Bike Rejuvenation Project

[Fozzie]

I dont think Matty was having a pop, he was saying what we hear from the respective fraternity...

Best option is to build it and label it how you see it in terms of style...

Streetfighters roll with the phrase "built, not bought" but if you buy parts to fit some of them get a bit ratty with you. Just style it how you please and if it matches a rat bike style then that is what it is for you and for others.

[mattycoops43]

Yup. This. I totally believe you can do whatever you like with your own bike, it's your own bike, I was just trying to clarify what the definition of a certain type of bike is.

Do whatever you like with yours, enjoy it, and make it your own creation. It is just that me and my friends (who have owned rat bikes) were having a laugh lately about how few people get the fact you CANNOT build a rat bike, it has to grow.

[Tankbag]

There is a rat bike Guzzi a guy uses at work I'll grab a pic as soon as, its got carpet tape for a seat cover lol

[Throttled]

Mine is growing, the project started the day I dropped it off a damn as described in the OP. It has picked up other dents since then and rust, which is being painted black as it goes matt. The process is gradual and what I will end up seems to fall inbetween categories as it is not traditional rat, it will not be survival, instead it will be a matt black sort of ratted.

[Throttled]

Stripped, cleaned (as in pistons out ) the calliper and changed the front brake fluid. Completely forgot to take any photos.

[Tankbag]

Brills

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa3/tankbag/DSC03435.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa3/tankbag/DSC03437.jpg

[Throttled]

Thats classic, traditional rat.

[Throttled]

Front fork hand painted and exhaust and the non black part of the engine spray painted.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9349848775_f3428167d0_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/9349843859_47e73e2374_z.jpg

[Throttled]

The whole plan has been changed. It is not going to be a rat bike painted matt. The matt painting I did looked awful. So today I used panel wipe and elbow grease and wiped all the matt painting I had done off. Instead satin black high temperature paint has gone on to the exhaust, heat shield and non black parts of the engine.

I am ordering Spark Gold touch up paint for the frame. The aim is to have the bike only spark gold and the spark black, satin black. It retains some rat elements, such as the dents and scratches, made do/DIY repairs, servicing and second hand parts.

So really this project has been about rescuing the bike and keeping it going for another year, rather than running it into the ground until something catastrophic fails and it has to be scrapped.

[Fozzie]

Good choice, not a fan of rat bikes anyway!

Or whatever by definition it was going to be...

[Throttled]

The high temperature paint goes on a nice black, instead of the very high temperature paint which dries a dusty grey colour.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3748/9424111430_d4d26c45bc_z.jpg

I put it back together for the first time in months. Various parts still need painting, but the paint has failed to appear as yet.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/9421341365_a788412d46_z.jpg

Refurbishing and cleaning the brakes has made a heck of a difference. It is much easier to push the bike about now, that is how badly adjusted and crudded up the brakes were

[Throttled]

Finished it off by replacing a whole load of nuts and fixings with stainless steel and further work on the back brake. One part was still seized. The handguards have been painted and the rusted parts of the frame sorted. There is a lovely new back tyre on, ContiEscape.

There is no fuel gauge and I usually refuel at 140 miles, but I ran out with 110 on the clock. I presume we went through a lot just running the bike. It has been great to get it back out for some runs. Roll on the winter!

[Throttled]

Poor bike. It fair suffered over the 2013 to2014 and 2014 to 2015 winters. It was washed regularly, serviced but the fight with corrosion means it is under going a new major rejuvenation. Anything that was not replaced with stainless steel the last time has to be replaced this time. Various fixings have just disintegrated. I have a large selection of allen bolts and washers. I find these

http://hlmet.com/images/inch_titanium_hex_socket_head_cap_bolt_420cc300.jpg

to be the best at surviving and be the easiest to take on and off.

The rejuvenation has meant replacing both calipers. Last time I got away with stripping and replacing seals and pistons. This time I have found two Dutch bike part dealers. They are stripping KLEs and ER5s, do English, have paypal and the postage is under a tenner using DHL. So the KLE now has an ER5 front caliper and KLE rear caliper. They were £20 each and have come from bikes that have not corroded. Just arrived is a speedo sensor, it fits round the front spindle. I replace the very corroded cable to find the corrosion had got inside the sensor.

I have also got a new stainless exhaust from Blackwidow

http://www.blackwidowexhausts.co.uk/kaw ... 1355-p.asp

but I want to thoroughly clean and sort the rest of the bike before it goes on. I have tried to unbolt the old one, but it does not want to play. Heat and penetrating oil has cleaned the nuts up, but they are still not budging. I am going to paint the frame as it is a patchwork of touching up and surface rust. It is solid, so that will be a "rat" job where as much as possible is removed and the rest sprayed in situ.

One pain was I put on nice looking, metal, gold valve caps which seized onto the valves. So I had to get the inner tubes replaced. Back to plastic valve caps.

[Throttled]

This is what a fairing can hide

This the first part I have finished. The numberplate hanger is now black and rust free and the screws holding on the number plate light have been replaced with stainless steel allen bolts. Some are under the light cover so you cannot see them.

[Throttled]

Some pictures of the frame being painted black and the state of the exhaust

and the finished job with a new exhaust

There are a few bits waiting to go back on and then winter here we come.