So with all the stuff coming in I decided to put the 650 on the lift and start stripping it down.
Whilst doing so I kept on thinking of how I would alter it to give it my signature.
This resulted in hours of string at the bike, taking pictures with my phone and then sit back behind my Laptop and look at other bikes.
So I decided on a usd front fork, and found one from a Honda 650 Hornet.
I had to ditch those dreadful alloys and found a Suzuki Gs 550 twin disk front wheel hub.
I refurbished the hub, and powder coated it in blue.
This was the first time I powder coated and it was quite disastrous.
Putting on the powder was no problem, but when baking it, it started developing craters and tiny lumps.
I was absolutely sure that I had thoroughly cleaned it!
Anyway when you have a piece like an old alloy hub it wil have become poreus over the years.
In the metal gases and debris have build up an when you bake it , they come out…under the powder coat and ruin your results.
So you have to degas it first which means putting it in an oven at 180 degrees Centigrade, the clean it again, then powder coat.
So to repeat this proces I had to remove the old powder coat which also was a trip!
Powder coat is extremely hard to remove, but I found a solution in a paint stripper spray, that after put on I put the whole covered hub in a plastic bag for a couple of hours, and then remove the stripper with the powder coat from the hub…….it took days!
So I was overjoyed when I finally got the hub done.
I sourced a black rim and stainless spokes with blue anodized nipples.
I refurbished the discs and put the whole front end together.
I loved the way it looked……….I was onto something good!