[Underachiever]

So... Picked up a 2001 SV650 for $750.
It's my first bike (though I'm pretty handy), and pretty beat to hell, so I've done lots and there's lots left to be done.

This is it on its journey home. In the back of my Cherokee. Yep.

My cousin (pictured) insisted on running a strap from my front sway bar to my trailer hitch. He just wanted to be stupid.

Here it is once we pulled it out of the Jeep.

My first task was to get a new front tire, but no one really cares about that. If they do, I got a Dunlop Q3 to match the rear.
My second task was to order new forks... These are bent like spaghetti. The new (used) forks are still sitting there as my stands just got here. May rebuild the forks before I put them on. So my next order of business was frame sliders... Put them on, but that wasn't important enough for pictures.
Replacing the radiator was, though.
Here's the old radiator... Bent, lots of smashed fins, and all of the tabs ripped off. It was held on by coathanger and solid copper wire. Yup.

Here's the new one... Looks nice, but it was a piece of shit. Fins really far apart so they bend easily, and NONE of the mounting brackets were right. NONE. I had to bend the fan brackets by whacking them down with a hammer and then pulling them back at an angle with vise-grips. Also had to bend the mounting brackets. And yank the bushings out of the old radiator because this one didn't come with them. The bottom bracket had to be extremely bent, and even then there wasn't enough clearance for the bushing. Had to use 2 washers and a tiny bushing.
Would advise everyone not to buy from Winner Racing.

After that, I made a coolant overflow bottle, and I guess that's cool enough for pictures.
Here's my ghetto way of keeping the tank up (the stand's gone).

Here's the old coolant overflow bottle with a rather large hole in it... How that happens in such a hidden location (under the tank), I don't know.

And here's the finished product... Cheapy aluminum water bottle, brass fittings, stainless hose clamps. Looks good, in my opinion. Still need to trim the hose clamps. Blingy radiator visible here too.

Also, it was really fucking hard to get my hand in there to get the old tank out.

So after this I started to put all the hoses back on, and I had to remove one of them to get my hand around to something else... When I removed it, I saw black crud on the fitting.
I stuck my finger down the hose (hose, not ho) and pulled out a giant flake of crud... Did it again and pulled out a giant pile of crud. Don't know how it's even running.
So I ordered some fancy looking red silicone hoses from China, because I didn't learn my lesson with the radiator. :fu:
Still waiting on them to get here.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/99-02-SUZUK...IATOR-SILICONE-HOSE-red-/191479524054?vxp=mtr

So, moved on to installing the shiny new master cylinder reservoir.

When I drained the old one, I discovered my brake fluid was contaminated, and yep, they're OEM brake lines... So I'll be replacing those with stainless steel Galfer ones, front and rear.
If you have to replace, may as well upgrayedd. That's with two Ds, for a double dose of pimpin'. (Congrats if you got that, lol.)
However, I bought my textbooks for the semester and paid for my stupid driving courses for my speeding ticket and realized I shouldn't spend more money for a while.
But they will be mine, soon!
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/6294/i/galfer-stainless-steel-hydraulic-front-brake-line
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/6297/i/galfer-stainless-steel-hydraulic-rear-brake-line

So this is it as it sits now.

Waiting on the radiator hoses, money for the brake lines, maybe parts for rebuilding the forks, and time to trace my ignition circuit short... No luck with that despite hours of looking. Previous owner couldn't wire worth a shit... It's pretty obvious he thought that crimp connectors were supposed to match the color of the wire. :doh:
At this point I'm thinking it's a short in the kickstand kill switch.
But I'm also waiting on some other crap... New pegs (one is missing), a USB charger, and this. http://www.zazzle.com/nixon_agnew_2016_bumper_sticker-128861224187855205
Ohh yeah... I have a GSXR 750 shock to lower it a bit and give it a better ride, too. And a Vapor gauge that I'm putting on once the new forks go on (no sense sticking the speedo sensor to bent forks).
I've decided the tank's going to be covered with stickers... I have a nice tank, but if I'm going to drop it I'd rather fuck up the ugly tank, and there's no point in painting it, but stickers will be good for a laugh and making it "ratty" instead of just "ugly."

 

[MZI675]

Looks like a fun project!

 

[Underachiever]

Not much of an update as I'm still waiting on my radiator hoses (grrrrrrrrrrr), but I did get my USB charger in the mail, and installed it. Also stuck on the power line for my Vapor, but there's no since in fully installing it until I get my hoses in (temp sensor) and new forks on (speedo sensor).
Speaking of the forks, I've decided I'm gonna' break them down and put 20W oil in them and new seals. They're used so it never hurts to be on the safe side.

Charger: Pretty nice... Finish wasn't perfect, but for $12 it's nice enough.

