treedragon wine warning :-)

[treedragon]

Wine warning, wine warning!!!! Hehe (red, Merlot, NZ vintage)

....so it's now sometime after the second bottle and I have decided to entertain myself with listing some of the changes to the steed with reference to the photo below, so starting from the ground up:

- front wheel... Yamaha R1 discs, Yamaha FZR400 calipers, braided brake lines, older Brembo master cylinder, severely pruned front mudguard to accommodate the triple clamps dropped by 35mm, early Triumph after market fork gaiters, .
- battery low down just in front of rear wheel
- hand built exhaust with Ducati Streetfighter muffler
- footpegs raised and placed rearward
- rear subframe support cut off and brought forward (and rewelded in place for good measure :-)
- Ducati Paso rear shock requiring re-located forward mount point.
- Weber carb from Ducati Paso on handbuilt manifold
- severely adjusted standard XZ full fairing with Yamaha R1 screen, Ducati MultiStrada indicators (from rear), Ford Lazer projector beam headlights (two), embedded driving lights, after market digital dash, radar detector, digital volt meter.
- clip-on handlebars
- moderately adjusted Ducati 916/748 tailpiece with XZ upside down tail light
- nameless after market indicators from a Hardly Ableson.
- Handlebar end mirrors

mainly its sort of rough as guts however much is relatively inexpensive to do. I note to my eye it is evolving enough to consider as some form of final incarnation. Ha!


Internal changes over and above the stator replacement........ XZ400 flywheel, Cosworth cams, emulators in the front forks.

Now it seems obvious to me having after looked at the pic that there is still some to be done ie: the radiator is too deep so needs a wider shallower unit with pipes cunningly re-routed??? and the lower front side panels modified to suit. So I have noticed this radiator floating around the workshop........


.....and it seems I just might get to throw it on the dyno fairly soonish if for no other reason than to finally dial in the weber carb, which reminds me I had better throw some more clutch plates in it first.

I guess what promoted this post (despite the wine)  was various recent references to a number of you doing your own thing..... and with that in mind I just want to say go for it!!! The basic bike is surprisingly effective, eminently thrashable and it responds well to attention, it wants to live. There are many alternatives to standard that do not compromise the essence of XZ so I say just try it!!!!!! There is help a plenty in this forum.

[devotee]

MAGNIFICENT!!!

[QBS]

Whenever you get around to it, please give us a weight number.  Are reworked heads still envisioned?  Of course, I can't help but applaud mightily.  I think what I love the most is that, in spite of the extensive modifications, you have retained the essence of the bike, the factory chassis including the wheels, forks, rear brake, and side castings.  Along these same lines you also retained the factory tank, front fender, and fairing.  Thank you!  Well done.

How does its' performance compare to the Ducatis' you ride with?

[treedragon]

well I just got up (it's morning here) and remembered I had been let loose on a keyboard after wine............

So with the full intent of deleting the post I logged on to find I had been beaten to the punch........... sigh   

QBS - the weight thing is a good thought

The performance aspect re the Ducati.....
well the power is lacking a bit compared most of the modern bikes however the handling is really quite sharp, predictable, and stable, particularly since dropping the bike down the front forks. With this being a land of corners, where big horsepower often doesn't really help, this bike excells despite it not having the most wonderful suspension. There is an advantage though in that I know exactly what's going on under my tires unlike with many of the modern suspensions where one seems a bit insulated from it all. So despite the relative lack of power I tend to use all of it and take full advantage of it's handling so it always aquits itself well in the group. I am usually sent out in front so i can play a little  ;D

I am keeping my eye out for a nice Ohlins unit for the rear.
The steering is more akin to the Ducati 999, 748, 916 and similar, whereas I find the Monsters, 1098, MultiStrada's all feel a bit vague.

Engine mods are still on - balanced crank, ported heads, etc etc  with many many thanks to my friend here for all the help in that direction.

.....and I notice that there was a degree of rambling in my post about radiators, I might have to look into that, I had forgotten all about it ::)  it might even have merit. Now I am wondering if i wrote anything else I don't remember and to who  :o

 

[jefferson]

I stand in awe!

[treedragon]

It weighs in at 183kg with a part tank of fuel.
There is a front weight bias of 3 kg, probably more when it has a full tank.

[jefferson]

That is 402 lbs. for us Mericans. 13 more on the front. I would say that is pretty good especially for having all the street legal stuff on. I weighed the racebike one time and that figure has escaped me, but I seem to remember it wasn't under 400 and that was with a minimal harness, no street stuff or electric start, but then again it could have been before I did some of that stuff and thus that put me under 400, but I never put her on the scales again. I need to do that one of these days.

Jeff

[fret not]

I wonder how it all would have gone if it were shiraz in place of merlot.  You folks do have some very nice wines. ;)

[QBS]

Loosing approx. 20% in weight and gaining approx. 20% in hp would have to make for an extremely quick/thrilling V.   How easy is it to loft the front end in 2nd gear?

[treedragon]

QBS

I have never really bothered with hoisting the front end, it has always seemed a waste of forward momentum on this bike  ;D

Now that wasn't the case with the Diavel oh no!! (full race exhaust, 175hp at the rear wheel)  :o  :o ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I suspect the XZ would be raaaather tame in comparison.

Another aspect is that I am not particularly light at a 100kg, and tall with it, I have deliberately set up the ride position with my head down and leaning as far forward as I can get to favour a front end weight bias.

Well the bike is actually now sitting on the dyno, it's being used as a test machine for some modifications we are making to the dyno so no doubt we will get a run or two in not so far from now, and see if we can improve the Weber tuning any. It will be good to get an idea of progress thus far  8)

 

[jefferson]

Are those dyno figures going to be in something we don't understand too...

I don't know how to do the smiley thing, but I tried.

Jeff

[Drucifer]

Now that is very nice indeed, has given me some ideas about where to take mine, think a standard tank would help me out plenty!!

[treedragon]

Tonight it is just a a wee touch of Shiraz in my glass, and only the one glass I might add, so how could I not post a little contemplation, a small bit of computer trickery to aid the imagination  ;D



I'm quite favouring the idea as it makes the V stand out more.........

[Rikugun]

I like the look of the blacked out engine - did you try it with the top end given the same treatment to see how it looks?

[treedragon]

Yup I tried it some time ago. The whole deal looked like a great big black lump, no class at all............ well substantially less than it's got now anyway  ;D

I am going to go with the black crankcases. I will do it in place, a bit of careful masking and a spray can will do the trick. In all likelihood this will not be the final uprated engine anyway so I can play a bit without getting toooo serious about it  ;D  ;D  ;D
I'm thinking I might have to whip the spring off the rear shock and give it the red treatment.......

 

[Rikugun]

I'm thinking I might have to whip the spring off the rear shock and give it the red treatment.......

A sound platform in any decor scheme - use splashes of color within accessories to brighten up an otherwise somber palette.....  :P  :)