Hello, I am currently looking for my first bike. I have found one on auto trader but it is 35 years old, is it worth getting (As in is it gonna last me a couple years) or Am I going to have to put a lot of money into Repairs? I do really like how it looks! Thank you for any help!

Hi

I'm restoring my customised 1985 Kawasaki KX500 street bike after it being in storage for 23 years.
This is part 1 of what will be a very long series probably lasting quite a few months.

I've almost finished parts 2 and 3 which cover polishing the front caliper and swingarm.

Hello, I've got a 1988 DR125 with no spark. I put in a brand new plug, checked connections and still nothing. Pulled out a few bits to test resistances etc. stator was fine but the HT lead resistance was a bit lower than recommended (about 2000 ohms under recommended) so I've ordered a new one. Prior to this the bike had a few instances where it shut off from what appeared to be overheating leading to no spark. Is there anything else that could be the problem based upon the fact it was...

Anyone ever try using Rocol Fuelseal? Bought a bottle for £18 from plumbing and gas merchants today - going to use it to seal a fuel tap flange that had a minor leak. I looked at Hylomar Blue, which is fuel resistant, but not fuel proof. In fact the technical specs on Hylomar Blue do warn against its use if in permanent contact with petrol. Whereas Rocol Fuelseal states it is designed for this purpose.

Hi,

I have purchased a Honda XL100S (believed to be 1979) as a project and would love to restore to either:

A) a scrambler
or
B) to its original look

I think the previous owner was trying to make it a scrambler but didn't have the time to complete.
I've never done this before and I don't want to waste money, but I do want it safe to ride!

I'm going to first get it moving and then decide A or B.

Money spent so far £800

Guys, I have had a Kawasaki KMX 125 sitting in my shed of several years and now plan to do it up. In all, it’s in pretty good nick, but where’s it’s been in a shed for a while, the wheels, forks, Handel bars have rust spots, etc on them. What’s the best way to get them looking new/newly new again?
Will try and get pics added as I guess it’s hard to advise otherwise.

I have been trying to source a good condition seat for a KMX 125, but considering the bike is a 1987 model, most seats are knackered. Does anyone know of a company that can recover seats, etc? as if so, I will buy a poor condition one and then get it recovered.
This is an example of what the finished seat should look like.

Hi Guys. Bike - Suzuki GSX750F 2002 plate - 34k.
Have had a smallish oil leak for couple of years. Kept putting it off. I am not sure where the leak is,
possibly high up in engine. I was hoping to remove tank, ( possible use small auxillary tank )all fairings,
and didn't know if I could somehow remove oil cooler, and bypass it, so that I can at least run the bike
to try to establish where its coming from.

Have a few other things to try too. Caliper overhaul, and need to change rear...

Hi there I have an old ST1300 high mileage issue with engine. I’m planning to sell for spare instead of repair. Does anyone know how to de-register it from my name once all parts are sold? Thanks

Hi all, I've just signed up to share something that I am now committed to doing (at first willingly and now it ended up being a bigger project than I though...). Also not sure if this is a scooter friendly place but I guess I will find out!

Example - not the one I bought but this is a reference to what it should look like in black.

I bought a Honda FES125 S Wing 2014 scooter from a police auction, stolen and recovered. Initially it didn't seem to be in to bad a shape and it was one up...

I did try some home plating a lot of years back with Vinegar and Epsom salts with poor results. So I drop off all my parts to the platers.

Having read a few bit and bobs on the net I am now going to see what results i can get for little to no layout.

Yes I know you can get a plating kit but would like to try a few experiments with what I have already.

I used to use 1.5V AA batteries (HP7 in my day) a large margarine tub and solid copper wire, had some zinc plates of unknown purity. What I...

Hi guys and girls, plans are a bit up in the air at the moment for what to do with my bike so i thought rather than clogging up other peoples threads and asking noddy questions, I would keep it all in one place and start a thread on this section.

My bike is a 1998 Yamaha Thundercat and to me is really starting to look 21 years old. I was enjoying it as it left the factory until my missus reversed into it which made me think it was time for a change. Upon joining this forum, my plan was to...

Hi All,

New to the forum but I have been riding bikes for over 30 years now. I have had many different bikes including a 320bhp GSX1100 turbo that I acquired from Gary Rothwell. :-)

I am currently restoring an 89 FZR1000 back to showroom finish (I am 4 years in so far) lol BUT It will be finished in the next 3-4 months so hopefully I will be able to catch a bit of the summer!! :-)

I wanted to say hi, and introduce myself to the MBF. Hope you are all managing to stay happy during this odd...

