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Going Racing

Started by The Prophet of Doom, October 15, 2011, 04:39:21 AM

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pinholenz

Fascinating post Roro and great pics of your setup and workshop. Makes my bike look really like the corroded rat bike wannabe that it is. Still, when you look at your own ugly baby, you just see hidden beauty and the wonder of it all.......
Only one '82.5  eXtreme Zen 550

Rick G

Fret, your point is well taken ! When I started racing there were no schools, I watched others and started small , in the 50 cc production class . Don't laugh, I was 175 lbs then  and everybody in the class was a bit large for a 50. It allowed me to progress and still stay inside my skill level.
I graduated to a 250 cc Suzuki X6 (T20) and really enjoyed it . This experience  paid off in my street riding. Even many years later, when I got back into riding , I started on a CB100 Honda and worked back up through several successively larger bikes to the Vision. What amazes me is that it all came back to me. I've enjoyed comments is 3 states such as. "that old man hauls ass"  I enjoy it when I find a rider who can keep up or even pass me . (Ron in Tehatchipi comes to mind, so does Don Minor, or my friend /boss in Mn,  Sean . He cheated though, he rode a Yamaha R6 and had raced it at Brainerd, Blew my doors off !!  LOL
So , today go to a school  and don't ride over your head . I have never fallen at speed ! when I fall off its at 25 mph or even sitting still, LOL
Rick G
Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there in lurks the skid demon
'82.5 Yamaha XZ550 RJ  Vision,
'90 Suzuki VX800, 1990 Suzuki DR350.
'74  XL350   Honda , 77 XL350 Honda, 78 XL350 Honda, '82 XT 200 Yamaha, '67 Yamaha YG1TK, 80cc trail bike

The Prophet of Doom

#102
It's never going to be a bad thing knowing how hot things are getting down in your nether regions, but if I put another gauge on the bike it will end up looking like a 747 cockpit.

Found some cool Q-SPS oil filler gauges on ebay.  They have a fair range, but nothing that will fit the 82 XZ.  I ordered the QOT-06 which is just the right length to tuck in behind the pickups, and cut a new thread to suit.


[edit]
This unit over here looks like a better choice

The Prophet of Doom

#103
I got the day off today, so spent it making a bracket for the new DCC gauges out of 2mm 5053 alloy.  Uses the stock rubber mounts with a little 11mm ali pipe to stop them crushing.  These are important as the gauges will fail with excess vibration.  I didn't realise till I put some power through them, but they are backlit blue.  Thankfully they are both the same colour - it would have been just my luck to have bought mismatching ones.  They look a little lopsided in the pic, but they are as straight as a US president. Honest.

Still looks a bit DIY, but once it is powder coated it should be tolerable.  Now I just need to decide whether to mount my LED voltmeter between the gauges or somewhere else entirely.  I still have a cunning plan for the space where the idiot lights and key used to be.

These gauges only have a single flasher led - Does any know about the diodes I would need to wire it up properly?

[edit] I forgot to mention that I has to get an extension for the speedo cable - from mike's XZ I got the shortest one

The Prophet of Doom

Another pic - from the front

fret not

That's starting to look like a motorcycle! ;)
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

zore

#106
Quote from: neil on October 16, 2011, 08:28:49 PM
Helmet deterioration - replace due to age or not?
This question has been around for years. I looked for a definitive answer about 18 months or so ago and settled on checking with a motorcycle safety colleague and head protection expert. His opinion is what I based my prior post on. I'm inclined to trust his expertise and opinions. His background and credentials go back to working with Dr. Harry Hurt and the well known "Hurt report" at USC and are impeccable. See for yourself - http://www.ci-dynamics.com/cv/CVofDThom4-2008.pdf

If you are looking at a helmet that is 10 or more years old, might be time to get a new one, if nothing else, the sanctioning body may require a snell rating which are updated periodicity.  If you've ever crashed in it, replace it. 

I did a few tutorial track days which were worth every penny.  They had 1/4 day of instruction with the rest to riding with an instructor.  I would suggest starting with them.
1982 Yamaha XZ550
1995 Ducati M900

The Prophet of Doom

#107
So it seems I haven't touched the bike for over a month. That's not entirely true, but nothing much worth sharing.

Some of you will recall that a while ago I bought a  giant pink shock off Raj.  It arrived without oil, so I tool it off to a "professional" to get re-built and recharged. That was a supreme waste of money - it cost way more than I thought it would, but then it started pissing out oil before it had even been on the bike. So there's no money left for a new one.  Whatever I do will have to be on the cheap cheap.

I was recently donated a very low km R1 shock.   Adjustable preload, compression and rebound and looks brand new. There are heaps of these available as people seem to love replace them with $2000 Ohlins units.  The R1 shock is one of those double action ones, but it's got a lot of interest on the Kawasaki Versys which has a similar setup to the XZ.  Some feel the need for a heavier spring, others not so much - but springs are relatively cheap compared to entire shock units.

