Streetfighter RZV Roller

[MK]

Sorry, my bad.
A thicker wall is still better to weld.

[Smoker]

Don't really want to post pics before things are finished.

Have to deal with a bunch of other shit now, so might take a while to get the swingarm/rear wheel fitment done.

I know you guys want to see what's up, so here are a couple of quick preview shots.

[lost1750GTV]

very nice!
dymags?

[Smoker]

very nice!
dymags?

Thanks.
Those are BST carbon wheels.

[lost1750GTV]

I could see they were cf on my phone. Either brand very nice, with I guess bst having an advantage in finish.

[Smoker]

Didn't know what to do about a front fender.

Don't have any plan for a paint job. Most of my bikes don't have paint on whatever bodywork is there.

Looked at R6 OEM fenders. Nothing I like. Solid red would be the only one I might use without painting. The OEM fenders aren't cheap, so I went for a carbon fiber fender. If it doesn't work out, the next fender will be OEM.

Just like every other carbon part I've ever bought... it sucks.

Not to the level of other CF parts. This one only half sucks!

I bought from a place in Slovenia called carbon2race. Better reviews than most companies, so I gave it a shot.

Well, the fender is definitely race quality. Pretty good race quality, IMO.

For a street bike, though, it's not ideal. It's nearly paper-thin. The appearance on top of the fender isn't perfect, but I would still give it an "A" grade. Very well done.





Unfortunately, the underside appears completely ignored. Of course, the fender is so thin, a good coat of paint or sealer on the bottom would probably double the weight. So, I understand if it's for a race bike. I'll need to mask it up and put a coat of something under there.



The other reason it sucks is because the 4 holes barely fit an M6 bolt. The OEM holes are much larger and fit a rubber grommet and aluminum collar.

I predict that hard mounting this thin fender will cause cracks in the carbon fiber pronto. Whatever. For now, it's going on. Hope the fit is okay.

Needed to get the fender now, so I can mockup the brake lines. Trying to get them ordered so I can figure out placement of the line anchors on the new swingarm.

[skunkworks]

awesome work mate!

[Smoker]

Still trying to find out what tail this is.

Pics are from Japan, I believe around 2012.

[Smoker]

Got back to messing around with the new custom swingarm.

Fabricator decided to make the link brackets stronger by adding some material. Couldn't install the arm. Linkage brackets hit the dogbones.

Made a couple of steel templates. Here, the templates are on the R6 arm:


Clearance with the R6 arm:


Here, the templates are on the custom arm. Shows how much material I chopped off. May still chop more:


Did a quick chop with an angle grinder and hand file. Still need to clean it up & polish:


Need to recheck when I modify for more rear wheel travel. Not the best pic, but you can see some clearance on the custom arm brackets.

[Smoker]

Been working a bit on the 500 project lately, mostly because it's inside the house. Been triple digit heat for about a month, so sleeping during the day. Supposed to be 116F on Saturday and 117F on Sunday. Never seen these temps here, in my lifetime.

I'm a couple of weeks overdue for my blood tests, so will be getting that done soon. Fingers crossed, for sure.

Unfortunately, I need to pass on some bad news. Got a call 2 days ago. My good friend Bill died from pneumonia. Bill ran the local machine shop that made hundreds of custom bike parts for me over the years. Went by the empty shop today for the last time. There were a few parts/tooling with my name on them. Over the years, I've never found any other local shop willing to make my one-off parts.

RIP Bill Hamilton.

[tacky1]

Thats a shame Pete, RIP Bill...

[Smoker]

Haven't looked at this bike in forever.

Registered for welding classes at the local college. Start in January.

Just had a crazy thought that maybe a set of titanium pipes for this bike could be my final thesis.

...At least I'm not giving up.

[lost1750GTV]

You start welding titanium pipes, demand will keep you around forever! I did some welding when I turned a 55 chev 4 door into a bel camino - I must admit (at least then) i didn't have the patience for it.
How is your 350 motard progressing?

[Smoker]

You start welding titanium pipes, demand will keep you around forever! I did some welding when I turned a 55 chev 4 door into a bel camino - I must admit (at least then) i didn't have the patience for it.
How is your 350 motard progressing?

Bel Camino.

Well, I'd have to charge my anesthesia salary prices. And I'm slow. One pipe would probably cost $20,000.

Anything that would keep me around would be a welcome miracle.

Need to fabricate a reasonably complicated aluminum fuel tank for the motard. Maybe another school project.

Have plenty of welding projects for the bikes, but almost all the welding, so far, was done by a now retired master welder. I'm sure my welding would be painfully obvious. At least I should be able to get my stuff tacked up for a finish welder.

The more recent custom pipes and custom swingarm were not welded by Roger, and the difference is huge. And not in a good way.

[MK]

In Germany we have a saying that you don't divide the shares of the bear's fur until you actually shot him.

Transferred to your welding plans:
Give it a try and see how far talent can be catalyzed by training.
If you can only manage tacking up for letting the professional do the job, you still have gained something.
If you can do minor things on your own - even better. Saves a lot of begging at welding shops.

But as I learned that you have a rather high expectation on aestheticis of your tailored parts, I fear you won't be able to reach that level.
Though still pressing thumbs you will!