Project Retro - body work

The test fit of the fairings for project retro went OK.  Ebay fairings are a bit weird as far as fit goes.  For a bike like the F2 which is covered in plastic it means there are some gaps and fitment issues.  I had to trim some areas and make some adjustments.  Overall it is acceptable, but no where near as good as OEM parts.  Cheap tho......

I need to fit the front turn signals and figure out a few more fasteners (like the lower cowling center) but you get an idea of where this bike is heading.

Stripped - 1997 GSXR

My shop is looking a little crowded.  If you can find them all there are 6 bikes in the picture (and one snow blower which was not needed this year). A 1948 Jawa 250 Perak, a 1979 Yamaha XS650, a 2004 Yamaha R1, a 1997 Suzuki GSX-R 600, and 2 1991 Honda CBR 600 F2's.

So today I tore into the GSX-R.  I put it on the lift (again this is the best Christmas present ever. It is actually not in horrendous shape - it just needs some love.

  I drained the oil, and then opened the clutch cover to inspect the gears inside - apparently they can fail if the bike is rode hard. No metal and no broken parts inside. Clean as a whistle.

So I buttoned it back up and filled it with Mobil 1 Synthetic and a new filter.

I pulled the tank and airbox.  I dumped out the 2 year old gas.  I pulled the plugs and replaced them with iridium plugs.  I drained the coolant and replaced it. I also pulled the carbs and cleaned them (they were in pretty good shape).  Compared the the Honda this bike is easy to work on.

Once the carbs were back on the bike I put a battery in and fired it up.  The idle was erratic, pulling to 4000 and then to 1200 and then back to 4000.  The choke cable proved to be the culprit - it was not retracting properly.  I ordered a new one.

There is also some interesting wiring issues by the headlight - someone attached something (radar, who knows) long ago.

So I sorted the issues and now am just waiting for parts - fairings, mirrors, ram air tubes, signals, etc.

Another new toy - 1997 GSX-R

So I found a 1997 GSX-R for sale and picked it up on the cheap.  I was told it runs but we'll see.

I am so a product of the 90's.  Yes the bulbous style is a little dated but these are still good bikes.  Here it is at home.

It has had a rough life and is a bit crunchy - not many pieces of the body untainted by pavement.  But I know it will clean up nice.  The plan is to get it to Lucky Strike red and white colours - an homage to Kevin Schwantz who raced in MotoGP in the 90's.

Here is Schwantz doing what he does best circa 1994.  I think I will try to get the paint scheme close, and put his number 34 on it.  A little known fact is that when Schwantz retired from racing in 1995 he had 34 points in the GP series - the same as his number plate.

We'll see what the budget allows.  Hopefully it all works out.