[LonestaR1]

Hey y'all, I wanted to create a thread to help document my progress and hopefully be able to give tips and get tips for my current project. About a month ago, I purchased a wrecked, non-running 2002 R1 as a parts bike for $1,600. The guy I bought it from also included a brand new set of forks, a new sprocket set, and a new chain (SCORE!). I bought it mainly because my main ride is the exact same year and model, and I figured having a bike full of OEM parts was cheaper than buying parts by themselves further down the line.

That was until I got it running. It took me a good week to diagnose that the reason it wouldn't turn over (it would crank), was an error code flashing a problem with the throttle body sensor. It took a lot of hair pulling and splicing of a single broken wire (lol) to hear that sexy rumble of this first year fuel injected monster. As soon as I heard her fire up, images of street fighter-esque rebuilds danced through my head. Most in particular, this R1 build I found on YouTube:

I immediately got to work, seeing what I needed to replace and buy to get this bike back on the road. All of the plastic was rashed, the headlights were smashed, the tail was cracked and broken off, the forks were pinning the front wheel to the exhaust, and a whole lot more. My primary concern was the wheels. Both tires were flat, and the front rim was totaled with a good size chunk of it missing.

So, priority #1. Wheels, tires, and forks. I already had the two new forks that the seller included with the bike. One down. I bought a new set of tires from eBay for around $150, along with a new front rim for around $200. Why are the front rims so much more expensive than the back???? Anyways, using a triple tree stand borrowed from a friend of mine, I yanked off both wheels with zero problem, swapped all the rotors and discs, got the new tires put on for $20 each, and was ready to go. I slapped the new forks on, installed the new wheels, and.........

Bam. Ohhhhhh yeah. Bent frame.

It took me a day or two of saying "fuck this bike" to realize that I had been having legitimately the most fun I've had in months working on it daily. So onto looking for a frame. I found one on eBay with a clean title for $700. That's the cheapest I could get for a straight clean frame. Oh well. The satisfaction this bike will bring me when I'm done will be worth every penny. I ordered the frame, along with a new used triple tree (just in case) and some used OEM exhaust headers. Why the headers you ask?

Yeah that might cause some problems. that crushed pipe is probably half an inch thick at it's thickest point. Better safe than sorry. With everything ordered, we're nearing the end of this post for now. For the past week or so, I've been tearing this bike apart, piece by piece. I've been organized as hell, labeling every screw, taking pictures of absolutely everything for when I go to rebuild it and can't figure out how the hell these adult Legos go together. Here's some progress pics from the past week.

And finally......

Success! I bought a center stand and lifted the frame off of the engine instead of lowering it. Much easier to do by myself.

There is literally just an engine resting in my garage right now, waiting for a few new parts until she can roll. Obviously after I get the main things done I have all of the extra ideas to implement. I plan on cutting apart the exhaust and putting the VooDoo shorty pipe on there, just so she's loud and obnoxious. I'm also planning on cutting the subframe short to accommodate the stock seat , but shorten the entire length. I want this bike to be small, light, and really ferocious. I really like the look of that black gas tank cover from the YouTube video as well, I'm planning to buy it to cover up that nasty ding and finish up the blacked out look of the bike.

I'm not a mechanic, I'm a computer and guns guy, I can build and talk about them all day long. When it comes to cars and bikes, I'm definitely brand new to it. This is my first and most significant project, as well as my very first time venturing into taking anything apart to this extent. I've learned a ton already, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot more putting her back together. Stay tuned for more pictures and progress updates coming soon.

 

[MikeGyver]

Jumping in head first! Pretty soon you're going to sell your main bike and be looking at turbos.

 

[Streetfighterkz]

Welcome in!

Looks like you know the direction you want to go which is most of the struggle for me. Lol.

Anyways, front rims go for more $$ since there is less of a supply of straight ones. They tend to hit potholes or cars or curbs first.

Later, Doug

 

[CK 187]

This man knows how to DW

 

[LonestaR1]

It's about time that I post an update, as I've gotten some work done to the bike. Starting off...

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! The new frame finally came in! Apart from a couple dings and a cracked fairing mount hole, this thing is straight and mint. Here's a little before and after the frame change.

That was quite the bend.

Moving on, I reattached the swingarm and suspension, and did a quick week long oil change.

(First of all, don't even mention that the chain is routed incorrectly, I already smacked myself upside the dome and fixed it.)

You also heard me correctly, yes, a week long oil change. That is what happens when your oil pan bolt goes from righty tighty to righty loosey and you need to order a new oil pan. (Yes, another dome smack.)

