Where to start - putting it back on the road

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PaulGreen
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Where to start - putting it back on the road

#1 Post by PaulGreen » Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:44 am

Hello all,

There seem to be a number of people with a similar story to me - but I'm definitely coming out to play this year!

I've owned my RD500 for 17 years now (I think!) - since I was too young/irresponsible to be riding one. Anyway, we survived. It was initially my only means of transport, it's not the ideal commuter bike!

The bike has been stood in my garage now with only the odd very occasional start-up for the best part of 10 years.
I was wondering if there's a list of things I should check or replace before using it again?

At first glance everything seems to be in order, some minor cosmetic stuff is needed and the front master cylinder has grown some interesting fur.
The bike has actually done very few miles since the last engine rebuild. Would it still be wise to break the motor down for a look?

I've done all the work on this thing myself in the past so i'm not scared of getting my hands dirty. At the same time I don't want to make work for myself doing unnecessary jobs.

Any hints/tips/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Paul.

rd84
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#2 Post by rd84 » Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:38 pm

Hi,

Not an exhaustive list I'm sure........

carbs:-
Clean carbs and fit new Float Valves
Clean Air Filter

Fuel:-
Clean the fuel tank and fit new fuel lines - make sure there is no rust in the tank - it'll need fixing if there is.
Get rid of the old fuel.

Brakes:-
Service kits for front and rear master cylinders
Clean calipers - in particular in the groove behind the seals
New brake seals - new pistons if beyond cleaning
New brake lines
New brake pads

Suspension:-
New oil of correct grade in forks - possibly new fork seals - check the chrome on the stanchions
You might need new fork springs - check the sag
You might need a new rear shock
Grease rear shock linkages

Frame:-
Check the head bearings for play - these really will need replacing even if they are in tolerance - the RD500 is really sensitive to 'loose' steering head bearings.

New tyres - Bridgestone or Pirelli

Oil Pump......
make sure its working ! and adjustd correctly - use new oil.

Engine:-
Take a look inside the exhaust ports - see if there is any evidence of rusting of the bores / rings.
New plugs.

Coolant:-
Check the hoses and replace any that are showing signs of perishing - add new coolant, and make sure the system is bled correctly.

Battery:-
New battery - and invest in an Optimate to keep the batter healthy. Fit some optimate leads to make charging the battery with your Optimate easy.

Gearbox:- New oil.

Cables:-
Lubricate clutch and throttle cables - make sure the throttle closes properly.

Clutch:-
Might need freeing off.

Finally get it serviced as per the manual - you might need new plugs.

Most of the stuff above had to be fixed on my stored RD500 and note that most of it is safety related so don't just put fresh fuel in, kick it up and hope for the best when you go a ride.

A lot of work but hopefully this will prevent you from damaging the bike or yourself. Its a wonderful moment when you fire it up and everything works correctly - but as you'll see by reading through this forum its ever so slightly disappointing when things go wrong - so don't try and get it running on the cheap - it'll cost you more money that way :grin:

Best of luck - Summer is on its way.

Cheers
Paul

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Ronnie
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#3 Post by Ronnie » Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:32 pm

rd84 wrote:Frame:-
Check the head bearings for play - these really will need replacing even if they are in tolerance - the RD500 is really sensitive to 'loose' steering head bearings.

Paul
Haha! you're not kidding! butt hole twitching tank slappers. :smt005

PaulGreen
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#4 Post by PaulGreen » Tue Mar 08, 2011 3:09 pm

Thanks for the info - paddock stand is on the way. Hoping to get stuck in properly in the next day or two.

Just to clarify, are you suggesting that if all looks ok through the exhaust ports then the engine shouldn't need stripping?

Also, what's the recommended method for de-coking the standard exhausts? In all the years I've owned the bike it's never been done.

Thanks again,
Paul.

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#5 Post by trappena » Tue Mar 08, 2011 3:58 pm

Ronnie wrote:
rd84 wrote:Frame:-
Check the head bearings for play - these really will need replacing even if they are in tolerance - the RD500 is really sensitive to 'loose' steering head bearings.

Paul
Haha! you're not kidding! butt hole twitching tank slappers. :smt005
So that’s what’s causing my bike to tankslap! :sad: Had a nasty episode a few weeks back and still can't figure it out.

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#6 Post by Ronnie » Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:19 pm

Check the tightness of the large "castleated" nuts, (forgot the proper name!) under the top clamp. If they're too loose it'll cause a tank slapper. First happened to me at about 125mph. I needed new underwear. :smt118

Don't overtighten though.

rd84
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#7 Post by rd84 » Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:27 am

Its not definitely the head bearings on your bike - but I had big handling problems - it felt like I was riding on ice all the time - I got a dealer to check the bike after I'd given up trying to discover the cause - he said the only thing he found was that head bearings were OK but needed tightening up a little bit more - After tightening the bike was a bit better but not great - after a short time it was back to being terrible again - not having any spare time I took the bike back to the dealer and told him to change the head bearings - he said that wasn't needed - I still had the job done and suddenly the difference in handling was like night and day - The difference was unbelievable. Back to its stable rock steady old self.

I assume however that there can be other factors , like tyre wear, rear shock linkages, wheel bearings, etc - these all seemed Ok on my bike - the tyres were Bridgestone and were almost new.

