'Diamond in the rough'

[bikeymikey748]

Phil, I’m loving the integrated look of it all. Very nice. When are you going to build it up like that?

[Syscrush]

Phil, I’m loving the integrated look of it all. Very nice. When are you going to build it up like that?

Hopefully next year. It's staying off the road until the EFI conversion is completed, and that is still in the research/planning/saving money phase.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

How have the Gendarmes been treating you, Mikey?
I know you were initially concerned about a "custom" bike drawing too much attention.

Glad you didn't change out the Cola bottle.

[bikeymikey748]

Phil, I’m loving the integrated look of it all. Very nice. When are you going to build it up like that?

Hopefully next year. It's staying off the road until the EFI conversion is completed, and that is still in the research/planning/saving money phase.

Fair enough. Looking forward to your usual detailed observations.
Lemme see, where did I leave off?
Right...more aesthetics. This should answer one of your questions, Steve. Was getting tired of the ‘fairing’ I had fabbed awhile back. I was looking for something a bit larger but, you know...different. Located this bit in Europe (what did we do before the internet?). It’s intended for a Buell racing series over there. Google translate to the rescue again



As it’s intent was for racing, there was no provision for a headlight. No problem. After cutting/finishing the opening for one in the fairing, I made a three-legged bracket on the reflector and it attached to the inside of the fairing with these:



They’re available in most any hardware store in various sizes/lengths. Intended for woodworking, I tap them for the thread size I need (if different than what the original was), wrap them in ‘glass. Afterward very easy to bond/brace where needed as stand-offs to mount the headlight assembly.

A bit further along in the process:







Again, another fibreglass piece, dead easy to work with.
Oh and, as I was going to be using one as opposed to the two headlights I previously had, with one for ‘lo’ the other for ‘high’ something had to be done about that. I liked the small tractor/trailer back-up lights I had been using so kept them. To get the hi-lo operation I stumbled on these:




Nifty bits. 6000K HIDs with a solenoid-controlled ‘gate’ that regulates how the illumination hits the reflector. They’re intended to replace H4 single bulb systems. The bulb length was slightly long for my reflector, so I McGyvered a different adaptor using a reflector from my old ‘85 GSXR that used H4 bulbs. I made the clear cover from a Polyurethane off-cut from a local plastics supplier, and formed it over the with an electric space heater. I had marked off where it was going to be mounted on the fairing, and before cutting the opening for the headlight, used the fairing as a ‘buck’.



I mounted it with some alloy straps I had lying around. Cut and polished those, and added rubber mounts (from Toyota rad mounts) to the fairing where these attached to it.



Side note: One of the reasons I bought it was for the ‘hook’ of its nose that allowed the steering damper to retain its position. As well, is you look closely, you’ll see some nifty red-anodized washers. They’re beveled to accept similar SS fasteners. Intended for car fenders, I sprinkled them around on the ‘X’, nicer detail (I thought) than a plain old washer


The finished product...

[bikeymikey748]

Hola, peeps!
And then, in a moment of weakness, and after a decent amount of time scouting ‘round online to satisfy the craving I had developed for them...I pulled the trigger on a set of ten spoke a Marchesinis. In my defence, they came from a lad used them for track days, were practically new, and the price was looooow



I had to shave some material from the cushdrive, for chain alignment, but it went very easily.

First impressions were sour. The warmer weather had yet to arrive and I was obligated to low-speed-limit surface streets. Didn’t feel much difference between the stock Suzuki wheels. And then, I accelerated up my first on-ramp! Wow, felt like a different bike. Transitions in cornering? Bliss.

Three thousand kilometres later, the party ended. Out for a romp in VT, I thought something was wrong with the transmission. Shifting was getting worse and worse. Turns out there are different materials available for Marchesini cushdrive dampers. Mine were the white urethane rubbers. Not good. The part of them supposed to absorb the drive loads had vaporized by the time I got home.

[youtube] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qck9Cia-Yrk[/youtube]

Ordered the other black rubber bits and all is well.




Thought I could live with the stock black finish on them and a sticker set I had put on, but you know me....

[bikeymikey748]

And then there was the GSXR throttle housing assembly I had been using.





It had a scratch on it when delivered, but more importantly, I was never a fan of how the cables exited out the bottom in two metal tubes that quickly angled off at 90deg. At full lock, they came awfully close to the gas tank, and their routing was compromised by that damned angle. I looked around for a solution and came up with this....





It’s an assembly from a Suzuki DR-Z400. The cables route with a gentle arc (hidden in the fairing), and the throttle is a true 1/4 turn unit (less stress on the wiring for my heated grips, and ‘blipping’ the throttle on downshifts is a treat). I paired them with a start/kill switch intended for certain Ducatis. I like the cleaner more modern look of it all as well.

Shout out to Duplicolor Metalcast paint.




I have done a few items on the ‘X’ using this product. I really duplicates the effect of anodizing, or so I’ve found. Here’s a shot of my forks with red and smoked grey applications.



