1984 Miniceptor Refresh

Here's something I've been working on for a few weeks now. The whole project isn't finished yet, but should be soon, so I thought I'd post a few installments of the rebuild here. 

I was asked to get this girl back up and running, she was last ridden 10 years ago. During early discussions the carbs were cited as the main issue that needed addressing, but after getting eyes on the bike, the issues went a little deeper than that. Still not bad overall, a good starting point for sure. 

Nowadays you can give just about anything 10 feet and an Instagram filter to make it look good:

[image: IMG_20180623_162252_117_zpsgvuhay6t.jpg]

But, the closer I got the more I saw that needed attention. The whole bike was fairly original, and was put away just as some of the small "old bike stuff" stared cropping up. Tires were dated 2003, fork seals leaking, clutch slave leaking, gas had gone off, battery gone, mufflers packed full of whole kernel corn feed, etc. 

I made a list and settled in for the long haul, but not before getting the bike to start on the old gas with a fresh battery. It took full choke and a lot of cranking, and the bowls leaked, but it did start, run, and even took some throttle so I knew we had something to save here. 

First up, clear a space, pull some bodywork and the carbs

[image: 20180919_115950_zpsexxmudwg.jpg]

[image: 20180919_153751_zpslfe1g4di.jpg]

[image: 20180919_173724_zpssidey6uv.jpg]

Rut roh, first sign of trouble... someone's had that plenum off, and they chewed up the screws while they were at it. 

[image: 20180919_175108_zpsbhnx3vjh.jpg]

When I saw that I figured it was time to go all in. Ordered a full rebuild kit from BillyC and tore the carbs down

[image: 20180919_182332_zpswi70i7st.jpg]

I got them to this point, then proceeded to tackle 1 carb at a time till all 4 were done

[image: 20180919_184916_zpsvu5araa7.jpg]

Kit contents:

[image: 20180922_153118_zpsaagb0qkg.jpg]

[image: 20181008_181132_zpsnzlalcpx.jpg]

All the rubber was hardened and splitting, this definitely needed doing

[image: 20180922_165256_zps7vy2gzsy.jpg]

Each carb body was soaked in Berryman's and thoroughly blown out/dried and rebuilt with the new rubber. The diaphragms and slides were in good shape and stock. The chrome on the slide hats was pitting and chipping/flaking and the hats were dirty, so I sent them on a quick trip through my blast cabinet to clean them up without dulling the chrome too badly, then installed the nicer ones on the outside carbs. Also blasted the plenum, and refined the body & bowl gasket surfaces. All in all, they look better now

[image: 20181010_161724_zps6qpjiacw.jpg]

[image: 20181010_161633_zpsop71uyej.jpg]

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing the completed project. The “Miniceptor” was a bike I wanted so bad back in its day, unfortunately never ended up getting one.

With the carbs out of the way, the real fun begins. One design flaw on these bikes is the unfortunate exclusion of drain holes on the bottom frame rails. What this means is, water that makes its way into the frame collects in the bottom rails and has nowhere to go. Best case, in a hot dry climate, this evaporates without much issue. Most of the time though, it means rust. In colder climes, that water will freeze which bulges the thin steel tubing before/while making it rust. 

This frame was badly bulged on the right side, and the decision was made to tear the bike down entirely to address that.

[image: 20181011_185620_zpslcxmhgsy.jpg]

Pics of tear down, mostly for my reference

[image: 20181011_185324_zpsopidtdyc.jpg]

Clutch fluid damage

[image: 20181011_185336_zpss5kz6agu.jpg]

Straightened both turn signal mounts & the fairing stay, forgot to take before pic

[image: 20181011_185602_zpsulyziwc1.jpg]

Rear valve cover gasket leaking

[image: 20181011_185629_zpscstvwu8h.jpg]

Wire routing

[image: 20181011_175604_zpsm0n6ekor.jpg]

Fuse and radiator tank covers were faded, gave a coat of vaseline to rejuvenate the gloss in the plastic

