Before going back to the wiring, I wanted to get a few other bits done. Upper and lower head bearings in place and packed with grease. Steering stem in place, HESD and HISS reader mounted. And just to give you bit of perspective, this is what we started with.
Oil pressure switch wire and boot installed. Routed with factory brackets and clips. And finally - hey look - no hands... uh I mean - no wooden support struts and Ytong blocks Bike is properly positioned on stands. The engine is still semi-supported, as it is not fully tightened down in the frame yet.
Bleedin' heck, Martin. Site Admin has just had to purchase another 500 Terrabytes of hosting for all your photos!!
Definitely my favorite thread EVER. It's great to see all the nooks and crannies that you don't otherwise see; I think I'm going to print this whole thread out (at work obviously ) and keep it as a reference manual.
You’ve done a brilliant job getting that all cleaned up and looking as good as it is. What grease are you using on the stem bearings if you don’t mind me asking? Also do you think it would be easier to get the front stem and rear swingarm on first and then put the frame on paddock stands then put the engine in? Or do you think the way you did it was more practical and easier? Reason I ask is because I’ve got a 600rr which I’m about to strip down and replace the chassis so your advice would be appreciated
Thanks a lot folks, glad you like it. It has definitely been very frustrating at times, but I think it turns out quite well. I've hit a couple of bumps but nothing that cannot be solved. Well, you guys said to keep the pictures coming and (I quote) "don't ever think you're putting too many up", so.... The grease is just high quality multipurpose water resistant lithium complex grease, I can snap of photo of the label later tonight. Regarding the engine drop. I had to have the engine out and supported so I can strip it down and paint it. Also doing it all by yourself is quite difficult. And by difficult I mean you have to get really creative on how to balance both the engine and frame, have all mounting holes accessible and being careful not to drop or scratch anything in the process. I strongly recommend you have a friend help you. I think it is much easier to support the engine steady, lift the frame off it and drop the new one on top. The frame is much lighter and easy to hold / manoeuvre than a bare engine. When putting the new fame back on, make sure you have the triple tree installed, so it is ready to put on a front stand. After you secure the engine to the frame, have a friend help you balance it, while you put the swingarm on. Then it is ready to be put on stands and continue the rest of the assembly. Now all this is considering the fact that you are swapping frames, so you have to strip down everything anyways. If you were swapping engines it will be much more practical to simply drop it down and put a new one in. TBH, this is what I could work out in a dirty garage environment. If you have a motorcycle lift, ceiling hoist and an engine lift it will probably be another story. Hope this helps.
I got a dirty little garage and just the stands, no ramp. I generally can make do with whatever I have and as you, have a few blocks of timber to hand which always come handy for support. I’m surprised how light these frames are, when my new one came I thought the box was empty, had a little panick moment thinking I’ve been screwed over and sent an empty box. I remember the old bikes of the 80’s them frames had some weight to them! Thanks again and keep up the good work!
I did mention this part a few posts back. This is an exhaust servo eliminator / servo buddy or whatever you may want to call it. The bike has a Leo Vince slip-on and I was thinking I will either have to live with a CEL or install and connect the stock servo motor. I didn't know the bike had the servo eliminator and I noticed it by accident going through the old wiring comparing some connectors. Luckily this thing lives in the tail section, which was unaffected by the fire. Good thing I decided I will not throw anything away until I have the bike up and running.
