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Showing some TLC to a neglected bike.

4K views 32 replies 9 participants last post by  ducatiman 
#1 ·
The obsessive compulsive in me can't help but give every new bike in the stable, no matter how long their stay may be, a thorough 3-step strip / clean / rebuild process.

The latest bike to roll into the garage is a neglected 2008 EX-500 with just 7700 miles. It hasn't run in a year or two, but underneath all of the dust, dirt and grime is what I think may turn out to be a smart little bike just waiting to hit the road again.

First step....remove the plastics.





 
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#15 ·
By far the biggest challenge to making the bike look really nice again is the mufflers. This is going to take some work!!



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I "fixed" a set of mufflers like those with a sheet metal wrap. take you muffler s to a sheet metal fab shop . they can make wraps to cover all that rash from just about anything you want from shiny aloe to brushed SS
FOR A LOT LESS THAT ANY OTHER REPAIR

FOG
 
#6 ·
Looks like a good solid project, glad to see others giving the less loved EX's new life. Best of luck and I'll be keeping tabs on your progress!

I've got a similar deal in my garage right now, though it is in far worse condition. Has a hard 50,000 miles on the odometer. Spent it's life in San Francisco, so the the foggy and salty air has done a number to the frame and all other bits of metal. It was also in a hard front end crash which is what ultimately took it off the road and why I got it for free. With the engine needing a rebuild, the frame needing rust and minor accident issues fixed and the whole front end needing to be replaced, mine will be coming completely apart for a full restoration.
 
#7 ·
The project had to take a 2 week hiatus whilst I was back in England taking care of some urgent family business. I'm back now, so here is some fun I had with the carbs.

I bike this bike was stored in a pond at some point. Just kidding, but it is ugly for sure.

Green float bowl deposits and very crusty jets!




 
#9 ·
Looking good!

Makes me grateful I know the carbs on my current project EX are in good condition as I rebuilt them a couple years ago, before I owned it. Still going to take them apart completely for an overhaul, but at least there won't be any residual pond scum.
 
#10 · (Edited)
So, I've been going much slower on this project lately. My eldest son is taking power mechanics class at school, and has expressed an interest in learning maintenance with me as we rebuild the EX.
I also have a frozen shoulder, so that is seriously hampering progress (to do anything at all).

That being said, here is the progress since the last post. I set the float heights on the carbs and completely re-assembled them. The bike has received a sponge bath with WD-40 rag to remove all the dust, dirt and grime.

Today we adjusted the valves.
#1 cylinder
Intake clearances were perfect
Exhaust clearance were very tight.

#2 cylinder
Intake clearances were slight tight
Exhaust clearances were very tight.











 
#13 · (Edited)
The headers on the bike weren't terrible, but they weren't exactly nice either. The OCD side of me decided the effort wasn't too much to improve their looks.

Off the bike and you can see they are more scruffy than ugly or bad.









After some time on the wire wheel and some sandpaper they show themselves to be in great physical condition underneath their external patina.








Prior to painting I used a phosphoric acid solution to get at any fine rust and to etch the metal surface for painting.





And finally, the headers are painted in a high heat semi-gloss black color.

 
#14 · (Edited)
Been very busy and very distracted as of late, so I haven't had the opportunity or the usual desire to take incremental photos of the build.

Anyway, since the last post, I did the following. Pics are of the end result.

- installed the carbs (cleaned jets, cleaned bowls, cleaned all internal passages, set air/fuel screws, set float heights)
- installed the air box
- installed cleaned/oiled air filter
- installed the radiator
- filled with new coolant
- synchronized the carbs with my MorganTune gauge.










 
#16 ·
I made a big improvement on the mufflers. Certainly not awesome, but pretty good for now. I will post some better pics when I get a chance. I'm going to run them as-is for a while.

Given the weight of the OEM mufflers (can you say boat anchors!) any money on upgrade would likely be new lighter mufflers....performance-wise we can't do much for power, but we can save weight
 
#17 ·
I think you have something routed incorrectly.
In the top picture of post #14 what looks like the carb vent tube is routed underneath the rear tank bracket. A little bit hard for me to see because of the camera angle, but it appears that it is in the groove where the wire harness is supposed to go, and then the harness is moved off to the left ( also incorrectly routed) .
 
#18 ·
Keen eye. Since those photos the wiring harness has been moved to the correct location. I found this out very quickly when it came time to install the tank. The carb vent tube is still in the same place, as it fits easily alongside the wiring harness.

The bike is done. The next pics when I get time will be the finished project.....
 
#20 ·
Nice work! I suffer from the same obsessive-compulsive malady when it comes to machines. My problem is, I'll invest time and money fixing things up, only to sell them to somebody else who reaps the benefits. Talk about shooting myself in the foot.

Seriously, there's just a sense of satisfaction in rejuvenating a neglected bike, or whatever else it may be.
 
