Another Virago based project.

Inspired by the other great projects here, and the coincidence that a friend had an old tired XV750 84`Virago in his shed, I decided to take it of his hands and do something fun with it.

I think we both got a good deal, I got the old bike, and I ordered him some nice new Highway Hawk forward controls with matching passenger pegs, and a Highway Hawk chrome radiator cover, and the promise to help him install them.

This is where it had been stored for a few years.



We pumped some air in the tires, and I bought a new battery, but it would not fire.



Meaning it had to come home on the trailer.

Here it is back home.



And in its new home, a nice and dry heated garage.



I pulled the airfilter, checked that it had a good spark, and did a compression test.

It showed a very good spark on both plugs, and 130-135psi on the compression test.

Then I recharged the battery and tried to start it again with the fuel petcock in position prime.
It actually came to life even with old gasoline in the tank , and I could go for a small ride.
But it started to cough pretty bad, and I was glad I was only about 500-700m away from home.

When I got home I researched a bit, and after reading about the common leaking petcock, I took the tank off.
Here I found a good amount of rust flakes, but the petcock cleaned up nicely after a good rinse and greasing.

Before putting the tank back on, I'm gonna try and remove the rust inside.

I also drained the oil as it smelled like gasoline, and will be cleaning the carbs too.

once you cleen the tank of rust you can get some stuff that you put in the tank that cotes the inside and will stop any further rust in the tank. 1984 was that the first year in witch these bikes came out?

I have read both pros and cons of the different tank liners, and I think I'll clean it as good as possible and just fill it up with gas.

I think the Viragos started in 1981, and this it the 2nd generation style.

yeh 1981 was start till 1983 but it was a different shape I think that is the first year for that shape from 1981 they where called xv 750 special and I think virago in the states. could be wrong though lol.
anyway good luck on your new project virago is a great base to start with and there quite quick not sure about the 750cc but 1100cc are meant to handle better with higher risers and strait bars.
soooooo come on then spill the beans what have you got planned for it?

I originally wanted to build a cafe racer, but I think the frame and tank of the 81-83` makes a better platform for this.

The new style looks more like a chopper/bobber with the higher tank and dual rear shocks, so I don't know yet.

But one thing is for sure, the gold wheels have to go, and I have thought about making the tank and wheels in bare metal.
But not sure how to rust protect it, as clear coat will just make the rust start underneath.

Another idea is a dark gray paint all over, with a brown bobber style leather seat, and a small mudguard on the rear arm.

An interesting project there Kim 

I will enjoy watching another Virgo project, I stopped at stripping the whole frame on mine but as the winter is now here I will start work again very shortly. Looks like you have a great base to start with & what a great bike to modify, they are truly screaming for it. You got one hell of a deal there, one mans scrap is another mans treasure.

Hi Kim, lucky devil,  I know who got the best of the deal there   I look forward to the rebuild, don,t forget   plenty of photos please, and as Dave would say " Crack On "  :ballchain: regards Doc Cox

I started to clean the rust from the tank, by dumping 500 drywall screw in it and shaking it like crazy.



It removed a good bit of gunk, and I think I'll try the electrolysis method to remove the last rust.

Bloody hell I would never of thought you would ogf got that much shite out.

As for electrolysis here is a step by step from ( - Instructables - ) for anyone interested.

 Very interesting read! 

Mr Intruder wrote:

Bloody hell I would never of thought you would ogf got that much shite out.

As for electrolysis here is a step by step from ( - Instructables - ) for anyone interested.

Thx for the link, it almost looks too easy 

That's why we're here. Instructables has a wealth of information on a wealth of things, Doc Cox gave me the link.

Cheers Dave interesting video.

The tank is now doing the rust removal electrolysis.

I made some small plates with matching rubber gaskets, to seal up the holes from the petcock and the fuel level indicator.





And connected a ground wire to one of the screws.



Then I made a bended piece of steel mounted in a piece of wood, and insulated the end to prevent accidental shorts.
This will be used as the sacrificial anode.



Mixed up a bucket of 15 liter water and 15 table spoons of soda.



And then let it cook.





After a couple of hours, it was covered in nasty gunk, and the current had gone way down, so I cleaned the anode.



I'll check on it now and then and wiggle the anode to keep the current going.

I also removed the carburators, and had to remove the intake boots in the process.

The intake boots are not in a very good condition, as the rubber is starting to crack, and one of the o-rings are torn apart.

I can replace the o-rings, but the rubber really looks like it should be replaced.

Your a man with a mission, great to see.

Plenty to keep you busy there Kim 

This is looking to be an interesting project bike already.

Excellent work Kim, the electrolysis definitely seems to do the trick, will you be getting the carbs cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner these are very effective, will be getting one for my workshop in the near future, 

Doc Cox wrote:

Excellent work Kim, the electrolysis definitely seems to do the trick, will you be getting the carbs cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner these are very effective, will be getting one for my workshop in the near future, 

That's good then Doc, saves me having to get one for mine.

Doc Cox wrote:

Excellent work Kim, the electrolysis definitely seems to do the trick, will you be getting the carbs cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner these are very effective, will be getting one for my workshop in the near future, 

I have seen them for jewelry, but never considered they could be used for mens stuff too

Might be worth investing in one, as they seem pretty cheap.