Directions: Didn't need them, but they were an added bonus due to their humor.

Charger installed: Sorry for the shitty picture, garage's dim.
Wired it straight to the battery so I can charge my phone on the bike when I lose my power brick for my house charger. =P
Wires were kind of short so I mounted it right under the side cover. Probably gonna' get carbon fiber side covers next month. :grin:

The ugly yellow shock in that picture reminds me that I could swap my shock for my GSXR 750 one while I wait on the other stuff to come in the mail. The ugly heel guards remind me to plasti-dip them or something, to hide the scratches.
I love how I'm trying to make the rest of the bike look nice and the tank look as tacky as possible. I don't know why, but hey.

 

[Underachiever]

Got new pegs...

Went to put them on and found this.

Yep, that bracket's gonna' be replaced soon... But not now. For now I had to bend it some more to make the peg fit.

However, after getting the pegs on, I noticed they aren't quite right for the SV... It has slanted pegs, so it either needs round pegs or pegs with a slanted foot surface... These are not slanted, and not round (they don't go the whole way around, not cylindrical. They'll be fine, but they're not perfect.
They may end up on the Radian if they fit -- not sure.

Anyway, got my new hoses but haven't put them on yet.
Kind of conflicted... They look so nice (and well made) that I don't wanna' cut them up to fit the Vapor's temp sensor, so I may just leave it off. But by the same token, it'd be nice to have.
And then there's the hose clamp thing... Apparently silicone hoses leak when cold unless I use thermoplastic hose clamps? Even if I use really good other ones? Thermoplastic hose clamps have to be ordered and cost like $5 per clamp and have to be put on with a heat gun and some of these hoses are not in a good location for that. I guess I'll just try some good, smooth, metal clamps first.
At least they look (and feel) nice, though.

 

[Cookie2000ad]

Apparently silicone hoses leak when cold unless I use thermoplastic hose clamps? Even if I use really good other ones? Thermoplastic hose clamps have to be ordered and cost like $5 per clamp and have to be put on with a heat gun.

I've not heard that before, sounds like something a guy who sells thermoplastic hose clamps might say.

Samco sell clamps for their hoses, and they should know their stuff, so i went with those: http://www.samcosport.com/uk/acc_clip_bags.asp I didn't actually buy them from there, that's just for reference, but i did get Samco branded stainless ones i think.

Not sure on those "carbon effect" foot pegs, they look like they would get scuffed up pretty quickly, how do they seem?

Looks like this could be a cool build, subbed!

 

[Underachiever]

I've not heard that before, sounds like something a guy who sells thermoplastic hose clamps might say.

Samco sell clamps for their hoses, and they should know their stuff, so i went with those: http://www.samcosport.com/uk/acc_clip_bags.asp I didn't actually buy them from there, that's just for reference, but i did get Samco branded stainless ones i think.

Not sure on those "carbon effect" foot pegs, they look like they would get scuffed up pretty quickly, how do they seem?

Looks like this could be a cool build, subbed!

Yeah, I read lots of good reviews for the thermoplastic hose clamps, but after more reading it seems like the constant-torque ones will hold fine if I tighten them again while the bike is hot and then again after a few heat cycles. Kind of a pain, but much less so than a heat gun.

Ahhh, I figured I'd get some hate for the foot pegs... Fake carbon fiber's kinda' tacky, yeah.
They were only like $10 total on eBay; you couldn't really tell much about them from the listing, but I figured for $10 I couldn't go that far wrong. They definitely aren't billet as they say they are (they're cast), but for $11 I wouldn't actually expect billet. They seem to be decent quality for the price, though... I'd trust them to stand on if it weren't for that botched bracket of mine. As far as the anodizing, it seems decent, but time will tell I guess. I'm not sure whether I'm glad I went with them or whether I should have gotten black.

I got them because my helmet's carbon fiber and my side covers will be carbon fiber in the future, as well. I may try to get some some carbon fiber heel guards made (or make them myself if I can learn) or put a carbon fiber pattern on the beat up ones with plasti-dip or something.
I really like carbon fiber for some reason. =P

 

[Underachiever]

Well, did a lot of prep-work for things that I can't complete yet... But somehow I fucked up everything. Well, not really my fault, but still.

Sheared the head off of two bolts. Two. I noticed the previous owner has used blue loctite on random shit... So I'm guessing that's the cause here.
I was loosening them, not tightening them.

