I thought I’d chronicle the journey to get my recently acquired 500/4 back on the road. It will be something of an occasional series as this is a project to be worked on around other commitments. It will give me a bit of a spur to get on and do this, whilst also providing the opportunity to bombard experienced forumites with questions.
The bike looks very original, the only thing missing (so far) is the inner caliper for the front disk. (First question; how easy is it to get hold of one of those?)
The prime aim is to get the bike back on the road; any thoughts to get to concours condition will follow on an as and when basis; but the restoration will be done well as this will be a ‘keeper’
First step was to get the carbs off which was a job in-itself. Bowls off, and its doesn’t look to bad.
First batch of questions
1. Happy to tidy up and clean the bowl and jets, but the slider section looks more complicated. Could I get away with comprehensive spraying of carb cleaner of the top half to save full dismantling?
2. Mindful that this is not going back to concours, the aluminium castings are dull and have a white ‘frosting’ to them. I was going to clean with wire-wool and oil. Any alternatives for me to consider?
3. Inside of the tank and the chrome are rusted. I’ve looked at options and like the look of deox c rust remover. Any thoughts or alternatives?
4. A basic rebuild question, although most of the bolts unscrewed easily, would like to reassemble with a coating to make subsequent dismantling easier. A spray WD40 or the like the way to go; or silicone?
