20-09-12, 11:33 AM
Good morning all,
I am currently working on a 2002 FZS 600 that has been sat for over two years. This is the story so far.
Upon initial inspection the bike appeared to be weather worn but not terribly. I figured at the following:
New battery
New plugs
Oil
Coolant
Filter
Carb clean (ultrasonic)
new chain and sprockets
new brake lines and fluid
The first thing to go was the brakes. The lines were drained into an old water bottle, and the calipers removed. The front two seemed in rather good condition, with plenty of life left in the pads. The rear caliper was a different story. It was caked in corrosion, muck, grease, grime, you name it. This was sent the same day to PowerHouse Automotive for a complete clean and rebuild. Having rebuilt a caliper before this was not something I fancied taking on again!
The lines were removed completely, and while they seemed serviceable, I decided to completely replace them. £85 later I had ordered a full set of braided lines, due later this week.
The next thing to come out was the carbs. My intent was to take them to get ultrasonically cleaned. An hour of fiddling later and I had them off. Out of curiosity I removed one of the float bowls, keen to see what two year old fuel looked like! However to my surprise they were clean as a whistle, I can only assume they were drained before the bike was stored. So, half an hour later, they were back in the bike.
The plugs had a LOT of rust around the exposed metal part, and the ignition coils had a lot of external grime on them. However internally on the coils and the ceramics on the plugs were clean, as were the threads and spark gaps. However to be on the safe side a new set was ordered. The grime came off the coils easily, and the new coils were inserted with some copper slip to stop them seizing. Just before this a few ml of fresh oil was dripped into the cylinders to pre lube them.
The rear wheel was next. The chain adjusters looked corroded and like they needed replacing. The axle nut looked rusted solid as well. However whoever owned this bike in the past had looked after it well before it was stored, and after the initial struggle the copper slip on the thread allowed the bolt to come off. The axle was well greased and came out fairly easily. The bearings looked in good condition so were left. The chain adjusters had a lot of surface corrosion, but a soak in fairly liquid and boiling water cleaned a surprising amount off. The rest came off with a wire brush. These will be greased before going back in to prevent further corrosion.
The oil and coolant was drained, both looked pretty fresh, but to be on the safe side new of both was ordered. Is it worth running some cheap stuff for a few hundred miles before putting the decent (£35) oil in?
The chain and sprocket was (eventually!) removed, a new chain is on order but the sprockets, while slightly rusty, were still in good condition. The rear sprocket was degreased and a wire brush again used to remove the surface rust. The sprocket has been painted with hammerite black paint, and looks good as new!
Hopefully I'll get some photos of the work in progress, I'd been so focused on the jobs to do I completely forgot to take any! Once the bike's back to standard I'll definitely be taking loads!
Any comments/questions are welcomed at this point, as well as advice for what else to check!
Tom
I am currently working on a 2002 FZS 600 that has been sat for over two years. This is the story so far.
Upon initial inspection the bike appeared to be weather worn but not terribly. I figured at the following:
New battery
New plugs
Oil
Coolant
Filter
Carb clean (ultrasonic)
new chain and sprockets
new brake lines and fluid
The first thing to go was the brakes. The lines were drained into an old water bottle, and the calipers removed. The front two seemed in rather good condition, with plenty of life left in the pads. The rear caliper was a different story. It was caked in corrosion, muck, grease, grime, you name it. This was sent the same day to PowerHouse Automotive for a complete clean and rebuild. Having rebuilt a caliper before this was not something I fancied taking on again!
The lines were removed completely, and while they seemed serviceable, I decided to completely replace them. £85 later I had ordered a full set of braided lines, due later this week.
The next thing to come out was the carbs. My intent was to take them to get ultrasonically cleaned. An hour of fiddling later and I had them off. Out of curiosity I removed one of the float bowls, keen to see what two year old fuel looked like! However to my surprise they were clean as a whistle, I can only assume they were drained before the bike was stored. So, half an hour later, they were back in the bike.
The plugs had a LOT of rust around the exposed metal part, and the ignition coils had a lot of external grime on them. However internally on the coils and the ceramics on the plugs were clean, as were the threads and spark gaps. However to be on the safe side a new set was ordered. The grime came off the coils easily, and the new coils were inserted with some copper slip to stop them seizing. Just before this a few ml of fresh oil was dripped into the cylinders to pre lube them.
The rear wheel was next. The chain adjusters looked corroded and like they needed replacing. The axle nut looked rusted solid as well. However whoever owned this bike in the past had looked after it well before it was stored, and after the initial struggle the copper slip on the thread allowed the bolt to come off. The axle was well greased and came out fairly easily. The bearings looked in good condition so were left. The chain adjusters had a lot of surface corrosion, but a soak in fairly liquid and boiling water cleaned a surprising amount off. The rest came off with a wire brush. These will be greased before going back in to prevent further corrosion.
The oil and coolant was drained, both looked pretty fresh, but to be on the safe side new of both was ordered. Is it worth running some cheap stuff for a few hundred miles before putting the decent (£35) oil in?
The chain and sprocket was (eventually!) removed, a new chain is on order but the sprockets, while slightly rusty, were still in good condition. The rear sprocket was degreased and a wire brush again used to remove the surface rust. The sprocket has been painted with hammerite black paint, and looks good as new!
Hopefully I'll get some photos of the work in progress, I'd been so focused on the jobs to do I completely forgot to take any! Once the bike's back to standard I'll definitely be taking loads!
Any comments/questions are welcomed at this point, as well as advice for what else to check!
Tom
