Disassembling the bike had many nuances that I wasn’t aware of, though it was not significantly difficult to undertake. So I had to watch YouTube videos and read forums on how to disassemble various parts. It was also made harder by the fact there were certain tools you had to either purchase or build yourself/
Disassembly of the wheels
Given many of the parts of the bike came in boxes already, removal and disassembly of the wheels was relatively easy.
Front Wheel
On my particular bike, the front brake caliper and bracket weren’t attached, which made the initial removal easy. The front axle is held onto the forks via aluminum axle holders with M12 nuts. Once I removed these nuts, the front wheel came off with ease. I used a small screw driver on the tyre valve core to deflate the tyre. The tyre still had the bead attached so I had to use a pry bar and a tyre iron to push it off the rim. After around an hour of struggle, it finally came off.
The brake rotor is attached to the centre hub via 6 long M12 bolts (see below image). Removing the associated nuts allowed me to remove the rotor with some massaging with a rubber mallet.
The axle itself is press-fitted tightly onto the bearings and separates into two sections: the main axle itself and the end nut which requires a 23mm deep socket for removal (reference image below). Unfortunately, I was not able to remove this with my impact driver or with a ratchet, so I went to my local mechanic and asked him kindly to remove it.
Once the axle is removed, the front wheel bearing retainer was visible. To remove the retainer, the stakes in the thread had to be drilled out. Furthermore, you can see in the left image below that there are 4 spaces in the retainer for use with a specific special tool. Since I did not have this tool, I had to use a flat-head screwdriver on these spaces to drive the retainer out. Note that it has a regular right-handed thread.
With the bearings inside the hub, I went to my local motorcycle mechanic to remove. At the time, it was the easiest solution for me. However, with a heat gun and some drifts, I’m sure I could have removed them myself. Note the fitment of each bearing below.
To remove the spokes, a flat head screwdriver was used on the nipples from the outside of the rim. I then slid out each spoke from the outer rim and then the hub. In hind-sight, given the rusted condition of the spokes, it would have been MUCH easier to grind off all the spokes and remove them. Don’t waste your time keeping them intact if they’re rusted, stainless spokes are definitely worth the investment.
Rear Wheel
The following parts had to be removed in order to allow removal of the rear wheel:
- The brake arm stop
- The rear brake linkage to the brake pedal
- Chain-guard
- Axle nut and pin
- Loosen the tensioner bolts from the swing-arm
After removal of these parts, the rear wheel slides rearwards off the swing-arm. I then proceeded to follow the same process as the front wheels to removal the rim and spokes.
The sprocket side plate and sprocket are attached via 4 M10 nuts with tongued washers (see left image below). I used a screwdriver to hammer the tongues off the nuts and used an impact drive to remove them. From here, the side-plate and sprocket came off easily. Underneath the sprocket is a spacer that I made sure to take a photo off so I didn’t forget. The axle then hammered out from the sprocket side.
Now the bearing retainer is the difficult part. There are 4 holes in the retainer where the thread is staked. Furthermore, you need a special tool to remove the left-hand threaded retainer.
Firstly, the stakes can be removed by drilling them out. Just ensure you don’t go too far and take out alot of the thread with it. Now to remove the retainer, you can either purchase the specific removal tool for $125 AUD or simply make your own alternative. I chose to make my own. To make this tool, you just need a flat metal bar and screw in 2 M8 bolts 65mm apart. The photo below provides some clarity. This worked well for me, however I needed to use 2 layers of the metal bar I had to ensure it didn’t bend.
Once the bearing retainer is removed, the flange can be hammered out from the other side as seen below. Underneath this flange are rubber dampers that you need to be careful not to break if you’re reusing them.
The right hand side of the rear hub is easier to disassemble. The cover (see below) pull off easier and has the drum brakes attached on the inside. To remove the drum brakes, you need to remove the springs with pliers. The cotter pins on the drum brake anchors are also removed and allow you to take the drum brakes off.
Engine Removal
Again, this process was easier for me since the carburetors were already removed, along with the wiring and side covers.
The oil filter housing needed to be removed for the removal of the engine. I have seen some people breaking the oil filter bolt on removal, however mine came out easily with a 17mm socket and an impact driver. Using a impact driver on pesky bolts is definitely a safer option than putting all your strength through a spanner in this case.
My engine also didn’t have any mounting bolts installed, and was only held in by threaded bars. I turned the bike on it’s side and removed these bolts. Once I turned the bike on its side with the weight of the engine on the ground, I wriggled the frame until it came free from the engine.
Triple clamp and fork removal
The upper triple clamp is held onto the frame and forks via the 30mm centre nut and M6 bolts. I used a wrench for removal of the centre nut as I didn’t have a socket of that size. After the removal of all these nuts, I used a rubber mallet to remove the triple clamp.
The steering stem and forks could then be removed from the frame. This involved removing the steering stem nut with a screw driver (I am sure there is a correct tool however this worked fine). The steering stem could then be hit with a hammer until it fell out the bottom.
The forks could then be removed from the steering stem. They are clamped to the stem via M10 bolts. Some WD-40 around the steering stem clamp/fork junction helped to slide them out.
Centre Stand Removal.
The centre stand is held onto the frame via an axle pipe, axle clamps and a spring. Firstly, I removed the two clamping bolts seen in the left image below. Referencing the right image below, there was a cotter pin removed from the left side of the pipe. The pipe could then be hammered out with an extension bar. Once the stand was free from the frame, the spring could be removed with pliers.
Done!
Given how many parts were missing from the bike already, you can see there was not much to be done to take it apart.