[image: 20181015_184501_zps6iywfsla.jpg]

Started pulling wiring at the back, worked my way to the front pulling parts along the way

[image: IMG_20181015_212856_881_zps3os3btnl.jpg]

Grunge-o-licious

[image: 20181017_162917_zpszchu1nvq.jpg]

Almost ready to pull the frame

[image: IMG_20181017_161250_577_zpsqe5ykcoo.jpg]

And off

[image: Screenshot_20181017-181326_zps7yjeiiew.j]

After a few rounds of beating the bulges and heating to anneal, I filled the low spots by tig brazing with silicon bronze filler

[image: 20181018_164152_zpsvw5gtfa3.jpg]

Here's the hole created by removing the rusted, paper thin section of steel. I had the tig torch in hand so I melted the thin stuff back till I got to thicker sections. 

[image: 20181018_164138_zpstz7e1wqc.jpg]

And the patch

[image: 20181018_171637_zpsl4eljiug.jpg]

It's not perfect, but I felt safe laying a flat patch vs sectioning the tube and trying to fab/fit a section of curved tube. The patch retains the strength and shape of the original bend.

[image: 20181018_182407_zpspzqsr69h.jpg]

[image: 20181018_182435_zpsaa6utq6i.jpg]

[image: 20181018_182450_zpsei8luhxe.jpg]

Last pic of the old finish, here on the floor at the powdercoater shop stripped of all rubber bits and bearing races

[image: 20181020_095137_zpsmrkej97p.jpg]

And here back home after a coat of "Galaxy Silver". 

[image: 20181025_135751_zpsbsawsqoc.jpg]

We also coated a handful of black parts as the original paint was badly worn or faded, or both. 

[image: IMG_20181020_172045_815_zpsimmfljwk.jpg]

Sample of some of the new parts including all the cooling system gaskets and o-rings, carb boots, footpeg rubber, etc. 

[image: 20181023_133222_zps1oo9n0ln.jpg]

For some reason, the stator gasket is NLA, so I made one. 

[image: 20181024_143417_zpsbantrgqx.jpg]

[image: 20181024_144934_zpsgkhzj3wf.jpg]

[image: 20181024_145229_zpsmxfmn3ho.jpg]

Did a quick polish on the fins while the covers were off, need to clean gasket surfaces yet

[image: 20181024_140842_zpsdtjtzfrs.jpg]

[image: 20181024_140905_zpszl75zuhh.jpg]

I dragged my son out to the shop for some cheap labor, had him go over some of the really grimy parts with an assortment of towels and rags, alternately using just water or WD40 or Simple Green to remove dust, dirt and grime

[image: 20181024_205552_zpswtyjbfgt.jpg]

[image: 20181024_205522_zpsekv8xgal.jpg]

[image: 20181024_141002_zpsnfmodjnv.jpg]

[image: 20181024_141011_zpsf9wobiib.jpg]

All new SS lines for all 3 brakes and the clutch

[image: 20181029_110602_zpsuhc2judh.jpg]

Yummy clutch master... not

[image: 20181029_175734_zps4p5n4dkg.jpg]

That's better

[image: 20181029_175759_zpsb0ofedgw.jpg]

New seals and line

[image: 20181029_182224_zpscnp2ok9v.jpg]

So much better!!

[image: 20181029_184140_zps0ihgwhre.jpg]

C'mon Seb, can't you be a little more thorough?  😉

Like Duc I lusted after this bike also. Had to choose between a leftover '85 (in 1986) and a tariff VF700. Ended up getting the 700 because I didn't like the 500's red seat! Loved the 700--for 16 years--but always wondered what might have been. Therefore I will follow every post, keep it coming!

Wow, this looks fantastic!  I'm so impressed by people who can just dive into rusted metal like that and come up with a fix.

What'd you use on the clutch slave?  Just cleaning with brake cleaner or something, or did it go into the blasting cabinet, too?

11 minutes ago, blalor

Wow, this looks fantastic!  I'm so impressed by people who can just dive into rusted metal like that and come up with a fix.

