Suzuki K11 basket case

[garry55]

One of my bar customers gave me this bike-in-bits a couple of years ago...........











A 1968 Suzuki K11P - sat in bits in his shed since being dismantled in 1973. Needs a bit of work, I think

[garry55]

Assembled the big bits to see if it was scrap or worth attempting to restore it..........









having scoured various auction sites I have found that a lot of new, reproduction and used parts are available for this bike, so I have decided to restore it to a nice, usable condition using as many of the original parts as possible.
It wont be concours standard, or even show worthy, but at the end of the day it is going to be auctioned off and all the proceeds are going to a local Rescue Boat charity, of which the guy who gave me the bike is a patron.

[garry55]

some of the smaller parts...........

[garry55]

A friend offered to shot blast the frame (for free) so we could see the extent of the repairs required.

Front end looking remarkably sound after all these years.......





not so the rear..........







the damage was beyond repair - even where there wasn't any holes, the metal was thinner than cheap toilet paper.

But, amongst a haul of spares donated by a forum member here in the UK was a very good condition K10P frame - pretty much the same, but different.

But more importantly, all the differences were at the front, and the rear end was the same as the K11P. And solid. So, a plan was hatched..........

[garry55]

"The Plan" was to cut the original frame back to good metal and graft the solid rear of the K10 frame onto it.

We had to go back as far as the battery box to find weldable metal. I then made a simple triangulated jig which bolted into the steering head tube and picked up the top rear suspension mounts, via a rod which passed through both mounts. This would ensure that the replacement section could be held in the right place during welding.

I then handed it all over to a friend who took the measurements, made the cuts, aligned the new section and welded it in place. That cost me a spare RGV250 VJ23 Lucky Strike nose fairing that I had in stock.
Unfortunately, despite me requesting a photo log of the process, he just got his head down, completed the work and threw the jig away!

The frame was then re-blasted and powder-coated black. Once back at my friends house, he roughed the coating all around the visible weld seam, filled and smoothed it until it was "seamless" and then re-painted it in 2-pack gloss black.

Pics of the completed "cut-and-shut" frame to follow..........

[garry55]

the cut'n'shut frame - can you see the join?









well - can you?

[garry55]

and the rebuilt motor - crank rebuilt, rebore, new piston and little end......

[garry55]

the wheels - not in the best of condition.

the front................



and the rear...........



The hubs appeared to be salvageable, so I cut them out and binned the rest.........




although I set out to use as many of the original components of the bike as possible, I had to replace the rims. Both had signs of terminal rot around some of the spoke holes and the corrosion was too deep set to remove with a buffer. So I purchased a set of rims and spokes from Thailand............



all for less than the price of one UK supplied rim and spoke set. And these have the advantage of Excellent Laser Design AND Reflecdize Tech - whats not to like?

took them to my mate Ian the wheel builder on Tuesday, collected them next day.

The front...........



and the rear...........



I think they will look OK for this build.

Ian said that the quality was on a par with the UK manufactured rims that he uses, and better than some!

Tyres, tubes and rim tapes ordered - it'll be a rolling chassis before I know it

[Mike uk]

Great thread Garry, i am glad it is not just me that likes the little ones.
I have a k11 sports that has a solid frame but has been set about with a hammer under the tank area.
Previous crash repair. But looks overall straight. Also a kick in the swinging arm. Will have a go at it in the future.
I have the K15 Hillbilly that is not bad for restoration. Only a few bit missing. That is next.
Cheers Mike

[daxman]

Can't believe you binned those tyres.. loads of tread left.

[garry55]

Can't believe you binned those tyres.. loads of tread left.

I take it that you have never ridden a bike with an Avon Speed Master rear tyre then................

[garry55]

glacially slow progress, but I'm in no rush to finish it...........