Two months flew by? Sorry for the wait MAX—Budget ○○ ten thousand yen GSX1100SR Inspection and more (*´ω｀*)

I’m always eager to get started on a bike as soon as it comes in.

Once I move, I expect my workload to drop significantly,
so I’m hoping I can take my time with the work.
Well, two months have already passed.
I’m starting to think maybe it would be better to have the owner drop it off when I’m actually working on it.

I’ll adjust the requested items within budget and get the work done.

First, I’ll overhaul the front fork.

Motorcycles from this era have excellent serviceability—it’s the best.
Modern bikes that are a hassle just to remove the fairings don’t inspire you to work on them, you know?

Since you have to pay labor just to remove the fairings, newer bikes are tough.

A simple upright fork is the best

With fewer parts, the workability is excellent.

Also, since you can rotate the inner tube position on an upright fork, you can adjust for wear.
Conversely, inverted forks always contact the same spot, so inner tube wear is faster.

When the plating is finished like in the left image, oil seal leakage tends to be less.
Shiny, polished finishes tend to cause oil seal failure. *Based on our experience

There are some minor scratches on the inner tube, so I think it’ll need replating next time.

Getting individual parts this clean should feel really good?

I clean with the hope that everything moves as smoothly as possible.

The inner tube had no runout, so I was relieved.

The OEM variable spring has an up and down orientation.
With a smaller inner tube diameter, the oil level changes easily due to volume,
so it’s good to set the orientation correctly.

I’ve put it in the same direction as the original, with the top side up.
Cleaning up the fork clamps and such makes it look sharp too.

Makita all the way! I’ll bleed the air properly with a vacuum pump

You could move the inner tube up and down to go squish-squish,
but once you use a vacuum pump, it really does feel different.

It might be a placebo, but the peace of mind is dramatically better.

Now I’ll overhaul the front caliper

The caliper condition wasn’t too bad.
Running bikes don’t deteriorate as easily, but the oil seals are already several decades old.

It’s safer to overhaul the master and caliper when the time comes.

For now, I’ve wet-blasted the inner walls and left them open to dry.

I’ll reassemble the caliper tomorrow. To be continued