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Flat track project
- Thread starter Pipes
- Start date
Rorty!
TJZ662
XS650 Addict
Very nice! Are you using any furick cups?, the jazzy 10 for me as been amazing
Not on this piece bud but we do use them on certain jobs...we normally use plain ceramic cups with gas lenses..although they can prove to be difficult to use in hard to reach places ie tacking brackets onto exhausts in situ
TJZ662
XS650 Addict
Yeah I do find you still get good coverage with close to a 2 inch stick out with say a Fupa cup but I hear ya on that. The pipes looks sweet though
Hi all,hope you all had a good Christmas....here is my 6 monthly update but I have only managed to do some small jobs since my last post
I have fitted a rear brake caliper and hanger from a CRF250 and a suitable master cylinder to suit and adapted the rear brake lever to make it all work although I still need to make it somewhat neater...
I have also fitted a KTM front caliper and fabricated a bracket to suit...
A sidestand has been made after thinking long and hard about not using one to keep things neat and minimalistic but the thought of having to find somewhere to prop the bike up every time I took it out somewhere changed my mind and to be fair it doesn't look out of place anyway....I also tacked some small bosses onto the frame for the wiring and brake line p clips.
Time is getting nearer to stripping it all down for paint so I took the opportunity to give the engine some attention as in giving it a fill of oil and spinning it over to check for leaks...after finding a slight issue with the aftermarket oil filter housing all seemed tight...of course it would be rude not to kick her over with the plugs in and a slash of fuel wouldn't it ...I squirted a little fuel down the carbs and on the third kick it coughed into life,enough to push the carbs off their rubbers anyway..I had no intention of running it up properly yet but its good to know everything is ready to go,so I threw the flat track bars on and packed for the day..the list is getting shorter...
I have fitted a rear brake caliper and hanger from a CRF250 and a suitable master cylinder to suit and adapted the rear brake lever to make it all work although I still need to make it somewhat neater...
I have also fitted a KTM front caliper and fabricated a bracket to suit...
A sidestand has been made after thinking long and hard about not using one to keep things neat and minimalistic but the thought of having to find somewhere to prop the bike up every time I took it out somewhere changed my mind and to be fair it doesn't look out of place anyway....I also tacked some small bosses onto the frame for the wiring and brake line p clips.
Time is getting nearer to stripping it all down for paint so I took the opportunity to give the engine some attention as in giving it a fill of oil and spinning it over to check for leaks...after finding a slight issue with the aftermarket oil filter housing all seemed tight...of course it would be rude not to kick her over with the plugs in and a slash of fuel wouldn't it ...I squirted a little fuel down the carbs and on the third kick it coughed into life,enough to push the carbs off their rubbers anyway..I had no intention of running it up properly yet but its good to know everything is ready to go,so I threw the flat track bars on and packed for the day..the list is getting shorter...
Attachments
That bike has 'Pizzaz', Pipes! Great build thread. Merry Christmas.
'TT'
'TT'
So,here I am again...this time I am taking things apart ready for paint...Last week I dropped off the tank and seat unit to a friend who is an awesome custom painter and gave him some instruction as to what I'm after but I have let him have some artistic licence.I can tell you it's going to be blue but we will have to wait to see the final results.
The frame and swing arm I picked up today from the bead blasters and I am happy with the outcome although I completely forgot to take a pic in its raw form as I immediately drove over to my freinds in a hurry to get it in his warm paintshop ready for a coating of clear etch laquer tomorrow...
I also recently acquired some front springs for the forks of similar size as what's in their already but more suited to a heavier machine than the originals. This will be my current quandary...because now the forks sag under its own weight almost 50mm/2" and has very little in the way of support when simulating braking.The springs in question are from a GS750 so similar in weight to an XS so you'd think they would be more than enough for a much lighter bike such as this.It could be simply down to the amount and quality of oil in the legs and to be fair I haven't done anything with them since I purchased them.I was hoping to get them somewhere near to acceptable then strip them down for fresh oil and seals.Formerly there were the original Sherco trials springs plus some shortened XS springs inside those while I am building the bike to keep the front end moveable around the workshop. These support the bike pretty well to be fair but will probably be like a pogo on the road
..but seriously, any advice on the front end is much appreciated.
