Suzuki 2 Strokes

Some things you would never think about contemplating and just take for granted but then theres always a new item you come across to alter your thinking.
Take for example the fitting of the lower bearing race onto the triple tree of the RE5.
I've got my front end off of my Rotary and will be fitting a tapered bearing set to it, so i look at it carefully and would you believe the race was put on and pressed home THEN it was taped off and the tree painted after with the race on already.
This bike has never been apart so im 100% sure this is originally how it was from the factory.
I can only assume the GTs were done this way too but you need to have an unmolested example to check it properly.

I guess that's the only way they could do it, without lifting the new paint from the main pin.

Wonder if a group of guys were specifically trained in masking off the races

But seriously, they really did know how to build 'em.