Rebuilding a bike from ground up

[doubl3mint]

hi bro, thanks for the advice. yup that's what i read online about the white smoke problem. white = coolant, blue = eo, black, = fuel.

 

funny the mech said its petrol and eo combined. the stuff smells really wierd though, haha. if it wasn't such an expensive lesson i'd be having a ball, a lot of funny things happened while we were troubleshooting.

 

just yesterday i was there and they turned the engine on. the whole garage was smoked out like there was mosquito fogging going on. it was that bad.

 

one poor guy parked his kr just behind my bike, he must have been cursing and swearing as he left the place.

 

anyway, i'll wait for the shop to get back to me again, will update as i get more info!

 

 

edit: oh bro S750WP just saw your previous post about guan hoe and their charges. do you think it would be a good idea to get them to take a look at the bike and see what exactly the problem is? seems they might be the people to go to, since they're the suzuki agent?

Edited September 22, 2010 by doubl3mint

[Silent Hunter]

Mervyn, why don't you give Guan Hoe a call first to see if they got spare parts for your bike?

No point going down all the away to their location if they haven't got any spare parts for it.

 

I got a DR800 and I am waiting for my brand new CDI shipped from overseas to come in, going to change a few more parts too. When I get my bonus, I might just order more parts to do a rebuilt too.

[doubl3mint]

oh yeah bro you got a point there, I'll get down to it tmr!

[liquidy]

  mervyn_lee said:

hmm which bike is that? maybe can pm me, we discuss from there =)

 

aprilia. haha. is urs a 2 stroke?

[doubl3mint]

hey liquidy, nope its a 4-stroke, but at present its smoking like a stroker, haha!

 

status update:

 

mech fixed the leaking carbs, apparently it overflowed because it was all gummed up and dirty from the fuel sitting in there too long.

 

white smoke still present though, feel bad when sitting at junctions and the smoke gets to other bikers and cyclists, not to mention being on the lookout for those in white.

 

tried to call guan hoe today but couldnt get through all day.

 

searched for their addresses, was informed that their sales side is at 120 rangoon road (62997939), and the service side is at eunos industrial (67465910). however read somewhere else they moved to autobay @ kaki bukit (65096328).

 

anyone knows for sure? would appreciate an updated number if any, just to be sure i'm calling the right ones!

[S750WP]

  mervyn_lee said:

hey liquidy, nope its a 4-stroke, but at present its smoking like a stroker, haha!

 

status update:

 

mech fixed the leaking carbs, apparently it overflowed because it was all gummed up and dirty from the fuel sitting in there too long.

 

white smoke still present though, feel bad when sitting at junctions and the smoke gets to other bikers and cyclists, not to mention being on the lookout for those in white.

 

tried to call guan hoe today but couldnt get through all day.

 

searched for their addresses, was informed that their sales side is at 120 rangoon road (62997939), and the service side is at eunos industrial (67465910). however read somewhere else they moved to autobay @ kaki bukit (65096328).

 

anyone knows for sure? would appreciate an updated number if any, just to be sure i'm calling the right ones!

 

Guan Hoe has shifted to Kaki Bukit Autobay, for valve clearance, carb cleaning they charge cheaply, $65 and $35 respectively for other servicing please check. Btw no point to call and ask to diagnose as they wont be able to tell you the problem base on description. Spares is readily available for your bike but be prepared to pay a hefty price unless you buy used parts from Ebay.

[doubl3mint]

roger S750WP, i'll just take it down for them to have a look then.

 

status update:

 

took the bike out for a long ride (relatively), around 30km or so. white smoke seems to have dissipated (hooray? or too early to tell), no more smell of engine oil from the exhaust.

 

touch wood, but engine seems to be working well!

 

on the downside, the electricals is messy, suspension is creaky and brakes are soft. but all that isnt much of a concern as long as the heart is good to go.

 

will continue testing over the next few days, with some luck the project might still continue =)

 

do you bros have any idea if its possible that the white smoke was due to long period of not using?

 

 

edit:

 

was searching online with regard to the white smoke (fyi im not the kind who wants to be spoonfed with info, more into knowledge sharing)

 

http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-284677.html

 

my takeaway was that a little oil goes a long way. i'm guessing (for now) it might have been a bit of oil that got into the cylinder or something, and took quite a while to burn off

 

 

further edit:

 

took the bike out for a longer ride today, all good, but then after stopping the bike couldnt start again.

 

luckily i was near my mech, took it there and he said the alternator is spoilt, battery isnt charging.

