Been Given a Bike...

The problem?

So, I'm having a first look at the bike in the garage up on the lift. Let's have a look at the problems - notwithstanding the seized engine.

Well-dented tank - some dents caused by bars smacking it when K came off

Surface rust - should come off quite easily

Signs of neglect round the engine and frame - needs some work

Again, it's rust and dirt. It'll need some work to slow the rot

Back wheel rims look salvage-able, but the rust on the silencer might go deeper

The solution?

Of course, there's a whole range of solutions that I could come up with. Here's the two ends of the spectrum:

• Full nut and bolt restoration - would take much time (which I have) and many resources (which I might have).  But would I end up with a pristine bike that Chubs and I wouldn't ride because we might damage it? And are we into 'shiny and new' bikes? Na... so this is not really a good solution.
• Get it running and ride it round asap.  This would take very little time and could work out quite cheap. Thing is: this is not a good solution either.

As we've already got a bike each; we're in no hurry to get this bike on the road. I've got lots of time on my hands to do a project, anyway. From first inspection, rust is eating away at many parts and not all the bike bits work so well, so it needs some ongoing attention.

So, the working solution to start off is this. I will

• strip down the bike to bare frame, wheels, suspension, brakes, electrics and engine.
• repair the engine, not overhaul it, to get it running. And tidy it up on the outside so it looks clean.
  
• tackle rust and rot in the frame without resorting to sandblast and powder coating
• put the bike back together again making sure all parts 
• are cleaned up
  
• work as they should.