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2003 Kawasaki KDX220 Restoration....ahem...
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GeeKay



Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 1767
Location: West Yorkshire

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

is it finished yet? Laughing
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Bimota SB6 and Benelli TNT 899S road bikes.
Beta Techno trials iron. Project bikes:- Suzuki V4 500, TS185 cafe racer, XR11/71, Kettle/Katana, TDRGV250, OR50, Gag125,Triumph T595 and a Triumph X75 Hurricane replica.
Too many projects...............
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PaulDB2



Joined: 26 Apr 2014
Posts: 316
Location: Manchester

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GeeKay wrote:
is it finished yet? Laughing

If you are referring to the DB1, it is getting close, very close !
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Bimota DB1, Bimota YB5, Bimota YB6 Exup, Bimota YB9 SR, Ducati NCR Replica, Moto Guzzi 750 S3, Honda CR750 race replica, Seeley-Suzuki TR500
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vort28



Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 2194
Location: Northwest , UK

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm glad you took my advise on the shock spring.



That going to look the Billy bollocks when its mounted. Laughing
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Admin
Site Admin


Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 508
Location: Stafford, UK

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

I think once finished he might need a tatty KDX to risk riding down a muddy green lane!

Katy
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

morebhp wrote:
Lookuing forward to seeing the finished product - the ultimate before and after photo Smile


I like that idea Morebhp....I think from now on it will be sneaky peep shots of things going back on....but with no full reveal...which...fingers crossed....it will be at the show in 7 days time...and I'll take pictures there of the WHOLE bike...under display lighting which normally works well
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PaulDB2 wrote:
I'm following your progress with admiration for your speed and thoroughness. Makes me feel absolutely pathetic with my lack of progress on my various machines, but then I am older and feebler Laughing My DB1 will be at the Manchester show though and fully clothed this time.
Keep posting!


I think I did this to you last year Paul...As I was doing up my sons DT125R...inbetween emergency DB1 calls and visits....doing these shows does spur some folk to pull their finger out...bikewise that is
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PaulDB2 wrote:
My DB1 will be at the Manchester show though and fully clothed this time.
Keep posting!


Is that the first time since the paintwork was done??? I know it has to cure before handling and pushing those 1/4 turn fastenings thru...but 12 months Paul??????
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Admin wrote:
Hi

I think once finished he might need a tatty KDX to risk riding down a muddy green lane!

Katy


Wouldn't mind a Yammie Blue IT200....pretty much rocking horse poop nowadays though...closest I got was my first ever bike...a DT125LC Mk1....which I thought was white tank, red seat (the days of popping to the newsagents early Thursday morning to pick up B&W Auto Trader...10p it was...)...My brother went to see it...we'd seen some hounds already...including one that had evidently been flipped...dented tank...gaffa tape all over the seat...and...no number plate...we asked him for the V5..."in the post mate"...advertising a clearly stolen bike........rough end of Mcr it twas.............

Anyhoos...brother phoned me up...says good and bad news....whats the gooD???..its a minter he said...Whats the bad?...it aint white...???? Well it aint black I can see that from the photo so what is it??...Its IT blue...but you'll like it...and I did........One was just posted on ebay for....drum roll.....................£10,000.......yup...2,500miles...original Mk..drum brakes an all
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nothing on the box tonight....so....todays progress of assembly....

Cat decided it was too cold outside....so just sat in the lounge window viewing my progress...twin rads behind her keeping her toasty warm



Back wheel all cleaned up and new hardened steel Afam 47 tooth sprocket fitted....apologies for the "gold" bolts....they were silver in the picture with no note that products may be "similar"...ebay sellers response was..."maybe its your computer screen....they look gold to us on our computer"...I'd like to meet that woman...you could buy her silver jewelery and she would think it was gold........



Front wheel cleaned up nicely...the rims are alloy...but evidently anodised silver...as they have a satin finish and would clean up...but not polish up...Hubs front and rear are nice fine sand cast alloy with no paint...so a light metal polish removed all grime from them..New front disc and botls...Not gold but silver...depending on what computer screen you are viewing on



And the two together.....with new rear disc also and new disc bolts



Shiney shiney clean hubs...not bad going for a 15 year old mud plugger



This was the "before" shot



and again but the rear



And this was the "before" on the rear...with the hub as was and 2 No. spokes cleaned..