Hello, recently picked up a very beaten and abused Honda xlr 125, however it did start and run, but the starter was a bit prone to sticking apparently. Bike was incredibly filthy so gave it a wash today and let it dry a couple of hours. Went to start it and the starter clicked and then all electrics went dead. Swapped the fuse and the electrics came back, but upon pressing the starter the same thing happened. Could water have got in the starter when I washed it and is causing it to stick and...

Minor restore XJ900 in bits.JPG

Im looking for a tubular swing arm to fit a zephyr 750. Any info or guidance appreciated

Hello welcome to my recent build. Pretty much started putting it back together. But still have loads todo. This one is taking longer then I imagined as I have been trying making videos of the way. Hope you enjoy . ( if anyone goes on YouTube I would be happy for any feed back many thanks )

Not really sure how to actually start off. But here it goes.

I randomly came across this bike through a friend which at the time I had no money left to spend but still managed to buy it for around £350....

Just bought a Bennelli 125 enduro 1981 to restore and currently price things up first! My question is the front forks are 32mm, having researched new ones around £380 or mine rechromed at £145, but found the suzuki gn125 to be almost identical spindles although the fork legs are totally wrong! Can I remove the spindle to fit my legs!? As they are only £69 brand new for a pair and want to keep costs down

So with the few days a week I have off I'm now deciding to clean up the brake calipers on both bikes and put the braided hoses from my old j1 on to the a1p

Now I'm hoping to get away with reusing all the seals currently in all the calipers all I need to do now is find a way of pulling out the pistons so as I dont damage them as I dont own a pair of piston removal pliers but if I have to then I'll just buy some

But so far I have brought some essentials

15885119886243166028667866336989.jpg...

Hi All,
I thought you would like to see some pics of my Sachs XTC 4 stroke rebuild. (52 plate)

The plan is to:

Rebuild it and get it MOTed (note: this is not a full restoration, just want to get the full MOT ticket on it)
Record all up weight of bike
Stick it on the dyno to record stock power. establish power to weight ratio.
Modify it - both engine and chassis - details to follow - but basically lightening the bike and a torque / power increase.
Record all up weight of the bike.
Stick it...

I bought this bike off a mate at work for a steel at £200 8-) He wanted more but I think deep down he knew he would never get it sorted again

He bought it himself as a little run around and spent a fair bit getting it on the road which included new wheels and tyres.

He had just got it all sorted and an MOT on it then 50 miles later the carbs packed up! He stored it in the garage to do when he had time

IMG-20180701-WA0001.jpg

Anyway fast forward a few years and it enters my garage in...

Just wondered if anyone read my last post on my fork situation

Renewed fork springs seals bushes and oil on the Fazer. 5C015089-7E4F-494B-9D47-868C592345D7.jpeg

Good day guys and gals. Can anyone point me to a good restoration guide on how to strip gauges, polish glass and restore and spray the trim rings around the glass....

Like I mentioned in my intro post I have a Honda Nc24 as well as a Honda NC30 in bits that I will be restoring back to factory spec.

Can anyone tell me the actual differences between the two motors? So far I know the nc24 had a black engine and the nc30 a grey engine.

I picked up also the side covers are different where the...

I need help to find a chain guard for a Gilera Cougar 125 or one that will fit this bike as my current one has no rear attachment point and is required to be on the bike for its MOT. If anyone can help it will be appreciated

A few questions.

Does anyone know of a restriction kit for A2 for this bike; I can't find one. There´s one for the 500 but none of the 650 listed

I had wondered if no kit then perhaps by injection conversion using an EFI kit such as ECOTRON and use the fuel map to restrict it to 35 KW like my KTM 790 adventure does

Does anyone know if the CX 650 needs an additive or remedial work on the heads and valves to run on unleaded fuel without damage.

Is the Carburetor diameter on the CX650 the same...

Hi guys,
I’ve got a Gilera cougar which I’m repairing before I take it for an MOT however I’m finding it hard to find parts for the bike so I was wondering does anyone on here know of any website where I can get parts. The part which I’m struggling to find is a rear brake light switch/ toggle for the front brake lever.

Hi all
New user with a first time post so please be gentle!
I have decided to sink a lot of time and no doubt a lot of cash (overtime) into restoring and modifying a 70/80s bike. After a week of research I’ve seen a 1982 GS650 GL and a 1980 CX500 which look like possible purchase’s. I would ideally have a CB750 but the ones I have seen seem a bit toppy I want to stick to a budget of no more than £1500 for the initial bike (was going for no more than £1000 but it would appear I’m 10 years to...

