Featured 98 Gsx-r 750 Srad (injected) Mini Project...for Now...

With the old tank off and the pump stripped off it I eBayed it and sent it to Holland for £60 plus postage. I was happy with that as it was very honestly described and had been poorly lined prior to being sold to me. I had already brought a brand new tank for it when I first bought the bike. That cost me £480 which is much better than the £900 they are now.



Now on it's wheels and with the engine sealed I was able to give it a wash to rid it of the last of the soda and make it a bit nicer to work on. Then there was a couple of hours cleaning 22 years of chain lube based cack from the primary drive area;

 

Next, and how the bike stands today was after I fitted a new gold x-ring chain and sproket set. It's not correctly adjusted yet which is why it looks tight.

Also I started the coolant hoses for reinforced silicone ones, just black with stainless fixings, I'm not a fan of the coloured coolant or brake hoses generally. I think this is worth doing as the old ones looked tatty and I don't trust 22 year old rubber under pressure. I would rather not end up wearing the coolant or it getting on the tyres etc as I go barrelling in to a turn.





That's about where it is right now, I will do some more stuff on it over Christmas as soon as I have listed my enduro bike and got that boxed off.

 

Hello again.

Well, the enduro bike sold in 14 hours for the full asking price and I now have the new Thruxton RS too. Anyway, all that was a distraction but it looks likely that my house will complete before the end of the month. Panic stations, this needs to be back in one piece before that happens so...

I'm under time pressure and so will have to kerb my usual attention to detail for now.

Sprocket cover bolted back up and chain adjusted and wax cleaned off the face of it, footrest hanger and gear linkage re-fitted;





Fit New plugs, air filter and give the cam cover, throttle bodies and fuel rail area a quick spruce up. Again, not the detail I'd like to go to but I just can't spare the time now;





In to the utility room and on to preparing and fitting the brand new tank which I've had in storage for 4 years;



The fuel pump looks a little crusty and the gold passivate finish feels rough and a little porous to the touch. I decided that polishing it gently and losing some of the passivate was preferable to leaving it rough and more able to hold on to moisture. So, a clean, gentle polish with autosol and dressed with ACF-50 had it looking more presentable. I fitted a new fuel pump gasket, bolts and all new lines and clips where required;





With the plugs and air filter finished, airbox cleaned and refitted as well as the last of the coolant hoses fitted it was now ready for the tank;



Next I fitted the tank and the filler cap that I had fully stripped, restored with Cerakote. I'm really pleased with how it looks, with the brand new tank they look great together. Just after this was taken I filled the tank with ethanol free fuel and filled the coolant system and ran it up to temperature. I was expecting at least a couple of coolant leaks (and praying for no fuel leaks) but it was absolutely fine. It doesn't need much more now which is just as well given the time I haven't got left...

 

My moving date draws ever closer and so I try and get the odd hour in on the bike when I can. For this mini resto I was also going to fit new grips and a quick action throttle and change the brake lines. I just simply do not have the time and both can easily be done with the bike fully assembled so I will just do a brake fluid change for now, really just to help prevent the callipers seizing.

I got a few bits done yesterday, some Cerakoted parts fitted, clock/headlight chassis, screen frame and bar ends. The clocks and headlight are all connected with everything rooted exactly as per my strip down pictures. I also fitted the front mudguard.

Nothing too exciting but it means that now I really just have to re-fit the bodywork and side stand, bleed the brakes and it could be MOT'd. Realistically though I will change the lines before I ride it.

 

A few more small bits done, I'm finding it difficult to find the time but I think I'm only about 3 hours away now from it being able to pass an MOT. What is slowing the process is cleaning all the plastic and rubber items before refitting them.

Anyway, I've fitted the last of the Cerakoted items, routed the loom around the clock chassis and head fairing so it all looks neat and doesn't pull on either steering lock. I've re-fitted the air-ducts, the head fairing and a pair of new mirrors. I've bled the back brake and washed all the body panels inside and out ready for re-fitting. The next update will show it finished bar new brake lines, quick action throttle and Rental grips which I'll do during the summer. I like to do them now but I move house in 4 days...


Rear foot rest hanger will be replaced with a exhaust hanger as it will look nicer and I don't need the pillion pegs.


I have a new screen to go on but couldn't fit it because the original well-nuts are too swollen. New ones should arrive any day now.


Cerakoted clock chassis, fairing frame and top yoke tidy things up nicely. I'll paint the clutch lever hanger until the next strip down for plan A when it will be Cerakoted.

 

I finished this 20 minutes ago which is when the following pictures were taken. I move house tomorrow, not that I'm cutting it fine at all...

I will still give this the plan "A" full strip and rebuild mentioned at the beginning of this thread when my new house is finished, but I'm pleased with how this is for now. It's fully serviced, including the forks, coolant + hoses, new chain and sprockets and a new fuel tank. All the metal parts that were starting to show there age have been blasted, Cerakoted or replaced. It's fit for anything as it stands and better to be fully fit and used than sitting in bits.

For this last push, I cleaned all the panels in the bath to get them fully clean more on the inside than out. I tidied and routed all the loom carefully and used some self adhesive cable mounts which Suzuki should have done in my opinion. I polished the bottom half of the main panels and belly pan and waxed them as it's way easier to do those bits while they're off the bike. I went through all the electrical connections and got rid of any soda and treated them to some Servisol 10. Prior to fitting all back together, I treated all the black plastics to some vinyl and rubber care and used some new genuine fixings I had ordered to replaced a couple of ones that had seen better days.

Lastly, I fitted a new 96-97 spec screen which is a sharper rake than the 98 onward ones. I had a 96 and 98 from new and did the same to my 98 one back then which is pictured at the start of this thread. It looks much better and the wind blast (for my height) hits my chest and takes weight off my wrists. It works well for me.

I still need to give the bike a clean, polish and freshen up the silencer and fit the new brake hoses (bled the existing system none the less) but I'm chuffed to have it back together and ready for the summer;

 

Thanks for all the positive comments, I know it's hardly full build but I thought it was worth posting and people obviously agree. It will get the full treatment once my new house is built (With underfloor heated garage and workshop - oh yes) but its great to have the bike fully fit and in one piece. Thanks again.

 

Spot on, in fact, that fob, and the other I have had years ago for different bikes, come Velcro backed and with a separate self-adhesive spikey Velcro side round tab. You stick the tab to the yoke and then press the fob on to it so it stays dead still. Such a simple idea and nothing new, I bought that fob in 1998 from the Ally Pally show. I have bought more round tabs but just haven't stuck one to the yoke yet. I wish I could get the same for my Thruxton RS but I have only seen new versions on German eBay for more than I'm willing to pay.