Here goes nothing

[pwizl]

Last night I worked on the seat to frame braces.


Made a very simple jig

Applied some heat and made some bends. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was.

 

[pwizl]

Cut the braces to length and tacked them in place, gussets and some bracing will be added. Swingarm brace and bellcrank are also being redesigned

 

[pwizl]

Got the rear subframe/seat area pretty much done just need to do the finish welding and a bit of grinding.


Cut some gussets from 3/16 plate and used them to brace the area where the new rear seat supports meet the frame

Then I drilled a hole and welded in a sleeve for looks, will add a couple smaller ones later

A little more finish welding and grinding then I'll call it good

I need something here..

I think the final result cleaned up the rear frame nicely.


Before...

After...

 

[arcticXS]

Does anyone know if the acorn nuts used on the cases and head actually serve a purpose or was it just Yamaha's way of trying to make the engine look good? I prefer regular nuts and would like to replace them if possible.

Well, since brass or rubberized steel washers are required on some of the head nuts in order to avoid oil leaks, there is a possibility of the oil weeping out between the nut and the stud. So this is one good reason for using acorn nuts everywhere there is a possibility of oil leaks.

 

[Nightmare]

Your MIG welding, what pattern(To lay the bead) are you using and your heat? In some area's it seems your wire-speed is a tad fast. If you tell me this I can give you some better welding tips.

 

[ChewsVolt]

Pwizl- you ever complete this project? Looks awesome! I am curious if you made the suspension work, and how that tank looks on a complete bike.

 

[pwizl]

Still working on it, took a break for a bit, got a little burned out. Got back to it about a month or so ago. I completely re did the back section of the frame to add a kick up for a tail section and changed the way the rear shock sub frame attaches to the rear frame rails. I was never happy with the way the original tabs looked, just hanging off the frame, I wanted something that looked more integrated and less of an after thought. I also re did the swingarm brace and the bracket on the brace for attachment of the pushrod that goes from the bell crank to the swingarm for actuation of the rear shock.


Also made a tail section from fiberglass. It was my first time doing any fiberglass work and I'm pleased with the result. It still needs the final body work done to it prior to paint but other than that, it's done.


Made a mold/form out of floral foam, glued the pieces together with spray adhesive and shaped it with knives and sand paper.

When I was happy with the shape I laid up some fiberglass

 

[pwizl]

New swingarm brace and bracket for pushrod


Used some 1x2 to brace the hoop to the actual swingarm

Then I took some 1-1/4 square tube to make the attachment for the heim joint (rod end) of the pushrod. I made two attachment points so I could have a bit of adjustability and keep the actuation angle of the pushrod on the right plane. I also gusseted the mount on each side connecting it to the hoop for side loads and cut a piece of 1x2 to tie the whole thing together down the front. Another gusset of the same type will be added to the back area to tie it all together in the back as well. Probably a bit of overkill but I want this whole area to be solid

What the swingarm looked like before

 

[pwizl]

I also had to re do the bellcrank. The one I originally used just wouldn't work to actuate the shock correctly. The design I came up with gives me about 2.5 inches of shock travel to 5 inches of wheel movement.


I made it out of 1/4 inch plate and the middle pivot will have a needle bearing pressed into a sleeve

Tacked the sleeve on the inside the finish welded it on the outside

I'm hoping to have all of the rear suspension and frame done in the next couple of days so I'll post pics when I do

 

[ChewsVolt]

Yowzas! You don't take small bites do you? That's a large undertaking, nice! Fiberglass looks good so far. I did a seatpan once, my arms were itching for weeks. Cleanup and sanding can be a pain. Keep us posted. Are you using a flux core or gas mig?