What'd you use on the clutch slave?  Just cleaning with brake cleaner or something, or did it go into the blasting cabinet, too?

Thanks! 

No blasting on the slave. I used brake cleaner to flush and dislodge most of the goop, after that elbow grease with rags, scouring pads and sandpaper. On some areas, I was able to use surface conditioning discs and my pneumatic grinder to save some time. 

That's one lucky 500!  Very impressive on the frame repair - I would love to have those kinds of fabrication skills.  Looking forward to more updates.  :lurk:

Amazing next-level work Seb, as always! 

Interesting about the rusted frame. There is a service bulletin about this. My Euro 85 frame has drain holes as does my 86. However there is rust up there too.

[image: 84-85VF500FFrameDrilling.jpg]

1 hour ago, jeremyr62

Interesting about the rusted frame. There is a service bulletin about this. My Euro 85 frame has drain holes as does my 86. However there is rust up there too.

[image: 84-85VF500FFrameDrilling.jpg]

Interesting! I didn't realize there was a bulletin for this. The bike falls under category "b", but it's obvious the service was never done. 

Also interesting that holes drilled per the bulletin would not have been an adequate fix for this bike - the worst of the damage was at the base of the downtube, not behind the seam. Wonder if this bike was parked on an incline? Or maybe prolonged centerstand use? 

I plan to drill (2) 1/8" holes in each tube, 1 fore 1 aft on each side, that should help a lot. 

I wonder how the water gets in, in the first place.

Very interesting thread! Thanks for sharing and educating.

35 minutes ago, jeremyr62

I wonder how the water gets in, in the first place.

On the left side, it can enter through the open top of the removable frame tube section. On the left AND right, water can enter a joint at the end of the upright tube under the seat/rear of tank which has a straight path to the lower tube due to the frame being comprised of a 3d stamping welded in halves vs tubing with closed joints. 

In this image, it is the "T" joint seen in the middle, top of pic:

[image: 20181025_135751_zpsbsawsqoc.jpg]

From the outside it appears the frame  and subframe tubes are separate, but they are in fact stamped inner and outer halves, welded together vertically on the fore and aft edge joints. The frame is hollow from the top of the "T" joint, all the way down and back up around to the headstock. 

19 hours ago, St. Stephen

 because I didn't like the 500's red seat! 

What is not to like here???   :wub:

[image: mag2.thumb.jpg.478c1f7f45e295f3a16082ce249b576c.jpg]

:goofy:

Just a little plaque buildup on the old thermostat...

[image: 20181101_144019_zpszgzfdb7x.jpg]

Discard and replace with new tstat & o ring

[image: 20181101_144253_zpsnvo17tvy.jpg]

In case you were wondering, or in denial, about your vintage bike needing rubber even though it has low miles - here's your evidence that yes, it does need replacing!

[image: 20181101_174419_zps68mkdwa3.jpg]

[image: 20181101_175644_zpsykqcrnme.jpg]

[image: 20181101_175700_zpsmbffesb9.jpg]

[image: 20181101_180643_zps4izwlvnn.jpg]

Next up, forks. This was the worst set I've ever done. I've read other people's stories about bushings getting stuck, but never "had the pleasure" myself till this pair came along. 

[image: 20181102_125837_zpseqod4zgk.jpg]

Started out normal, fluid had actually been changed at some point as it was blue/green rather than the original ATF red. 

[image: 20181102_140327_zpsmwrv3l4j.jpg]

And, that's where the fun ended. Normally you just pull the fork halves apart with a slide hammer motion, and they come apart with a few tugs. I ended up having to get medieval on these by heating the bushing area of the lower to piping hot with my heat gun, then striking the lower with heavy hammer blows while supporting the other side with a gloved hand to eventually pull the fork tube bushing up through the slider bushing AND THE BACKING WASHER. 

[image: 20181102_182342_zpsbsn9moiv.jpg]

[image: 20181102_182520_zpscu9mec4l.jpg]

As you can see, the bushings are ruined, I had to order replacements. I was able to flatten and dress the washers so they could be reused. 

