A restoration blueprint
On the off chance that this column’s dire warnings and entreaties haven’t dissuaded you from taking on a full restoration of an old Japanese motorcycle, we’ll begin looking at what’s required to actually do the job.
First off, it pays to not assume anything about your new project. Don’t assume it’s as good internally as it looks, don’t assume it’ll all come apart easily, don’t assume that parts will be easy to find and don’t assume you won’t become disillusioned at some point. This is all just part and parcel of the process.
So, it’s there in your workshop, garage, shed or spare room – and be warned, the latter happens a lot in our world. Once the aura of excitement begins to diminish you’ll need to come up with a solid plan, but rather than having to devise it yourself here’s one we’ve laid out for you. It’s a modus operandi used by most seasoned serial restorers and it generally works well.
First off take pictures, and lots of them. If you don’t have a digital camera or a decent camera on your phone, get one now. The advent of digital photography is possibly the biggest single advance in vehicle restoration ever. It allows you to take endless images of vital components, wiring or cable runs, component orientation, the sequences of disassembly, connectors, etc. etc. These will be vital later on when it comes to the rebuild as memory alone is fallible and written notes often tend to lose their meaning after several months. Shoot everything from at least two angles, preferably three and then immediately back up your images to something before you delete them from your phone or misplace the memory card. Also, name or identify the images so you know what’s what and where it goes. In most circumstances you’ll be working in stages as components are removed. When the tank comes off there’ll be ignition coils and wiring underneath, so you’ll need to be able to identify which wires go where and what colour they are. Behind side panels you’ll be finding a regulator or a rectifier, relays and connectors; again having records of this makes the rebuild so much easier. Knowing which side of the frame tube a subloom runs can be the difference between a pleasant evening in the shed and late night fuelled with angst and bad language.
Beyond this comes the serious business of choosing the right tools, and this is where the fun starts. It’s easy to rush in, unbolt everything in sight in a flurry of enthusiasm and then find yourself with a dozen broken fixings, a pile of parts and only half an idea how they all interlink. It’s much better to have that plan! Before you snap off just one bolt, spray anything with a thread in easing oil, penetrating fluid or the like. If asked to name one thing this column’s workshop couldn’t run without it would have to be ACF-50. No, not a blatant plug or a shameless product placement, rather a statement of fact. This stuff has the ability to penetrate and free seriously seized components. Left to do its thing for a few days, nuts and bolts that would normally shear in half actually come apart with relative ease. Sometimes it’s necessary to get seriously angry with seized whatevers and the controlled application of heat can work wonders, but it needs to be done with care. Avoid heating anything that has plastic or wiring nearby, ditto fuel tanks and apparently empty carburettors. Note that even decrepit old brake fluid is capable of starting a merry little blaze. Ideally the use of hot air gums or gas torches should be kept to outside and with a bucket of water just in case.
It should be pretty obvious, even to a beginner, which are the key parts of the bike but as the project gets deeper into the minutiae it all gets a lot greyer. Washers, bolts, nuts and the like may or may not all be the same so again decent digital images help in later identification and location. Perhaps the best route is to tag-andbag sub-assemblies as they come off the bike so they can be dealt with later. For example, the headlight will slide off the forks complete with its mounting brackets, indicators and possibly a switch; stored in a box like this it can then be dissected at leisure. When taking wheels off the bike leave the brake plates in place and refit the axle and the nut; this way all of the components stay in one place until you’re ready to deal with them. Generally the easiest way to take an engine out of a frame is to loosen the engine mount bolts, lay the bike on its side and lift the frame off the bike.
So, in less than a thousand words we’ve managed to trivialise the breakdown of a bike to its component parts, but the basic method is still set out here. Next time we’ll look at inspection and the subbing out work you aren’t set up to do.