Our local custom bike shop has one and swears by it, these machines can be used to clean all sorts of equipment, Mrs doc Cox has one for small items but unfortunately I can,t get the carb assemblies in it 

I decided that two days was enough and stopped the electrolysis process today.

The anode has sucked up a lot of rust.


And the water is very dirty.



Look how much gunk was left in the bucket even after pouring most of it out with the water.



After rinsing with clean water a couple of times, I rinsed one time with a bit a soap.
When the soap was cleaned out, I made a strong solution of 2 liters boiling water and a good amount of citric acid..
Now the tank look squeaky cleen.





Now it sits in the garage drying out, with a hot air gun through the filler hole.

Excellent job done Sir.

Good job Kim, if you do decide to use a tank sealer Slosh tank is good, I have used it before with good results, it also comes with an etching fluid, 

Bloody good job Kim!   I wonder how much crud there would have been in the bucket if you'd let it settle a couple of days?

loooks good now Kim & ready for sealing!

Good man, good job done.

Doc Cox wrote:

Our local custom bike shop has one and swears by it, these machines can be used to clean all sorts of equipment, Mrs doc Cox has one for small items but unfortunately I can,t get the carb assemblies in it 

I got a new toy today, and I blame you for it



I couldn´t help it and bought a small ultrasonic cleaner to try it out. I put the bowl, floater, valve and screws in warm water with a bit of dish washing soap, and ran it for 2 times 480 sec.

I didn´t think it did much more than removing the dirt from the small cracks, but when I poured out the water it was really dirty, and after looking closer at the parts they were nice and clean.
This is a small machine with only 750ml of water, and I´m already thinking about the bigger 2,5l one

I love reading your thread Kim as you really don't hang about with anything, you just do it.

No problem Kim, I will take the full blame/accolade for you purchasing the sonic cleaner, glad it did a good job   PS. I have broad shoulders, but, they are Teflon coated and all the blame normally slips straight off 

That sounds about right.

DocSjulle wrote:

Doc Cox wrote:

Our local custom bike shop has one and swears by it, these machines can be used to clean all sorts of equipment, Mrs doc Cox has one for small items but unfortunately I can,t get the carb assemblies in it 

I got a new toy today, and I blame you for it



I couldn´t help it and bought a small ultrasonic cleaner to try it out. I put the bowl, floater, valve and screws in warm water with a bit of dish washing soap, and ran it for 2 times 480 sec.

I didn´t think it did much more than removing the dirt from the small cracks, but when I poured out the water it was really dirty, and after looking closer at the parts they were nice and clean.
This is a small machine with only 750ml of water, and I´m already thinking about the bigger 2,5l one

When you get the larger one we will form a orderly queue outside your house

v-twin wrote:

When you get the larger one we will form a orderly queue outside your house

You´re are welcome if you ever get to Denmark, and I´ll even throw in some beers

Sod the carbs, bring on the beer:D

I started sanding the tank down yesterday, but didn´t get very far, as my wife brought home the car with a cracked front fender/spoiler

Apparently she had forgot that the car is lowered when she parked in front of a kerb, and actually scraped the fender up on to the kerb, causing it to nearly tore apart when she reversed again.

So the afternoon went with patching the fender with glue and small plates riveted over the cracks.

Today I got much more done on the tank. 

I sanded down as much as I could and sandblasted the hard to reach areas. I´m not finished with the underside as it was getting dark, and my temporary sandblasting station consist of a box and some plastic bags to capture most of the sand.







I think I have to build a real sandblasting station, as it is a great tool and I´m sure it will be used

Very good work done Sir.

Bloody hell Kim! is there anything you can't do? lol 

Coming along nicely Kim   having a sandblaster is helpfull, mine has a pot on the bottom that you fill with blasting medium, Has the rear tank mount been brazed on, looks like it, :shock:

Good on you Kim, doing great mate.

Doc Cox wrote:

Coming along nicely Kim   having a sandblaster is helpfull, mine has a pot on the bottom that you fill with blasting medium, Has the rear tank mount been brazed on, looks like it, :shock:

Yes, all the mounts are brazed on, maybe it´s to keep the heat down to not deform the tank, or something, just thinking out loud here :what1:

I finished the sandblasting and after a wash and dry, I filled the dents with polyester filler, sanded it smooth, wiped everything with thinner, and masked the holes.
Now it´s ready for paint.







Then I sprayed it with the first coat of epoxy primer.



There are a few small errors at the top and at the filler cap, where the paint would run, but it doesn´t matter as it will be wet sanded before the next coat.

My plan for the paint scheme is a medium dark gray, with two layers of old school flames, yellow and red.

Maybe like this with a gray background:

Looks a nice job Kim, Keep up the good work 

nice idea for the paint should look really nice

Today I wet sanding the tank, and thought that it would save some time if I could prime the fender at same time as the tank. 

So I took the front fender off the bike and washed it, then sanded down the rust spots, the chrome, and the loose rust on the inside. Applied two coats of rust converter, and painted it with epoxy primer together with the second coat on the tank.

What a great job you are doing and at an almost unbelievable speed as well.

Ken1964 wrote:

What a great job you are doing and at an almost unbelievable speed as well.

Keep this up Kim & you'll have it done before the end of the month!