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Purple R5/RD Project

Started by Djg8493, May 13, 2020, 01:26:46 PM

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Djg8493

I've been working on and off on this 1970 R5 for about a year and have been meaning to start a thread.  I've got a bunch of progress steps and some learnings along the way.   Here it was the day I got it.


I follow this up with a bunch of progress but I did want to ask a wiring question, the second image is highlights the RD diagram and the one connection that I cannot track down, it the Female potion that says it is coming from the Hi Beam lamp?  Am I missing something, it does not seem to exist thought the make portion is there from the headlamp.  Is there something different from the RD and R5 for this?  I figured I would ask before I take the headlight on my Rd apart because it is always a pain to get back in.  Thanks!
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

m in sc

thats just powers the high beam indicator. on the rd its in the gauge cluster, on an r5, its on the top of the headlight bucket. 

Djg8493

Perfect, that also explains the hole in the headlight bucket now that I think about it :haw:
Thanks for the help, it was driving me nuts.
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

Some notes on fork rebuilding that I learned the hard way on the R5.  I have done a good amount of all different types of forks but these were the worst condition and gave me a run for my money.  I did learn a few things that may be common knowledge for others but I thought I'd share.
When super crusty the caps are a pain to get off, after trying many other things I got a good tip on the rubber strap wrench.  I have a ton of tools and never used one but it worked perfect.

Next, as you can see in the pics these seals were rotted in there.  Even with a seal remover it would have damaged the fork.  The side lip of your generic motorcycle lift (harbor Freight) is the perfect height to wedge your seal tool against to remove stuck seals.

1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

one more, a baby bottle cleaner on a stick works great for cleaning out the inside of grimey forks...
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

I bought the bike in a few pieces and originally planned to just put back together and get it running with some new tires.
It failed the leak down so I replaced all the seals, with the R5 engine I tried to avoid splitting the cases and replaced the crank seals in place.  Needed a good cleaning but the top end looked pretty good, bad news came once I finished and tried the leak down again...  Still not holding air, I ended up finding a pin hole in the left side case.  Looks like bottom end issues.... 

Somewhere around this point I realized I wasn't going to get away with a cheap runner.  If I was going to spend some money I might as well take it down to the frame and re do it.
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

m in sc

it leaked out of the case? wow thats a new one. good catch.

Djg8493

Yea, I figured I just didn't get a good seal when I Yamabonded in the LH crank seal.  I could hear the air but nothing was coming from the seal.  I got more aggressive with soapy water and sure enough it was coming from that small nic in the case. 
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

So at this point I was up against figuring out what went bad in the bottom end and caused the hole in the case.
Another option I had was to buy a ~150 mile RD motor rebuilt by a friend on here with new crank but needed at least a piston from a leaky manifold.  We'll see if I can get away with just a fresh hone.  That's where I'm at now, I bought that engine I had my shop hone the cylinder and I have a fresh piston on the way.  I'll use the R5 side covers as I repainted them already.
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

I've also got the frame done, (bead blasted and painted) wheels, tires and rear shocks. 
Wire harness cleaned up and back on, cheepo wire covers worked well
New Coils and a Ricks reg/rec
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

Quick update.  Got my care package from John.  New piston, manifolds and kickstand relo.
Also picked up my cylinder and check gaps and fit.  Looks pretty good for just a fresh hone.
Flushed out the crank and starting to fit the engine.  Hope to have the top end back together tonight
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

Finally finished my front fender brackets and got the cheapo ebay fender mounted.  I'm embarrassed to admit how long the brackets took to get right but it came out pretty good for $23
Also mounted up the seat and fender that I had laying around, the bike didn't come with a seat and the fender is in bad shape and I'm not paying to re-chrome it.  I'll probably put a real fender on at some point but the MX style one didn't come out terrible, its actually starting to grow on me.  The seat I acquired with another bike, not sure what it is but the pan is made of 1/4 in steel and took a while to get the cut out right to fit over the rear of the frame.

Also got my JSpooner rearsets in the mail today, thank again Joe, they look great!
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

Djg8493

Getting Closer, Rearsets mounted.  Top end back together and R5 side covers mounted.

Next to test the electrical and do another leakdown.
Side note, when you lend your power drills out, a 20V dewalt is not a sufficient replacement for tapping holes (notice the smoke)  an M9 does work to hold the square end of the tap to use an impact.  Probably not the best method but it worked. 
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6

m in sc

i know people that do that all the time, still makes me nervous. I always hand tap with an actual tap handle, even have a ratcheting one i've had for years, but will chase an existing thread with a drill on rare occasion.

Bikes looking great BTW :clap:

Djg8493

Thanks!  You are correct and I probably should have, unfortunately I didn't have the right drill bit for the tap and didn't want to run to the store so it was going to need a bit more force.   If the tap pulled through I knew I have the option of just bolting them on from the back so there wasn't too much risk.  Also I normally would have ordered the right tool and waited but I find I'm becoming more impatient on this one.
1970 R5, 1975 Rd350, 1978 GT80, 1979 KZ400, 1988 Ysr50, 1990 GSXR750, 2006 WR450 SM, 2006 R6