St1100 Total Restoration

ST Gui said:

There are a lot of people here doing interesting stuff but I haven't seen a thread this intriguing since...

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Amen to that!

Wow! just WOW!, This bike is going to be phenomenal! I vote member of the year for taking this job on.

Glad to see you are able to get on with it. Time, there's never enough of it.
You must be glad to see the engine going back together.
I wonder if those brake discs are made of cheese.
Upt'North.

VERY interesting thread seeing that ST torn down and reconstructed. They are great bikes- you saved that one from the scrap heap and gave it a new life (and essentially a new drivetrain)- I hope you have many enjoyable years riding it. There’s something inherently satisfying in taking something old and worn and making it like new again. It’s also way cheaper than going out and getting a new bike. New is nice no doubt, but keeping these on the road is a very good thing.

I've restored three, crashed, ST1300s, and enjoyed doing them. But you have gone far beyond what I have ever thought about doing, since it seems good, lower mileage (crashed) bikes are more plentiful here, unless you are really into tearing things completely down and rebuilding them, just doesn't make good Cents (that sort of a pun.... Dollars and Cents...

Looking good, keep up the work!

Amazing!!

Thank you all for your comments.. I am trying to do my best while keeping it fun,and you definitely push me forward..

Final preparations for my favorite part,assembly.

Miscellaneous parts..


Oil pump inspected. Slightly worn, no major problems,replaced seals and o-ring..

Transmission disassembled and inspected. I was expecting something like a worn gear tip that causes noise or slip but after 170.000 km gears and rollers still look almost new. Can't say the same for seals (or gaskets). After 20 years almost all the rubber on the bike turned in to hard plastic that brakes easily. In general,in normal conditions,one can leave the transmission alone.It is definitely built to last long. I just cleaned the old oil and replaced seals and gaskets.





Alternator broke the first time i removed it from the engine and that was the first time i was shocked with the price of it. Cleaned all parts, had the case welded and checked by a shop. Some internal parts(that i can't translate to English right now)were also broken,he said it should work but he didn't promised for how long.He also gave it a bad paint job that i think will have to do again..



As i remove and install the parts, i don't know if it is the era,engineering or Honda (maybe all) but now i have the feeling that they didn't go cheap with design and quality on this bike.
Before buying it ,i remember reading people complaining about the plastic trim.Well i can assure you (who thinks about buying it) it might be plastic on the outside but inside it is solid ,sturdy,reliable and strong. And to my understanding it is better to have a good content with bad packaging rather than a bad content with good packaging.(capitalism)

Anyway,table is getting crowded each day..



Hopefully,i will be finishing with the engine this week..

Good luck with the engine rebuild and yes you are right about the build quality, whenever I work on the 11 it is so over engineered, but that can only be a good thing as they get on in age, although not if you haven't got the strength to lift the heavy thing onto its stand.
I read somewhere recently that vehicles are built to last 8 to 10 years max, no one obviously told the Pan European designers that.
Enjoy.
Upt'North.

Error85 said:

I am trying to do my best while keeping it fun

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I can understand the typical desire to get the internal parts repaired/replaced as needed and get the bike up and running properly.

But Error— the degree to which you are cleaning and refinishing this bike is astounding. A true restoration that will probably fool most riders as to its vintage. And you're having fun while doing it. A win-win.

I hope you understand how much enjoyment we're having with your detailed progress. There aren't many people who could or would do what you're doing and it's a real pleasure to be along for the ride. Thank you for sharing. Seriously.

ST Gui said:

I hope you understand how much enjoyment we're having with your detailed progress. There aren't many people who could or would do what you're doing and it's a real pleasure to be along for the ride. Thank you for sharing. Seriously.

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A big

This is a little off topic but if you really enjoy this type of extensive rebuild/refurb then you might want to take a look at Netflix's Plane Restoration series, especially the P51 and the Hurricane episodes. Similar to our OP, these people are masters at what they do and their finished work is truly amazing.

https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80133317

ReSTored said:

This is a little off topic but if you really enjoy this type of extensive rebuild/refurb then you might want to take a look at Netflix's Plane Restoration series, especially the P51 and the Hurricane episodes. Similar to our OP, these people are masters at what they do and their finished work is truly amazing.

https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80133317

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Actually, very on topic...

