As has been discussed in other threads, I have started a long term project to make something fun. This project serves 2 purposes; it keeps me from fiddling with my Street Triple R which now has no issues and doesn't need me to break it. Secondly, it gives me something to think about on cold winter evenings and keeps me from getting involved with Doris' crap TV watching. The criteria for the bike, partly inspired by a bike MADASL built with a customer called Nico, was as follows: Must have: * Single-sided swing arm * V4 engine * Naked styling * Modern suspension * Fat Bars * Strong, Modern Brakes I want to end up with a good handling bike with an interesting sound and appearance that is a joy to ride without feeling like it must go fast. The bike was bought for £300 as a bunch of piled together parts and a few boxes. I'm not sure if the bike is complete or not and I don't know if the engine runs, turns over or is only good for a coffee table. (Awesome coffee table...) These questions will be answered eventually. I was going to put a picture of the bike here, as it was when I picked it up, but I can't find one and I can't find the original ad either. Needless to say, it looked like a pile of shite. The frame had been coated in a flat, horrible grey colour powder coat. It took me a few days to strip it all off; the guy had clearly tried to start a project of his own but lacked either the tools or the knowledge to fully strip things down to powder coat them. As an example, the rear brake disc is now powder coated bloody grey. Since the bike arrived, it has been completely stripped in to pieces apart from the engine. As a stop gap I have, I am ashamed to admit, painted the frame with some hammerite gold. The shame. I will find a well finished frame in the future and either polish or powder coat it. The front end has been replaced with a GSXR 1000 K4 front end, except for the wheel. This is as far as things have gone to date. I have Triumph Street Triple R tank to go on once the engine is back in and I'm thinking about either a Fireblade race seat and custom subframe. I am also day dreaming about a tubular subframe rear, in a kind of wire frame style. No pictures just now but I will get some next time I have some work to do.
Best thing to do with an NC30 would be to restore it to completely original immaculate spec, as they were fab little bikes. My first experience on track was on one of those (as that's what the company at Cadwell supplied for your 20 laps - or was it only 10?).
sounds like you should have bought a VFR750... an NC30 is only a joy to ride if you thrash the t!ts off it... (and you are a midget!)
In terminator-stylie: Do it. Do it now! The baby RVF is a little gem, and they keep their value really well. Wish I'd kept mine, but commuting on it would have been stooopid...
Please forgive me for the crappy photos. Today I had a spacer fabricated to pack out the headstock and now the GSXR forks and yokes fit. I also drilled the top yoke and fitted some Triumph bar risers I had in the shed. I'm using a piece of tube to move the bike around, but they're not actually usable bars. Tomorrow I should take delivery of some bearings to fit the original front wheel. I took the old bearings out today and discovered I do have enough space to put 2 bearings in each side. I'll be less concerned about the bearings failing if I double them up. All of the components show in the image are balanced on, I haven't been able to torque up any bolts correctly, nor even locate all of the engine mount bolts. The air box is too large to take the triumph tank nicely which may cause problems down the road as I have heard that the air flow can be problematic if altered. I may also look for a cheap second bike over the winter to find spares.
Nice - Might have some bars for you via Chris. Thats a mighty fine front wheel and track day tyre you have there
Tom - I saw the bike at Marks last week, right up my street that! Let me know when you want to sell it! In the meantime i look forward to seeing the progress...
Haha! It won't be getting sold. Hopefully mark will be getting a ducati frame wrapped around the little v4. Otherwise it's a custom job built over Christmas leave. There's been zero progress for the last couple of months as I'm away, apart from being moved to MADASL.
Nothing much has happened with this as I have been working away. Mark has taken delivery of an ST4-S frame which the little V4 will get shoe-horned in to and I have an 848 street fighter swing arm set up at home that will be dropped round to him over the Christmas period. Hopefully I will be able to get something more substantial done in the near future.
Made some progress with MADASL this week. The ST4 frame has been hacked to pieces and a jig made up to fit the upper engine mounting points. This will become the lower frame rail on the final frame, with added trellis braces to make it look nice and, perhaps, make it work well. The swing arm pivot plan has been formulated and we have a direction in which to push. The next step is having some tube mounts machined to which the frame beams can be welded. For now, this blocks-of-wood mock up is the best I can offer. It's also about as long as a child's push bike so is looking to be very small when complete. Also, after consultation with a genuine Italian, the bike has been named Il piccolo Sedicci (spelling currently not certain.) this is a nonsensical phrase meaning The Little Sixteen. I have been unable to find any other examples of a 400cc NC30 v4 fitted to a tubular frame. So this could be the first one.
