Thoughts on "The Teardown"

I like eggs.  So I know that if you wanna make an omelet you've gotta break some.  Same goes for your bike project.

The teardown is were you get started.  If you're bike is as rough as my '74 XS650, you're going to be taking it all the way apart to the frame.  here's somethings to keep in mind:

• Take pictures first! 

It may seem obvious now, but in 6 months it will be hard to remember just how that odd bracket went on.  A few digital pictures is a good way to remember how stuff goes together

• Go slow, and work in stages

This is the basic teardown, so don't worry about doing the detail stuff like taking your carburetor all too bits.  Just get the main pieces off in sections so you have a clean slate to work with.  Think in term of "systems".  Fuel system: carbs and tank, Electrical system:  gauges and wiring harness, Power System: the motor.  Try and keep each "system" more or less in tact but get it off the bike and set aside in a safe place where you can work on it later.

• Bag and label everything

Nothing is worse then trying to assemble your bike and digging through a pile of loose fasteners looking for that one oddly shaped washer-thingy.  Bag and label stuff.  Steal a sharpie and some ziplock baggies from your kitchen when the wife isn't looking...

• Be patient, don't force it...

If it's an old bike, some stuff will just need to sit and soak in WD40 before it will want to loosen up.  If something doesn't come apart right away, step back and take a second look.  Most bike make sense how they go together, so if something does come off, you're probably not doing it right.

For my Yamaha XS650 I had it down to the frame in about 2 hours (other guys can do it alot faster).  I left the wheels on so I could still roll it around the shop.

Here's how my XS looked after I was done with the basic tear down:

Next we get to talk about cleaning parts...