Just Spent A Week In The Vinegar!

Nah, it ain't jail slang.
The bottom yoke, or triple clamp depending on where you're from, is a pain in the ass to clean because of the strengthening sections cast in at the factory. Too difficult to get a wire brush in, too much like hard work to use emery cloth and I don't have access to a shot blaster.


ACID!!!


I dropped it in a tub of vinegar for a week, washed it in water with a scotch pad and, hey presto, it came up pretty good.

Factory fresh, bottom yoke, triple clamp, GSX750ES.

A quick run through the threads with the old 8x1.25mm and 6x1mm taps and she's pretty much ready for a drop of primer. I'm going to lace it thick into the bottom section because the paint has nowhere to run, and will add extra rust protection. It's obviously very important to remove all traces of vinegar so it doesn't react with the paint later.

Rust free, happy days.

Primed and drying. No more rust for you!

Suppose I'd better see about ordering some bearings. And while we're on the subject, never order bearings from the original manufacturer. Measure your bearings with a vernier, look at the bearings and jot down the part numbers, or check with the online parts fiches for the correct sizes, then go to your local bearing supplier. It'll work out loads cheaper. 

Want to save money when buying bearings? More soon...

And then we go back to the "crazing" paint on the ally parts. Old paint scraped off, flatted and spirit wiped - supposedly ready to go. Light dusting on the bare metal and TARNATION!  It reacted again - not as bad, but still a reaction.


Sometimes it's just easier to get rid of the old paint altogether. I still need to paint the wheels so I hope they're not going to do the same thing.

Those little mark are paint reactions!

I suppose it's all sent to try us. I'll see what it looks like with a coat of satin black and go from there. It's only slight so I might be lucky - hell I've got to be lucky one day.