2003 SV 650

Here we go. Never torn a bike this much apart before and modded so much stuff. Bike has been in pieces for a few weeks now and I have been waiting for Nov 1st. Had to "borrow" a neighbors newspaper. All the parts are in the attic. Not sure if I was supposed to put them with the bike or not.
Full disclosure: the engine side covers and water pump cover are stripped to bare aluminum. You can kinda see it in the pic.

Got about 8 hours of work in today. Powdercoated the engine side covers, water pump cover, fork tubes, and lower triple mirror black. Love powdercoat! Instant gratification. Less prep than paint, 3 minutes of powder dusting, about 25 minutes in the oven, 20 minutes to cool and the part is ready for use.

Started making a fiberglass copy of the tail. Just doing a splash mold. Yes those are popsicle sticks for extra stiffness.

Not much time after work today. Popped off the bottom and started on the top:

Worked on the fiberglass copy of the tail throughout the week. I am planning on making a rough copy of the tail and modifying it a little and putting the mufflers in the tail with cut outs in the side for the tips. I have no idea if this is gunna work or not. If all else fails I have a single can from a Ducati 996 I cored out I can mount for an undertail setup. Layup:

Haven't had much time to DO WORK. Found some free time this weekend. Painted the frame and swinger this weekend. Satin black. Hopefully I can get the GSXR forks on next weekend and powdercoat the rims the week after that. Need this thing rolling again!

I started putting the GSXR forks back together and ruined a brand new set of seals trying to put them in without the special tool. I really did not want to pay $16 each plus $10 shipping from Ron Ayers again so I searched around a little. All Balls, a bearing distributor, is selling low stiction, longer lasting seals. They don't sell anything directly from their website which is a pain in the ass. I found an eBay seller, partsfixation, who sells them for $20 shipped. Better product at a lower price. Also ordered a seal installer from Pit Posse.
Worked on the rear wheel a little more. Ground off all the important numbers and letters from the spokes. I still need to visit the powder coat distributor and pick out a nice dark red. Should I go with a metal flake or just gloss dark red?

I got the lightened rotors back the other day. Took a little over a pound off of each rotor!

Finally got around to powdercoating the wheels. I am really pressed for time now. We bought a new home and I need to get the bike back together so I can ride it over. I really don't want to strap it down in a truck and risk scratching the frame and freshly powdered bits.

Went over to the powder distributor and looked at some samples. Glad I did cause I would have made a bad choice if I just went from the colors on their website. I picked up some Red Starlight. The rims barely fit in my oven. I build a simple rack to hold them dead center and still had to prop the door slightly to keep the lip from touching the door.They turned out AWESOME!
Rack:

Crappy picture of wheel in oven:

Crappy weather with no sun and floresent lighting means the color won't come through so you'll have to take my word for it. Easy to see the flake though:

Put the swing arm and rear suspension back together today. I also mounted up my new Pirelli Diablos. HAWT!!!! Love the look of new tires. The red and black looks great. Not sure how long the rattle can paint on the frame is gunna hold up, seems soft. It has been sitting for a month or so. Next up is going to be putting the front forks back together. I am not sure how to fill USD forks with oil. Do I just pour it into the top and compress it a few times and keep adding?

It rolls!!!!!!!!

I really need some input from you guys.

1) Anybody know of a good front master cylinder reservoir that is small to replace the huge one on the 2008 GSXR radial master? Or even a naked radial master with the built in reservoir?

2) Should I powdercoat the clutch and brake levers black or the sparkle red? I don't want to over do the red, but I think the levers would look good.

3) Any good leads on good custom brake lines? I know about Spiegler, but I know I have seen some forums with guys who know people that make good ones for less $$$.
Thanks a lot guys and gals. Hoping to get the rearsets on tomorrow along with my fancy VanDriver billet rear reservoir.

Painted my current anchor of a subframe to match the frame. This will due until I have some time to make an aluminum subframe to go with my undertail exhaust.

Started stripping the gas tank paint. Stripper:

Almost done:

Finished up the spray portion of the paint job about an hour ago. That's some stinky stuff Went with SEM self etching for the tank, SEM Flexible primer for the plastics, Dodge Viper Black, and a aerosol 2 part clear that MPLS had posted in another thread. Used 2 1/2 cans of color and 2 cans of clear. This was my first attempt at painting anything with quality paints. Hope it comes out nice after buffing cause it looks like poo right now. I have a few small sags, but nothing major. Couldn't force myself to go back into the garage to take pics of the color. Here are some of the prep and primer:

Time for color pics. This is my first ever paint job. Only regret is I wish I would have went thicker on the clear coat. Oh well, I know for next time.

Orange peel much? This really, really made me nervous. I was not sure if this was going to come out.

Wet sanded it with 1000 then 1500 grit. Should have went to 2000 or beyond, but again, I know for next time. Here it is after 1000.

I used a power buffer for a few seconds to get a jump start. Everything I read said noobs should not use them the first time. So I did most of the buffing by hand which takes F O R E V E R!!!!!!!!! Here is the piece after a few minutes of buffing with rubbing compound. Polish compound will come last.

As it sits right now. Still needs some polishing on this side.