Post by exuptoy on Nov 3, 2020 2:51:31 GMT
Following building my new garage I decided to look around for a bike project. Over the past few years I try to get one project in the garage alongside my own regular ride. My usual work entails stripping back, fresh powdercoat to things like wheels and engine cases and localised paint repairs or respraying to frames and forks etc. depending on the severity of the rust or paint condition. I usually ride them for a while, rack up a little mileage and move them on, usually with minor profit but usually not that much. My take on that is I’ve saved another from the breakers and enjoyed doing the project and enjoyed my time on the bike.
Here’s a couple that were in dire need of TLC.
The CBR had 63k on it, the R1 42k and the SV 46k. The CBR and R1 both benefitted from 2016 CBR1000RR stick coils when finished an proper Tyco waterproof electrical connectors.
This time was a little different, I wanted to put my own spin on this one. Chatting with a mate revealed a 99 ER-5 which had been sat in his mates shed for 5 years unloved and would probably be there for another 5 years before it would be looked at.
A fortnight and £100 later it was on my trailer heading for home.
For anyone unsure what that is here is a library pic of the same bike. I was thinking a Cafe Racer might be a change from an original resto or a street fighter.
First thing was to check it would run. The battery was fecked and the fuel tap was shot so with a bit of luck and a Halfrauds trade card I managed to find a LiFePo battery for £57. That thing is seriously light and small. Two reasonable attributes.... for a motorcycle battery at least, oh yeah and a hooker!
I sourced a cheap Sealey remote fuel tank, stuck in a couple of quids worth of Shell’s finest E5 and with the fresh battery it fired right up. Problem 1 sorted. Chopping up this commutermobil could commence.
Prior to picking this up I never looked at pics of Cafe’d ER-5s. There aren’t too many well executed ones due to the sh!t design of the frame and usually people make a shame plate and put a numberboard stick on it. When it’s covered with plastic bodywork and a big comfy vinyl sofa it lends itself to motorcycledom, remove the seat and plastics and you soon see why not many people bother. It’s hideous! Just look how low down that support tube is for the seat!
Around this time I found some cheap RFX shocks on the bay. If anyone is offered some....dont! They are dogsh!t! They were quickly consigned to the storage receptacle named B1N.
Back to the frame, something would have to be done. Around this time I got a few packages from Ali express, one of which was a cafe racer seat and pad, as my thinking was that anything structural like wheels and footrests are probably gonna be made from chinesium and will probably result in death the first time I hit a pothole. A cafe racer seat with seat pad sourced from China will probably be the same unit sourced from a seller on the bay of flees but for £20 cheaper!
Anyway, as I said this seat arrived so armed with my electrical conduit bender stolen, ahem I mean sourced from a place I worked which had closed down and a couple of lengths of 22mm CDS and an electricians eye I managed to form a new subframe top rail.
I thought this was pretty good for a first attempt and at the time I didn’t have my Atlas lathe so my tame machinist was released from under the stairs and put into action to make a couple of mild steel slugs or spigots which would be set into the frame rails and welded in place after plug welding from behind to allow the subby to be slid over and welded up.
The only fly in the ointment was a poorly located fuel tank stub. How dare Kawasaki do that!
My solution was a piece of tube cored through the frame and welded up and dressed to look like it was meant to be. I’m not worried about strength as this will be solid once cross braces etc are fitted.
Said tame machinist also shaved off the steering lock housing.
I purchased some VHT. black crackle paint to try and thought there’s no way Mrs Exuptoy is gonna allow me to bake this stuff in her oven, so if matrimonial harmony was going to remain in the home and I wasn’t gonna end up sleeping in my man cave then another solution would be required........
Here’s a couple that were in dire need of TLC.
The CBR had 63k on it, the R1 42k and the SV 46k. The CBR and R1 both benefitted from 2016 CBR1000RR stick coils when finished an proper Tyco waterproof electrical connectors.
This time was a little different, I wanted to put my own spin on this one. Chatting with a mate revealed a 99 ER-5 which had been sat in his mates shed for 5 years unloved and would probably be there for another 5 years before it would be looked at.
A fortnight and £100 later it was on my trailer heading for home.
For anyone unsure what that is here is a library pic of the same bike. I was thinking a Cafe Racer might be a change from an original resto or a street fighter.
First thing was to check it would run. The battery was fecked and the fuel tap was shot so with a bit of luck and a Halfrauds trade card I managed to find a LiFePo battery for £57. That thing is seriously light and small. Two reasonable attributes.... for a motorcycle battery at least, oh yeah and a hooker!
I sourced a cheap Sealey remote fuel tank, stuck in a couple of quids worth of Shell’s finest E5 and with the fresh battery it fired right up. Problem 1 sorted. Chopping up this commutermobil could commence.
Prior to picking this up I never looked at pics of Cafe’d ER-5s. There aren’t too many well executed ones due to the sh!t design of the frame and usually people make a shame plate and put a numberboard stick on it. When it’s covered with plastic bodywork and a big comfy vinyl sofa it lends itself to motorcycledom, remove the seat and plastics and you soon see why not many people bother. It’s hideous! Just look how low down that support tube is for the seat!
Around this time I found some cheap RFX shocks on the bay. If anyone is offered some....dont! They are dogsh!t! They were quickly consigned to the storage receptacle named B1N.
Back to the frame, something would have to be done. Around this time I got a few packages from Ali express, one of which was a cafe racer seat and pad, as my thinking was that anything structural like wheels and footrests are probably gonna be made from chinesium and will probably result in death the first time I hit a pothole. A cafe racer seat with seat pad sourced from China will probably be the same unit sourced from a seller on the bay of flees but for £20 cheaper!
Anyway, as I said this seat arrived so armed with my electrical conduit bender stolen, ahem I mean sourced from a place I worked which had closed down and a couple of lengths of 22mm CDS and an electricians eye I managed to form a new subframe top rail.
I thought this was pretty good for a first attempt and at the time I didn’t have my Atlas lathe so my tame machinist was released from under the stairs and put into action to make a couple of mild steel slugs or spigots which would be set into the frame rails and welded in place after plug welding from behind to allow the subby to be slid over and welded up.
The only fly in the ointment was a poorly located fuel tank stub. How dare Kawasaki do that!
My solution was a piece of tube cored through the frame and welded up and dressed to look like it was meant to be. I’m not worried about strength as this will be solid once cross braces etc are fitted.
Said tame machinist also shaved off the steering lock housing.
I purchased some VHT. black crackle paint to try and thought there’s no way Mrs Exuptoy is gonna allow me to bake this stuff in her oven, so if matrimonial harmony was going to remain in the home and I wasn’t gonna end up sleeping in my man cave then another solution would be required........
