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Going Racing

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

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dingleberry

That's a new trick I have learnt, thanks. Better than black shoe nugget! Looks really good. Won't be long now....open road here he comes!
You like, oui?

The Prophet of Doom

What colour should I do my wheels?

I've stripped the paint off the XZ400 wheels I got off the Dingleberry.  I can't decide what colour
Black, Gold, Orange Metallic, Purple ? I don't know

Also the pattern
Polished spokes and rims (stock), Polished spokes only, No polished bits, Different coloured centre

Any thoughts?

By the way... the rear stripped easily in one go, but the front has been a right bastard to get all the paint off.  I noticed that the rear is marked Asahi (The Pentax people?) but the front is not.  I wonder if they were outsourced to different places.

dingleberry


BLACK all over. Unless you are painting front guard black then just polish rim.
You like, oui?

fret not

I think polished edges (sides?) of the rims looks clean.  Also if you keep the color off the rim edges it can't chip when changing tyres.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

The Prophet of Doom

#344
I decided on black rims for a chunkier look.  The "spokes" were badly corrosion damaged so i sanded that and the lathe marks off to a near mirror shine.  The rest is satin black - same as the frame and forks.
One wheel down, one to go.

Re-Vision

That looks great POD, the big oven is paying off.    BDC

Rikugun

That looks really good. How durable is the finish in regards to tire irons?
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

Re-Vision


The Prophet of Doom

#348
Quote from: Rikugun on May 09, 2015, 08:40:14 AM
That looks really good. How durable is the finish in regards to tire irons?
Powdered rims will mark if you get metal to powder rubbing action.  Standard practice is to slip a bit of nylon between them like a cut open milk bottle.


Powder is pretty robust though - many modern bikes and cars have powdered wheels rim to rim



Rikugun

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

I can't use my oversized R1 Rotors due to the bloody government. 
However R16 models have dual unslotted disks the same size as US 83.  I'm going to drill these, but can't decide on a pattern. I'm leaning towards "Turbo Syndicator"  Any thoughts?  Anyone ever drilled a disk before?







pinholenz

Having been mesmerised by your previous avatar, I'd rather go for the Apocalyptic Gyration.
Only one '82.5  eXtreme Zen 550

fret not

We used to drill discs to make them lighter, then found they worked much better than undrilled discs in the wet weather.  I would go for the lightest one. 

Drilling stainless discs is a real chore unless you have a CNC mill, as it is rather tough to drill.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

dingleberry

I like the sound of the purple squish mitten myself. Did you get a rotary table for your mill or will you do them at night school?
You like, oui?

kiwibum

Hi Rohan. I know this is about 12 months late, however, did you fit the fuel pump to this bike? I must have missed that part of the thread for some reason, and just read about it now thinking it was what you were working on, until I noticed the date. In case it makes any difference, I pulled the pump off my 550, the one I visited you on in 2007. My 400s didn't have pumps so I didn't see the need for it on the 550, removed it and never had any problems with out one.  May be it lets you get the last bit of fuel when on reserve but I couldn't find a need for one.

Hope that helps. Nice work your doing on the race bike. Steve.

The Prophet of Doom

#355
Wow was it really 8 years ago?
Nice to
see you back on here Steve.  Do you still have your 550s? - you need to post your status.


Thanks for the comment.  I have to say that everything takes so much longer than I plan for, so no I haven't done much with the pump except give it a try. I'd noticed the XZ00 lack of pump also and I've tried my 550 without.  Like you I didn't notice any real difference so I know what you mean.


I'm keen on the electric pump for 5 reasons.
1.   The float bowl of the Weber sits a lot higher and I think gravity feed will be more of an issue
2.   My tank is (probably) going to sit a bit lower
3.   I figure this will help starting after sitting for a while - especially if the float bowls/lines have evaporated dry
4.   I like the high-tech whirr of the pump when you power on
5.   It's on my list of possible mods - so I *have* to do it


@Dingleberry  I don't have a rotary table.  I was going to do it the old school way with marking instruments (compass, scribe, protractor etc) and a rusty codpiece as a centre punch.  That rather counts out the Apocolyptic Gyration, but The Squished Kitten should be easy enough.  Patience enough for drilling hundreds of holes in stainless - that will be the hard part.

dingleberry

#356
It's only 72 holes plus 72 centre drill holes plus 72 pilot holes plus 72 incremental holes...

How much will a new set of nice drill bits cost? Beware the bits breaking off in the final hole you are drilling too  ::)

http://www.allamericanwheel.com/rotors.html     for rotor blanks. Easier to drill mount holes than hundreds of holes.

What about turning down R1 rotors to acceptable size or will the drill pattern exclude this option?
You like, oui?

fret not

I think it's a good idea to plan for the holes to over lap swept areas of other holes.  This sweeps the brake pads clear of water or anything else that might get splashed on them.  It also helps cool the pads.

Cast iron is much easier to drill and also has a much higher coefficient of friction, which means they are much more efficient for braking, though they will rust if left sitting in the elements.
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

The Prophet of Doom

Quote from: dingleberry on May 14, 2015, 09:16:15 PM
It's only 72 holes plus 72 centre drill holes plus 72 pilot holes plus 72 incremental holes...
Times two rotors
Oh that's only 576 holes.  How many holes will a $28 cobalt drill do into a thick stainless rotor? Even if I do go slow and use lots of fluid?


@FretNut, do you have any idea where I could get cast iron discs of this size??

kiwibum

Quote from: ProphetOfDoom on May 14, 2015, 07:08:33 AM
Wow was it really 8 years ago?
Nice to
see you back on here Steve.  Do you still have your 550s? - you need to post your status.
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Time flies, and yes still have all my 550s, have just recently moved them to their final resting place (for me anyway, have decide I wont be moving them again, they are heavy pigs to hump round when not working and have flat tires).  Might get to work on them in the next couple of years, have bought a place in Tauranga (currently in Rotorua) that has lots of workshop space so I've collected the bikes I had stored round the country side and can finally have them under one shed again.

After spending a couple of days moving them to the new workshop I'm not as excited as I once was about them unfortunately. Partly due to being reminded just how heavy they are, having wrist problems which will make bike rides more painful than it used to be, and getting interested in building a cyclekart http://www.cyclekartclub.com/. Having said that I'm sure I'll be keen as soon as I ride the XZ again, my working one has been in storage for 5 years and haven't ridden a motorbike in that time.

Unfortunately the new property has to be renovated to make it liveable and has priority over toys :(

Good point about the Weber being higher, however as long as the float valve is below the petcock inlet on the tank it should be OK. My understanding is your not actually going to race this thing now, so high sustained bowl draining revs on really long right hand corners wont be a problem ;D.

XZ400 rotors are already slotted from what I can remember so you could always fit a set of them. Also like the suggestion of turning down the R1 units.