1997 GSXR 750. Blackheart.

[Gixooligan]

I don't know why I bother with project goals anymore. I just blow right through them.

Always, more progress! I had wanted to get the frontend on the bike, but in looking at the lower triple clamp over the past few years the 'new' paint I'd put on had chipped and bubbled in areas. There was no way I was going to put that on with the powder looking so good. It would have stood out like a sore thumb.

So instead, today I focused on getting the tank, fairings, and triple painted up.

I'm going with a dark grey instead of the white. Grey/black is more my speed. I started with etching primer, followed by a good wet sand with 400 grit and then Krylon MAXX Deep Grey paint:



For those of you reading back to last year, I got some fuel on my 'newly' painted frame which screwed up the finish. Krylon wouldn't stand up to fuel or much other abuse at all alone. Most rattle-can clear coat that you find at your local auto store isn't going to do the job either.

Enter Spray Max 2X. This rattle can clear includes a catalyst to harden it, and is basically the same as the stuff you'd shoot through a gun. This should stand up to abuse far better. At $20 a can it's not cheap, but it is FAR more convenient than me pulling out my HVLP gun.



I was concerned about the clear reacting with the Krylon, but didn't experience any issues. I let the paint dry about 30 minutes before going in with the clear.

The result is this:



One minor run in the tank, but otherwise it looks pretty good. My body work on the tank wasn't perfect, but for a daily rider it's more than passable.

I'm hoping I can FINALLY slap on the front-end tomorrow now; at least for preliminary fitting. It will need to come off again... I bought new aluminum tube for the sleeves. We're going to do them right this time.

Until next time.

[Gixooligan]

Sneak peek.



The color is exactly what I wanted. I need to use U-channel weatherstripping or similar around the lip of the tank. I don't want it fouling on the frame, and to clear the battery I need just a little more space.

Project next weekend: Wiring. Fork shrouds. Rear fairing.

[93gsxr]

Any update?

[Gixooligan]

Originally Posted by 93gsxr

Any update?

Yes! Finally!

First things first, I had my second son at the end of January and I've been spending a lot of sleepless evenings with him lately. Fortunately he's finally starting to get into a regular schedule and so I've been able to start working on this in the evenings again.

I've buttoned up the 'engine bay'. This is more-or-less the final configuration of things. I had a devil of a time clearancing for the fuel pump at the bottom of the tank. I was able to drop the battery enough to get it to clear and moved some of the wiring around:



Also, the replacement throttle cables that I'd gotten had a ton of play. I actually got a thread extender and grooved it. I then cut off the end of the old stock throttle cable threaded channel and joined it all together. This gave me enough distance to dial the throttle which now feels great:



I've added the U-channel strip around the tank as well. I actually really like this. It gives it a much more finished look, and closes the gap between the tank and frame about another 1/4" or so.



This evening's project was to FINALLY get a seat pan on this thing. So I've rigged up an interesting solution. I want my seat pan mounts to hold my tail in place. I got steel spacers which mount via bolts through the seat pan directly to the subframe. I've added large rubber bushings which stand the tail off of the mounting points. The seat pan itself sits on rubber washers as well.







Don't worry, I won't be sitting directly on the metal. I've got some race seat foam, which I don't expect will be too comfy, but is far better than nothing. Per usual I will be painting the pan as well.

I did manage to get the forward controls put on, and the front brakes installed. I added a new mount for the brake reservoir, and created a mount for my other brake res turned coolant overflow. So here is basically how she's sitting today:



I few things on the horizon. I purchased a set of Bridgestone Battalax S21 tires for it. The current set is in good shape, but it's old and I'm concerned that they aren't terribly safe. I still need to add my plate, figure out my keyless ignition (it's on a switch right now for bench testing), and settle on a goddamn headlight. Believe it or not, I've been thinking the Monster headlight isn't going to cut it. It's just not a very interesting headlight... I've been looking at the 2018 Honda Grom headlight.

Some bad news. I bumped into my tank when it was off the bike and knocked it off it's stand . That move earned me a bunch of scrapes and a small dent. Fortunately I still have some grey paint. I ordered more clear, so I'm going to need to scuff it back down and get that fixed.

I'm hoping to get the bike started again next weekend. I may throw the old tires on and try to take it around the block.

[yantosh]

anything under 100 miles is fine on metal seat

https://www.customfighters.com/forum...ad.php?t=32684

[Gixooligan]

Originally Posted by yantosh

anything under 100 miles is fine on metal seat

https://www.customfighters.com/forum...ad.php?t=32684

Very good to know, Yan. I figured it'd be killing me within a block. That makes me feel a lot better about this setup

Trimmed the seat out a little more this evening, and cut out the seat foam. Adjusted the mounts a bit. Looks like next week will likely be body work and paint. I need to take the tank off again and hook up the fuel line anyways. Closing in!

[Gixooligan]

Not much to report, but I wanted to keep this up-to-date. Got a new set of Bridgestone Battlax S21s for the bike. While the Pilots still have plenty of tread they're over a decade old at this point and I'm not risking my life to that. The front will make a good temp tire for the V.

For the record, replacing motorcycle tires with tire irons is miserable. I ended up beating the shit out of the paint on the wheels, so I scuffed them down and I'll re-spray those tomorrow.



After dropping my tank off the stand I got a chance last weekend to re-paint it. Mounted it and hooked up fuel last weekend. I still haven't fired it up; been waiting for the tires.

When the wheels are back on I'll give firing it up a shot. I'm still a ways from riding it; I need to get the frontend sorted. I'm also on my 3rd iteration of my RFID ignition. I'll put together a write-up on that when I finally figure it out to my satisfaction.

End of the weekend goal? Get the rear wheel on, brake installed, chain installed, and fire it up. We'll see if I can make that happen around kid schedules.

Cheers.

[93gsxr]

You can do it! Paint cane up really nice!

[Gixooligan]

Thanks 93gsxr!

The encouragement apparently helped! I was able to finish up all my goals and then some this weekend!

So yeah, rear wheel is on. Chain is on. Rear brake is on. Changed a few of the fittings I decided I didn't like. I also was able to get my license plate holder put on.

I'd bought one of those cheap 'universal' ones off of Ebay. The didn't actually like the unit that much; they're super bulky. I've put a lot of time into trying to keep the tail small, so I ended up just making my own angle bracket, running my wires through it, and using the plate holder from the kit with it.

On the plus side the LED light that came with the kit is SUPER bright, so that's good. Hopefully keep police attention down.



Alright. Remember that thing I just said about police attention? Forget I said that. I was able to actually fire the thing up after getting the chain on. It is loud as all hell. I thought the "muffler" might do something for it... not at all. It's ridiculous, but I kind of love it. I'd thought I might have to baffle it, but for now I'm just going to rock it like this.



So that's it for this weekend. You might notice that the paint on the tank is a bit more dull than the tail. Not sure why but the clear coat cured with a bit of texture to it. When I'm confident it's fully dry I'll wet sand and buff it out.

New rubber rings are coming for the fork tubes. I cut the tubes to length and next weekend I intend on painting and installing those.

Until next weekend, have a good one all!

[93gsxr]

Almost bought that same license plate holder. Held off for the same reason and made my own. Like the way yours looks. Slick!