Finally got the paint on the front fork lowers sorted today....been having a nightmare with weather...too cold...too windy or too wet....patchy paint at first and 2nd attempt so kept cutting back and wet and drying back to flat....changed paints in the end....and weather today was spot on



Even managed to lay down 4 or 5 coats of lacquer also



First couple of bits back on the bike....chose these coz there was no bolts nor torque setting to research and set...pin, clip, spring and footpeg...simples

blurry one at first...cant keep camera steady if I'm bending over



and t'other side



That's it for now....swinging arm and wheels and suspension to bolt back on tomorrow...weather being all well....then its tidy the little electrics there is....airbox...tank...and plastics.........simples...Oh drat....and brakes and new pads and pushing back of pistons...fitted anti rattle plates...bleeding...running new fluids....drat and double drat
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stockcar



Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Posts: 836
Location: in the shadow of the "angel"

PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

what did you use to clean the hubs, etc.??
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Various elements and stages....everything washed and hosed down first....then cif..or Jif as it used to be know.....brillo pads used wet on the spokes.....hubs also...and then hard bristle toothbrush and oral B battery powered toothbrush with the round head finally with Belgom Alu cleaner..made by www.thepolishingshop.co.uk....which I usually pick up from Classic car/bike trade stalls...says its specifically formulated for cleaning, polishing and protecting Ally, copper, brass nickel and chrome surfaces....it leaves a protective wax film once hardened to protect the surface...its less aggressive the Solvol, which I wouldn't use on structural parts anyhow...and keeps things clean and shiney for longer

Mostly though...its down to grit and determination
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ruddy Heck....I know I was after a winter project....but starting it in Spring I wasn't expecting it to be a "white Spring"

2nd day in a row its snowed....



Poor KDX needed a clean off



And even with my long johns on it was a bit cold outside...this is the version of "white spring" i prefer



So ..undeterred...and running short on time...I moved indoors to complete the brake caliper clean up and refit new pads process

Rear calipers gone from this before








to this after





Same with the front caliper...although I don't seem to have any before pictures....so just after ones





New pads and Ss ant-rattle plates ready to go on...



Still need a couple of new rear caliper bolts....

Old and new rear pads



and same for front



I also stripped off all the old dirty plastic sheathing from the outer of the brake lines front and rear



And bought my usual large cable tidy wrap plastic from Maplins...around £3 for what seems like 20m of the stuff



fits a treat and have used before on bims...especially the ss braided line on Ohlins remote rear shock unit



Rear brake master went from this



to this...still have to possibly replace the res pot with a neater brembo round one...don't like the cruddy Philips head tiny screws they use on these res pots



Always like to put a few things back on the bike...despite the weather...sense of achievement that its actually going back together and will be completed....had to file insert sleeves of rear brake pedal to get it to fit...due to powder coating....but done carefully it works properly and is snugger and less worn and wobbly as it was before



And then it was on with the kickstart...haven't breezed over the clutch cover with metallic silver...just a little too cold outside...not too cold for me...but too cold for the paint to work and set properly

From this before



To this after



Next was sidestand onto sidestand plate, and return spring...which for some time I could not find for the life of me...retrace my processes of last few days...found it in the polishing mop tool bag that I had put away in the garage...Oops...

Before



And yes...this is the same spring...and all the same bolts...its just the plate and the sidestand that have been powder coated....other stuff was just the old 2bims meticulous cleaning process and elbow grease





That's it for now...got to push some pistons back to accommodate new pads and twice as thick new discs (standard thickness..but originals were down to half their original thickness....yikes..)...maybe its the first time that after I complete this bike...it will weigh MORE than when i started.... Shocked
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welshlamb



Joined: 09 Mar 2011
Posts: 592
Location: South Wales , Nr. Abergavenny

PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm watching, picking up some good tips re Harpic Max 10 ( I assume the miracle clean container?) and yr anti stiction spray! Looking forward to seeing the final product. As usual my main amazement is at yr speed of progress!!
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Howdo folks out there...bit of background history to recent purchase of KDX220....so please put on your Rose tinted glasses as I drag you back in time almost 30 years, where my affection for Big Green and Kawasaki KDX came from

Age 23, I took a job up in Scotland, working at Coulport Nuclear submarine facility....a place from hell...in the back of beyond....chosen for its location as being almost unpenetratable by bombing missions...evidently pre google earth and Sat nav guided missiles......

