Hi all,
I'm planning on taking my bike to pieces ( a '94 GS500e).
Just seperating frame and engine and wheels etc, not actually opening up the engine. Then I'll clean off any rust, respray and clearcoat stuff then put it all back together. Living in Scotland, things rust easily.

I've got the paint and a big pot of copper ease.
Still looking into the best sort of clear coat to use (any suggestions?).

The main thin I'm looking for now is replacement fixings, preferably for everything. I'd like to replace every nut and bolt I undo with a new one, preferably in stainless steel. Are there kits out there for this or am I going to have to measure every nut and bolt I take off, then go buy the pieces individually, then put it back together?

Also thinking of replacing the chain and sprockets, again, any suggestions?

In case you hadn't guessed, I'm new to bike maintainance, but willing to get my hands dirty.

As the bike is my only means of transport I'd really prefer to have everything sitting ready when I take it to pieces, so I can get it back on the road within a couple of days.

On eBay.de there's a guy selling stainless kits for the engine. (Case bolts and the like, not the actual engine mounting bolts). Part of his offer is in habhazard English, so you should be able to make yourself understood. Other than that... Dunno, but I think you'll have to measure those yourself.

I'm gong the same route, BTW, but replacing them in bits and pieces, each time I have to disassemble a certain unit.

Have you found a source of information for finding out what sizes the various fixings are before you start the job?

My main worry is having to take out fixing and measure them
before I can order the new parts.
That way I would have to wait possibly a week or more between loosing transport and regaining it.

Also my current method for getting parts is to take out a bolt and take it to a dealer and ask for "a replacement for this please" as I'm not sure how to measure bolts or nuts properly.
I guess a micrometer would give me the diameter of the thread on a bolt,
but how do I tell thread pitch / depth etc?

I have a pretty well sorted hardware store nearby, so I don't have to let the bike sit half-disassembled.

I also often measure upon first disassembly, then assemble again and replace the next time I get there.

As for measuring: You need thread diameter, bolt length, head form. Now of course many screws on a GS are nonstandard, so it can be tricky. M10, for one, is usually M10x1 on the GS (standard fasteners are M10x1.5 if memory serves.

Bolts smaller than M10 are mostly standard metric fasteners.

If you want to be sure, get yourself a pitch gauge.

You can also measure over, say, ten threads with a ruler. The reading should be pretty precise, as the error is also divided by ten.

if you've got the bolt in hand, an easy way to do it is to go to the hardware store, find a nut that'll fit on that bolt, then find another bolt that'll fit that nut.
might take awhile for all the stuff you're doing, and you may have trouble finding some odd ones.

cheers,
will