And then one of the bolts on one of the clip ons was rounded off (was removing them in preparation of removing the forks to replace them, once I can afford new seals and oil... Super broke as of now).
They're allen-wrench bolts, so I figured hmm... I'll try to get my vise grips around the head. I did that... It slipped off and the edge of the vise grip scratched the clip on.
Wouldn't normally care about a tiny nick like that, but the clip ons are the nicest part of the bike.
They're these, except in dark purple/maroon. $150 clip ons. But they came with the bike so it's not like I spent $150 on them so I should shut up. Plus it's a tiny nick only I'll ever see, but I feel dumb because I should've just waited until I could drill it out. Patience is a virtue and all...

Ohhh, right, the other dumb thing I did was while wiring the Vapor gauge's tach wire in, I dropped one end of it (the connector one, of course) in a pan of antifreeze. Lovely.
That was actually my fault, not the previous owner's. No blame to shift there. =P

However, after a little mock-up with the one clip one that DOESN'T have a rounded off bolt in it, I've decided once I replace the forks, I'm going to move the clip ons up top... Feels more comfortable. But I know, to do so I'll have to lower the bike more and it'll mess up the geometry and I'll crash and burn and kill old people and puppies and kittens and babies. You know, according to the people on SVrider (forum) who were giving advice to other people who wanted to do the same thing.
But the shock I'm going to (2003 GSXR 750 shock) will drop the rear a little anyway, so that'll even it out a bit.
Picture for reference.

And speaking of that shock, I think I'm going to try and install it tomorrow, if I can get the floor jack from my cousin.
Buttttttttttt as far as everything else goes, man, I need money.
Oil and seals for the forks, and new clamps for my radiator hoses.
They seem like simple things, but when you're completely broke, they can really hold you back. =P

 

[Underachiever]

Well, got the GSXR shock in, sort of...
It's in, but not fully bolted down, as the GSXR shock is not threaded like the SV one, so I have to go get a slightly longer bolt and a nut to go on the end of it. May have to grind down the nut, too... Not much room between the end of the shock and the dogbone/linkage.
But, as I don't have room to leave it up on the stands with a jack under the engine (the ceiling in my garage is flat, so there was no hoisting it up to do the swap), I bolted it back together as far as I could and let it sit.
And I'm happy to report that I can now flat foot it with both feet... Makes it way easier to move.

Should've taken pictures of the swap, but I was concentrated on getting it done quickly.
Someone on SVrider said that there was no cutting necessary for this shock and that it's 100% bolt-in... Well, that's 100% bullshit, lol.
Had to cut the stopper on the tank hinge (metal), and had to cut most of the battery box out (plastic).
Doesn't bother me (I love an excuse to Dremel, lol), but it would've been nice to know ahead of time, so I could've waited until I can afford the Ballistic battery I need to fit in the tiny spot left down there.
But I'm pretty happy... Flat footing is worth it.
And I removed the grab bar (unlikely I'll have a passenger any time soon anyway) and it looks so much sleeker and smaller.

I feel like once I get money, I'll have everything knocked out within a week of getting the parts.

 

[Underachiever]

Got the GSXR shock all bolted down... Had to grind down the nut annnnnnnd the bolt, but it's all in.
In doing so, I've committed to spending $160 on a battery. :nuts:


I should have money coming in a few days (which means a ton of goodies for this bike and maybe some love for the Radian too), but in the meantime I've plasti-dipped my bike... Matte black.

I want to do a red stripe, probably off-center, but I'm not sure where, or how large to make it, or anything.
However, I do know I can really only do the stripe on the fender, tank, and the little hump over the taillight. Maybe in between the seats, too.
I'm not sure whether to try to do one width all the way down, or vary the width, or what.
A stripe could dominate the fender and look tiny on the tank, so maybe varying the size is the way to go?
I don't know... I'm lost and don't want to fuck up, since the plast-dip work I did looks REALLY good on everything but the tank (tank has a few runs), so I'd hate to have to peel it off and start over.
You guys have been doing this stuff a lot longer than I have, so... Advice?

 

[Underachiever]

I mocked it up and it looks fine without the stripe... I'll just leave it matte black, for now. I always go that extra step, and that extra step always ends with me starting all over again to finish it properly... So forget the extra step, for now.

It looks pretty mean, though... Will have to take a picture once it's all dry.

 

[Underachiever]

Just ordered these... Was gonna' wait until I could order all my crap en masse, but these popped up for $25 less than usual, so I just went with it.

 

[Casper]

Pictures of the bike!!!

Ok, I just used PlastiDip as well as a test run and love the Metalizer series, a Silver Metalizer over the black will give it more dimension and would make the fender, tank and tail match the carbon fiber better.

I have also had good luck with regular automotive paint sticking over the PastiDip, but have heard it makes it harder to peel it off.

 

[Underachiever]

Pictures of the bike!!!

Picture time!

I did the fender too, but it's not on the bike because the forks are coming off soonish, so no point.

