My 1994 Freshen up :)

[X-Ray]

1994 FJ12 Mini Refurb

Oh well it had to be done. After the last 2 long distance Australian Rallys, the poor '94 was in need of some TLC. Arrived home back in March from the last one with a near shredded back tyre, weeping valve gasket, huge tight spot in the chain, grunged up clutch master etc. It was going to be a quick tidy up, but then got the paint cans out for some changes, but all done now.    The job list was --
Measure/change shims along with a new valve cover gasket                                                    
Replace the old Clutch line with a new HEL braided, and clean out the filth from the clutch master
New S/S sleeve installed into clutch slave
New RK chain with 18/38 gearing
New Avon Spirit ST tyres, std sizes
Repainted engine (in frame) and clutch cover, timing cover etc
Repainted rims, Duplicolor Metallic Bronze wheel paint with clear, trying to work in with the WPB fairing colours. As much as I love the powdercoated rims on the '93, it is so easy and inexpensive to do a fairly decent paint job yourself on the rims, thats the way I will go for now on.
Remove existing yellow paint from brake discs/mask/repaint
Replace 2 broken lower frame rail bolts ( what a job!!)
Fix a few fairing cracks and broken tabs
Fork oil change,   think that was about it.
So she should be good for another couple of rallys at least. The lower frame broken bolts took a bit longer than expected, due to a broken off stud extractor making things hard, but my metal worker mate came up with a solution which worked well. So just have to get out for some test rides, wear the shine off the tyres and make sure nothing leaks or falls off . The first pic is on the way to the rally in March this year.

 Ahhh we love doing this stuff

[X-Ray]

Some more piccies

[X-Ray]

So the '93 and '94 are done now, and finally my poor '84 that I got last year from Troyskie can now get some TLC, its going to take a while though. The good thing is the paintwork has already been done on the '84, so I have a bit of a head start there.

[Urban_Legend]

Your stuff always looks top notch Ray. A lot of the imperfections that we see in our own bikes, often arent seen by the casual observer.
However, Like your bike, sparkles needs some quality, unrushed time spent on her. So when the 92 is sorted Sparkels will het the love she deserves.
i just hope she comes out half as good as your bikes.

Good work 

Mark

[X-Ray]

I think you just nailed it Mark, unrushed time. I just set about fixing up decisions done on the spur of the moment (wine time   ), yelllow highlights, what was I thinking lol. But, mine are nothing special, just clean and tidy to where I want them, your current project is already looking spectacular.  

[ribbert]

1994 FJ12 Mini Refurb

Great job Ray and high quality photo report. Colours look good, I like the welded threaded plate fix, the lined slave looks great, fresh paint everywhere, your bike's are a credit to you, but...the garage chair lets the side down. As it features so heavily in your photos, I think something a bit sharper is in order.

I see you've joined the "why didn't I get one of these years ago" club with a bike lift, what a great thing they are, mine gets used constantly. As well as maintenance, repairs etc I use it weekly to wash the bikes. It has also been used for ride on mowers, mulchers and even to build a small rolling car chassis from scratch. I am going to use Dean's (Millietant) plan to build a second one when time permits.

The one thing I did almost immediately was get rid of the wheel clamp. It served no purpose and it was always in the way, not being able to turn lock to lock limited all sorts of work, even cleaning. The other thing you need is a mechanics stool, SCA have them, they're cheap and make working at table height a breeze. It's coming up to Christmas, time to drop a few hints.



The table also makes it a cinch to remove the front wheel / forks without the bike becoming unstable.




Our bike's are no longer in the same paddock Ray, mine is well into it's third time around the clock and although it still looks pretty good, it's nothing like yours. The finish on mine after all these years and miles though is a great testament to the quality of the original product.

Noel

[X-Ray]

Noel!! You always pick up on things like that  , yep thats my ratty old stool that I drag out onto the rough driveway when I work out there. I do however have 2 new dental stools from Finland worth around $900.00ea that I retrieved from the mini skip when we were moving warehouses. Brand new, still boxed up going to the dump, not on my watch they weren't. Fully adjustable, even the seat has tilt etc, these are my good ones for working with the bike lift etc.

That broken frame rail bolt turned into a bigger episode than it should have been, but I'm lucky my machinist mate is a bit of a perfectionist and said he will sort it out, I just said to him put a spot of weld on the rail, don't worry about the bolt etc, I won't be taking it off again. He did a good job. That wheel clamp, yes, it has hindered me many times, even during this job on the '94, am going to take it off permanently soon, I never use it anyway. I actually did use the ratchet strap to tie the back end down as well, but I usually use the wooden support under the frame rails for the front end. Removing/replacing the exhaust is a lot harder using the wooden support though.

Mate, I have seen your bike in photos absolutely filthy, and you always clean it up better than new, I'm still trying to achieve your level of paint shine/depth.

[ribbert]

That wheel clamp, yes, it has hindered me many times, even during this job on the '94, am going to take it off permanently soon, I never use it anyway.

Haha, I took mine off and put it on a shelf, as you do, then several years later while having a big clean out, I looked and looked at it and couldn't think of any use I could possibly have for it so threw it in the skip.

Good job on the stools, I can just see you detailing your bike with a dental pick.

Noel

[Millietant]

I drilled a couple holes at the edges of my lift bench and fastened some eye bolts through them - usually when a bike is on the bench these days, I have ratchet straps fitted to the front and rear of the bike and the bench eye bolts, but just left loose.......then if I want either the front or back wheel off the ground, I just cinch them up to lift either wheel. Takes about 10 seconds for each end and because they're attached to the frame, not the forks, the handlebars can be turned....

[Old Rider]

Nice work looks great !  but that carbsync you could have done better   
no im just kidding looks perfect !

[Troyskie]

Nice one Ray!

I can see Bendy is looking like she's ready for some love too....

[X-Ray]

Good job on the stools, I can just see you detailing your bike with a dental pick.

Noel

Hahaha. Not so much detailing Noel, but for tiny carb o rings etc, they work great