Posted by WD on March 05, 2001 at 00:03:16:
In Reply to: Fwd Controls Question for WD (or anyone else!) posted by Jim on March 04, 2001 at 17:54:18:
Your idea on the homemade stainless plates would work fine. Scott, the former forum drop-in who bought Lisa's old 450 Rebel, did the same thing to that bike to move the stock controls forward. Whichever way you feel like doing it is fine.
Why does your bike need reassembling if all you did is paint the jug? I usually just mask them off with some butcher paper and run the bike to cure the paint. Seems to work as well as baking it in an electric oven ever does. Just curious, kinda seems like too much work to me. If you do plan to paint the carb, you'd better get hold of the Eastwood Company. They are an automotive restoration chemical supply, and they carry carb safe paint. You have a choice of GM/Carter silver or Holley Gold Iridite. Don't use regular engine paint, if the carb starts leaking, it will mess up the paint. And Painting a carb isn't usually worth the teardown effort anyway, at least not with the likely siezed Japanese float bowl screws.For some reason, Keihin and Mikuni carb fasteners seem to get "welded" into place shortly after the first tank of fuel is run through them.
Peeling the tank emblems is easy. Cut through the clearcoat with an Exacto knife, slide it under an edge of the sticker, and it should come right off. Wipe off any glue residue with Ronson brand lighter fluid, scuff the paint with 600 grit wet paper, and shoot on some new clear where the stickers were. You shouldn't have to remove the tank or even drain it for any of that work.
-WD