Hi,

I have some pictures of my crankshaft to share with you and hopefully get an opinion on the discoloration. It has one section where the shaft is blue all the way through to the other side of the material. It turns absolutely spot on from what i can tell and im wondering if this is maybe a symptom of it being ridden with too little oil.

Thanks, Eric.

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Is it necessary or overkill for me to replace the bottom end bearings on my bike, i have the cases split anyway and the bike has 48k on it but the rods feel great. Free moving with no free play. It's about £100 for a set but i dont want to cause damage by removing the nuts and risking stripped threads or anything like that if i dont have to.

Side note question. Has anyone got any good tips for removing 27 year old original black rubber gaskets from aluminium without causing damage?

Also i...

Hi, i have split the cases today and got a look at the gearbox and have spotted the reason mine was probably stuck in gear. I will upload some pictures and hopefully someone can confirm and also advise me if they would change the oil spray pipe as it looks like it's has a bit of bash.

Also the main sprocket has been welded on loose!!

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Hi, new here.

I would like to start by saying i am rebuilding my 1993 fzr1000 exup, it drinks oil like there's no tomorrow and it is generally poor condition. Most of the tear down is complete and i the cause of the oil consumption is both bad valve seals and worn rings and sleaves. I will be boring out to 1040cc and getting rid of the troublesom exup valve. The forks are leaking and the subframe is rusty. The gearbox is knackered aswell as the fairings so i have my work cut out for me.

I am...

Hi,

I very recently posted about my plan to rebuild my old fzr. The first piece of info I'd like to know is about the rebuild process, the order I'd like to do may not be the most efficient but the total rebuild budget wise will take me 2 years as i plan on upgrading engine internals and suspension components and everything else in between regarded as consumables i.e bearings and stuff.

I have the model with the black painted frame and i want to keep it black as i dont fancy the upkeep of...

Hey. I have a 1991 kawasaki zephyr 750. Im doing a cafe racer project with it and want to extend the swing arm slightly. Does anyone know of a longer swing arm thats bolts into this bike? Any info would be helpful! Thanks

Just a quick one but cant find much info on the subject can you fit tubed tyres to a tubeless rim?

does anyone know why the rev counter rises and falls while the bike is running without revving the bike

For those of us who like a project, but are not mechanically minded or have the tools. Detailing is giving the bike a very thorough clean and I find it therapeutic and the results rather satisfying. This video is by the Car Cleaning Guru, whose videos get hundreds of thousands of views by those obsessed with this fine art.

I would change one thing he does and I would clean the chain last, not first. There is no point cleaning and lubing a chain, to then remove much of the lube with the...

So during last summer I acquired a petrol lawnmower a flymo venturer turbo 420 xl as a possible replacement for my electric one but it could now do with abit of tlc so I hauled it through to the garage and started seeing what I need to do.

So far I know I need a new spark plug and ignition box as the ht lead end is 20200324_150211.jpg 20200324_150324.jpg

There is also a cable for the speed that needs replacement.

Also the carb needs a damned good cleaning as what I took out of the float...

My father's old scooter is Suzuki CS50 Roadie 1982 or 1983 I am not sure because he lost his V5 paper, the reg was no where to be found and which is left in his farm barn since 2006 with 3434 miles on the clock. I want to restoration and to bring back on the road again.

I have stripped it to piece the chassis was quite rusty and is send for blast but the VIN numbers has wear fade and I can't reading is start with 8x7xxx.

So how can I register V5 without VIN and Reg number? How can I explain...

Was wondering if anyone can help, currently rebuilding an 87 MZ ETZ 250 and all has gone well aside from the clutch. The clutch is assembled and fitted and so is the left hand case and its components. However, when I pull the clutch cable and the retaining arm slides out of the worm, it feels as though it is not making contact with the clutch assembly as there is no pressure. Any suggestions would be very helpful as this is the only thing stopping the bike from working 100%!

Hi Guys
Got a chance to buy a 1971 ST50 Honda Monkey bike, very good rust free condition, been in owners Garage for over 25 years , Owner still has original green log book, not MOT'd but runs and stops so don't think it will need much ,Genuine 4500 miles

Any Idea of a Value ??

cheers

Dave

Just bought 2 mzs one from 78 and other from 86 .. Any advice from members .one has a mikuni carb conversion ..