[image: 20181102_182228_zpspflingxp.jpg]

Yes, that washer was flat before... 

[image: 20181102_182247_zpszua8upoi.jpg]

Other than being dirty, the lands of the fork lower didn't look bad. 

[image: 20181102_182321_zpsnaspw7cv.jpg]

After a thorough flush with brake cleaner I reassembled with the new bushings & filled with Honda fork oil. No pics, oily hands...

Originally hadn't planned to changed steering bearings, but found some rust so swapped them out for a set of All Balls tapered rollers. 

[image: 20181106_153142_zpsfssabhse.jpg]

[image: 20181106_165935_zpsmwqos3qx.jpg]

My bearing drivers... simply an old set of races sliced with a cut off wheel & deburred. Makes for a cheap & quick way to seat new races. If the driver gets stuck, insert a flat head screwdriver and twist to expand & remove. 

[image: 20181106_165924_zpsuilthqai.jpg]

jeremyr62, 11/13/2018 at 1:55 PM

Interesting about the rusted frame. There is a service bulletin about this. My Euro 85 frame has drain holes as does my 86. However there is rust up there too.

Got on my knees during lunch...  Aye, there's a hole! (1986)

[image: IMAG2180.thumb.jpg.7f236f511949bf8506b9524956d8fd41.jpg]

Will see if the weekend gives me time to clean and inspect thoroughly.

Have the ACF-50 at the ready!

I am sure you know this but there is a circlip holding the fork seals in. On a few sets of forks I have worked on the circlip has been very badly corroded and I suppose you could miss it. Once the circlip is out (easier said then done) the slide hammer method works without too much difficulty.

@Dutchy. That collector box is suffering from your daily commute by the looks of it.

42 minutes ago, jeremyr62

I am sure you know this but there is a circlip holding the fork seals in. On a few sets of forks I have worked on the circlip has been very badly corroded and I suppose you could miss it. Once the circlip is out (easier said then done) the slide hammer method works without too much difficulty.

Haha wouldn't that be something! Sadly no. I've done dozens of fork jobs for myself and others, and went into this with 1000% confidence. These damper rod forks are about as simple as they get, (TRAC system aside).Yes, the snap rings were out. I have a pair of long handle 90º needlenose pliers that I bought and ground tips on just for taking those out, as they are sometimes rusty and hard to get to because of how far down in the lower they seat. I inspected the inside of the lower where the backing washer seats and found very minimal evidence of corrosion, so had to be the tube bushing binding in the lower bushing, basically created its own forcing cone. 

3 hours ago, jeremyr62

@Dutchy. That collector box is suffering from your daily commute by the looks of it.

Have another spare one in the attic  :tongue:

I spray the box with black HT paint after clean/degrease now and then. ACF50 made an awful smoke..... I know it would so made straight for the motorway...

The brown stuff on the underside of the frame rail is some anti rust coating. Not tectyl but.... will look it up.

PS: Odometer showed 69696.9 today...

Go Nicky!!  :wheel:

Seb, how does the rear shock perform? Chances are that by now it is well past use by date...

And the s/s lines, are they HEL?

Wow! Looks great. Very thorough going-over of the bike. 

I'd like to rebuild mine at some point. Looks like a lot of little bits that haven't aged well. Mine has been sitting since 2004, so I guess I'd have my work cut out for me.

I'm enjoying seeing how all the parts are removed and the rebuild.

6 hours ago, Dutchy

Seb, how does the rear shock perform? Chances are that by now it is well past use by date...

And the s/s lines, are they HEL?

I didn't ride the bike before taking it down, but I imagine it's not doing so well. I'm bypassing any performance goodies at this time, keeping a simple goal of bringing it back to service first. 

4 hours ago, superfunkomatic

Wow! Looks great. Very thorough going-over of the bike. 

I'd like to rebuild mine at some point. Looks like a lot of little bits that haven't aged well. Mine has been sitting since 2004, so I guess I'd have my work cut out for me.

