REFITTING THE SWINGARM

I have now refitted the swingarm after painting. I have to admit. The black swingarm totally changes the look of the bike. Should have came from factory like that.

Refitting the swing arm is an easy job. All that is required is to grease up the pivot ends and slide the swingarm back into position. When there slide a long screwdriver into the pivot bolt hole and you can leave it there while you find the nut and bolt. 

Once you have the bolt in place, slide the bolt in while removing the screwdriver and screw on the nut. Tighten everything g into 88Nm of torque and your done. One of the easy jobs on the bike. Wish the Himda was this simple.

Make sure you pull the chain through when putting the swingarm in place. 

PART DIAGRAMS WITH NUMBERS

Today I ordered the suspension rubbers from Kawasaki Original Parts. Whilst there I found their part diagrams really helpful. Not only do they show the part numbers, they also show how all the parts go together. Really helpful.

I have created a link here, where you can get a copy of all the diagrams for your own use.

This will take you to another web page where you can view all the diagrams and print them off.

FOUND OLD PICTURES

Found some old pictures of the bike from around 4 years ago. It had been left outside without even being moved for over 2 years and then put in a garage for another 2 years. This is where it all began for me.

Regarding the bikes history. It was registered in 1998. From there I do not know the history until 2005 where it was bought by a company in Scotland where it was used for rider training. From there it must have been dropped countless times and covered thousands upon thousands of miles.

In 2011 my partner, seeing how much I loved riding motorcycles, decided that she would like to learn how to ride a motorcycle. She went to this company in Paisley and carried pout her lessons on this very bike.

Over the course for 6 months or so, she dropped the bike where the fork, brake disc and countless leavers needed replaced. luckily for the training company, they had engine crash bars on the bike, so no serious damage was caused.

During her lesson, the company told her that she would need to change bike as all the ER5's were getting sold for Suzuki SV650's. However after a quick bit of negotiation, they decided to keep this ER5 until she had passed her test.

A short while later, she passed her test and the bike was retired. Another quick negotiation and they agreed to sell the bike to her for £500. It saved them taking out ads to sell the bike. Included with he bike was new tyres, chain, seat cover and a fresh MOT. 

The bike went home with her after that and must have only covered around 200 miles for the rest of the year. She struggled with confidence and would go out without another person there.

The bike was stored outside from 2012 onwards until 2014 when a new house was bought. I took the bike to my uncles where it was stored in his garage for another 2 years until January 2016. I now have a garage and the bike lives there with my Honda.

I don't like to see any bike wasting away, so this is why I am restoring it. It will be running again and it will be used again. Even is she doesn't want to ride it often, I will be using it.

KAWASAKI ER5 WORKSHOP MUNUAL

For anyone wondering where I am getting the technical information when working on this bike, I am using the Kawasaki ER5 Workshop Manual.

Click on the link and a new tab will open up with the manual in a PDF format. It contains useful information with regards to service schedules and what is required as well as, torque tightness for all the nuts and bolts.

You can save the PDF to your computer for offline viewing. I have this stored on an Ipad that I take out to the garage with me.

I have also added a link onto the suggested sites to the right.

ANOTHER DAY PAINTING

Another quick update today.

That's one coat of Hammerite satin black on the swingarm, radiator covers and the foot peg holders. It's still damp but I won't be applying another via until new paint brushes are bought. Hammerite is an awesome paint but nearly impossible to clean your brushes afterwards. It's cheaper to throw them away than buy the correct solvent to wash the paint off. 

As you can see from the pictures, the paint is streaky in places where the surface is pretty smooth. Should be fine after a second coat. 

SWINGARM REPAIRED AND SUSPENSION REMOVAL

I'm I'm I'm Today I completed the repairs on the swingarm. Managed to remove 2 of the bolts but the last one was a pain in the ass. Had to grind of the nut to access the remainder of the bolt. Welded in a new but to the bracket so it is now the same as before. Also have 3 shiny new bolts to use, but the will be treated to a nice coat of satin black.

Cleaned up the surfaces of the surfaces of the swingarm and smoothed the sides down to help with the final look of it. Finally a coat of primer to help with painting and rust prevention. The swingarm seems to have taken a beating in its life. Worst part of the bike easily. 

Had a quick look at the read suspension also. It is in and looks a poor state. As you can see in the pictures, the rubber bushes are perished and split. A new set will be getting ordered. As for the look of the suspension, it's all corroded. I can't afford new springs and shocks so they will be getting a coat of paint in the future. They are in good working order. Just ugly to look at.