Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Some pics (finally)!
Frame jig!
Welding away
Mocking up rake, stretch, ground clearance etc.
Downtube and neck firsttaking shape
The motor, original frame, and tank (take note of the tank, soon to be chopped & screwed)!

Nice little motor, just needs some speed holes.

Rear motor mount... with speed holes.
Cross bracing. Looks cool, and adds a little extra "my shitty welds broke @ 140kph" insurance.
Neck gusset. See a theme going on?
Exhaust. Will be wrapped, except for stainless slash cut tip. Room for a baffle should the law insist.
Thanks to Opheim and Csik for showing me how to mig weld sheet.
Original tank, large pie shape cut out, two filler necks added.
Cool hump thing added. Yeah, well I like it.
The tank will stay without paint. Maybe wax or clearcoat for now... The caps are strange brass industrial plumbing bits (thanks Brian).
Cutting a section out of a trailer fender. Wide tires are gay (with respect to my gay friends).
Welded fender. Curve has been altered to match the profile of the tire, middle piece welded in for extra rigidity.
Underside. 100% penetration! Ok, 95%, but good enough for me!
Uh huh. It's starting to look like a bike. A ratillac, baby!
I can't even begin to describe how stoked I am to ride this.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

It's been a while since I've posted anything (if I'm not in school, I'm at the garage, studying, or sleeping). With the deadline of April 17, Cyclemania 2009 looming, a few of my bastard brothers convinced me to make a change of plans. The problem was that the CBR600RR motor is not an easy fit into any kind of rigid frame, and is not exactly a great first frame build. Complicated rad plumbing, fuel injection with secondary injectors, an incredibly deep wet sump, and complex wiring all make for a loooong build time (at least if I'm gonna make it look cool). I do, however, have a great little Yamaha 400cc bike that I picked up from insurance salvage last year for cheap. Kickstart, 2 cylinder, low kms, 6 speed tranny, and carburetted (thank god!). As a bonus, under 475cc bikes don't require an inspection here in SK. It won't be as fast as the CBR, but it'll be a hella fun ride regardless. I won't really have the time to do much in the way of polishing and painting, but then again, do I really want to?

Progress so far:
-I've tack welded the (stretched & raked drop seat!) frame, finished motor mounts, and am finishing up some bracing.
-Gas tank has been drastically narrowed/reshaped, twin filler caps added, 60% complete (my first experience with mig and sheet metal!). Thank god for tank sealant!
-Twisty-assed exhaust system 90% fabbed. It'll get exhaust wrap, so no worries on weld appearance.
-motor has been speed-holed!
-risers complete.

To go:
-finish welding frame, tank, exhaust.
-fabricate foot controls (rear brake, clutch) and jockey shift.
-figure out rear fender, fab kick ass sissy bar.
-weld in bracket for seat suspension.
-fab Z bars.
-wiring and lights (as simply as possible).
-turn rear axle w/spacers on lathe.
-speed holes!!!

the pic button on the blog controls isn't working, so you'll have to wait for the visuals!