I'm enjoying seeing how all the parts are removed and the rebuild.

The rubber bits really add up to the most work. Unfortunately (and I know this may sound wrong), it is easier to take the bike totally apart and do it all at once. Well, maybe not totally apart, but at least do the cooling system parts at the same time as taking the carbs off. 

Rebuilt rear master cylinder &  replaced brake line

[image: 20181106_172817_zpsivcjdxaq.jpg]

Got the side covers coated too, then stripped the lettering to get the stock look back. I cleaned up the lettering by hand with a file before getting them coated, so the letter edges were nice and crisp again.

[image: 20181110_193308_zpsczir3ply.jpg]

I did have to cut & buff the stator cover as it had more orange peel than I would have liked. 

[image: 20181110_192758_zpsxlmbjedg.jpg]

I knocked all the bigger stuff down with 2000 grit wet, then buffed. 

[image: 20181110_192632_zpspdtabzxb.jpg]

[image: 20181110_192548_zpssaugkusm.jpg]

[image: 20181110_175015_zpsjx7niud3.jpg]

New gasket

[image: 20181113_165132_zpsljik9mkp.jpg]

Cover on

[image: 20181113_172936_zps8xsclvni.jpg]

Valve check time... I was generously gifted a Motion Pro tappet tool set (Thanks again Yoshi!). I tried to use it for this job, but it didn't quite work out as intended

The square adjuster is about 1/2" too short, the knurled end interferes with the engine parts.

[image: 20181114_142922_zpsmlct203k.jpg]

Likewise the locknut wrench is short, but also too large in diameter to line up correctly

[image: 20181114_214538_zpschcjymdd.jpg]

So, what to do... well, this is why I have machine tools 😄 Start with the stock pieces

[image: 20181114_144907_zpsjpqubi6u.jpg]

Grind the knurled head off, then chuck the shaft in the lathe and spin off about 1/2" of material... cut half to fit perfectly in the end of a seldom used 1/4 drive socket, the other half cut .002" larger to create a press fit...

[image: 20181114_150224_zpsxecha8hn.jpg]

Press together...

[image: 20181114_214639_zpslakso2uw.jpg]

And say hello to your dad's long lost brother Bob...

[image: 20181114_150416_zpsaazmeobv.jpg]

Nice to have options!

[image: 20181114_150449_zpszjvhoyef.jpg]

[image: 20181114_150527_zpsh37obdlr.jpg]

I ended up liking the finger ratchet option the best. I have 2 and rarely use them, so I'm going to fill 1 with epoxy to use for this sort of work.

[image: 20181114_150853_zpsnid7dpgf.jpg]

[image: 20181114_150905_zpslc8olmae.jpg]

I used that and a 12 point wrench to complete the valve adjustments. #1 was in spec, #4 & #3 were tight on the exhaust side, #2 was tight on both In and Ex. Didn't check to see how tight, just noted that I couldn't fit .003" shims in there. 

Then installed the stator cover and got ready to hang the frame

[image: 20181114_190545_zps5fcakp6j.jpg]

Bought this 15yrs ago, it will last my lifetime and then some I think

[image: 20181114_194717_zpslupdtnll.jpg]

[image: 20181114_192352_zpsigvaqjaw.jpg]

[image: 20181114_192426_zpsy38kzeuo.jpg]

If anyone has pics of the cable routing pages from the factory service manual, I could use them

Here is a link to VF500 service manual, hope that helps. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ad27li2uw385e9u/84-86 Honda VF500F Interceptor Service Manual.pdf?dl=0

SEBSPEED, 11/16/2018 at 11:13 AM

Grind the knurled head off, then chuck the shaft in the lathe and spin off about 1/2" of material... cut half to fit perfectly in the end of a seldom used 1/4 drive socket, the other half cut .002" larger to create a press fit...

C'mon, man! The gap between the surgical artwork that takes place in your shop and the half-assed monkey wrenching that happens in my garage is comical. That's why I never let my 6th gen read your posts. She would just be so hurt and angry to learn after all these years that there exists maintenance techniques beyond adjustable pliers, a screwdriver, and copious amounts of electrical tape.

