Arnout's motorbike >> EFE project

EFE Rebuild project..

to replace my katana that got stolen last feb. I decided to have a go at another GSX1100 that's always been high on my list..

the "EF" as I picked it up.. doesn't look in too bad a shape right?

wrong..!
as the bike was used as a commuter bike for quite some time road salt, rain and overall neglect left their mark..

although I initially just wanted to "do it up" quickly and start riding again I couldn't let this pass like this.. so no choice but to..

take the whole thing apart first..

right.. now things were in bits it didn't make any sense plan to put the leaking forks and worn rear suspension back in.. so instead started looking for parts to upgrade the whole package..
some were already present (as in "very long term GSX1428 project") and the rest was quickly sourced ..

I'm a fan of the chunky looking Thunderace swingarm (which I had also put in my kat btw..) so that's what was going in now too..
thought for a while about a Bandit arm but on all pics I found there were chain scraping marks so obviously these arms were quite high in this area effectively limiting altering the ride height severly..

luckily the lower shock eye lined up perfectly with the centre stand mounts.. so to save on work that's what I used.. the upper mount needed a bit more work as the top of the shock was nowhre near existing frame tubes/mounts..

ground several mm's off the frame pivot bushes too to make the thunder-arm fit without too much hassle (like cutting it in half..)

shock mount done.. moving on to some frame bracing as well..

..go to the next page for the next set of pictures..