Restoring a motorcycle is a great, personal feat. If want to try your hand at this and have the tools as well as patience and determination to see this through, here are a few tips to help you get started:
Commit
Restorations often take a lot of time. It involves extensive work. Don’t move forward with anything unless you’re committed to the project. Rushing through the steps isn’t a good idea either.
Stay organized
Get your workspace clean and organized before you start, suggests ThoughtCo. If yours is already cluttered with parts from previous attempts and projects, that could make it harder for you to locate the right tools or parts while you’re working on a challenging and complex restoration.
Buy right
There are plenty of antique motorcycle parts out there. Not all of them will be a match for your bike. Browse through those options and consider them carefully. Do your homework so you know what type and kind you’ll need. That way, you won’t end up putting an order for the wrong parts
Group the parts
Group the parts by systems instead of just tossing parts to the table or wherever when you disassembly the bike. Take snapshots too. This could prove helpful in reminding you what part goes to where.
Find out if it’s available
A huge part of your undertaking will involve scouting around for the antique motorcycle parts you need and finding out whether these are still available or if you need to consider other options. Before you start with the project, you might want to think long and hard about the availability of certain parts though, and go for restorations that would allow you to take your pick out of parts, components and add-ons that are much, much easier to find.
With these tips, you’ll have more fun–and options–in restoring your bike.