I have very much enjoyed reading this and your other recent thread: https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/88146-pardon-the-nudity

I know guys who have an engineer's facility with wiring schematics and I know guys who have an artist's eye, but I know very few guys who have both, as you clearly do. There is an impressive range of talent and craftsmanship on display in these threads, including the  documentary narrative and photographs themselves. So much, beautiful work that is inspiring, educational, and envy-making all at once. I hope you will forgive that I hate you a little for it. It's really only a little bit of hate, and it usually goes away a couple hours after I stop looking at the photos. Usually.

14 hours ago, Terry

Here is a link to VF500 service manual, hope that helps. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ad27li2uw385e9u/84-86 Honda VF500F Interceptor Service Manual.pdf?dl=0

That was perfect, thank you!

12 hours ago, RobF

C'mon, man! The gap between the surgical artwork that takes place in your shop and the half-assed monkey wrenching that happens in my garage is comical. That's why I never let my 6th gen read your posts. She would just be so hurt and angry to learn after all these years that there exists maintenance techniques beyond adjustable pliers, a screwdriver, and copious amounts of electrical tape.

I have very much enjoyed reading this and your other recent thread: https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/88146-pardon-the-nudity

I know guys who have an engineer's facility with wiring schematics and I know guys who have an artist's eye, but I know very few guys who have both, as you clearly do. There is an impressive range of talent and craftsmanship on display in these threads, including the  documentary narrative and photographs themselves. So much, beautiful work that is inspiring, educational, and envy-making all at once. I hope you will forgive that I hate you a little for it. It's really only a little bit of hate, and it usually goes away a couple hours after I stop looking at the photos. Usually.

LOL! 

Thank you for the kind words! I'm happy to share & welcome all the hate, love, and questions you can muster 😄

(ps, black friday is coming, treat yourself and the bike to some new tools!!)

Fresh MOTUL 5100 10W40 this Friday!!!

"Dutchy" is not the only person from The Netherlands following this thread.
I enjoy reading your story and watching the pictures. I wish you all the luck and am looking forward to the rest.

please please please talk them into something other than that horrid rear air shock...  they were worthless new,.

:1:   

Unless they want to put her in the living room and just look at her that is....

(and there is nothing wrong with that either)

I will try but just getting it back in service is a sizable investment, as you can see. Plan is to get it back on the road and see how it goes from there. 

Swapping the shock is easy enough, so "doing later" not that involved.

Been slacking on updates here, sorry.

Those of you like me who have sausages for fingers like me may appreciate this tip... I use my little grabber tool to insert & start the threads on spark plugs. Easy & precise. 

[image: 20181115_212010_zpsa3w7b6m9.jpg]

[image: 20181115_212026_zps5scw8fmh.jpg]

An insight to the less glamorous side of bike work... 

[image: 20181116_145500_zpsqmfqnoyp.jpg]

All worth it though, as clean parts make for a much nicer assembly

[image: 20181116_220757_zps92l7kgpc.jpg]

[image: 20181116_172034_zpspauy8jyt.jpg]

Always a good idea to chase threads after refinishing parts to clean debris 

[image: 20181116_173707_zpsgkxflzoo.jpg]

Then start hanging more parts

[image: 20181124_181817_zpslp6mala5.jpg]

Refinished hose joint tube

[image: 20181126_151357_zps4hpnkdki.jpg]

[image: 20181128_122925_zpsodwt6jac.jpg]

Hung more parts on, some plastic bits like the rear fender, radiator end covers, fuse panel cover, switch pods, and chainguard treated with vaseline to renew the finish

[image: 20181128_172337_zpsksft6u94.jpg]

[image: 20181124_181801_zpsgkcg6lxa.jpg]

[image: 20181128_172405_zpsi6viehxq.jpg]

[image: 20181128_172534_zpsfnuni6ol.jpg]

Nice work as usual Seb. :beer:

You must have  put in a lot of hours on it so far.

