Pidjones' bicentenial build (a '76 RD400)

[pidjones]

Well, good and not so. The "filler" primer never hardened. Had to sand it off. Then I tried Bondo Glazing and Spotting Putty - it never hardened and continues to outgas through my lacquer-based etching primer, messing it up. Dug that out and replaced it with regular Bondo 2-part. Pretty close to what I want, now.

[pidjones]

Gotta say that the weather the past couple weeks has really helped things to move along. Today I stripped and primed the oil tank. So, everything is primed and ready for color. If we get the break in humidity forecast for next week, I may be able to shoot the color then. Since it will be lacquer with 2K clearcoat over, it will have to set and cure for a couple weeks before the clearcoat. Still looks like a week or two before the house work starts, so I may go ahead and start bolting things together. Rain due in tomorrow evening, so I'll start on the fork rebuilding.

[Motty]

Presumably the weather in Tennessee is much better than the damp and murky place over the pond 

[pidjones]

Presumably the weather in Tennessee is much better than the damp and murky place over the pond 

Autumn brings low humidity, sunny, clear skies, colorful leaves, lower temperatures and then Boom! Winter comes in dark, grey, bleak and cold. A cold front (and tropical depression) are bringing moisture for the next few days, followed by cooler, dry days. I can usually sneak in a few painting days in December. Then hibernate for three months.

I well remember the weather in Scotland when I was on a Navy sub. There were brief nice periods like we get here, but they lasted for minutes, not days.

[pidjones]

Rainy today - and a bonus that the mountains provide - power outages. On our backup generator for the past hour and a half.  And it is dark now. I always pray for the linemen that have to work in bad weather.

Anyway, the forks are rebuilt with new seals and fresh synthetic ATF. Straightened, cleaned the rust and paint off of the old headlight bucket, and primed it by heating with the heat gun, open the garage door and paint, close the door and hit with heat gun again, repeat. Weather is forecast to clear up in a few days. Then it will get black finish. Went through parts to determine what I still need - brake lines, tires, chain, plus about $150 in bits from Yambits.

[pidjones]

Today, headlight bucket painted, mufflers cleaned and polished. Baffles pulled, cleaned, and new wrap installed. Downpipes polished. Kickstand installed. I guess the wiring harness needs to be brought in for refurb next.

[pidjones]

Started on the wiring this afternoon. Right control sorted. Had to completely disassemble and re-solder all three of the connections to the turn signal switch - they broke off! I've not experienced such bad cold solder joints in a Japanese product. Anyway, that item is ready except for the bullets presently soaking in vinegar. Bad weather forecast for tomorrow, so might get more done after church.

[pidjones]

The headlight bucket and ring were pretty beat up. Looked like the bike had gone down on the right side and smashed them a bit. But, the lamp, lens, and reflector were intact! So, I tapped the ring and bucket back "rounderized" again and repainted the bucket. Looks ready to mount!

[pidjones]

This happened this evening. USPS and FedEx delivered a bunch of parts (at around 6 pm). Have to say it is pretty amazing to order from Yambits on Friday and have the order delivered on Monday! Anyway, I also had All Balls head bearings ordered from an Amazon dealer along with headlight ear mounts from Yambits. I assembled the lower tree with the tapered bearing and the original ball bearing on top. Then mounted the forks and the headlight ears on them, and finally the top tree. Went together very smooth. Just setting on the dolly and a 4x4 for now. Tomorrow I'll figure out a way to balance it on the dolly and strap it down. Because - the builders are supposed to start coming in tomorrow! I really don't mind being delayed on the bike build if we can get these home repairs finished before bad winter weather!

[Motty]

Good luck with your builders, make sure you cover the RD to protect it from dust!

[pidjones]

Just a bit more today. The Vietnamese seat looks Ok, but doesn't really fit properly.  I had to add ~5mm spacers under the hinges and ~20 under the latch for it to close level. I guess they made their seat pans for no or very little bumper rubbers, and I am re-using the originals from the old seat. Sorry for the crappy cell phone photo. The wrap will come off the seat once I get her on the wheels with engine in place.

[pidjones]

The cleanup of the wiring is done (but not installed). I did get the seat, handlebar, and wheels on it so that it can be moved around easier. I guess the next would be the engine (or is it best to mount the wiring first?)

[Motty]

I think I would be tempted to pop the engine bin next, but I'm not sure if that will block access to the battery area.
If you would like to canvas a wider opinion it is worth asking in Tech Help as that section has more traffic than the Restoration Section

Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

[Phil S]

I would put the wiring loom, rear plastic mudguard, switch gear, coil packs, brake pipes, battery box, relay panel, the engine can go in quite late.

[pidjones]

I think I would be tempted to pop the engine bin next, but I'm not sure if that will block access to the battery area.
If you would like to canvas a wider opinion it is worth asking in Tech Help as that section has more traffic than the Restoration Section

Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Good idea! Posted.