As for the rear I have found a company who sell monoshock springs with different rates for a very reasonable price and have purchased a spring to replace the existing standard R6 one and if it means buying another to get it spot on then at least I'm not spending/wasting loads of money....So,as soon as I get the bits back from the painters I will start the re-assembly and I shall endeavour to take more pics as I go
The frame and swing arm I picked up today from the bead blasters and I am happy with the outcome although I completely forgot to take a pic in its raw form as I immediately drove over to my freinds in a hurry to get it in his warm paintshop ready for a coating of clear etch laquer tomorrow...
I also recently acquired some front springs for the forks of similar size as what's in their already but more suited to a heavier machine than the originals. This will be my current quandary...because now the forks sag under its own weight almost 50mm/2" and has very little in the way of support when simulating braking.The springs in question are from a GS750 so similar in weight to an XS so you'd think they would be more than enough for a much lighter bike such as this.It could be simply down to the amount and quality of oil in the legs and to be fair I haven't done anything with them since I purchased them.I was hoping to get them somewhere near to acceptable then strip them down for fresh oil and seals.Formerly there were the original Sherco trials springs plus some shortened XS springs inside those while I am building the bike to keep the front end moveable around the workshop. These support the bike pretty well to be fair but will probably be like a pogo on the road
..but seriously, any advice on the front end is much appreciated.As for the rear I have found a company who sell monoshock springs with different rates for a very reasonable price and have purchased a spring to replace the existing standard R6 one and if it means buying another to get it spot on then at least I'm not spending/wasting loads of money....So,as soon as I get the bits back from the painters I will start the re-assembly and I shall endeavour to take more pics as I go
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Great build!
Waaay outside of the box and I like it
A LOT.
I read back through the entire thread, really good ideas. Will be interesting to see how the end product comes to fruition once on the road.
Impeccable build. I can't help but notice that the engine looks like it is canted forward significantly. Do you know how many degrees?
I know I will be tilting my engine 15* forward and your appears to approach that. That is the magic number the Ascott TT used and signed off on by Yamaha engineers for oiling issues.
I like that look a lot. Yours is the first build I have noticed on the forum using that forward tilt.
The Ascott riders claimed it improved handling.
Nice work!
Waaay outside of the box and I like it
A LOT.
I read back through the entire thread, really good ideas. Will be interesting to see how the end product comes to fruition once on the road.
Impeccable build. I can't help but notice that the engine looks like it is canted forward significantly. Do you know how many degrees?
I know I will be tilting my engine 15* forward and your appears to approach that. That is the magic number the Ascott TT used and signed off on by Yamaha engineers for oiling issues.
I like that look a lot. Yours is the first build I have noticed on the forum using that forward tilt.
The Ascott riders claimed it improved handling.
Nice work!
Thanks mate,glad you like it...as for the angle of the engine you are correct,it is canted forward very slightly and if memory serves me right it's about 10 degrees...to be fair I wasn't aware of the magic number at the time but is very interesting..That's why I like this forum,there is much knowledge to be had.
Lots of nice details thanks for posting.
Sooo...since my last post I have had the steelwork/frame bead blasted.I didn't get any pics as I had to rush them over to the painters to get a coat of clear etch laquer as soon as possible before any moisture gets to it..This was 4 weeks ago and I collected the painted frame this week and I wasn't disappointed...I love the end effect..although the swing arm is getting done again as that wasn't quite right..
so now I am putting it together,carefully,making note of the fasteners and getting all the mock up fixings purchased or made in stainless steel..I am not in any hurry but I can't wait to see it progress...I haven't had my upholstered seat finished yet or tank sprayed but I have plenty to be getting on with...But it is getting there..
so now I am putting it together,carefully,making note of the fasteners and getting all the mock up fixings purchased or made in stainless steel..I am not in any hurry but I can't wait to see it progress...I haven't had my upholstered seat finished yet or tank sprayed but I have plenty to be getting on with...But it is getting there..