Thanks Lee. Yeah, just a few lol

I prepped the header with some DEI high temp spray and hung some more parts here, you can also see the vaseline application to the rear fender and taillight

[image: 20181220_163243_zpsodygjdka.jpg]

[image: 20181220_163304_zps9wonlmso.jpg]

Header and pipes went back on just as easy as they came off, with new gaskets of course

[image: 20181220_182629_zpsnmn00dqi.jpg]

I let the vaseline soak in for about 18hrs which turned my partially sun bleached part back into something that looks nice!

[image: 20181221_150317_zpsgn0bzf45.jpg]

[image: 20181221_150329_zps3enjkaek.jpg]

Same application worked wonders for the switch gear

[image: 20181222_122332_zpsbnewtzox.jpg]

Routing the middle of the harness and cooling overflow tubes was "FUN", had a good study of the drawings in the manual for that

[image: 20181221_180058_zpspn7ibnth.jpg]

I had to remove the VIN tag from the frame prior to coating, luckily it didn't break, it was a bit bent out of shape though and took a few minutes to straighten out. I reinstalled it with contact cement and superglued a couple pop rivet stems to duplicate the original hammer drive rivets. 

[image: 20190103_230652_zpswy6tnhmj.jpg]

This is will serve as the "before" pic for the final motor detailing:

[image: 20190102_165549_zpssoty0lxq.jpg]

Airbox before:

[image: 20190103_201122_zpsiqm3ccst.jpg]

Airbox after, with new filter:

[image: 20190103_105353_zpszsnfdkhp.jpg]

Airbox installed:

[image: 20190103_145455_zpsxiz1vylj.jpg]

At this point I installed the battery and did a function check. I found the signals not working and 1 taillight bulb out & brake lights not working... hmm... checked harness ground bolt, sure enough I hadn't tightened it, now everything worked except that 1 taillight bulb... hmm... Pulled the underseat toolbox and found a couple of the bullet connectors had pulled out when I installed the box so corrected that, reinstalled box, rechecked, bingo everything works. 

Oh yeah, except for the new AGM battery being taller than oem, which forced me to make a little adapter for the ground cable

[image: 20190103_184901_zpssmo9aw9a.jpg]

Seems I glazed over the carb installation up there ^^... word of advice, do it opposite of the book. Leave all the boot clamps very loose but properly oriented, set the boots on the intakes so their tops are close to horizontal, then install the carb rack by pushing the rears in first (book says fronts first).  Pushing the rears in first allows you to very easily wrap the frame cross bar with a rag and push the fronts into place by levering a pry bar between the frame cross and the plenum. Don't be a gorilla - if you meet resistance, check the position of the boots and clamps. The carbs will pop right on if you have the boots just right. I like to put a little smear of grease on the insides of the boots to help too. 

All that's left now is a clean up of the bodywork, making up new fuel lines, and tuning the carbs. 

Bodywork first... there is some light damage here which makes the bike a "10-15 footer", but a little buffing compound goes a long way sometimes. 

Unfortunately I forgot to take a before pic of the tail... so here it is halfway done. You can see how the top part is clean and the rest... isn't. 

[image: 20190103_225436_zpsvqzgg3q3.jpg]

A better look at the grime, years of dust and oxidation

[image: 20190103_225406_zpsxgdppicy.jpg]

Right side panel before buffing, against the tail after buffing

[image: 20190103_174830_zpsne1ow9wx.jpg]

Right side (left in pic) before, Left side after

[image: 20190103_174844_zpsxkayhhhu.jpg]

After

[image: 20190103_203359_zps0wuaru5h.jpg]

[image: 20190103_173353_zps0pldwztc.jpg]

[image: 20190103_172814_zpsec3r8hqd.jpg]

Tank before, then after:

[image: 20190103_171908_zpstybgrrtn.jpg]

[image: 20190103_203110_zpskqwiiof3.jpg]

Is it perfect? Nope. Is it better than it was? Oh yeah. A coat of wax will help even more. 