 

found more info on the net regarding common problems and how to fix it.

 

however i'm no electrical engineer, haha. apparently a quick fix is available, but the problem is i dont know of any place that repairs alternators. any of you bros know of a place like that? just need to replace the generator coupling if it is indeed the issue!

Edited September 24, 2010 by doubl3mint

[swiftee]

  Pandora said:

Oh dear' date=' what caused all the critical gaskets and seals to fail at once?[/quote']

 

normally for old bike, all the gaskets and seals will need to be changed. esp the seals cause the rubber tends to harden over time

so its not really fail at once to be exact

[MIGHTY MAX]

Mine is worst rebuilding my VTR SP1. Send to a bikeshop at UBI( after racework) for nearly 6mth. So far they just strip into pieces & all in a big mess. Body & swingarm powdercoat done but time to rebuild it, it hopeless..They inform me next mth can be ready but end up till 6 mth & still in a mess.All the lame reason, parts not here lah, Not to worry lah, confirm can be ready by next mth lah..Paid 1.5k already & never rebuild it till the 6mth, i remove all my stuff & bring to racework. Now hoping they rebuild it...It a new chapter now...

Just be very creful when sending the bike..

[doubl3mint]

  MIGHTY MAX said:

Mine is worst rebuilding my VTR SP1. Send to a bikeshop at UBI( after racework) for nearly 6mth. So far they just strip into pieces & all in a big mess. Body & swingarm powdercoat done but time to rebuild it, it hopeless..They inform me next mth can be ready but end up till 6 mth & still in a mess.All the lame reason, parts not here lah, Not to worry lah, confirm can be ready by next mth lah..Paid 1.5k already & never rebuild it till the 6mth, i remove all my stuff & bring to racework. Now hoping they rebuild it...It a new chapter now...

Just be very creful when sending the bike..

 

Yup bro it appears to me that a full rebuild of large cc bikes which are quite old is not so feasible in Singapore. I attribute it to a bunch of reasons:

 

a) Due to our small market, it is not easy to get spares.

b) The culture created by COE and road tax, which makes it not so worthwhile to keep old bikes

c) The issue of the lack of shops, or rather the lack of knowledge by the majority on the different shops who have expertise on various tasks like machining, component repair, etc.

d) The lack of private space which makes DIY'ing quite a hassle.

 

 

For example, in the latest update of my bike, I faced a malfunctioning alternator. FYI, the coil, rectifier and various components were previously integrated into this component in old bikes before being separated in newer tech.

 

I was presented with a few choices.

 

a) Try to send it for recoiling, which had no guarantee and would cost me 500.

b) Buy a new alternator which was old stock, but which was made for another bike and so had no guarantee of fixing the issue either. This would cost 1000.

c) Order a new alternator from Japan, costing 1600.

d) Search on ebay, unknown cost.

 

 

I did my due diligence, searched for a week, to no avail. I considered buying a new one, but by then I was worn down by the thought of further problems by other components down the road. In the end, I wrote off this investment and scrapped the bike. I'm not sure if I had given up too early, but its a load off my shoulders.

 

Pockets are emptier too by 3000 gold coins, which means it cost me 1500 per ride. Yup only got to ride it twice, haha. However, there were invaluable lessons learnt. I think that alone is worth it.

[ulysses_sc]

  mervyn_lee said:

Yup bro it appears to me that a full rebuild of large cc bikes which are quite old is not so feasible in Singapore. I attribute it to a bunch of reasons:

 

a) Due to our small market, it is not easy to get spares.

b) The culture created by COE and road tax, which makes it not so worthwhile to keep old bikes

c) The issue of the lack of shops, or rather the lack of knowledge by the majority on the different shops who have expertise on various tasks like machining, component repair, etc.

d) The lack of private space which makes DIY'ing quite a hassle.

 

 

For example, in the latest update of my bike, I faced a malfunctioning alternator. FYI, the coil, rectifier and various components were previously integrated into this component in old bikes before being separated in newer tech.

 

I was presented with a few choices.

 

a) Try to send it for recoiling, which had no guarantee and would cost me 500.

b) Buy a new alternator which was old stock, but which was made for another bike and so had no guarantee of fixing the issue either. This would cost 1000.

c) Order a new alternator from Japan, costing 1600.

d) Search on ebay, unknown cost.

 

 

I did my due diligence, searched for a week, to no avail. I considered buying a new one, but by then I was worn down by the thought of further problems by other components down the road. In the end, I wrote off this investment and scrapped the bike. I'm not sure if I had given up too early, but its a load off my shoulders.

