Float like a butterfly...

[Ocean1]

Grit blast - dipping is a risk as the frame welds are never completely water tight and any stripper getting in is guaranteed to come out at the wrong time....

My opinions on powder are well known, i use baked enamel on everything.

What enamel?

Aye, powder can be done well but it takes a lot of thought with masking and plugs.

And the problem with urethanes is you generally can't touch them up later. Epoxies should work OK, but not as abrasion resistant.

[Grumph]

What enamel?

Aye, powder can be done well but it takes a lot of thought with masking and plugs.

And the problem with urethanes is you generally can't touch them up later. Epoxies should work OK, but not as abrasion resistant.

No idea what enamel as i know of a little industrial painters in Sydenham, ChCh who are very reasonable....
i get my frames grit blasted at a place where the factory manager is a guy I used to work with....helps to be old and have contacts in useful places

[husaberg]

What enamel?

Aye, powder can be done well but it takes a lot of thought with masking and plugs.

And the problem with urethanes is you generally can't touch them up later. Epoxies should work OK, but not as abrasion resistant.

My only experience with power coating was, how I was unable to get the swingarm back in the frame with out wrecking it As it built up the inner pivot area. Also elsewhere, where it became damaged it lifted off entire areas. Maybe I was unlucky.

[Ocean1]

My only experience with power coating was, how I was unable to get the swingarm back in the frame with out wrecking it As it built up the inner pivot area. Also elsewhere, where it became damaged it lifted off entire areas. Maybe I was unlucky.

Lifting off = crap job. You get a high build and it flows so you get some smoothing covering up imperfections. But you still have to prepare properly, same as for a good paint job.

With practice you can make it work well with steel plugs to fit swingarm bores, steering head etc. Same with engine mounts, heavy steel caps / plugs. The practice bit comes in getting the heat right, the plugs are heavier than the surrounding tube, so the local powder doesn't melt. Done right the powder finishes at the bore with a nice radius.

Doing a single frame now I'd blast and paint it though.

[husaberg]

Lifting off = crap job. You get a high build and it flows so you get some smoothing covering up imperfections. But you still have to prepare properly, same as for a good paint job.

With practice you can make it work well with steel plugs to fit swingarm bores, steering head etc. Same with engine mounts, heavy steel caps / plugs. The practice bit comes in getting the heat right, the plugs are heavier than the surrounding tube, so the local powder doesn't melt. Done right the powder finishes at the bore with a nice radius.

Doing a single frame now I'd blast and paint it though.

I was referring to the area where the swingarm fits into(or was meant to)but yeah it might have been a shit job
As it is a 70's Suzuki I would do it how they did it but put on lots of clear coats on top.

[Ocean1]

I was referring to the area where the swingarm fits into(or was meant to)but yeah it might have been a shit job
As it is a 70's Suzuki I would do it how they did it but put on lots of clear coats on top.

Same thing, you can prevent too much build-up with a heavy plug there too.

Never seen a Suzuki with anything but standard old enamel. Would lots of clear make that look better?

[husaberg]

Same thing, you can prevent too much build-up with a heavy plug there too.

Never seen a Suzuki with anything but standard old enamel. Would lots of clear make that look better?

shinier gloss and extra protection.
The plugs wouldn't work on a MB5 frame as it has flat plates section where the engine bolts pretty sure the T125 does too but it been a while.
they are a cool bike and well worthy of restoring, never common and bloody different

[Grumph]

Whether it's a resto or a new build, I always mask off the areas i want left before grit blasting. Steering head uses big washers and a piece of threaded rod through it. Swingarm pivot points nut amd bolt plus washers on the faces. Any tapped holes, suitable scrap bolts etc...Never use masking tape as everything gets left in place after blasting and must stand the heat of baking too.

[F5 Dave]

Leaning towards blasted and 2 pack. I've left the old races in to aid steering masking. May block with washers and threaded rod now.

Cut some feet for the stand, being welded now.

Not many who do enamel anymore, however there was one place in town we used years ago before we went to powder.

[F5 Dave]

Being blasted now then 2 pack black. The guy does soda as well so might get hubs done to prep for paint. Tyres off. Urgh. This is why I don't like people.

Specifically past owners of bikes I've had.

Yeah that's the inner tube.
Bit big? No problem. We'll just. . Fold this bit. Back again. There. No need for an extravagant replacement.

Well the front tyre was an Innoue Rubber Company (IRC). It will be the original. They never wear out, with all that entails.

Rear had paint over terminal rust. At least there was a good brand inner tube (patched of course). The Mitsuboshi tyre company. A proud name. Made me laugh. A mate had a Dunrop in the 80s.

[Grumph]

Hey, I raced my T350 on the OE IRC's - complete with the flash red band on the sidewall...

The later guys racing then locally had a very hard time matching the lap times i did on it - which gave life to the legend that the early ones were faster, LOL....
When i traded it in, Tommy's had to put new rubber on it as according to the shop foreman it was the first bike they'd seen with the sides worn out but plenty of tread left in the middle.

[F5 Dave]

I hope you stayed home when it rained. A brave man indeed.

[husaberg]

Being blasted now then 2 pack black. The guy does soda as well so might get hubs done to prep for paint. Tyres off. Urgh. This is why I don't like people.

Specifically past owners of bikes I've had.

Yeah that's the inner tube.
Bit big? No problem. We'll just. . Fold this bit. Back again. There. No need for an extravagant replacement.

Well the front tyre was an Innoue Rubber Company (IRC). It will be the original. They never wear out, with all that entails.

Rear had paint over terminal rust. At least there was a good brand inner tube (patched of course). The Mitsuboshi tyre company. A proud name. Made me laugh. A mate had a Dunrop in the 80s.

My Wolf that the same front tire i'm picking its original

[Grumph]

I hope you stayed home when it rained. A brave man indeed.

Rode it through a ChCh winter in all weathers. Never dropped it. OE very wide high bars probably helped....

Year or so later, at a club day, four later T350's running. All with flat bars, girlings and TT100's. Guy I knew offers me a ride on his one - roughest of the four...
I took it out in open prod, had a nice little battle up front with John Woodley on a CB750 for a few laps. Pulled in before I dropped it as the front rim was bent and it was hard work around the sweeper. Owner just looks at me and mutters something about lap times while shaking his head...i assured him that his was much faster than mine was....

[J.A.W.]

Time on a T350 was enough for me to ditch the family tradition of running fettle-hungry Brit-bikes..

I rode one with 250 badges to riding school to fast track my license, it was a tuned one with expansion chambers & opened out air-box..
I won $50- ( a fair bit back in those days ) from a rich kid who reckoned his brand new RD 250 would whip the old Suzuki - tuned or not..

He didn't know it had a few more cc than 250, though.. was that cheating?
Nah, don't ask dont tell..