Reclaiming the lost

Even though I haven't tore into the project yet, small progress is happening. My accomplishments this week include:
  • Called three local dealers/mechanics to price out rubber swaps (me supplying tires, me supplying wheels). All of them came back between $40-$50 an axle, which sounds fine. I have spoons and stuff to mount/balance tires, and have done it on my dirtbikes, but ST1100 tires are a different beast so I will pay someone.
  • Got a letter from Handy. My lift should ship by 7/30. Super excited!
  • Tracked down Bridgestone T32 tires. Will likely order them after payday.
  • Ordered some misc stuff (hoses, hose cutters, etc).
  • Watched a video on the red-wire bypass so I know what that is referring to.
Oh yea, and a very important item arrived:
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Todo soon:
  • Order the all-balls front/rear brake caliper rebuild kits
  • Order the all-balls front/rear master cylinder rebuild kits
  • Order the all-balls clutch cylinder rebuild kit
  • Order tires
  • Order new brake pads
  • Order front fork seals/dust seals
  • Order Spiegler Front/Rear/clutch braided cables
Small questions where I would welcome opinions:
  • EBC Sintered pads good or should I try to track down OEM?
  • Since I am going to be in the front suspension anyway should I plan on replacing the bushings or should I inspect them first? Only $40 so I lean towards replace?
  • Should I be planning on replacing wheel bearings or should I inspect them first? Lean towards inspect.
The bike has 27,000 miles on it.

Thanks,

Barry
 
Good news everyone; covid/shipping only slowed things down by 6 months :cool: .

Can't complain though. I know it is hard for companies right now. Anywho I got the lift plus most of the gear I am after and started the project on Turkey-day.

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It's going to be an awesome winter project. With the crappy weather settling into the PNW, I have to do SOMETHING to keep my motorcycling brain going.

BG
 
Today was a good day; I got all the fairings off and didn't break anything! This allowed me to start inspecting the bike and looking for things that seem sub-optimal.

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Overall I was quite happy with the airbox (note the intakes have since been gently plugged, this was the moment of opening):
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I did identify a couple areas of the concern. First is crystals in the coolant/radiator:
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Second is oil on the rear-left of the engine:
PXL_20211128_020923236.jpg

Overall at least I can access stuff now:
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The engine oil levels and all the hydraulics are in good working order (and will be changed). I could see liquid coolant in the radiator and the reserve tank.

I am off to research/read about this coolant issue. Any input is welcome.

Next up I am putting the airbox back together and vacuuming/cleaning stuff up a bit.

Thanks,

BG
 
Slydynbye said:
That looks like a Leaking Alternator.:(
Click to expand...

Yeah. After posting my update I googled and found several threads about that on here. Determining the cost/desire to do the 40 amp upgrade. I don't run extra electrical gadgets on this bike, but ... I will try to cleanup the area around the alternator and identify which of John's "28 amp oil leaks" it could be as per https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/st1100-oil-leak.37114/#post-408961.

Side note, I know I am new to this corner of the internet, but what a super valuable resource! Doing this job without the knowledge contained in this forum would make it 400x harder.
 
smartiq said:
The bike has 27,000 miles on it.
Click to expand...
Darn, barely broken in yet... ;)

About the lift: I'd toss the front wheel clamp (maybe add a rail as "arresting gear", prevent rolling over), place the ST on the main-stand and set a scissor-jack under the oil pan.
Rock solid configuration, free access all around (remove front wheel, rebuild forks, replace head bearings, remove swing-arm/alternator, etc...)


IMG_20171009_130722.jpg 22135547_353101325139925_8323365931159129516_o.jpg
 
More removal continued tonight. Got the fuel tank and the rear tire off. Took some of @ST1100Y 's advice and moved to center stand. Still a little unsure about the balancing thing on the scissor-jack, but it is appealing to me.

rear_wheelless.png

We are starting to get down there. Just need to pull the radiator, carburetors, front tire, front forks, and figure out what to do with the alternator. Speaking of alternator, here is the view from above:
alternator.png
It doesn't look overly good. Been reading up on the 40 amp conversion but the lack of the alternator base seems like a big issue. Might check some of the local wrecking yards. Did anything ever pan out with somebody manufacturing a replacement?

I also put some elbow grease into cleaning up. I really want to try to clean up under the carbs so that when I pull them I don't have to worry as much about things sneaking into the cylinders and ruining my month.
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After payday I think I will order some new rubber. Looking at the T32 Battlaxes.

Hope this finds everyone well. Thank-you for the updates on the old thread @John OoSTerhuis!

Thanks,

BG
 
kiltman said:
Yes there is a kit available, you may be able to find it on this site. It was offered on eBay. Also available on eBay is the generic 40 amp alternator for $136 It’s a good unit.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. Only thing I found that look promising is:

40 amp upgrade kits with baseplate now available on eBay | ST1100-Alternator

I may have missed this over the past few months, if its a repeat I apologize. But I was hoping to save someone the hundreds of hours I spent trying to find an alternator base to do the 40 amp up grade, so when I spotted this upgrade kit with plate selling on eBay in a Facebook forum, I thought...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com

And its link is leading to a 404. My eBay searching is also failing... Wonder if @FZ750 sold out of them? If there are more around I would be happy to purchase one :cool: .

Thanks,

BG
 
Lovely OP. Can’t really have a better and more emotional link to a bike than that. Your dads bike. This is the best bike forum by far (IMHO) and I’ve been on a few BTW. Friendly, clever, invested. This info is available but I want to flag it anyway here because you need to know early doors.