#27 ·
I don't use the rear brake pretty much ever. On my main rides, the rear is essentially useless for anything other than holding the bike at a stop on a hill. That's it. Dabbing the rear brake while corner or stopping......produces exactly nothing.



It won't even settle the rear through a bumpy corner, nor assist with parking lot maneuvers.....the Aprilia might be a little more useful in a parking lot than the Ducati but neither one provides as much stopping power as even the rear brake on an EX..... sean
 
#28 ·
Racing at Loudon, the rear was needed to shift the weight toward the front to make it turn. where any use of the front would overload the tire.
There was a turn just over the top of a hill where the front was light. to get it down and make it turn you needed to use the rear. just a dab.
If you were brave enough you could back it in to turn 1 at almost 100 MPH by skidding the rear. I never learned that trick.

FOG
 
#30 · (Edited)
Racing at Loudon, the rear was needed to shift the weight toward the front to make it turn. where any use of the front would overload the tire.
There was a turn just over the top of a hill where the front was light. to get it down and make it turn you needed to use the rear. just a dab.
If you were brave enough you could back it in to turn 1 at almost 100 MPH by skidding the rear. I never learned that trick.
FOG
Bingo...back hill the old Loudon course right here is what Fog is referring to. Up and left, note bikes at top leaning.
I'll bet that old photo will bring back some memories, eh @fog?

I think that paper pic was snapped in late 70's...way prior to NHIS Nascar changes.

Remember the pond, where many famous riders and bikes ended up? Legendary stuff. I'll have to get to my Loudon photos someday, do a scan session.

Sorry for diversion...no intent to thread jack.
 

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#29 ·
That sure is some serious wear! I've yet to wear through a set of rear pads. Initially, I had the drum setup stock for the gen1 and at 100,000 miles, there had to have been 80% meat left, it was ridiculous. Been riding the gen2 setup up now for about 30,000 miles, checked my pad wear front and rear last week and the rear has plenty of pad left, definitely over 50%. Front is worn a bit more, but not enough to be even thinking about replacement yet.

I know in the Harley and cruiser world in general, much of the weight sits on the rear, so those riders tend to favor the rear brake. Maybe the PO was a Harley transplant?

FOG is right about the rear brakes on the EX, close to worthless for anything other than hill holding.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I know in the Harley and cruiser world in general, much of the weight sits on the rear, so those riders tend to favor the rear brake. Maybe the PO was a Harley transplant?
Maybe so. The rear disc on a Harley is actually the same size as the front disc so not only is there more weight on the rear, the brake disc is larger than on most sports bikes.



Which all reminds me of a funny story. My buddy Rick was buying a mint Ducati 748R a long while back. He asked me to ride down with him to pick the bike up so I could help load it etc.



When we got there, the bike was in the parking lot of this apartment complex. It was also all wet. Not too difficult to conclude it had just been washed. (I don't know why people do this.) Turned out the guy selling the bike wasn't there, but was deployed to the AOR. His wife was selling the bike for him.



So as Rick and this lady go inside to take care of paperwork and money transfer, I'm walking around the bike just looking it over. It had (no kidding) less than 1K on the odometer. I happened to look at the tires to see how hard it had been ridden and the chicken strips were well over an inch and a half on the rear tire.



As I'm looking at it, Rick and the owners wife returned. As they chatted, Rick asked why they were selling such a stunning motorcycle. Her reply was, her husband "thought it would handle better than it did"


At that point I just looked down. When I did, I noticed the rear brake was burnt. I mean the disc was the discolored blue/gold/purple of metal that had been heated to near glowing red hot.



She got a cell phone call right about then and walked away to take the call. I pointed out both the immense chicken strips as well as the roasted rear brake to Rick. He looked at me and said "why would anyone use the rear brake on a sports bike like that?" I suggested he was probably a Harley rider and because he didn't use the front brake at all (it was clear it had NEVER been used in anger) he'd never gotten it to corner the way it should have.



Turned out, the call was from another buyer wanting to see the bike. The owner's wife came back and Rick says "so...you guys have other bikes?" She says, "Why yes!! We also have a Harley." I just looked at Rick and grinned.


After we loaded the bike and got on the road for home, we high 5'd because we both new this bike had yet to be ridden hard. It was essentially brand new save for the roasted rear brake. He got a screaming deal on the bike.



One ride around the neighborhood where he lived and there were no more chicken strips. I think he ordered new rear pads and a new rotor the next day. The point is, I agree with Saabnut. The PO was probably a Harley rider....sean
 
#32 ·
Finished....the $300 resto project lives.

With all that has been going on in the family lately, I haven't been documenting the rebuild process at all, just getting it done.

So, without further ado, here is the finished bike. I have been riding it around to make sure all is well before handing it over. Runs great. Tons of fun.

Purchase price was $300. I spent roughly another $150 on new chain & sprockets, new rear brake pads, spark plugs, oil, oil filter. Total cost for an awesome little bike came in under the $500 mark.









 
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