New to building motorcycles, complete rookie

[therookie]

Hello Everyone,

I recently bought a 1978-79 Yamaha xs400 that is a pile of parts currently. I have always wanted to learn how to modify, work-on, and build vehicles. It is one of my life goals to get my motorcycle license. So I figured why not start with learning to build a motorcycle from scratch? I know very little about the types of tools I will need as well as where to start, so any expert or veteran advice would be much appreciated. Since the bike is in pieces my best guess would be to do a parts check to see what I have and what is missing and go from there. My first question is what is a good place to start in rebuilding a motorcycle and what is a good order to do the build in? Be gracious with me as my knowledge is very limited, but I am eager to learn!

 

[Bull85]

if it was me, I would start with the engine..... since it is out and looks to be in pieces. I would start there. (after figuring out if you have everything!) it can be intimidating to look at something and picture what you want out of it. BUT if you take it as individual projects, and not look at it as a whole, you will benefit.
that's how I tackle stuff. I try to concentrate on one thing at a time, that way you wont get overwhelmed. plus when you finish your individual projects it is like a little triumph.

get a manual or find your manual, on this site, first.
read/search posts here.
dig in, and have fun.

welcome to the forum, there is a wealth of knowledge here.

 

[DARKMIDKNIGHTWARRIOR]

Welcome to the forum! Motor then electric then make it pretty.

 

[xschris]

Download the manual and start reading.

 

[therookie]

Thanks Guys, also another quick side question, what type of grit sandpaper is best for removing rust on the frame of a motorcycle, I have a dremel so I would like to eventually find the most optimal grit that gets ride of the rust but does not take some of the metal away too.

 

[Norman1950]

If you are stripping the whole frame I would just use some aircraft paint stripper. It will save you lots of time.

 

[rugbywarrior89]

That being a bare frame, sandblasting could be an option as well.

Again, I would make sure you have a working motor before you go spending $$$ and painting the frame. It would be a shame to put $300 into making it look pretty to find out its gonna look pretty sitting in your garage forever. Just my .

 

[therookie]

Thanks guys! and I just wanted to take everything off the frame first so its bare, but thanks for the info. I will make note of that for future reference.