It's not perfect, but in my opinion it looks miles better than the brickish color red that was on it before.
I may experiment with a red stripe or some silver metallizer or red "SV" or "SV650" emblems... We'll see.
Also, don't make fun of my thumb being in the picture on the second one haha.
But ohhh, I put the plastics back on and checked the rear set latch 3 times, then put the seat back on and... It won't unlatch. Only me, lol... Only me.

But at least I should have money in the next few days, so that'll mean:
Fork seals and oil and then replacing the forks... And moving my headlight higher up and clip-ons above the triple when I do so. And installing the Vapor's speedo sensor and then mounting the display unit too.
Hose clamps for my new (red) silicone hoses, and installation of them.
More carbon fiber goodies.
Seat being reupholstered in carbon-fiber print vinyl.
Turn signals.
A new horn (my radiator's too fragile for the placement of the existing one, and the only place I can move it and it look decent is under the tank, and if it's under the tank it's not really loud enough... So I'm gonna' get a small air horn).
Bar end mirrors.
Galfer stainless brake lines.
A Ballistic lithium battery... Out of necessity. And then finding my short. Think it's in the kickstand switch.

Can't waittttttttt.

 

[Casper]

Pictures!

 

[MZI675]

Been debating on plastidip for my bike as well. Tougher then spray paint and a better finish usually. Harder to clean though it seems.

 

[Casper]

Been debating on plastidip for my bike as well. Tougher then spray paint and a better finish usually. Harder to clean though it seems.

I always get a better finish with straight spray paint, it is all in the prep. The PlastiDip just means less work in prep...

 

[Underachiever]

Been debating on plastidip for my bike as well. Tougher then spray paint and a better finish usually. Harder to clean though it seems.

Plasti-dip seems way better at covering imperfections, so that's something you might want to consider if your parts are rashed or scratched.
The sides of my tail were rashed as holy hell, but you can barely see it now (however, I'm sure some of that is prep-work... I did 60 grit if needed --> 80 grit if needed -->100 grit -->220 grit -->660 grit).
The plastics look really good, because I could take them off the bike to paint them... The tank has a couple runs as I had to do it on the bike (didn't have enough vise grips to pinch off all the fuel lines). From that, I can tell you that it seems once you get a run in plasti-dip, there's not much you can do about it. I resorted to spreading the runs out with my finger or holding my finger to the run/drip to let it collect on my finger and then move it.

But yeah... It does seem to attract crud (dust/thread/leaf bits/whatever) to it almost magnetically.
But if you use enough, you can scrub it down without worrying... My cousin put a giant stripe on his car (fool riced out a Nissan Versa, haha), and he did it very very thickly, like 10 layers or something, and he could wash it without worry.

 

[MZI675]

Plasti-dip seems way better at covering imperfections, so that's something you might want to consider if your parts are rashed or scratched.
The sides of my tail were rashed as holy hell, but you can barely see it now (however, I'm sure some of that is prep-work... I did 60 grit if needed --> 80 grit if needed -->100 grit -->220 grit -->660 grit).
The plastics look really good, because I could take them off the bike to paint them... The tank has a couple runs as I had to do it on the bike (didn't have enough vise grips to pinch off all the fuel lines). From that, I can tell you that it seems once you get a run in plasti-dip, there's not much you can do about it. I resorted to spreading the runs out with my finger or holding my finger to the run/drip to let it collect on my finger and then move it.

But yeah... It does seem to attract crud (dust/thread/leaf bits/whatever) to it almost magnetically.
But if you use enough, you can scrub it down without worrying... My cousin put a giant stripe on his car (fool riced out a Nissan Versa, haha), and he did it very very thickly, like 10 layers or something, and he could wash it without worry.

Well my tank is freshly bodyworked and my tail is brand new so no worry of covering imperfections. I am wanting a flat white finish on mine though, so that would work.

 

[Underachiever]

Well my tank is freshly bodyworked and my tail is brand new so no worry of covering imperfections. I am wanting a flat white finish on mine though, so that would work.

Oooh... Covering red with white, I don't envy you.
I've heard white plasti-dip is thinner than black, too, but I'm not sure if there's any truth in that.

Anyway, damn, few more days until I have money... Really eager now that it seems closer to getting done.

 

[Underachiever]

Just ordered my battery, and a bit more carbon fiber stuff... Nothing too cool, though, yet.
And some turn signals as well. Just rear ones for now as I'm still thinking about plans for front ones.
Will be ordering stainless brake lines when I get home.

EDIT:
New brake lines ordered... I got the rear one for $22, so I hope it's not fake haha. Normally costs ~$44.
Paid a normal price for the front one.
Also ordered fork seals, so all I have left is fork oil and hose clamps and it should be "done."