I am interested if anyone on here has restored a bike, my question is where do you start to learn how to do all that, courses or trial and error. You have to have a good knowledge of what parts do what when rebuilding the engine or just taking it all apart and putting it back together. I would love to try it but dont even know where to begin. Been watching 'A bike is born' with Mark Evans on the Quest channel and I am loving it, he has restored a Harley and next a Bonneville.
Choose your bike and buy a haynes manual and read it from cover to cover. Thats what I did when I bought my old kwak gpz1000. You learn as you do things. You get days where nothing goes right and you want to pack it all in and wish you never started. but its all worth it in the end.
Choose something fairly simple & not too rare. Get a bike which is in running order & work on a piece at a time. Look for a forum where people have completed similar bikes. It's nice to have a little project. That's my 2p.
Thanks guys, gonna get something really cheap and see what happens, like you say its great to have a little project
I always fix my own when it comes to rebuilding due to bike/wall/lampost interface. As said, get a haynes, read about whT ya doing, make absolute sure you have all the tools, seals, lubes, coppaslip etc for the work you are doing, grab a big mug o tea and take ya time. I rebuilt my 748, started about 6am and finished 12hrs later. Could o swore i only been at it a couple of hours. Very therapeutic, relaxing and rewarding. Or am i just a sad bastid? Lol
I've thought about this over the last 2 years. What I want to do is get a hold of a NC30 in need of some TLC and build it from ground up. Even strip the engine and have a fettle in there. I've never had a problem stripping things. It must just be the engineer in me. What to remember is that it's all just bits of metal bolted together and that there is always someone who can help u when the time comes. If I were u I would do it. It's something that everyone should do at some point. I can't think of a better thing to do with your time. Just imagine the satisfaction youll have when it's finished.
I've got my 550 in the back of the garage waiting for me to work up the courage. I keep telling Jeanette its my retirement project. Fat chance I've got of retiring so I should be safe.
You lucky swine. If I had the money I would mate, but having just bought a new house and spending a small fortune on the blade, it doesn't look likely this year. If I manage to sell my car though it may be a dream come true As I've said it's been on the cards for the last few years but other things have gotten in the way.
had mine since i was 21 so seven years now!...its a uk spec one, quite rare, in the proper colours, but in need of some tlc.... i'll never sell it, the blade would go first, but i want it back in a1 condition.... was going to start the stripping this weekend, but the blade got mashed by a dead badger instead... f*cking typical!
The way to look at it though is that your more than half way there mate. You've got it in your garage and all you need to do now is bite the bullet and strip that beaut of a bike and get it back to it's former glory. I would bite my left arm off to be in your position
3/4's....its sitting on the ramp ready to be jacked up to eye level! lol i have the bike, you have the skills.... think i'd prefer to be in your position!
Jimbo if only I was closer by. I would gladly come over and spend some garage nights on that bike to get it to where you want it.
cheers dude!! my old man is a top mechanic (why im so bad as i just get him to do it) but getting him enthusiastic is hard, i've given up, so jusy going to do it myself this year... i'll keep you posted though, so you can see how it goes... im my head it goes like this... wheels off - powder coated rear shock replace / refurbed front forks serviced / resprung body work off, touched up / resprayed new exhaust headers frame and bits and bobs cleaned down etc original indicators back on etc well thats the start anyway....
A good mate of mine that lives in Dover has restored an NC30 mate. Can give you his number if it would help.?
I did it the wrong way when I got a project bike. I bought a non runner. It had been sat for over 6 years. It took me so long to get it running. Complete engine service, valve clearance, replacement coils and carbs that looked like barnicles. I bought an ultrasonic cleaner as quotes to get the carbs done were horendous. More than I paid for the bike!! I eventually got it running on all 4 and sold it. After the time it had taken to get that far I had lost interest and gave up. I want another to do though. My dream is to get a crappy RD350 YPVS and rebuild it.
Read in the mags in their tips section you should always get a runner to keep the interest going! Guess they do talk some sense lol
Forums are the best help I learnt how to put a YZF426 39mm FCR carb into my DRZ which had a site vacuum carb , Plus i learnt how to jet it to suit and how to tune it leaner or richer
Caught a quick look at this last weekend when I popped round, awesome bike dude. I'm the same with my Golf, would never sell it
