ShortTrack
XS650 Member
Looks great! Springer would approve no doubt!
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LastTracker Build Thread
- Thread starter halfmile
- Start date
Jerry Springer?
Anyway out in the shop today and spent 3 hrs trying to find the top 2 screws and conical washers to finish bolting the front number plate on the forks. I knew I put those somewhere.
After looking in every place I might have put them I went back to the first place I looked and there they were, right in the little plastic bag I put them in so they would be easy to find. The whole 3 hrs wasted can be summed up in one word, "Perry Como". Glenda found a 50`s, pre Rock n Roll album at a garage sale so I played it for the first time today and apparently suffered a temporary memory lapse. I played a Roy Orbison greatest hits disc next and everything returned to normal and I removed the swingarm and wheel assy, leveled the bike and set the ride height to test fit the Radian swingarm. Tomorrow I`ll fit the 19" rear tire and check the ride height and swingarm clearance then it`s time to detab the swingarm and start on the mono shock conversion.
Anyway out in the shop today and spent 3 hrs trying to find the top 2 screws and conical washers to finish bolting the front number plate on the forks. I knew I put those somewhere. After looking in every place I might have put them I went back to the first place I looked and there they were, right in the little plastic bag I put them in so they would be easy to find. The whole 3 hrs wasted can be summed up in one word, "Perry Como". Glenda found a 50`s, pre Rock n Roll album at a garage sale so I played it for the first time today and apparently suffered a temporary memory lapse. I played a Roy Orbison greatest hits disc next and everything returned to normal and I removed the swingarm and wheel assy, leveled the bike and set the ride height to test fit the Radian swingarm. Tomorrow I`ll fit the 19" rear tire and check the ride height and swingarm clearance then it`s time to detab the swingarm and start on the mono shock conversion.
I had another Radian swingarm with the wheel-tire I`m going to be using so I mounted it to check the tire clearance with the axle at the very front of the adjuster slot. Not good, only about 1/4" of gap between the tire and cross support of the swingarm. Simple fix to put a curve about 1/2" into the cross support. Also the ride height needs to be raised about 1/2" because the rear tire is sitting on a cover of the lift that is raised about that much. The chain and brake line will change over to this bike without any modification. Got the swingarm de tabbed and ready to start on the mono shock loop.
Also the ride height needs to be raised about 1/2" because the rear tire is sitting on a cover of the lift that is raised about that much. The chain and brake line will change over to this bike without any modification. Got the swingarm de tabbed and ready to start on the mono shock loop.
Out in the shop today to bend up the loop for the mono shock. My usual poster board lay out and presto! The loop practically bent itself. Tomorrow I`ll make a pair of brackets for the shock mount and maybe a couple of uprights to support the loop. The loop needs to run parallel with the rear frame upright. I need to get this in the chrome shop soon because they will raise their hourly rate after the 1st of the year.
Tomorrow I`ll make a pair of brackets for the shock mount and maybe a couple of uprights to support the loop. The loop needs to run parallel with the rear frame upright. I need to get this in the chrome shop soon because they will raise their hourly rate after the 1st of the year.Impressed by your use of the bender. What sort of steel tube is that (dia., wall, construction,...)?
1" OD .095 wall thickness, welded seam, hot roll.
turboguzzi
XS650 Member
Just WOW!
Complimenti!
Complimenti!
Half day of leaves and half day of motorcycle. Got the pattern laid out for the brackets and cut them out. I even treated myself to a new hole saw. Spent another hour tweaking the loop and got it within a 32nd of being the same on both sides. I guess I`ll have to settle for a C- in shop class.
Finally got it together and at least it`s level. Tomorrow I`ll make a couple of uprights to support the front of the loop, then remove all the electronics so I can tack weld it together.
Finally got it together and at least it`s level. Tomorrow I`ll make a couple of uprights to support the front of the loop, then remove all the electronics so I can tack weld it together.
Grazie
turboguzzi
XS650 Member
Now that im having another look..... have you calculated the leverage ratio of the monoshock and matched the shock stroke and spring rate to it?
If i was you, before welding, id mockup/fix the loop and uprights temporarily with U bolts or something, sit on the bike and see that it sinks under your weight normaly
My gut feeling is that its going to be too stiff with too little stroke, but i could be totally wrong
If i was you, before welding, id mockup/fix the loop and uprights temporarily with U bolts or something, sit on the bike and see that it sinks under your weight normaly
My gut feeling is that its going to be too stiff with too little stroke, but i could be totally wrong
The bike was always a mono shock. All I`m doing is changing the swingarm to a rectangle tube one. Did all those calculations with the last swingarm. The only thing different will be the ride height.
Today I finished the uprights for the loop and put the rear wheel on to recheck the ride height. No clearance issues at all. Next I`ll remove the bearings and media blast all the factory corner welds and polish the areas to be TIG welded (chrome shop prep).
Man your metal work is so clean! Unless you’ve ever tried to cut and fit round tubing to fit another round tube, you can’t appreciate how difficult that is. Your cuts are absolutely perfect, no gaps or miscalculations. You make it look easy buddy!
Thanks Bob. Actually it`s a "curse".
ShortTrack
XS650 Member
Me thinks you love the "curse"! How long now has that bike been your muse? Are you sure this will be the final iteration?
I`ve been building off and on with this bike for over 5 years. If I had a nickel for every time I said I was never going to build anything again I`d be a multi zillionaire. (maybe richer than that) Well now that I think about it if I just stopped building things I guess I would have some money?
(maybe richer than that) Well now that I think about it if I just stopped building things I guess I would have some money?
ShortTrack
XS650 Member
I suppose that's where the old adage "they're never done" came from. By the way, what's the seat height as it sits? Will a guy with a 30" inseam, 5' 7" tall be able to put his feet down? You know us flat trackers are short, ergo my handle.I`ve been building off and on with this bike for over 5 years. If I had a nickel for every time I said I was never going to build anything again I`d be a multi zillionaire.
I guess you could have been sitting on the couch watching TV. Still can. My take is that what you’re doing makes you happy or you wouldn’t do it. It has your hands and mind engaged. As a bonus, you’re entertaining those of us who follow along.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Threads like this one give those of us without the facilities (or the skills) to do major fabrication the vicarious pleasure of seeing how it's done. Plus somehow sort of ties-in these exotic bikes with the more mundane - we all have XS650s but have gone in different directions with em.