Last but not least, a quick polish of the button screws and then installed the chin spoiler. 

[image: 20190103_202750_zpsex7oute2.jpg]

[image: 20190103_184848_zpslfcygtde.jpg]

Close to the finish line, some of the fuel lines were in need of replacement as they were splitting at the ends. I grabbed a couple length of 5/16" and 1/4" low pressure hose from Napa and planned to buy fittings there too. I needed a 1/4 to 1/4 splice, a 1/4 to 1/4 barbed elbow, and a 5/16 to 1/4 adapter. All they had was the splice, so, I ordered the elbows from Amazon and made the step down adapter from brass stock I keep on hand for turning pilots for other tools. 

[image: 20190105_010057_zps7oosnd0w.jpg]

1/4 side done

[image: 20190104_165827_zpsjslp8l0u.jpg]

[image: 20190104_173321_zpsyfflxifx.jpg]

The new piece is now a lifetime item, unlike the OEM plastic which disentigrated when I pulled the hose off

[image: 20190104_173229_zps69gsp3kb.jpg]

The sharp eye will pick up on something odd in this pic, hint, not hose related...

[image: 20190104_175502_zpseeke5zjg.jpg]

Here's the new 5/16" hose which runs between the carb rack and the pump, along with a fresh length of fiberglass braided sleeve insulation, looks a little nicer, eh

[image: 20190104_180711_zpseubctun3.jpg]

And tied in to the pump line with the special adapter 

[image: 20190104_182923_zpskaf8ynsd.jpg]

I added the elbow later; the bike ran without it, but I didn't want to chance the hose collapsing on itself at the bend in warmer temperatures. 

[image: 20190109_123722_zpsejlpoabw.jpg]

With that done, I pumped the old gas out of the tank and then stuck it on the bike along with most of the body 

[image: 20190104_190425_zpsn26fdhhg.jpg]

I filled the crankcase with Rotella T6 and the cooling system with Prestone 50/50, then popped the front fairing on.

Ready for test ride!

[image: 20190109_154513_zpstqlaiavf.jpg]

It looked pretty good before but it looks very nice now. Pity about the mirrors though.

Looking good, I miss my old 500. Enjoy it :)  Bad timeing weather wise is it not ? New rebuild, in the depth of winter, test ride with care.

31 minutes ago, Mohawk

Looking good, I miss my old 500. Enjoy it :)  Bad timeing weather wise is it not ? New rebuild, in the depth of winter, test ride with care.

I got lucky with that, had a long period of rain and 1 partly cloudy day in the mid 30s before it dropped back down below freezing. So all the road salt was temporarily washed away and I got out long enough to find that it runs well, there is a headlight issue, and to take these pics:

[image: 20190109_161454_zpsyphqx246.jpg]

[image: 20190109_161753_zpsz9gxau1z.jpg]

The headlight was cutting in and out, no relay on this bike, so basically a check of the wiring with the first stop being the switch gear. Wiring diagram leads us to the right switch assembly as the first possible culprit, and heres's what I found... 

[image: 20190110_130840_zpsswm0qsvx.jpg]

[image: 20190110_134432_zpsl1c9xaah.jpg]

[image: 20190110_140027_zpssyba56ua.jpg]

Contacts were quite dirty, and an ear missing off the start button itself led to the button sticking between the contacts, meaning it would feel almost normal as the button was depressed to engage the starter, and it would spring back enough to disengage the starter, but it was not returning fully to the first set of contacts to re-engage the headlights. 

I fixed this by cleaning the switch and replacing the button with a spare. 

[image: 20190110_134825_zpsa7wiexkl.jpg]

[image: 20190110_194749_zpsdycolqmr.jpg]

That's fixed that issue perfectly and after applying grease to the handlebar, we're good to go again. 

WOW!  Looks so beautiful and to know it's not just superficial.  Amazing tear down and rebuild.

Great work Seb, looks better than new.

Thanks!

Shameless plug... If anyone wants this type of service for their bike... I'm available 😄