'Belle's 748 Fix-up

[r_ciao]

Yea!  Anxiously waiting to see pics.

[Drunken Monkey]

 

[TCK!]

Congrats. It's been fun watching get it back in order. I'm sure you're going to have a blast at the track.

[mostrobelle]

Well anyways, here she is.  I jokingly call her The White-9 Flyer, after my granddad. 





I can't believe how much learned by taking on the little I did.  There is still boatloads more to learn and I'm taking on small bits as my comfort level comes up.  Today was the second day I've loaded a bike on my own and the first time I loaded this one.  I put my Lady Speedstick to the test doing that.  I keep having to remind myself that it's just a trackbike.  Onto the next project...I've got a few things around the house that need attention over the winter.  I've always got "a project."  Once in a while, I finish one. 

For reference, this is what it looked like when I bought it and shortly after fiberglass repair had begun:

[DarkDucati]

muy excellente.  you must be way proud.  that's going to put a smile on your face for certain.

[Slow Guy]

Very nice!!!!!!!!!!! 

[mostrobelle]

Thanks, guys.  Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the results.  The rattle-can isn't nearly as durable as the factory finish.  The clear coat scratches very easily also.  The bodywork reconstruction was a little rough.  There's definitely a laundry list of things that I could do better and more efficiently the next time around.  But...it was exciting to see this come together in a somewhat decent way that made me feel as if my efforts over the past 8 weeks have paid off. 

[Spidey]

Looks good.  Always feels awesome when a project comes together.   

You have any more pics of the tank?  I'm really interested to see how that turned out.  I've been thinkin' about it since you first mentioned doin' it months ago. 

Have a good time at the trackday.   [moto]

[mostrobelle]

Thanks!

The tank, honestly, looks better from a distance than up close.  The clear coat isn't working out at all and it's just a matter of time before I'll need to do something about it.  The stripping of the paint was a good idea, but I needed to use that self-etching stuff to clear coat it with that I didn't know about until after the fact.  The process of removing the paint is remarkably easy and fairly cheap though.  Soda blasting--strips the paint, but nothing else.  I guess it's selective about what it removes, so it's great for this application.  The guy who did the soda blasting on my tank said that the factory finish on my tank was really hard and had to take an angle grinder to loosen the paint up.  That left some marks, so I was a little bummed about that.  The tank wasn't pristine to begin with, so it worked out.  If you want to give it a go, I'd tell you to try it.  You can play with the bare metal or do some kind of anodizing perhaps?? I'm going to say that I might end up doing a clear anodized finish on this in the future depending on how fast the rust sets in.  

edit:  I'll try to get better photos of the problem areas that are already starting for you. 

[r_ciao]

 
That's pretty cool and awesome.  I admire people that can do things I cannot.  And I admire a lot of people.

[somegirl]

Nice job!

[mostrobelle]

Gracias... got a lot of great input here and on BARF.  I know how we all feel about "the other board" but, really, they gave some great tips.  I got the soda blasting done, the paint source, painting tips, etc. over there.  Over here I got more mechanical feedback, which was awesome, because that stuff is really more important than the cosmetics.  Desmoto was uber-helpful with a number of items and I can't forget Enzo.  He volunteered several hours to the project which made a big difference in the end.  Right now I have a 100% complete project sitting in the back of my truck, waiting for nothing but gas, and I still have two full days before my trackday.  Those hours he put in means that I get to relax for two whole days now. 

When/if I do another project like this I'm definitely going to post up again.  The feedback I got was great and it felt like I had a crew helping me out with it and cheering me on.   

One or two folks on the BARF end want my trackday impressions, so I'll post that up here, too.  If I hate the bike, then Enzo's getting it and I'll pick up something else and fix it up.  Or maybe I'll just take his R6 and call it a day.   

[Speeddog]

Acetone should make short work of that clearcoat.

Glad you're stoked on how it turned out, enjoy it! 

[mostrobelle]

Acetone should make short work of that clearcoat.

Glad you're stoked on how it turned out, enjoy it! 

Yep--I paint my nails every week so I actually figured that one out on my own.  And thanks! 

[enzo]

If I hate the bike, then Enzo's getting it and I'll pick up something else and fix it up.  Or maybe I'll just take his R6 and call it a day.   

I sure hope she hates it...