Hi folks, As I mentioned in my introduction post - I recently decided to build a track only bike and picked up a friend's crashed 08. The crash damage was not severe - fairings, rear wheel and subframe, but unfortunately some gas spilled and the bike caught fire, which took out the electrical, airbox and vacuum lines under the tank. As you will see in the pictures the bike looked like a total loss, but it had the crank and clutch basket replaced with the upgraded parts and suspension redone with K-Tech valves and springs (both front and rear). Parts are readily available for the model, interchangeable with later years and finally I am quite capable of doing a complete teardown and rebuild myself. So I decided to take it and see how it goes. At the moment the bike is being reassembled and I have probably 99% of the parts I need, but I will start with a few posts and pictures of the initial state and the teardown.
A few more pictures of the initial state. Most of what you see is sooth, extinguisher powder and corrosion (I will get to that later). At this point I figured I need to strip down all the melted parts down to the bare engine, mask all openings (intake ports, coolant passages etc.) then do a full wash and degreasing.
Taking off the clutch side button assembly. Right clip-on was broken, so I just cut it off the wires and throttle cables. Main harness unplugged from the ECU on top of the airbox and put aside.
Sounds like the best plan at this stage. Heaps of work ahead, but will be a good project. Keep up the thread, many will be interested in this!
ECU unplugged. It is a bit soothy on the outside, but considering it is enclosed in resin, should be fine. We'll see.
Thanks mate. Project is moving along nicely and the bike is taking shape. I just want to take you through everything from the beginning.
A few more pictures of the general condition the bike was in. The left frame slider and carbon case cover took most of the damage and saved the engine. The case cover held up really well and did not grind through the Kevlar reinforcement. I am very impressed, so may end up putting a new one like it when it is back together... debating between this and GB Racing engine covers. Any thoughts?
Airbox removed. Throttle bodies look okay-ish inside, injectors and fuel rail look fine. We shall see if the TB assembly can be cleaned and reused or will need replacing. Front sub harness - for the speedo and headlight is missing. Probably was taken out along with broken fairings. HESD will buff right out
Sorry, cant help at all. I think most on the forum will endorse GB over R & G. Not sure about Kevlar though. I've never used covers or bungs. Sure, I leave myself open to huge expense in the event of a 'mishap', but I just prefer the original look. Having said that, I come from an era when we had chrome 'crash bars' front and rear on our bikes!
I haven’t used the gb racing covers but the fact they are used by so many on here and race teams alike would be enough for me to put hem on
This is a very interesting thread, a proper project. Keen to keep an eye on this and see how you progress with this Please keep the pictures coming and updates. Good luck.
Agree with others this is going to be a great thread to follow. I am very impressed with your optimism and practical approach. Seeing the bike like that is sad but having the confidence (and ability) to rebuild is impressive. Good luck and make sure you take (and post here) plenty of pictures; dont ever think you're putting too many up..I get very bored at work most days
Thanks guys. It is nothing scary really I did pretty much the same thing a few years ago with my old 900 blade. It was just a maintenance winter project, but still did an almost complete teardown, replacing bearings, seals, cleaning and re-greasing etc. Also did a 954 front end conversion. Obviously the 08 is a bit more complex, especially the wiring side, but still its nothing scary. In my particular case most of the damaged and melted bits will be replaced as I found a donor bike and the rest is cleaning the corrosion, replacing a few seals and bearings, painting and assembly.
Throttle body removed, intake ports plugged with rags and getting ready to take out the main wiring harness. Found this sensor just hanging like this, connected to the harness and the vacuum line torn.... Later figured it was the MAP sensor, which bolts to the bottom of the airbox.
Ash, dirt and powder from the extinguisher is everywhere... I am getting a bit concerned how all of this will clean up.
A few more random pictures of unplugging various connections and state of the bike. Subframe tray was completely destroyed and unusable. The bike has a synchrotech quickshifter. The sensor and control box are fine. Wiring is a bit damaged, but we shall see if it is salvageable.
Bike stripped down and ready for its first major wash. Need to take off all the sooth, ash and extinguisher powder so I can figure out what else needs replacing, disassembly etc. It is not in the pictures, but the thermostat housing was removed and its opening along with the intake ports were taped off with s few layers of strong aluminium and electrical tape. Chain master link was ground down and removed. It was almost new prior to the crash and is in very good condition. Not stretched, no binding links etc. It has a few rust spots, but those will clean right off and I think it will be good to put back on. Loaded the bike onto my trailer, took it to a power wash and spend a couple of hours degreasing and washing all the crap off it. You may notice the rear wheel is in a good shape. This is actually the original wheel off the bike, which I got with it. The one destroyed in the crash was a spare for track days. You can actually see the bent wheel in the last picture, behind the front of the bike.
I find it daunting looking at all the wires and hoses and plugs and sensors on a pristine bike let alone something like this Fair play to you though, it's already looking 100 times better after a good scrub up