Ran into another problem - bolting the engine down, the right front engine mount turned out to have its threads stripped. When I was removing the frame sliders, the right one did go out fairly difficult and took out some aluminium shavings in the bolt thread. I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I tried to tighten it back up the bolt just skips and turns. Shit! Upon closer inspection, you can clearly see the threads are pulled out. The slider was either cross-threaded upon installation, or maybe pulled the thread from the crash... You can clearly see the outer portion is stripped and a few (5 or so) clean threads all the way back. The OEM bolt doesn't go all the way in, so the final few threads remained OK. What are my option? Longer bolt will work, but not sure if the remaining 5 threads will be strong enough to torque it down properly. An even longer bolt with a nut on the other end - the rear is not flush, so I will have to get really creative there. Drill and tap to the next size up - lets leave this as a final option, as I will have to drill out the frame mount hole as well. Out came the helicoil kit. In order to do it properly I needed access to the engine mount and the frame mount was in the way. No way I am dropping the engine out again, I will only pivot it slightly down. Engine supported on a block of wood and a car jack. Front 2 engine bolts removed, upper rear engine bolt(spindle) removed and adjusting nut loosened to get some clearance. Lower engine bolt (spindle) loosened so the engine could pivot on it. At this point with the frame supported on stands and by lowering the car jack, the engine drops and pivots around the rear bottom spindle. Dropping 4-5 cm was enough to for the front mounts to clear the frame and have access to drill and tap for the helicoil. Helicoils installed with a good amount of thread lock and a longer bolt in place and tightened moderately so that the thread lock can set and secure the helicoils in the aluminium mount. This long bolt will be removed and either OEM bolt or frame slider installed in its place. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a problem so stack multiple helicoils one after another in a deeper threaded hole. Also I was a bit concerned about the strength of this new thread, but did some research and it turns out it is actually stronger than the original OEM thread, especially with steel bolts threaded in soft metals like aluminium. Come to think about it, it makes perfect sense. The aluminium thread is the weak point and you are effectively increasing its size. The bolt is then treaded into a new steel thread, which will be plenty strong. Engine lifted back up and all other bolts installed.
Really enjoying keeping up with this. Keep up the good work and that thing will be back on the road in no time
Thanks a lot guys. Things are moving along nicely, although small issues keep coming up which are slowing down the assembly until I address them properly. Lets try and get back to the main wiring, this time with a proper non-abs loom. Oh, and I have to pat myself on the back for thinking ahead and mounting the coolant overflow tank before bolting the swing arm. I don't think its possible to install / remove it with the swingarm in place.
Speaking of small bumps in the road. Abs vs non-abs again. Donor bike was an abs model and I took the key, ignition switch, immo reader, ECU and wiring loom off it. While I did get another non-abs loom, I still need to use the abs bike ignition switch, as it matches the key, which matches the ECU immobilizer. Here is the problem right there: Ignition switch has a 3 wire plug, as it provides a + power to 2 separate circuits - the main loom (all standard bike systems) and the ABS system. The non abs loom has a 2 wire plug (brown connector). As you know by now, I am not a big fan of cutting good wiring if unless I have to. Original ignition switch plug - has 2 wires. Plug may be a little melted in the corner, but still perfectly usable. So.… Luckily the spade connectors are identical, so switching plugs. Problem solved.
Major hiccup finding the stripped thread, but you chose the correct and most effective resolution. Another good series of photos. Cheers! I've actually been thinking of setting fire to one of my bikes just so that I can put the advice of this thread into practice!!
Alright, good morning folks. Another set of pictures coming. I did mention the alternator cover has not been bolted on, as the actual alternator needed attention. The coil itself was fine, but the wires coming out of it were charred. Luckily the insulation melted, but the actual wires under it were fine. So new cable sleeving put on, heat shrink and taped. The bolts securing the alternator coil and the sensor to the inside of the cover were heavily threadlocked, so … I wanted to get Loctite 243 (which is the oil tolerant multipurpose medium strength), but it was not available at my local hardware store. Permatex alternative will do just fine. Same was used on the engine mount helicoils, btw. Engine cover prepped, sealing surface cleaned and gently sanded and black silicone gasket maker applied very thin. I've seen people put way too much of this stuff which is not necessary. It can also squeeze on the inside of the engine and little pieces can separate over time, clogging oil passages. Engine cover in place and tightened down. Finally the engine is ready to be turned over.
