Tools are definitely my thing too. I bought a great set of 5 ALDI ratchet spanners with open ends the other end for about ten quid last year. I bought a set of shortie spanners great for the bike in confined spaced. I bought a drill stand which will take almost any electric drill for a fiver a few years ago. Or it might have been LIDL which is pretty much the same as ALDI. Have you seen the cheap bike gear in ALDI? I'm not too sure if it's any good. But I don't buy cheap bike gear anyway.
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Yeah ALDI is a food store here, but down the middle sections of the store are a whole range of kind of hard goods in big wire baskets. But they do some great tools.
Ive got some old snap-on and king dick. AF, Whitworth etc. Got an old bsa spanner that looks hand made! Who knows how old that is. It's half inch thick steel.
Ive got some new AF tools for when i had the Buell.
Favourite tool is the 9" angle grinder.

We were having a new range cooker delivered and we needed to take out half a kitchen base unit to make room. My little lady was measuring it up and working out which bits of wood needed to come out and where the fasteners were etc etc.
So I went and fetched the angle grinder and cut it in half in less than one minute. She laughed at me for days.

Set the smoke alarms of a bit.

 

That's a little unusual, a grocery store selling tools. Here Aldi just has food.

 

The range of bike gear is good if you are on a budget, but that is one thing I don't buy cheap either. I have a set of Aldi wet weather gear to go over top of riding gear, best set I have owned.
Loading ramps, $40 a pair.

 

Every Week they stock the middle section with different types of house wares for the ladies, and they change it to tools on Saturday & Sunday/Monday. Every week it is different, garden tools one weekend, fishing gear the next, power tools the next, air tools the next, then bike gear, etc. Always different. Most things come up 2-3 times a year. Camping gear this weekend and Christmas decorations for the ladies during the week.

I go buy coffee,cheese and meat and usually leave with something like a tap & die set or a grinder.

 

Yes that is very much the nature of it.
Call in to get a pint of milk and a loaf of bread, come out with an amphibious landing craft and a flame thrower.

 

Now That sounds like a great store.

 

Box of goodies today from UK, just a few more to come from GPZ Zone and I'll have everything I need. Water pump rebuilt and back in the engine.
Started rebuilding forks today, head stem bearings done and rear shock out tomorrow to go to GASD for shock treatment. Glenn Allerton, Multiple ASBK champion and a few SBK rides.

https://www.facebook.com/GASD-Glenn-...9349260453309/

 

That's a great box of bits that postie delivered!!!
I cheated with my forks by having them rebuilt by Revs Racing with Wilber prog race springs and new internals, seals etc.
Looking forward to seeing the progress on yours!

 

Forks rebuilt, anti dive to do. Little set back this week, the engine only has 50-75 psi compression across the 4.
I was going to be lucky if I had one good engine out of 3 non runners. Guess the luck just ran out.

Going to send it to Peninsula Jag Engine Centre for a touch up. Murray Scoble (member Muz52). He has never built a bike engine but thinks it will be a great project for fun.

 

My fork tubes were on the limit for polishing v rechroming. Got away with it... just.
Great to see the WIP shots, please keep them coming.

A mate had his GSXR1100N engine fully rebuilt this year and its now pushing out 170bhp at the rear wheel.
I`ll find a photo of it later.

 

Pretty much the same with my forks, any worse and I would be having them re-chromed. Just managed to get two useable ones out of 6. The anti dive gear is about the same.
Going to head down to Peninsula Jag next week and work out a plan of attack for the engine, looks like I'll be pulling out the other 2 engines and giving him 3 sets of everything to work with.

 

Engine is going to be the problem, Kawasaki don't make pistons, bearings , rings or liners anymore. Wiseco don't list them in Australia and all enquiries I hav made in US, UK and Canada have come up empty. Next option is buying a good compression engine out of Sydney and trying my luck.

Progress, all polishing done using the Armstrong technique.

 

Have you tried here for replacement pistons?
https://fpsdistribution.com/products/
They are UK based. I have used them a few times for pistons, valves, rods etc
With that block you could have a .010" hone and fit 1st oversize pistons, obviously depends on the condition of the bores, whether they have gone oval or not.
Let your man do his checks on them first before buying pistons though.
I went through this when I did my old CBX750 way back, currently thinking of buying an 1100 Katana that's currently in pieces..............

 

Just looking back through this section, it's been a while since I was last here.
My XTZ750 Super Tenere is now finished, and I mean like 2 weeks ago finished, been so busy with work, always gets in the way of play time. It' been a year since I took it off the road for this. It's very blue........
Here she is now:

I also sold the GTR1400 and bought a Goldwing 1800 six weeks ago, huge piece of kit that dominates the garage

 

Thank you Steve, I will look them up and make contact. Probably not going to happen for a couple weeks though with time difference and Christmas break. (oh, are we still allowed to call it Christmas in this PC world)......Gone crazy down here, some of our biggest retailers are marketing Christmas Trees as "Celebration Trees".

XTZ looks pretty sharp.

 

As promised here is my mates 1100M with 172 bhp at the back wheel.
Ohlins front and rear and Eagle pipes. It sounds amazing.
This was the classic road racing event at Donnington last year.
Guy Martin said "That's mint that"




GSXR1100M 172 bhp

 

o1xjr, these guys are the biggest K parts in Europe, you might be lucky here. https://www.kawasakipartshouse.com/
Or maybe WeBike in Japan? https://japan.webike.net/
Cradely Kawasaki UK have been around since the ark, so you never know what they might have lying on a shelf.
They have been very good for me in the past. http://www.kawasakioriginalparts.com/

 

Thank you Busa, I will chase them up in the new year.

Progress, Steering, front & rear suspension and swingarm done. Caliper restoration next on the list.
There is a certain satisfaction in seeing the end result after many days of polishing by hand, right down to nuts,bolts and washers.

 

The original plan was run it on a Track Day on 16th Jan. The low compression in the best engine killed that, I would have been good to go in 2 days if I had a good engine,
Everything so far is as good as new or better. Drop an engine in and I'm good to go. Full set of bodywork just needs painting but I could still use it as it is for now.

Frame is not restored but plenty of time for that, I have 3 frames and it's a two day job to swap it over.

Engine is proving to be a problem sourcing parts.

Great thing so far is it has cost me nothing in labour except a 6 pack. (Hole repaired in exhaust and sand blasted). Everything done at home.

Approximately 50 hours so far polishing alloy with Steelo.

Under $1500 including purchase and all parts needed so far.