At this point you might be thinking I must only have a single brain cell, which might be true, but these are actually the only stupid things I've done so far. Yet.

Next up, I got the exhaust put back on:

I had bought some used headers and a new midpipe with the EXUP valve deleted, we don't need all that BS. The aftermarket pipe came from the UK and only took about 4 days to get down here to Texas. I'm considering wrapping it all in some black exhaust wrap so it all matches, but we'll see.

The broken right side rearset all replaced and lookin' snazzy.

For the final part of this update, I made the big decision to throw some dirt bars on this bike. I really don't mind the hunched over riding position, but I really wanted to make this build more of an upright, "stunty" kind of bike. I got a new bar and some oversized handlebar mounts, both from ProTaper. I was extremely nervous in trying to decide whether or not to drill new holes for the 11.9mm mount bolts, or say fuck it and drill out the OEM clip on holes. I said fuck it. With a shaky hand and a shitty drill, I eventually managed to widen the stock holes to accommodate the new bar mounts.

Voila! I was hoping the new bit was wide enough to break off the stems from the stock bolts, but it seems to work fine with them still there. I did have to get some spacers from Ace to get past that threadless area of the bolt, and it all worked out. This is my current situation:

A little ugly, but it works. ProTaper uses these proprietary "D" bolts that work with their mounts. I might venture into machining something custom later to clean up the look, but these are holding tight for now. Honestly, I'm super excited to ride this bike with the upright bars, I think it'll just be so cool to go super fast in an upright position like this will offer.

All the right hand controls fit snug together - cutting it close on the brake master cylinder - but they all fit in a straight line. My clutch cable was too short to reach the new handlebars without getting caught with the bars turned, so I ordered a create-your-own clutch cable kit. That'll be here in a few days, along with the new coolant overflow reservoir, and then it's off to the races getting this thing rolling.

Thanks for stopping by to observe more of my idiotic garage monkeying, and I hope to update y'all again soon.

 

[LonestaR1]

Short update time!

It's been just over a week and I've done just a little bit with the bike, but I think it's enough for an update post. We're finally getting somewhat close!

I got both wheels, the radiator, and the exhaust on - along with all of the hand controls:

\

(I ordered a new coolant overflow reservoir and spray painted it black. Some people do really cool custom reservoirs, but I think the simple black paint looks super clean. The front has a stripe that I taped off so you can still see the coolant level.)

The OEM clip-ons had a little indent cut into them that a plastic nipple on the hand controls would lock into; That obviously isn't on these new dirt bars, so I need to get some sort of thin rubber or something between the controls and handlebar to hold them in place a bit, as they spin somewhat freely on the bars.

I will eventually get a little shorty slip on for the exhaust, but for now it'll just be a straight piped monstrosity. I'm not too concerned about the minor horsepower loss, this bike is fast enough to not notice it.

Next up, I did a really terrific photoshop job to kind of get a feel for the final product. I think it looks awesome.

Now onto the subframe, what I've been dreading this entire time. I went to Ace today and bought a long, somewhat thin piece of steel for the bracket I've been brainstorming. After some measuring and cutting, this is what I ended up with:

The bottom edge is rough from hand cutting it, but I'll get that all sorted out later. I'm going to cut the subframe just past the back edge of this bracket, if you can picture it.

Next I did some plotting of where my bolts will go, and started drilling away. A lot easier of a job than I expected.

Once all the holes were drilled, it was time to strap this bad boy down!

I'm really psyched! It turned out so much better than I expected. The bolts hold tight and the steel keeps the whole subframe very rigid; The side that's done is noticeably stronger than the other. Tomorrow I'll build the other bracket and put it all together. I will most likely add some more support going horizontally across the back of the subframe as well, to make up for the cut end.

At this point, all that needs to be done is:

• Finish subframe modification
• Get custom order front brake lines from Galfer (OEM are too short with new bars)
• Fill and bleed both sets of brakes
• Order aftermarket headlight
• Build 2-in-1 bracket for headlight and speedometer
• Finish cleaning up the new clutch cable I made
• Order gas tank cover (aesthetic only)
• Buy new battery
• Reassemble bike
• RIDE!

Probably another month or so of work, not too bad. It's getting exciting seeing this bike actually coming together. The fun part will be seeing if I'm brave enough to ride it once it's done. I can't lie, I am nervous as this is my first build. But that's what this is all about.

Until next time y'all!