 

Pockets are emptier too by 3000 gold coins, which means it cost me 1500 per ride. Yup only got to ride it twice, haha. However, there were invaluable lessons learnt. I think that alone is worth it.

 

Bro, have you already scrapped the bike? Arrhhh.... would have bought it off you...

[doubl3mint]

Hey bro yup I have. Dang I thought you were kidding earlier on in the thread! Do you have a use for the parts or something? Coz I dont think there was anything much on it worth keeping for the long term really

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Damn that big bike rebuild would be an epic tale if your dreams came to life!

 

--

 

I'd like to just put in my two cents here on whether a rebuild is worth it... on an old class 2B commuting/courier type bike.

 

In March this year I bought an 8 year old rust bucket for almost 3k once the insurance, repairs, overhauls, repainting, rechroming, customisations were done. Despite the huge investment it never ran right. Imagine max speed 80kph, high oil consumption, etc.

 

A few months down the road however, every cent I spent on this thing is worth it. Because it turned out not to be a noisy thumping Ah Pek bike, it's a cafe racer that can be tuned, at my behest, for maximum acceleration or economy, as I see fit! This is more or less one of the very few non-sport 2B bikes you can logically use for short distance convoys with larger CC machines without holding anyone up. Note I mentioned SHORT DISTANCE implying city and street courses, or local outings. Obviously I don't have horsepower or comfort to do a transcontinental run but it's brilliant in all other respects.

 

... and my oil changes don't cost more than $16. No need to repair after 15,000km of wide open throttle work. $14 oil changes from next month...

[ulysses_sc]

  mervyn_lee said:

Hey bro yup I have. Dang I thought you were kidding earlier on in the thread! Do you have a use for the parts or something? Coz I dont think there was anything much on it worth keeping for the long term really

 

That's really a pity. I'd really have bought it off you. Owned a GSXR750WR many years ago, and have been looking for another old Gixxer since. To me, re-building bikes it's not really about whether it's worth it or not. It's the satisfaction of getting it back into shape, no matter how long it takes.

 

Oh well, the search goes on...

 

Anyone saw an old beaten up XR600 anywhere for sale? Hahaha

[S750WP]

  mervyn_lee said:

Hey bro yup I have. Dang I thought you were kidding earlier on in the thread! Do you have a use for the parts or something? Coz I dont think there was anything much on it worth keeping for the long term really

 

Have you tried looking at the local scrap yard for the alternator? Btw used parts for this old beast is plentiful in ebay. Its such a pity to scrap it.

[lutein]

My partner had this crazy idea of modding a bike to run on batteries (electric racing motorbike). He got a battered NSR250 which was on its last legs. Anyway to put a long story short, the project was eventually deemed not viable (something about not being able to find the right parts etc) and he sold the bike to a workshop.

 

You do need special tools to work on bikes. Over the years, he's accumulated a lot of tools and equipment like torque wrench, socket wrench (with extension), sockets in all sizes, paddock stands, jacks, etc etc so normal maintenance with a service manual is no problem. He does maintenance at the public carpark but he covers the bike up. Anyway, nobody would steal a bike without forks, with only one wheel, with the fuel tank missing, and so on.

 

It can be done but you need a lot of patience, sources for parts (for his Honda bikes he goes to Eversuccess; I think this shop carries Suzuki parts too), contacts for works (e.g. spray-painting). When he did major repairs on his 954 it took him several weeks to work on the fuel tank and the forks.

[lutein]

  mervyn_lee said:

a) Due to our small market, it is not easy to get spares.

b) The culture created by COE and road tax, which makes it not so worthwhile to keep old bikes

c) The issue of the lack of shops, or rather the lack of knowledge by the majority on the different shops who have expertise on various tasks like machining, component repair, etc.

d) The lack of private space which makes DIY'ing quite a hassle.

 

(a) As mentioned, try spare parts shops, or scrap yards, or order from Internet (my partner had to buy a fuel tank from Ebay as the original tank was rusty).

(b) Actually COE and road tax costs are quite minimal but yes the increased burden for old bikes is quite irritating.

© There are specialised shops that do these things but it takes time to find them. My partner have had parts specially machined by some local shops. He says you must give very clear instructions / drawings to the shop.

(d) As mentioned you can do maintenance in HDB carparks. A bit inconvenient to go up and down the lift to get your tools but as long as you are clear of your workscope for the day, you can minimise that.