Thanks for that link. That was a very interesting show and the man building the Mustang is really meticulous...well, kind of similar to Error.

Well, that was one beat down, totally neglected, unloved bike to begin with... so kudos for actually taking it on... :yes:

I mean missing out on valve adjustments till the outlets literally didn't close anymore is something... :?
Alone for that the PO really deserves some serious beating...

And I envy you for the time you must have at hand to go on with it
Having recently refurbed a used, black, '96, non-ABS with 150.000km on the clock, I know (and feel :wink what's going on, but at least I didn't need to knock the engine apart...

ReSTored said:

you might want to take a look at Netflix's Plane Restoration series, especially the P51 and the Hurricane episodes.

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ReSto thanks for that link!

Error, in an earlier post you mentioned taking care of the forks at a later time. Have you thought of what paint you would use and the color?

ST Gui said:

I can understand the typical desire to get the internal parts repaired/replaced as needed and get the bike up and running properly.

But Error— the degree to which you are cleaning and refinishing this bike is astounding. A true restoration that will probably fool most riders as to its vintage. And you're having fun while doing it. A win-win.

I hope you understand how much enjoyment we're having with your detailed progress. There aren't many people who could or would do what you're doing and it's a real pleasure to be along for the ride. Thank you for sharing. Seriously.

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Thank you all for your wonderful comments. You spoil me

I am not an active internet user,it is my second time in any forum and i have to say i was not expecting this kind of a welcome or interest. What an amazing community this is!
I think i can consider my self as an expert diyer and even i took out the every single bolt on this bike,there are many people here who knows and gives so much more. Like almost every question that i am asking today,you already answered ages ago..To keep it short i now my place I wish i was more help to you but all i can do is what i am doing and how i am doing it. I try to document the whole process best i can but sometimes,working alone, i forget taking pictures or notes. Until now i have 600+ pictures that i choose to share from. I was thinking about doing 'how to' series about main issues with pictures and all but i don't have the time or guts to do it,not now at least.

Anyway it is always good to be appreciated and will keep posting as much as i can. Again,thank you all..

Dan T said:

Error, in an earlier post you mentioned taking care of the forks at a later time. Have you thought of what paint you would use and the color?

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Yes hopefully i will be working on them next week after the engine is done. I like keeping things simple and original.Will paint the body with candy red or something similar to that.Thinking about matte dark grey or glossy black on the forks. Probably go with the black to match with the plastic part above the headlight. Also little potion of the forks can be seen from outside so i wouldn't like a contrast color there because there will be more than 3 colors already showing in the area like body,wheel,brakes,chrome..so don't want things to mix up,i want it to blend in. But it is relative.

I painted the engine with spray can but will use acrylic based paint definitely with a spray gun on the body and forks. If i was going to do it with a spray paint i would choose aluminium wheel paint with the clear coat,they are durable.

While waiting for the engine parts i had the time to work on the wheels and have to say how difficult it was to remove the paint from those.
Removing the clear and base was normal but the dark gray coating under that(in 3rd pic) was a total nightmare. It just didn't come off and i had to use almost a whole can of paint remover. After many tiring hours i was able to get it off,with paralyzed arms.If anybody wants to paint the wheels just sand and prime or have it blasted.That is what i will do with the other wheel.I strongly do not recommend using paint remover on the wheels.Honda didn't go cheap with the paint.. I don't know if it is the same case with forks though,will see..

So this week is about the engine.
After the crank and pistons are attached next,primary gear,transmission,oil pump..



I broke a bolt,luckily i was able to remove it without any harm.


Moving on to the heads..


Clutch..


Slave clutch..


Water pump,pulleys,belt


And this is where i am at giving valve check..

Error85,

Thank you so much for all of the pics, this is really interesting to me as a gearhead.....always wondered how the V4 looked outside of the chassis and you have given us some great views!

-mtnpat

Outstanding job! Thanks for sharing with us!