So I picked up a 1997 Blade with 48k miles that has had a pretty hard life, looks like it’s been used for commuting year round but it runs and rides great so hopefully no gearbox/engine problems. I will use this thread to document my progress and post as many Pics as I can, everyone loves pictures! I’m going to need direction from you all as this is by far my biggest project to date.
Pic from Last night
I have stripped all the fairings for now and uncovered all sorts of stupidity....
Pics to follow
Have a look at any markings inside the fairing to see if you can determine the plastic used. On the 954 the cowl is ABS, and the sides are PolyEthelene. (As an aside the PE is probably better at handling heat which is why the Chinese ABS need heat shields).
The polyethelene can be welded with a soldering iron and is easy to do.
The ABS can be melted with Acetone or MEK etc. You can buy powder and mix it with acetone to form a glue. Or sprinkle it on the acetone in the crack.I have done this with aluminium flyscreen to give it strength. Basically melted the flyscreen into the fairing with ABS. Its easier to do than you think.
. . . You can buy powder and mix it with acetone to form a glue. Or sprinkle it on the acetone in the crack.I have done this with aluminium flyscreen to give it strength. Basically melted the flyscreen into the fairing with ABS. Its easier to do than you think.
A friend has done this on another forum, with success. He'd kept a couple of trashed fairing and cut them up and ground them into powder for such a repair.
Not sure if he used his wife's kitchen blender though. I wouldn't be fancying the next chocolate cake!!
I have replaced the generator gasket today and polished the cover, I painted the water pump cover and it’s looking good. The engine itself is pretty corroded and it seems a shame to have shiny new looking parts bolted to it. Has anyone ever had the corrosion soda blasted? I’ve had a go with various wire brushes etc but it still looks terrible
If you blast it, it may take any protective coating off, and will go tatty faster. The wire brush is good to get a key into the aluminum. Then go and paint it. It comes out a treat.
Why did you have to post that! I have no choice but to try and do the same now!! Looks great, why paint did you use?presumably has to be high heat rated
Unfortunately 1998 wasn’t the cbr’s finest year for colour options, of the below which does everyone prefer? Think I am going to take a punt on a Chinese set of fairings and have a go at repairing my OEM set in due course. The original set is red white and blue/purple but I am swaying towards black... would mean getting the tank painted though, needs it anyway after I repair the big old dent!
Painting is incredibly easy, especially solid colors. I'm sure you could handle it yourself. The only tricky paint is candy. You'll want a steady hand before trying that.
Personally I like the Black and Grey, it’s a bit more contemporary, it hasn’t dated quite so much. (Says the person who’s bike has a purple rear seat!)
So managed to get the clutch cover painted today, not sure why I painted the front plate a different colour but I like that it stands out, I may do the centre section of the timing chain cover silver also
So I painted my rear wheel yesterday and it was clear I didn’t prep the surface well enough, with weeks of prepping the engine ahead I decided to farm it out my powder coating pal said he can do both for £70 which I thought was pretty good and I dropped them off today. While at his workshop he offered me use of his vapour blasting cabinet whenever I like so that may come in handy in the future
Ordered new front and rear wheel bearings to fit in my freshly powdercoated wheels that are due back in a few days, a full coolant hose kit in black, new jubilee clips for everything as well as a set of throttle cables
Monday I need to order a radiator and rear shock, I’m trying to space it out a bit so it’s a little less painful.
So far including buying the bike I’m at around £1300, still need rear shock, Radiator, fairings, the tank painted to match fairings and I need to do something with the front forks. Other than that I’m not far off putting it all back together! Oh and I need a new chain and sprockets....
Marskman Industrial, leading suppliers of Motorbike Bearings and Mower Belts. Also a huge range of Industrial Bearings, V Belts, Shaft Couplings, Oil Seals, Spray Lubricants, Drive Chains & Sprockets.
you're going to need to do a better job with photo documentation and write-ups. i'm going to have to follow this when i work up enough bikes to tear apart mine for a rebuild.
Well said, Nigel. When I hear or see about a fellow enthusiast who gained some knowledge from a post or pic of mine, I feel I have accomplished more than the bits that I was working on or photographing. It helps, no matter what.
I know that some of the radiators are compatible, but what that means is a 97 will work, but the main hoses mount indifferent locations. You can see that by looking at pictures on the web. The 96-99 were all curved and mount exactly the same, but the 98-99 SC33 changed their thermostat location and the location of the main hose on the right side of the radiator.
Ordered my Yss rear shock today and had a good chat with the guy at Brookes, I’m going to order some ktech springs suited to my weight and refresh my front forks as well I think.
I bought the bike from my mates boss and it turns out that he bought it from another guy at their work. He said to my pal that if I returned the battery optimiser lead that was left on the bike he would swap it for the original exhaust and rear sets, seems like a pretty good deal to me 😂
I have a shelf of parts that I have cleaned up and painted that I for got to post, I wrecked my original carbs trying to remove the seized mixture screws, I admitted defeat and ordered a set of flea bay and transferred my jets and a few other bits over
I cleaned and painted the triple clamps
And I’ve had a go at painting the clutch cover (I inlaid the Honda logo and surround in black after a suggestion on here
Gee, I thought I was doing well with 'replenishing' screws and bolts with Autosol. But after seeing yours, I just have to bite the bullet and start ordering some new stuff - especially for calipers which really stand out!
that is a full casing bolt kit, each pack is for a casing and they come with a diagram for where they fit, it was about £15 on eBay. Part of the reason I got it is for the diagrams so I get the right bolts in the right places
oooo buddy that looks good. you're going to have to go black and red now, none of that grey business. unless you're going with more red accents.
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