Suzuki FA50 Restoration Project

FA50 Restoration Project Page

I thought I'd share my experiences as I resurrect a 1985 Suzuki FA50 that has not been started in over 30 years.

A little history... My neighbor got this FA50 for his daughter when she was a student at University of Texas in Austin. She was severely injured in an auto accident the following year, at which time the bike was garaged, and it has sat there unstarted, unridden, ever since. I bought it from him about 3 years ago, with the thought of cleaning it up and riding it, as it seemed to be in pretty good shape. Only has 1600 miles on it. I started on the project about 2 weeks ago, and the more I dug, the more that needed to be done.

So, here it is as I bought it, followed by a discussion on the teardown and restoration as it progresses. At this point, it is completely disassembled. The engine has been partially down. The cases were not split, as everthing seemed to be in good order. There was no water in the cases, and the crank turns smoothly. Not so for the oil seals and wheel bearings, which needed replacement.

PART ONE - TAKE IT ALL APART

Just dive in, but make sure you know how things go back together. I like to put small parts in zip lock bags with a description sheet as I go along. It's also helpful to do an initial cleaning before bagging. You will want to do a deep clean before putting it back together.