1) spark plug threads are soft so be careful, don’t over tighten them! Think it’s only 8lbs/ft max. Only over tighten them once!
2) Haynes manual is wrong balancing carbs. Carb number 4 (rear LHS nearest you as you sit on the bike is the master carb) so the others are adjusted to it and they are not linked. So adjust them individually to number 4.

As I sit here, looking outside through the kitchen window it’s frosty, cold with snow on the ground. My ST is tucked up in the garage. All being well you will have it road ready by Spring so best of luck with it!
 
smartiq said:
Hmmm. Only thing I found that look promising is:

40 amp upgrade kits with baseplate now available on eBay | ST1100-Alternator

I may have missed this over the past few months, if its a repeat I apologize. But I was hoping to save someone the hundreds of hours I spent trying to find an alternator base to do the 40 amp up grade, so when I spotted this upgrade kit with plate selling on eBay in a Facebook forum, I thought...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com

And its link is leading to a 404. My eBay searching is also failing... Wonder if @FZ750 sold out of them? If there are more around I would be happy to purchase one :cool: .

Thanks,

BG
Click to expand...
I'm not seeing a 40amp adapter kit on Ebay right now either. Last time I looked, maybe 3 weeks back, he had sold half his inventory. The adapter plate looked very well done.
 
If you are stuck with the 28amp alternator all is not lost, If you can upgrade all the better.
Either way changing ALL of your lighting to Leds will significantly reduce the load on the alternator and be much brighter.
For you it would be a win win.
The headlights use the F2


You will need an adapter ring. The tail/brake, marker lights, turn lights, --- others here who have the ST1100 will tell you what and where to get.
You will also have to change the turn blinker to a LED blinker.
 
Today I had some real-world commitments which limited my wrenching time. I was able to remove the small covers at the front of the valve covers, drain the oil, remove the oil filter, drain the radiator. I am super happy with the shape of the coolant/oil.

I am heading toward the timing belt, just doing it slowly.

On a different front, I got ahold of @FZ750 and he shipped me an amazing plate. I also ordered a Chinese alternator from ebay. Tires have also been purchased. I ordered the stuff to swap to the 40 AMP OEM wiring harness.

I have an account pending at st-riders so I can add my name to the fabled Lewis pin toolkit list.

Some pics of the evenings fun:
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Tomorrow is a special day; my dad is coming down to wrench on the bike with me. Seems fair since it is his bike :). Our goal is to change the timing belt and remove the carbs if things go well.
Oh yes, I also found a local mechanic who will hot bath the radiator and give it a good cleaning for an affordable price. I also ordered the tool for removal of the rear swingarm.

After writing this post, I realize I have done a lot on the bike this week. Some of it is administrative though....

Question for those who have come before me; what should I do with the carbs? My plan is to open the bowls, run the main/pilot jets through my ultrasonic, set the float depth, and give them a general cleaning but likely not break them down more than that. I will so do a benchtop sync followed by a balance when I have them re-installed. I have also purchased new boots for between the cylinders and the carbs. I have new water joints to install under the carbs as well as I know they are a weaker point.

Thanks for the advice,

BG
 
smartiq said:
My plan is to open the bowls, run the main/pilot jets through my ultrasonic, set the float depth, and give them a general cleaning but likely not break them down more than that.
Click to expand...
Inspect jet bores visually after the ultrasonic (against a light source), also blow compressed air through them as well as every bore in the carb bodies you can locate
checking the air cut valves might be a good idea as well...
I will so do a benchtop sync followed by a balance when I have them re-installed.
Click to expand...
Also see that choke and throttle linkages aren't bend, show free movement and are as equal as mechanically possible...
I have also purchased new boots for between the cylinders and the carbs. I have new water joints to install under the carbs as well as I know they are a weaker point.
Click to expand...
Smart move, I'd also check/replace all coolant hoses (including the thin internal bypass), check the cabling/crimps feeding the coils and the connectors for both switch-pods and the ignition lock (all located behind the head-stock) while all is open and accessible...
 
Today was a mixed bag. My Dad came down and we worked on the bike. That part was great. I have been following a mix of the Honda Manual/Haynes/Youtube videos/Forums. Everything started out good. We pulled the radiator, removed the front covers, and got a sneak peak of the timing belt:
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Very exciting. Now I just needed to pull the clutch slave cylinder/cover. I read about how you can loosen the exhaust on the right side along with the exhaust coupler and pull the exhaust of out of way. Sounded great in theory, but reality was harsher. This guy was my nemesis:
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I couldn't get him to let go, and without that I couldn't get the clutch cover off to change out the timing belt due to the right side exhaust being in the way. We spent a lot more time working on this, longer than I would like to admit (hours), before we admitted defeat and dropped the exhaust pipes from the left side of the engine as well. This allowed us to lower the overall exhaust system and gain access to the timing belt:
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This is one of those areas where I am certain there is a more efficient way to do what I did, but I didn't know it so we made something else work. Unfortunately, two of the bolts on the exhaust cover snapped on the left side so I will be drilling those out, running a thread repair through them, and fixing that up. After we changed out the timing belt, we couldn't reassemble as the replacement clutch cover gasket isn't here yet.

On a happy note, last night I found http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=10249.0 which looks perfect for my carb rebuild. Excited about that.

We drained the brake fluid in preparation replacing the brake lines. After that, we called it a day.

Thanks for the info @ST1100Y ; I will checkout the lines, crimps, and other connections and see if they need placed. I think I will also swap out the coolant stuff since it is worn.
@kiltman - Added a drive boot to the pending order. Thanks!

Later,

BG
 
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