The length is similar size - 310mm eye to eye rather than the 317mm stock and other than the 10mm eyes (12mm on the XZ), it will drop straight in if you are game to remove the rear mudguard and move around some of the wiring.   The bottom eye is mild steel, so I just drilled it with a 12mm cobalt drill in my press (250RPM, lots of lube).  The top is hardened stainless and just melts the drill, so I machined up a new bushing - 40mm x 12mmID x 17mmOD in steel.  Both bushes are still thicker than the XZ stock so I'm hoping they will be OK - if they break then the 12mm pins are still there for safety.

It will be a while before I can offer a ride report as the bike is in many many pieces.

pullshocks

This is really interesting.  While everything is still exposed could you take some more pictures, especially close ups of the mounts at each end.  And of course we will be interested to hear how it works.

Keep up the good work!

Rikugun

#109
Sorry to hear about the pink shock fiasco - that must be frustrating for sure.  :(

The R1 shock looks good in there but I guess the ride quality will determine if it ends being a viable solution.  :) Is there any concern with reservoir clearance when the travel is maxed out? How accessible are the damping adjusters?  +1 on the request for more pics please!

Thanks for the update and keep 'em coming  :D
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

The Prophet of Doom

#110
The only way to be sure there are no clearance issues is to drop out the spring and fully compress it.  Tricky as I don't have a spring compressor.  Looks like it will be fine, there is a full cm or more clearance from the reservoir to the heads.

The bottom of the shock was a mild steel bush bonded/press fit onto rubber same as the XZ.  All I did here is use the drill press to drill out to 12mm, and chamfer the edges.  Plenty of access to pre-load and the compression damping adjuster.   I've added a few washers to keep the shock in the right spot, but this pic shows without.  This is actually the top of the shock on an R1, but Versys riders say that they work fine upside down.

The top of the shock has a needle bearing cage with a 17mmOD 10mmID stainless bushing.  I could not cut that - even with cobalt drills and my toughest cutting tools on the lathe.  It's a push fit out, so I machined up a new bushing - 40mm x 12mmID x 17mmOD in steel. The walls are 2.5mm, so it will take a fair bit to crack that, and if it does, the unmolested 12mm bolt will provide a good safety margin.
I made the bush 40mm as that is the width of the XZ bushing.  Again I've added a few washers to keep the shock in the right spot, but this pic shows without. You can see access to the rebound adjuster is at a bit of an angle, but certainly doable

I'll take the bike off the work stand later on and check the sag - that will give me a good idea whether it will be suitable or not


The Prophet of Doom

I've been following JohnCements thread and some discussions about the Motogadget M-unit system.
My wiring was toast anyway - much corrosion on the connectors (despite the grease, and cable almost melted through where it passed through by the R/R.  Got myself an M-unit and a whole bunch of cable I can think about doing a full re-wire.  All connectors will be weatherpac (only slightly dearer than OEM) crimped and soldered and the ignition key will be replaced by RFID. 

Despite the simplicity of the M-Unit, It will be located way back in the seat cowl and by the time I wire the additional sensors, volt meter, marker lights, airhorn etc  there is going to be a ton of cable in this beasty.  I'm thinking of running it all through braided sleeve rather than wrapping but this means I have to plan it all out and get the sleeve on before attaching any ends. 

Anyone have any idea what sort of braid would be best? Can I use metal and make that an earth strap?

fret not

My guess is the shock will work well, might need to change the spring rate to suit your particular weight.  How about a fairing?  Treedragon has done such a nice job of figuring out what can be done with the XZ you might ask him for an idea or two.

We're all looking forward to seeing your project come together.



Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

The Prophet of Doom

If I do a fairing it will be more towards a Dunstall style than Treedragon's
He's done an awesome job and keeps coming up with new brilliant mods, but it's more of a modern racer look than I'm going for - I want a nod to the classic, but as hi tech as I can

On that note...
I've switched to a classic chrome round headlight (the bucket will be powder coated) but saw this on the net and found myself dribbling - is it too streetfighter do you think?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Universal-Motorbike-7-Matt-Black-LED-Headlight-Fits-Triumph-Speed-Street-Triple-/150979216403?pt=AU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2327100413&_uhb=1#ht_5397wt_1188

Rikugun

Very interesting approach, I don't think I've seen a round light like that before. What are the wattage equivalents for hi/lo?
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

fret not

If it puts out good light then it should be fine.  Looks a bit , um, unusual.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

pinholenz

AU $70! Looks like you have sourced another bargain!
Only one '82.5  eXtreme Zen 550

The Prophet of Doom

They don't ship outside the land of Oz from ebay, but they ship worldwide from their website www.thirdgear.com.au
If I don't like it, I can always sell it on trademe - I doubt I'll lose

The Prophet of Doom

Still waiting for the LED headlight light to arrive, so entertained myself by attacking the frame with an angle grinder.
Getting rid of the unnecessary crappage certainly makes the frame look cleaner.



The Prophet of Doom

The headlight arrived, but was disappointingly dim.  I have seen fireflies brighter than that.
Then I realised my battery has been under the bench so long (over summer) it had evaporated nearly dry.
It's refilled and on charge so will update shortly.  It may be toast.