Champagne wishes...

[Scud]

Here's how I solved the support puzzle - just a pair of sawhorses. It doesn't weigh much at this point.

 

 

I also re-found, and re-read Joe's project thread over at Wild Guzzi.  He did a fabulous job documenting his project, and re-reading it just now has been a big help.  Chuck - you've been pretty busy on this bike yourself.

 

Anyway, the bike's been sitting since 2014, and she needs to get done... and The Bachelor was on tonight... which means I got a few hours of uninterrupted wrenching.

 

The powdercoat box is getting pretty heavy...

[JesterGrin_1]

 Great Work as always. It almost makes me wish to go out and find an old stove to do powder coat with but alas no place to plug it in lol.  I wonder if a gas stove would work?

[Chuck]

Great minds think alike..

[Scud]

Is that "The Kid's Spot"?

 

I think the Spine-Frame is soooo cool.  It's a brilliant design; perfectly suited for the transverse V-twin engine. Stripping them down like that develops an appreciation for the way everything works - and how important the "porkchops" are to whole assembly.

 

Degreasing time ahead for me... not my favorite part, but it's nice to start reassembly with a clean frame and wire harness - and too hard to clean it well when it's all together.

 

@Chuck - I enjoyed seeing how you guided Joe through his portion of the project. I briefly flirted with the idea of parting it out. But it's just too good of a bike to do that to. I hope you and Joe will like what's about to happen.

[Chuck]

Is that "The Kid's Spot"?

 

I think the Spine-Frame is soooo cool.  It's a brilliant design; perfectly suited for the transverse V-twin engine. Stripping them down like that develops an appreciation for the way everything works - and how important the "porkchops" are to whole assembly.

 

Degreasing time ahead for me... not my favorite part, but it's nice to start reassembly with a clean frame and wire harness - and too hard to clean it well when it's all together.

 

@Chuck - I enjoyed seeing how you guided Joe through his portion of the project. I briefly flirted with the idea of parting it out. But it's just too good of a bike to do that to. I hope you and Joe will like what's about to happen.

Yep, that is the Kid's Spot.. and my granddawg Belle. His transmission was toast, and he brought it down so I could walk him through it because he'd never been in one before. I told him he'd figure it out. Once we pulled the rear cover he said, "Oh, I see. Nothing to this, is there?" We put in new gears, bearings, seals, and shimmed it.

Yeah, degreasing is a must and not terribly glamorous. I *hate* getting dirty. 

An old airplane mechanic took me under his wing and showed me the ropes when I was a pup. I've always tried to pass it on to kids, and was the main trainer for apprentices back when I was in model shop. Joe is remarkable.. I'd never have had the cajones to rip into a project like that when I was his age.. and he *would* have gotten it done, eventually.  

[Scud]

Progress report:

 

Degreased frame and wiring harness - some nasty-smelling old gas spilled out of the fuel lines. Ordered new Wix fuel filter and stainless hose clamps - gonna replace all the fuel lines while it's easy (noticed some cracks). Ordered a set of 5 Omron 5-pin relays; let's just take old relays out of the equation right now......  

 

Told the herd: "sharing is caring." So the Scura gave her Yausa battery to the cause (and she got a new Odyssey). The red LeMans will donate slightly aged mirrors (and get a brand new set).  She'll also trade the near-new Hyperpro shock in exchange for the rebuilt Ohlins shock. Just put the Joe Kenny head guards on the LeMans. And it looks like the "parts bike" is giving a motor, driveshaft, final drive, and maybe some clutch parts - all with 12,000 miles (as opposed to the 50,000 on Champagne's odometer and transmission). It seems the red LeMans doesn't play fair and is rather self-indulgent.

 

And a few degreased parts ready for powdercoating.

 

[JesterGrin_1]

Good starter pile Scud. But I do have one odd question and that is you are going to powder coat the Red pork chops?

[Scud]

Yes - the porkchops cleaned up quite well, but they are faded in spots, peeling in other spots, and have some chips.

[JesterGrin_1]

Yes - the porkchops cleaned up quite well, but they are faded in spots, peeling in other spots, and have some chips.

 

 As the norm I asked wrong lol. They can powder coat them in the same Red?

[Scud]

There is a candy apple red powdercoat that is pretty close to the original red. The shade is super-close (maybe just a touch darker, which I like), but it looks like it has little flecks in it. On the last page I posted a picture with a sample candy-apple washer taped to the porkchop. I think the original paint is some sort of multi-stage process, which would be difficult to duplicate. I'll take a picture of coated one next to an original on my Scura - we'll see how close it really is. The super-sexy red porkchops started in 2002. Before that, they were a solid red, and after that some models got them and others got different colors.

 

I think the red valve covers on the Rosso and Nero Corsa look great - but too bad they are not exactly the same red as the porkchop. I'm going to get them to match on this bike - and toss in alternator cover for good measure.

 

Something about pork and apples just seems right... and champagne. A classy culinary color palette for a motorcycle...

[pete roper]

Having sold the Scura RC to Chuck and since regretted it if you do want to sell the LeMans once it's back together I'd be interested. Whether I'll be able to afford it is of course a different matter but I might be able to persuade Jude that bringing two bikes back, (I have my Mana GT in California I'd like to bring back too.) will be little more expensive than one.

 

Actually the chance of Jude falling for such pathetic artifice is so remote I wouldn't even try it! The last time I tried to pull a swiftly like that the welts didn't fade for several months........

 

Pete

[Scud]

Haha... I recently told my wife that I had found two projects that I wanted to do. She was busy and said something like, "Interesting, ok..." which I obviously translated as "Fantastic idea, go for it."  Then when this bike showed up a couple days after I drug home another K75s, I needed to remind her about that conversation, and she said "Oh, I'm going to have to start paying closer attention."  

The moral of the story? Ask when she's distracted. 

 

If you think you'd like the bike, I'd be honored to finish it up with you in mind. But the pressure would be on not to bugger it up... sort of intimidating for the apprentice to build something for the master.   I'll send you a PM later.

 

In other news, my powder coater was moderately amused to see me again today. Mid bid, a "real" customer walked in and said "How much to do 1,000 of these parts every year?" But they'll still do my little job for less than $300. Apparently the Candy-Apple is a two-step process and costs more than the black. They powdercoat it in silver-flake, then powercoat it again in a translucent red. 

[Chuck]

 

The moral of the story? Ask when she's distracted. 

You have learned well, grasshopper..

[czakky]

Do you have to do any prep for powder coating?

[Scud]

Do you have to do any prep for powder coating?

 

You just have to degrease things really well. They'll sandblast, but they want to start with clean parts. 

 

You also have to carefully think through where you would like them to mask. Obviously all threaded parts and places where you will need to install a gasket, but there are some mating surfaces or other places where the thickness of the powder can interfere. If you find a good shop, they'll help you figure it out.