This is the only time in the bikes life since 1984 that the handling felt bad - I've ridden on plenty of worn tyres which the bike is sensitive to - but it never felt as bad as with the worn head bearings - and the worn tyres never gave a tank slapper or serious instability.

Cheers
Paul
trappena wrote:
Ronnie wrote:
rd84 wrote:Frame:-
Check the head bearings for play - these really will need replacing even if they are in tolerance - the RD500 is really sensitive to 'loose' steering head bearings.

Paul
Haha! you're not kidding! butt hole twitching tank slappers. :smt005
So that’s what’s causing my bike to tankslap! :sad: Had a nasty episode a few weeks back and still can't figure it out.

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#8 Post by Ronnie » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:48 am

Don't really want to hijack the thread with head bearing issues but yeah, the best solution might be to replace the bearings if the nuts seem tight enough.

Getting back to Paul's bike, hopefully after standing such a long time the crankshaft seals will be okay. :smt109

PaulGreen
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#9 Post by PaulGreen » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:04 am

It's OK. All valuable information - it seems a small £20 investment on a head bearing is worthwhile.
Float valves seem very expensive though, is that an essential replacement or can I inspect them for wear and shove em back in if they look ok?

What about crank seals? Any way to check them without stripping the engine down? I'll do that if i have to but would rather not. As i said earlier, the bikes done very few miles since it's last rebuild, in fact I'm not even sure that it was fully run in.

Thanks again,
Paul.

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Gary Papesh
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#10 Post by Gary Papesh » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:58 pm

Hi Paul, do a pressure test on the engine, that will tell you if you have any leaks. Basically, you cork up the intake and exhaust, and pressurize it to
4 psi. . If all is well it will hold this pressure for about 4 minutes.
Wolfgangh will agree, you can find many leaks with this method. If this sounds inconvenient, you could just watch your gearbox oil level. This is the likely suspect many times, since the lower left ? side seal is below the oil level. Your choice.
Sincerely, Gary P.
The man who dies with the biggest carbon footprint WINS !!!

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#11 Post by aaronmvrider » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:12 am

i should have listened to the advise i was given a long time ago...

pull it apart and put new seals in it and build it up from there

the difference will only be 1 days work at home taking it nice and easy and a real cheap bit of insurance against a possible failure of dry / cracked seals... which could lead to another $1000 repair... trust me i know :sad: :sad:

good luck :grin: :grin:

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mv agusta f4 1000 2004

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Ronnie
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#12 Post by Ronnie » Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:38 am

aaron's right really. even though it hasn't done much work since the rebuild it's probably best to replace the seals just incase.

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#13 Post by aaronmvrider » Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:13 am

i rebuilt mine after a pinched oil line issue.... i thought.... i was already doing the top end and the bottom end i thought was ok.. eg.. crank measurements etc.. so i left it alone and then after rebuild it wouldnt run on that cylinder correctly ever.... i assumed it was a fuel issue and then it pinched up again in the driveway after about 18 months of riding... lucky it was in the drive at home warming up.. so i killed the engine straight away and pulled it apart to find a perished crank seal on the upper left cylinder sucking gear oil running it on a sooty oily black plug... i assumed that cylinder was flooding itself and not burning or a bad coil lead or a reed issue.... i should have followed the advise and would have possibly saved another rebuild... lucky for me it only needed a hone and 1 new piston... but it destyroyed the crank... so i put a set of new cranks in and now its ready for its rebirth stage 2
the head domes needed machining also

but in the end i now have a rebuilt gearbox, new cranks, fresh pistons... other 3 had only done 2000 kilometers and a tidy engine.... like new

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Ronnie
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#14 Post by Ronnie » Thu Mar 10, 2011 6:01 am

horror stories aplenty! I've got an engine to do that's only done 4000 mile from new but hasn't run since 1987!! There's a good chance it might need new seals! :grin: :grin:

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#15 Post by rd84 » Thu Mar 10, 2011 6:23 am

Hi,

You don't have to replace the Float Valves - but don't bother inspecting them - they will probably look fine - just wait and see if you get problems with fuel overflow - you might not get the problem - since you will probably need to clean your carbs before use you might as well replace them - otherwise you will end up stripping the carbs again - remember my warning about getting the bike running "on the cheap" though - at best leaking float valves are a nuisance and it will be annoying - at worst leaking fuel when the engine is running can be dangerous if it ignites or gets on your back tyre. This problem is very common. Try the Keyster Float Valves from Allens - or from Ebay - they seem to be good. However the common advice is that if you have to change any jets use Yamaha items - they are VERY expensive, but much cheaper than an engine re-build.

The only thing I was lucky with out of the list I gave you was crank seals (so far :grin: ) wheel bearings and rear shock linkages.

Basically my bike was a death trap until the work was done on it - even though the bike looked to be in excellent condition. With the work done its now safe reliable transport - well as safe as an RD500 is ever going to be ! :grin:

Cheers
Paul
PaulGreen wrote:It's OK. All valuable information - it seems a small £20 investment on a head bearing is worthwhile.
Float valves seem very expensive though, is that an essential replacement or can I inspect them for wear and shove em back in if they look ok?

What about crank seals? Any way to check them without stripping the engine down? I'll do that if i have to but would rather not. As i said earlier, the bikes done very few miles since it's last rebuild, in fact I'm not even sure that it was fully run in.

Thanks again,
Paul.

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