It was my first time living away from home on a permanent basis,home being "with the folks"...and I moved into a place called Arden House on the A82 adjacent to Loch Lomond, where a previous friend resided,who also worked at the same location.

Wonderful old castle style aboding property, complete with turrets, gargoyles, arrow slots, communal areas of the main Banqueting hall, chapel, reading rooms etc, and stone spiral staircases taking you to lookout vantage points, secret doors and passage ways....although my place was a 2 bedroomed flat within it....



The vaulted stone entrance way was actually our Barbecue/party area on top of that, that was led onto via double doors from the kitchen....would take easy 100 people on that place...a wonderful party pad for a single bloke and his mates....no comforts of central heating or phone though...but the buildings owner did supply free coal and old oak whiskey barrels for burning...which gave off quite an intoxicating aroma when burnt...So Nostalgia here we go on a journey back in time...and just 4 No. channels on the TV...no internet....no mobile phones or land line

Please excuse the camera quality...old stlye Olympus trip with 35mm film...so dont be asking "how many Megapixels did it have??"

Entrance to the party balcony and hand carved Lion and shield on the main staircase



More staircases and view of Loch Lomond in the background from our balcony...was an average 3 mins from front doot to our flat



Anyhoos.....my matey Jim Turner...decided he would buy a Montesa Cota 348 to fool around on...and this is him doing just that....no helmet, no gloves, rigger boots, no license, insurance or tax or MOT





To be able to join him on such adventures in the surrounding wilderness of where we lived...I was convinced I should buy a bike also...theres something about my mates that normally ends up with me being convinced I should buy a bike....I did have a license...but no helmet, insurance etc etc



so here it is...my first forray into the World of Green and off roading..real old skool air cooled KDX200 A something....wasnt quite so up on bikes at the time



and this is me....river crossing to get to our usual stomping ground of MIdross Quarry...long since adandoned...and an abandoned stately Georgian mansion and grounds...that is now the 18 hole golf course where the Scottish Open is held



we later made friends with a local farmer Joe...who had 2500 acres of land...including a reservoir with damn built by Italian prisoners of war during WWII.....he kindly offered our bikes storage on his farm...and full access to his 2500 acres whenever we wanted...he even fitted a hose and outside tap so we could wash our bikes down....he asked for £5 a month rent...so he could go for a beer once a month with his brother...but "shhh...dont tell the mrs.." he whispered to us....Me and jimbo looked at each other at his offer...and said....Uuuhhhhhh...would £10 a month be ok??? Yup...we doubled his asking price as clearly Mr Poor farmer was in more need of a tenner than we were



and heres the reservoir and tracks around it...KDX lying forlornly on its side after yet another off by me..



Loch Lomond has its flat shallow areas, where you can literally ride out for a few hundred metres before it gets too deep to ride



and a bit of forestry



Anyhoos.....the Big Green affection grew....and I sold my "only ever new bike from new" FZ600



and bought something else green to go with the KDX....regulars on here will recognise the backdrop I have used for other shots over the last 30 years..



The old H1...I say old...was only one year old when I bought it...sadly never made it up to Scotland...it lived at my brothers house for him to use as a daily runner to work and back....I had decided that without a garage in Scotland....and with the DREADFUL weather we always had up there...that it wasn't fit for use in Scotland.....

So....whilst keeping the bike for use on return visit homes...and having liked Yamahas also...the FZ600 was my third Yammie...I bought something else Yammie to tool around with



Yup... a boat...wth 2 stroke Yammie outboard...I considered it might be wet, rainey and cold...so why not a boat...youre surrounded by wet cold stuff so who cares if its coming out of the sky also??...It also gave us free Nightclub entrance to the Duck Bay Marina which was 4 miles down the Lake/Loch from where we lived...it was on the lakeside and had jetties for boat owners...which exlcuded you paying entrance fees...and also meant "drink Driving" with no need for a nominated driver....I used to tie the boat to a tree in the grounds of the house we lived in....and if we werent biking...we would go boating...theres actually sandy beaches on Loch Lomond...and uninhabited islands to roam around or camp on....no insurance or registration needed...no launch fees...no speed limits...and no police on the Loch either....Arghhh...Bliss...Oh the days eh....

More updates in recent KDX shortly....its completion day....
Laughing
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PaulDB2



Joined: 26 Apr 2014
Posts: 316
Location: Manchester

PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do we now have to doff our caps to the 'Laird of Arden' ? Laughing Looks like you had a great time, did you actually do any work? Smile
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