Don’t bother with their recommended silver base coat. POLISH the surface you’ll be shooting, and note the covering isn’t very scratch-resistant. I always shoot a protective cover of urethane (BASF) clearcoat.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Only 3000kms for those cush rubbers is brutal. Not like it is a high horsepower application either.
Thanks for the heads-up on the MetalCast paint. I have some small/accent bits that i would like to try that on.

[daves79x]

Great stuff Mike! Remind us just how many miles you have put on the bike since you built it? OOPS! See you posted 60,000km. Great to see someone actually using and appreciating all the work they put into a custom build!

Dave

[bikeymikey748]

Only 3000kms for those cush rubbers is brutal. Not like it is a high horsepower application either.

For sure. Steve, I gotta say I was feeling pretty bummed thinking my tranny was about to need replacing. I only realized what was going on when I was an hour and a half from home. Nursed it pretty much all the way, not wanting to damage the wheel itself, but again the ‘X’ got me home

Great stuff Mike! Remind us just how many miles you have put on the bike since you built it? OOPS! See you posted 60,000km. Great to see someone actually using and appreciating all the work they put into a custom build!

Why, thank you, Dave! Should have bumped those numbers up from that tally, but owing to some personal set-backs (see photo) I lost out on the end of the 2015 and ALL of the 2016 season :-(



Moving on...
Here’s a little do-dad I McGyvered. I had noticed my shift shaft had developed more than enough play to warrant attention. Specifically, if I wiggled the shifter pedal gently, it would move backwards and forwards. I figured left unchecked I would become too much for the oil seal to seat correctly on it, and I would be adding a sleeve to the cover to compensate. Too much bother, there had to be a better solution.
Came up with this...I removed the lower engine mount bolt and welded a small tab onto it, and held it in the proper position while tightening it into place. Next, I fabbed a drilling guide out of various sizes of tubing I had lying around to be certain to drill the shift shaft as close to its centreline as I was likely to get. Tapped it to accept a 5mm. thread, the largest I was comfortable with in that application. Then it was adding two rod end joints (Heim joints) and the left-over original coupler from the CBX shift linkage to center the pivots. A touch of polishing, Metalcast paint, and clearcoat and that was it. ZERO play in the shaft! Hopefully, I might gain some precision in my shifting as well.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Aye carumba, that's a nasty looking break.
Mountain biking down a Double Black Diamond at Mont Tremblant?

[EMS]

No problem! Dr Jeff, Rocky Mountain Vet, will fix that break!!!

[bikeymikey748]

Aye carumba, that's a nasty looking break.
Mountain biking down a Double Black Diamond at Mont Tremblant?

No problem! Dr Jeff, Rocky Mountain Vet, will fix that break!!!

Lads, that’s what happens when you’re kneeling in the center of the shop to get a socket that rolled into the drain, and another mechanic bringing in a client’s car turns the corner and doesn’t see you.

[Syscrush]

Lads, that’s what happens when you’re kneeling in the center of the shop to get a socket that rolled into the drain, and another mechanic bringing in a client’s car turns the corner and doesn’t see you.

Holy damn. I wouldn't wish that break on anybody. How has your recovery been?

I have to know, though - did you recover the socket?


That amended linkage for the shifter is one of the craziest things I've seen on a motorcycle. I love it.

[bikeymikey748]

Holy damn. I wouldn't wish that break on anybody. How has your recovery been?

I have to know, though - did you recover the socket?


That amended linkage for the shifter is one of the craziest things I've seen on a motorcycle. I love it.

My recovery has been tough. I did catch a break though. Cycle Canada published a ‘First Person’ submission, in the spring after my accident, from a rider named Dean Hadd. They were so taken with his account they mentioned him in the editorial and took the extra step of including his e-mail address should anyone want to contact him. Dean lost his right leg below the knee in a low speed accident involving a dump truck. Reading the story of his recovery, it struck me he was doing better than I was. Dean believes himself to be the first motorcyclist with a prosthetic leg in the province to get his full permit back. After speaking with him, I have no reason to doubt it. We exchanged a few messages and he graciously invited me out to his place in the Townships whenever I felt up to it. Great guy, very interesting, gave me a few good mental and physical exercises. Motorcyclists...good folks to know. And sadly, no, though the guys at Toyota gave it their all, the socket was never recovered.

In other news...I had been using a short length of clear tubing as a reservoir for my rear brake master cylinder. It looked ok, but only just even given as I had seen them on a buddy’s TZ 250 years ago. I figured I might come up with something better.



I knew there existed pricey billet piggy-back reservoirs that bolted to the master where the hose exited. Nope, not floating my boat. Then, I stumbled on an alternative in the form of an integrated rear brake master/reservoir intended for a Honda CRF450. I bought an aftermarket one. Same 19mm. piston as the Suzuki I had been using. Many options in regards to bolt spacing, actuating rod length, and brake pedal adaptors. A bit of McGyvering, some paint, and....I much prefer the integrated look of it now.

[daves79x]

Indeed! Great stuff Mike.

Dave