 

[LonestaR1]

The structural subframe is complete. I plan to add/melt some plastic or something to it to be a bit cleaner on the design side and add to the weather protection. All of the electronics are back in the bike, and I did a better photoshop job to show what the bike will look like with the gas tank back on. I'm really happy with how this is turning out.

 

[Zeke]

The structural subframe is complete. I plan to add/melt some plastic or something to it to be a bit cleaner on the design side and add to the weather protection. All of the electronics are back in the bike, and I did a better photoshop job to show what the bike will look like with the gas tank back on. I'm really happy with how this is turning out.

View attachment 152835

It's looking so good man. what style of tail light are you thinking?

 

[LonestaR1]

It's looking so good man. what style of tail light are you thinking?

I still have the broken tail light from the original crash, so I'm probably going to make a bracket for it and just add some sort of semi-translucent plastic over it for diffusion. Obviously the rear fairing and original plastic cover are gone, but I do like the small size of the original light.

 

[LonestaR1]

Update time! I've been busy at work for the past week or two, and the bike is now officially rolling! I haven't taken too many pictures of these past few days, but here's what I've done:

New Oil Pan Gasket: I ordered a new one, as the original (20 year old) one was ripped and cracked and not holding oil. I bought a new one for $5 and replaced that without any issues. No more leaks!

New brake lines: I had to custom order some longer lines due to my new dirt bars. I went with lines from Galfer, and filled out the custom order form. It was super easy, as they already have a line kit for the 2002 R1. I just put in the comments that I wanted longer lines. I played it safe and got my lines a little longer than they need to be, 31" and 36". Honestly if someone out there has this bike and these bars, get 30" and 33" lines. I got the lines after 6 business days, which was pretty quick IMO. Overall, the quality of the lines is great. As you can see in the second picture below, I'm using the OEM banjo bolt for the right caliper, as the bolt that came with the set sheared off surprisingly easily - That's my only complaint.

Bleeding the lines was pretty easy. I had some difficulty with the front lines, as I eventually got all of the air out of the lines but I still had no brake pressure in the lever. Turns out I had to bleed the master cylinder, which required pumping the brake lever, holding the lever, and loosening the double banjo bolt just a tiny bit to get the air out. After doing this 3-4 times, the brake pressure built instantly. Easy peasy. I only cried a little bit 😛

After finishing up the brakes I repaired the front radiator fan plug, which had a broken wire. (I think I may need to get a new fan though, because even after a 10 minute ride in the 96 degree weather, the fan hadn't kicked on.)

I filled up the radiator and overflow next, popped the airbox back on, and hooked up the gas tank. The new battery I bought turned the bike right on, and immediately Error Code 17 started flashing. That's the code for a problem with the EXUP valve/motor. I assumed I might be getting this code because the EXUP valve was completely deleted from the bike. Who knows though. Not a huge deal as the bike still runs with the code, but I did buy one of those plug in circuits that clears the code.

Finally, I got the seat screwed down, primed the gas tank a couple times, and let her rip. My god. So fucking loud. The straight pipe is a little too much, even for me. I'll be buying some sort of a slip on, nothing too crazy though.

All of a sudden, I noticed a lot of smoke/steam coming from the front end. My first thought was that the bike was just burning off leftover whatever-the-fuck I've gotten on it during the rebuild, but then I noticed coolant dripping from the radiator. Shit. I poked around a bit and found the leak:

You can see that nice tear in the hose back there. Simple fix, I just cut off the ripped end of the hose and fit it back on the water pump. Problem solved, right?

Started the bike up, a little bit of smoke, nothing too crazy. Until it warmed up, and again, more coolant dripping from somewhere. Damn it! More investigation lead me to the top of the water pump, it was clearly leaking. I took a quick look at the part diagram on Partzilla and sure enough, o-ring:

The #41 o-ring was the culprit. Again, I took apart the bike and dropped the radiator, dug around for a while, and finally unhooked the waterpump and got the o-ring out. This thing was crusty and cracked as all hell. I wiped out the filthy water pump connection and ran to Ace to find a matching o-ring. Exactly $0.69 later, the bike was back together with no leaks. Finally!

I took her for a little rip around town (sans speedo, lights, plate, insurance, or registration 😬.. I had to!!)

The dirt bars are awesome. At first it felt really weird and unbalanced, but they made this bike 1000% better than it used to be. I had no problems at all. Everything I was concerned about held up just fine. Obviously now I need to get lights and the speedo done, along with the legal things so I can actually ride this without looking over my shoulder every 2 seconds. What fun it's been though, it's been a ton of work and I'm sure it will continue to be. Thanks for reading!