About to start a 750 refresh...

Firstly I have no special tools or skill..
Just basic tools and a Haynes manual.

I want as to get the swing arm off for powder coating and want to make the engine as accessible as possible so that I can prepare and spray it (in 1 piece masking off bits that don't want paint)

Will the rear spring cause me a problem?
And
Can I just take the Swingarm, tank, seat off and just lift the frame away from the engine?

[Darkness]

It can all be done.
The swing arm isn't directly attached to the frame, so comes out reasonably easily once you've worked out how to stand the bike up without it. Common solutions are to use a Skylift, hang the back end of the frame off a rafter in the garage, or knock up a support to go under the engine. Which you do affects access for painting the engine, so you may want to combine two of these. You may see suggestions that you support off the footrest hangers, but they seem fragile to me, plus you may not get the swing arm spindle out past them.
Taking the frame off the engine is just two bolts, but check they move first as they can be very tight in the engine. Then there's just the matter of a few cables and pipes, but you also have to separate the carbs from the engine, so may need to take out the airbox too, and that needs the ignition system moving out of the way first. It's only held on by the two bolts, but spend some time working out exactly how you separate the ancillaries before attacking it with spanners.
Another risk when taking the frame off is that you may as well get the frame repainted as well as the engine, and then everything else looks shabby instead of having matching "patina" so the rebuild takes far longer than originally planned and costs a lot more too.
Take a look at Albie's rebuild thread as a salutary warning of where this can lead!

If you do go ahead we like lots of photo's.

Thanks darkness.... That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

I've not really decided where to start yet. I've spent today clearing out the garage shelves so that I can properly lay all the bits I take off in some kind of order. Swapped the bikes around so the new one is anchored and the old one has plenty of working room around it.
I've been and got some cable ties to "try" keep the wiring organised. The tank is full so I need to find something to drain that into.
2 things I'm most worried about is... keeping everything balanced once I've got the wheels off and blocks under the engine..... I'm hoping that the engine is too heavy for this to be a problem??
The other thing is old bolts.... Striping threads and knackering heads... I just know I'll get it un-rideable and stuck in bits.... I've even managed at knacker a head on the new bike today ��

[Darkness]

Originally Posted by davkyt

...2 things I'm most worried about is... keeping everything balanced once I've got the wheels off and blocks under the engine..... I'm hoping that the engine is too heavy for this to be a problem??
The other thing is old bolts.... Striping threads and knackering heads.�

Take a good look at the underside of the engine: the crankcase is vee shaped and is further complicated by the header from the front pot until that's out of the way. You need to take the back header off to get the swing arm off as it goes through it. I've a spare engine sitting in an old tyre which keeps it upright, but that won't help you sort the paint out.
For the bolts, a good soak with releasing oil helps, as does buying new decent quality Allen socket wrenches to get the best chance of shifting them. I haven't had much trouble with stripped threads on mine, but the bolt heads are very very soft. It depends who last put them together though, what bolts they used, and do they use copper slip or loc-tite !

"header"? I have to take the cylinder head off the get the swing arm off?

[Darkness]

Originally Posted by davkyt

"header"? I have to take the cylinder head off the get the swing arm off?

No, not the cylinder head, just the header ie. The exhaust pipe from the rear [Vertical] cylinder. It passes through a gap in the swing arm.

[Nickj]

You start at the 'outside' and work inwards...
seat then tank
all the wiring connectors
airbox (and all the sundry bits like battery ignitor boxes)
Carbs
Exhausts (from the motor outwards and all the hangers)
Up to there its all standing up by itself.
All the wiring connectors going to the motor

.....

Get the motor supported
Bolts holding frame to motor and swinging arm to frame

Take the frame (with forks attached or remove them first plus all the wiring to bars and lights) off
Take the swinging arm off

You now have a pile of bits that will probably go back together to make a monster

Thanks nickj
I might try and construct some kind of trolley/table with a frame for the engine to sit in to start with

Originally Posted by Nickj

You start at the 'outside' and work inwards...
seat then tank
all the wiring connectors
airbox (and all the sundry bits like battery ignitor boxes)
Carbs
Exhausts (from the motor outwards and all the hangers)
Up to there its all standing up by itself.
All the wiring connectors going to the motor

.....

Get the motor supported
Bolts holding frame to motor and swinging arm to frame

Take the frame (with forks attached or remove them first plus all the wiring to bars and lights) off
Take the swinging arm off

You now have a pile of bits that will probably go back together to make a monster

Ha, that makes more sense

Originally Posted by Darkness

No, not the cylinder head, just the header ie. The exhaust pipe from the rear [Vertical] cylinder. It passes through a gap in the swing arm.

[Nickj]

Probably take an hour or three assuming you know what you're doing and nothing goes wrong... so allow a day or three as there will always be something, maybe even several somethings that don't go to plan.

Lots of photos, many sticky labels and labelled bags for bits are a good idea too.

Indeed.... The garage is going to be strictly out if bounds from now on

Originally Posted by Nickj

Lots of photos, many sticky labels and labelled bags for bits are a good idea too.

As the wife has stolen the money I'd saved for a new exhaust for the 1200...... Back to the other project.. I've been and bought a pot of paint to test the if the finish is similar to the original... At least it keeps me busy while the roads are wet.
Pics to follow over the next week or so...

[350TSS]

One of these I found invaluable - knocked up out of some old gas barrel and some angle iron

Day zero has arrived. Boredom and another rain day has gotten the better of me and I have FINALLY started to disassemble Bella.

Removed parts today..
Rear light
Side panels
Undertray
Tea tray
Tail tidy

Things broken
Undertray bolt made of a strange brittle cheese.

Things stuck on and needing advice....
How do you get the seat lock off?.... Do you have to just cut the wire?

[Nickj]

The seat lock cable has balls on the end, well cylinders really, one of them fits to the levers at the lock end and the other the lever that pulls the latch open.
With the adjuster screwed back they can be taken off.. assuming the adjuster will undo, lots of lube and good fitting spanners.

Remember the worst bits for corrosion as when you stick it all back together yo can lavish a bit more attention on them.