Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Thanks, Mike, I'll give it a burl!!

Mmm, bugger. I took the front forks to an industrial chroming place today to see if they could remove the rust and re-chrome them. They're talking at least $500 per fork slider so that's not going to happen. Will have to depart from originality and buy some new/second-hand sliders.

here is some info about redoing hydraulic rams, may give you some ideas.
here are some places that may be handy for you to contact.
All Chrome Bits, Chipping Norton
Astor Metal finishes, Rozelle
http://www.chromeit.com.au/chromeitabout.htm (though i dont think their products apply here, i tihnk they may only plastic chrome)
Goninan Platers, Newcastle
PK Metal Polishing, Chipping Norton
Alexandria plating Pty Ltd, Alexandria
Artarmon Electroplating Artarmon
Regents Park Electroplating Pty Ltd http://www.truelocal.com.au/business/re ... gents-park
Swift Electroplaters, Silverwater
Enware Australia Pty Limited, Caringbah
Industrial & Decorative Plating Co, Lane Cove
BMI Engineering, Queensland
Hydraulics & Pneumatics, looks like a business services directory.

Surely in there you should find someone that'd do it a lot cheaper than what you were quoted, especially if you go to an engineering firm that does it in-house rather than sending the bits to somewhere else to do. Also if you go seconds, you have to play pot luck with the condition of the fork sliders & seals, if you get something that is the same or slightly more expensive if it's been reground/rechromed then i'd class it as bette value as you know your getting it back in pristine condition.

Wow, that's a big list, thanks, Mike. I checked in with Z-Power last night (they're in Wollongong too) and they can supply me a brand new set of 36mm sliders for $249.00. Seems like too good a deal to pass up, eh? Since I can't use the original fork sliders, that would seem to be the next best bet, eh?

fezzick wrote:Wow, that's a big list, thanks, Mike. I checked in with Z-Power last night (they're in Wollongong too) and they can supply me a brand new set of 36mm sliders for $249.00. Seems like too good a deal to pass up, eh? Since I can't use the original fork sliders, that would seem to be the next best bet, eh?

$249.00 sounds like a bargain !

I agree. I mean I can get a set from the US for $139, but, by the time you factor in freight, possible warranty worries and the desire to support the local suppliers as well, it makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

No worries Fezzik, It only took about 20 minutes to put that list together from hunting about on google. If I were you I would still have made a couple of calls just to sus things out to make sure i got a true indication of the cost of getting them ground down and redone. But $249 for a new pair of inners seems very hard to pass up.

OK, thanks to the excellent Gary Rooke, sprintcar driver extraordinaire and owner of Oak Flats Motorcycles, the front forks are now disassembled and I have new fork seals ready to go back in. Again, because I'm really good at taking things apart but not at putting them back together again, I've photographed everything so that I can do the job properly. Here's one fork leg disassembled and the parts laid out in order.

http://www.halltech.com.au/forums/Shado ... 370957.JPG

Gary recommended a company in Rocklea in Qld who can rechrome the legs but, at $150 per leg, plus freight plus another $20 to straighten them if they're bent (I don't think they are, but I don't KNOW) I still think that new legs are probably my best bet, even though it sacrifices a bit of originality.

Im getting excited Phil. How long do you think it'll be before the fox is on the track again?

s man wrote:Im getting excited Phil. How long do you think it'll be before the fox is on the track again?

Finances are the big issue. Since I'm still not back at work, things are a bit tight, as you can imagine, but I'll be very disappointed if it's not mobile again before the end of the year.

fezzick wrote:

s man wrote:Im getting excited Phil. How long do you think it'll be before the fox is on the track again?

Finances are the big issue. Since I'm still not back at work, things are a bit tight, as you can imagine, but I'll be very disappointed if it's not mobile again before the end of the year.

The Barry Sheene would be the perfect place to unvale it ~!!!!!!

Oooh, I like the way you think. That should give me time. I might make that my goal, thanks for that!

s man wrote:....The Barry Sheene would be the perfect place to unvale it ~!!!!!! .....

I like the sound of this.......

Should it be unveiled as a display bike, or in the P5 UL class ??

I don't think with all the mods that are done with it, that it would qualify for any classes. Best as display, I think.

Whoohoo! The famous Gosling1just left my place bearing my engine and associated bits and pieces. So the re-build has well and truly begun. We're planning on rebuilding the bike as a Period 5 race bike/track day tool, with wiring built in so that it can be registered as a road bike if the need arises. What amazed me was the number of parts that were custom-made bits that I didn't know about. I'll take some more photos and post them up, but it seems that Mr Wallace had been a lot busier on this project than what I first gave him credit for.

Oh, and as far as Period 5 is concerned, it seems that the bike would easily qualify as the modifications done to the stock bike back then that made it ineligible for Unlimited Improved Production would be regarded as "period" mods today and so would easily allow the bike to get a Period 5 log book.