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Bike in a bedroom

  • Thread starter Thread starter lemonshindig
  • Start date Start date
Wow! I had my frame, swing arm, battery box, center stand, and all the brackets on my GS done at a place called Novation in Spokane for $200 and they turned out fantastic. That was 7 yrs. ago, however, but I can't imagine the prices have gone to the level you've been quoted. Might be worth a trip to the other side of the state for you.

I am from Spokane, born and raised. Unfortunately, those are Okinawa prices. I guess I should update my profile.
 
Hey guys, I had another unplanned learning opportunity.

#4- PB blaster smells awful, especially in a poorly ventilated space.

Yup. You may want to invest in one of those in window exhaust fans. Also pay close attention to what products you use. No bike is worth your health...
 
Is that #4 PB blaster the orange colored foamy catylist? If so I hate that stuff. Stinks up the garage for days. Why is it the rank stuff just seems to work better though?
 
As others have said, lot of work there, but if it comes out right you'll have quite a sense of accomplishment. I'd put down more tarps if you value the room. The messes made will be bigger than that tarp. Need a fan too.
I've never had to deal with the amount of corrosion you have but I'd try spraying your favorite penetrant on all the hardware now. Might help you avoid breaking bolts, etc, when you remove them. Carb slides will be stuck, among other things, so keep that in mind. Be careful when replacing electrical wiring. Some cheaper wiring can have insulation that can harden and crack.
I have a '79 GS1000E that I completely restored with many upgrades back in 1999/2000. I powdercoated the frame, swingarm, wheels and lots of other parts. It's held up well, still looks like new. Powdercoat won't work for the exhaust. I ceramic coated my ZX14's exhaust about 7 years ago. $100 from Extreme Coatings in California. It's held up well. I had it done in a high gloss silver. It buffs out and can look like polished aluminum. It loses some shine unless you keep at it. They coated the inside too. I asked if the soot inside was an issue and they said it wasn't.
I hope you keep us updated on your progress. I don't know what your budget is but it can take a lot of $. I spent $10,000 on my rebuild and that was 17 years ago. As I got deeper into the project, things just came up that were unexpected. Genuine parts prices really added up. I also had decided nothing would be done to the bike that couldn't last another 100,000+ miles. I don't know what your patience and goal level is but I wish you luck.
 
The frame is almost completely stripped. I still have to remove the engine and front forks. That is about it.

Then I have to move on to sandblasting and refinishing. The guys out in town want like $800 to sandblast and coat the frame, swing arm, stands, etc. Then they want another $450 to sandblast and cerakote the exhaust.

So I am trying to avoid that. There is a paint booth I can rent on base for $55/day. It does not have an oven. I would be perfectly happy doing all this with epoxy primer and urethane topcoat. However, the 1 auto paint store I have found here does not stock epoxy primer. They told me they could order some in 1 gallon quantities only. I cannot have it shipped from the states because it is hazardous material.

So I am leaning toward DIY powder coating. I will still have to find a way to sandblast everything. But I can buy a powder coating gun for about $50. The powder and the cerakote powder are CHEAP. The hardest part is the oven. The powder has to cure at 400F for 10 minutes. The cerakote has to cure at 500-700 for 2 hours, but it does mention you can cure it on the bike with exhaust heat.

So for the oven. I am thinking I can build a brick oven out of CMU filled with dirt on my back patio. Put 1 inch of sand on the bottom. Install a $20 GE oven heating element in the bottom. Buy a 25' roll of 6/3 NM-B and plug it into my dryer outlet. I could use a basic barbecue thermometer and turn the element on/off manually at the breaker.

All told, I think I could do this for $250-300. About 1000 cheaper than the guys out in town, AND I get some tools to keep.

How crazy am I sounding?
 
Doesn't sound crazy at all. I've done a lot of my own powder coating, and if I had a big enough oven, I would have done my frame. Just like painting, prep is key. I have found it best to do the final cleaning using a spray bottle filled with denatured alcohol, and then blow it off with compressed air. That was a trick I picked up on a powder coating forum, and my results improved once I started using it.
 
Just paint the frame with epoxy rattle cans. The key is good prep. Buy some wire wheels for your drill and strip as much old paint off the frame as possible. Heat up the frame with a heat gun before you spray to help adhesion.

Really, the new breed of epoxy paints are really good and you will easily do the frame and swingarm with just 2 cans of satin black. Powdercoating is great but the cost is ridiculous and a DIY set-up you will probably only use twice is not cost effective either.
 
I would agree with rattle cans. I can't believe the costs you've been quoted. Powder coating is ideal but not at those prices. I like your enthusiasm but what you describe sounds incredibly complicated. I would use your base's spray booth with good quality rattle can black and 2K clear over everything for durability almost as good as powder coat.
 
I was able to buy 2 part epoxy primer today. I had to buy a whole gallon but it was only $60. So I will rent the booth on base to paint everything at once.

I still want to ceramic powder coat the exhaust because I have little faith that anything else would hold up. My exhaust is one piece because someone welded the megaphone to the collector. If I could cut the weld and get these separated, then I can buy a cheap home oven to cure the ceramic powder.
20171125_163457.jpg
 
I'm a little late coming into this but I just painted a frame with KBS chassis coat and a $15 HF HVLP gun and it looks amazing. The stuff is incredibly hard too. Can't beat it off the metal with a hammer and it takes about 3-4 passes with Kleanstrip to remove it once hardened. Kit costs $50.

Looks as good as powder coating but DIY friendly.
 
Where do you guys buy forks? I thought Tarozzi made new forks for us, but I did not see any Suzukis on their website. I also somewhat recall a company called frank's forks? Is there somewhere that stocks new forks that I can order from?

I love z1 enterprises, but their website seems to lack a lot of GS stuff. They sell forks, but apparently not for GS. They sell shocks, but apparently not for GS?
 
I'm a little late coming into this but I just painted a frame with KBS chassis coat and a $15 HF HVLP gun and it looks amazing. The stuff is incredibly hard too. Can't beat it off the metal with a hammer and it takes about 3-4 passes with Kleanstrip to remove it once hardened. Kit costs $50.

Looks as good as powder coating but DIY friendly.

Unfortunately I cannot order any hazmat from the states. The shipping restrictions limit me to only buying powder. But the lack of a large oven finally made me give up on powder. So I bought Nippon Paint's epoxy primer and I will probably buy their urethane and clear coat as well. Target for painting everything is 12/15. I have that day off, so I can spend the whole day in the paint booth. That means I better get to work on stripping all rust and paint!

I will be eager to start reassembly shortly thereafter, so it is time to start ordering forks, chain, shocks, bearings, deusch connectors, etc.
 
Franks made a set of uppers for me when I bent mine last year. He did a fantastic job and I would highly recommend them.

Z1 sells Progressive springs and many other things for the GSs. What exactly are you having problems finding?
 
I wouldn't go based solely on their website writing. Give them a call and ask for information; you'll just have to order it from the site instead of over the phone.
 
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