Following on from this thread, I've decided to take the easier (than buying a replacement bike) route, and invest some time and effort into my 1100GS.
I've titled this as an 'unprofessional' restoration as, unlike @mikeyboy and @nicholsonj2252 and many others on here who appear to the untrained eye to be able to turn out stunning bikes at the drop of a hat (I know that there's years of experience and hard work gone in to get them to that point though
), I am not a 'professional' engineer, mechanic or anything remotely related. I have had a science based lab or office job usually, I have no specialist tools and no real experience....
I've never restored a bike, or even done significant work on one. I can muster a few oil changes, never done valve clearances, nor changed brake pads... so I think that gives you an idea of the level that I'm at. But.... it's just a big meccano set right?
I don't mind buying some basic tools as I need them (i have decent socket set and screwdrivers, and a few odds and sods), and I'm not so proud that I won't farm out some (seemingly easy) jobs to more experienced hands. I have acquired the Haynes manual
... and the much thicker Clymer manual 
.
I'm also not great at posting up regularly, especially photos, so that'll be another learning curve. I'll also make no bones (or apologise in advance - delete as appropriate) for posting up pics of the bloomin obvious, the simple, or the downright dull... small victories and all that. Constructive comments will be welcomed throughout.
I will probably post in separate threads specific technical / stupid questions, to try and keep this as a journal of the improvements I've made to the bike, the things I've broken in the process, and the money I probably shouldn't have spent.
So enough about me (for now) and a bit about the bike, or 'Sazkia' as she's called.. (her Northern Ireland reg starts SAZ)....
She's a 1997 1100GS, so presumably has the 'later' gearbox, which, although I believe is an advantage, I don't know how to check. She spent most of her early years in NI, and came over to England in 2016 with 20k miles and was sold at auction. I've researched the MOT history with the NI dept of transport, and the milage stacks up as correct to 2016. I have little to no service history. I bought her from a lovely old chap in Southport in 2017 (under a year after the auction) who was finding her too heavy and decided, despite having spent a chunk of money at Williams BMW, to mover her on to buy an MX5
. My intention was cheap winter transport.... which she did admirably... to preserve the two Ducati that got the summer duties. She's now on ~25k miles, the ducati (and XT660) that have variously been garage companions have gone and so she's getting the TLC she deserves as my one-and-only big bike (I do have a Honda Monkey too)...
So enough of me wittering... I'll post up some photos tomorrow or Thursday of Saz in all her slightly crusty glory.... Then let's begin....Probably with a deep clean, and then a 24k service as first and second order of business...
I've titled this as an 'unprofessional' restoration as, unlike @mikeyboy and @nicholsonj2252 and many others on here who appear to the untrained eye to be able to turn out stunning bikes at the drop of a hat (I know that there's years of experience and hard work gone in to get them to that point though
), I am not a 'professional' engineer, mechanic or anything remotely related. I have had a science based lab or office job usually, I have no specialist tools and no real experience....I've never restored a bike, or even done significant work on one. I can muster a few oil changes, never done valve clearances, nor changed brake pads... so I think that gives you an idea of the level that I'm at. But.... it's just a big meccano set right?
I don't mind buying some basic tools as I need them (i have decent socket set and screwdrivers, and a few odds and sods), and I'm not so proud that I won't farm out some (seemingly easy) jobs to more experienced hands. I have acquired the Haynes manual
... and the much thicker Clymer manual .I'm also not great at posting up regularly, especially photos, so that'll be another learning curve. I'll also make no bones (or apologise in advance - delete as appropriate) for posting up pics of the bloomin obvious, the simple, or the downright dull... small victories and all that. Constructive comments will be welcomed throughout.
I will probably post in separate threads specific technical / stupid questions, to try and keep this as a journal of the improvements I've made to the bike, the things I've broken in the process, and the money I probably shouldn't have spent.
So enough about me (for now) and a bit about the bike, or 'Sazkia' as she's called.. (her Northern Ireland reg starts SAZ)....
She's a 1997 1100GS, so presumably has the 'later' gearbox, which, although I believe is an advantage, I don't know how to check. She spent most of her early years in NI, and came over to England in 2016 with 20k miles and was sold at auction. I've researched the MOT history with the NI dept of transport, and the milage stacks up as correct to 2016. I have little to no service history. I bought her from a lovely old chap in Southport in 2017 (under a year after the auction) who was finding her too heavy and decided, despite having spent a chunk of money at Williams BMW, to mover her on to buy an MX5
. My intention was cheap winter transport.... which she did admirably... to preserve the two Ducati that got the summer duties. She's now on ~25k miles, the ducati (and XT660) that have variously been garage companions have gone and so she's getting the TLC she deserves as my one-and-only big bike (I do have a Honda Monkey too)...So enough of me wittering... I'll post up some photos tomorrow or Thursday of Saz in all her slightly crusty glory.... Then let's begin....Probably with a deep clean, and then a 24k service as first and second order of business...
