OK so this is going to be the thread where I'm going to show photos of the bike getting some love and getting it back to a respectable state. I'll also be asking lots of questions most likely, in order to work out what's right and what's not and how stuff should be.
So today I started with the front wheel. Firstly I took the discs off the wheel. Allegedly recently repainted, all I can say is whoever painted the wheels needs to look for a now job because their preparation and painting is shithouse. The hub ( centre of the wheel where the bearings are ) has not been cleaned properly and their are little lumps of dust all over it under the paint. On the left hand side of the wheel the raised up bead that runs circumfrencially ( sp? ) around the middle of the rim ( the bit that is broken by the air valve ) hasn't been properly clean either as the paint ( powder coat I think ) hasn't stuck most of the way around. Lastly, again on the left hand side of the wheel, there is something in / on the paint where each spoke meets the rim. It wouldn't polish off either. Next I cleaned the discs centres ( the gold alloy part ) with a toothbrush and prepsol - years of brake dust washed off in great black waves. Then I cleaned all the disc bolts with said toothbrush and prepsol, and then reassembled the wheel and discs.
Next was the front forks. They are leaking like the proverbial, so I wiped all the oil off them. The left hand slider has a couple of nicks in it that are proud and would chew out the seal in short order, so that'll have to be sorted out. I cleaned the fork bottoms with the toothbrush and prepsol ( basic tools which do a very good job on just about everything!! ) and surprisingly they didn't come up too badly. Fortunately the years of caked-on brake dust hasn't eaten into the anodised finish. I removed the front axle pinch bolts, axle, and the threaded sleeve which the axle screws in to. Oh dear, a previous owner sure did love buying bolts that are too long and cutting them down with a hacksaw, and then not bothering to clean up the cut end just wind them she'll be right. They should apply for a job at Tescos, I hear they're hiring BUTCHERS!!!!. So new axle pinch bolts are on the ever increasing list of bolts that need replacing for various reasons. Anyway, I digress. So that lot all got a good go with the toothbrush, as did the front fender bolts and washers. Then everything got put back in place loosely so as not to lose anything.
While I had the axle out, I also cleaned the speedo drive after unscrewing the cable out of the back of it. That one got the brush and prepsol treatment too. It came up ok, but how the hell has someone previously managed to break off half of the plastic edge on it, and crack the plastic by where the cable screws into it?? A new / second hand one of those is now on the list too.
Then I had a closer look at the forks. The speedo cable is routed around the front and outside of the left hand fork, and is cable tied to the speedo cable at one point. Just below where it is cable tied, the outer sheathing is worn through and knackery for about 1 inch along the cable. Is the cable supposed to go that way, or in-between the forks and behind the lefthand fork?? Seems like it would be a lot less likely to be pulled when turning the bars right that way. Anyway, the left hand fork has a big flat on it, and an accompanying deeper gouge in up up closer to the bottom triple clamp. How the hell does that happen??
Both forks are also gouged to hell higher up where someone has very hamfistedly removed the clip-ons previously, and the lower part of both are stone chipped to hell. Does anyone know anyone who can repair these? really they need all the gouges and chips filled and machined back, then the tubes re-annodised, then new seals.
Continued in next post because to pic limit.
