the front. Turned out the local hardware shop had solid steel bar that fit the ID of the frame tubing perfectly. So gave the new bar a slight bend to match and slides into the tubing about 1 inch on either side. Not the prettiest weld patch but the other side of the frame will definitely give in before this side does now!
Here is about where I am currently. Sanded and painted the few rust spots. All the parts cleaned up really well with some elbow grease. With the plastics I had lightly sanded the scuff marks then carefully used a blow torch to smooth out the surface and bring the color back to the white areas then let it soak up some WD40. Now they look nearly new. I had not tried this using a utility knife but would you just scrape it holding the knife perpendicular to the plastic, may give this a try next time if its more effective. As far as new parts go so far a EK chain, sunstar sprockets, UNI filter, acerbis tank, NGK spark plug, and battery. Other things on the list to get done for a test ride are repack all the bearings and joints, and repair or replace the seat. Plus many more items over time but currently anxious to get it running!
Nice frame patch you would be surprised at what you come across cutting and chopping frames around rust wise. I have come across some real nasty rusted tube's and a Gold wing with a swinging arm that was so close to collapse it would have wiped the bike an ride out big time. and a Suzuki RL 250 with a top tube rusted from the inside out and they are made from chromed Reynolds 531 tubing the rust loves that stuff.
Thanks, took a little head scratching to figure out what would have worked best between using the same size tubing or the bar but I think the bar will be much stronger. The seat is about to the point it would be easier to replace (the nuts embedded in the plastic were ripped out and the front section of foam is missing). If anyone out here has a seat they would sell I would be interested.
Have it mostly back together and drove around the neighborhood a bit. Middle throttle would start to bog out like it was pulling in too much air. I think that issue is with the rubber interface between the carb and engine not being sealed very well allowing air in. Decided to cleanup the carb and noticed the diaphragm on the rod was beginning to deteriorate so decided to order a replacement. Needles and jets appeared to be fine so other parts planning to replace are gaskets and o-rings and float valve. Parts should arrive in soon!
What type of sealant is best used on the rubber piece to seal to the engine intake? Or just use a hose clamp?
Also the left vent was originally non existent. Are the vent important to have routed through a tee fitting... any benefits?