@Pipes
Mmm Mmm Mmm
This thread is becoming garage porn.
That is just gorgeous.
The bronzed capping accents the gorgeous dimes beautifully. I have been looking forward to your update and will continue to do so. One of the more interesting builds I have seen lately. In researching some of the various frame mods that have been done with the xs650 for my own build I came across some Shell Thuet bikes that incorporate the engine as a stressed part of the frame similar to your setup. I've seen questions about the capability/ feasibility of doing that mod. It would appear it has had some success. It's a good look and seems to accentuate the motor, especially with the extra tilt that you have included. A couple of pics attached with a couple of Shell bikes. Yours being a tracker fits right in. Well done.
Mmm Mmm Mmm
This thread is becoming garage porn.
That is just gorgeous.
The bronzed capping accents the gorgeous dimes beautifully. I have been looking forward to your update and will continue to do so. One of the more interesting builds I have seen lately. In researching some of the various frame mods that have been done with the xs650 for my own build I came across some Shell Thuet bikes that incorporate the engine as a stressed part of the frame similar to your setup. I've seen questions about the capability/ feasibility of doing that mod. It would appear it has had some success. It's a good look and seems to accentuate the motor, especially with the extra tilt that you have included. A couple of pics attached with a couple of Shell bikes. Yours being a tracker fits right in. Well done.
Attachments
Cheers BluzPlayer....to be honest I'd seen a frame like this before and thought 'how hard can it be' even though I gave myself the slightly more complicated method of monoshock suspension.But it does have the original desired effect of highlighting the engine which is soley the reason why I chose the XS650 after seeing my friends bike.Obviously at my age I was aware of the XS but was going down the Crf450 route or even something from Triumph to begin with but I am so glad I didn't....its been a long time in the making but the budget is important, I'm not Elon Musk afterall..having said that,the price of fuel In the UK means it may get too expensive to run
Here is another photo of a Shell bike. This photo was taken by a friend at the Sacramento Mile race in 2019. (We had attended the 2018 race together and by August 2019 when the race was, I have purchased my semi-redone TX650A.
I don't know anything about the Shell bike though.
I don't know anything about the Shell bike though.
I've heard the performance is a little better with duals. Think about it, they didn't put an extra megaphone on there to save weight.
So this week I have been slowly tinkering in the shed with the project...I have been concentrating on the headstock/yokes (trees) and fitting the correct fasteners to the engine mounting plates.I also spent a little time on the lower linkage bearings which required pressing In to the frame..I was originally going to use bronze bushes but decided on needle roller bearings.
As for the headstock,I fitted up the yokes but didn't realise till now how unsightly the stem nuts and bearing cap looked especially seeing as I'm not going to have a lot to cover it, ie headlight etc..but I managed to find a stainless pipe end cap at work which I thought could work.One hole later and a 2mm skim off each stem nut it fitted great..don't you just love it when things fall into place...having said that,it is taking time to come together despite the mock up to begin with but that's down to me spending a little more time to do things right..I don't want to get this far to simply cut corners...
As for the headstock,I fitted up the yokes but didn't realise till now how unsightly the stem nuts and bearing cap looked especially seeing as I'm not going to have a lot to cover it, ie headlight etc..but I managed to find a stainless pipe end cap at work which I thought could work.One hole later and a 2mm skim off each stem nut it fitted great..don't you just love it when things fall into place...having said that,it is taking time to come together despite the mock up to begin with but that's down to me spending a little more time to do things right..I don't want to get this far to simply cut corners...
