Step one -- the frame has arrived. It's in good shape, and heavier than I thought -- I recall Dave Pearce of Tigcraft fame ranting about how heavy stock frames are. The S2R engine is on the way, but thanks to a Canada Post strike, the 1000SS DS swingarm from Japan is held up. It looks like the zx6R forks will fit with minor work. I'll have to modify the rear left (as you sit on it) engine mount as the scrambler and monster/ss engines are slightly different, but I have a solution in mind. I also plan on modifying the rear seat stay -- no pillion, so I can lighten up the back end substantially. Stay tuned.
It’s amazing the inspiration one receives after consuming a large Tim Hortons coffee & some Kraft Peanut Butter. We look forward to seeing more of your project! Good luck
This not, technically, untrue... 8/10. A reference to Maple Syrup, Ice Hockey, and always saying "sorry" would have bumped you over the top...
I have a Canadian Passport, so does that entitle me to such comments? We are all looking forward to your build and some more photos please! Good luck
Will do -- online forums with sympathetic enthusiasts are the best motivators. Living just south of The Middle of Nowhere, Canada, means I'm kinda on my own here. Luckily I do have access to a master welder and an ex-pat Brit engineer who are both motorcycle enthusiasts which is helpful. Still exploring carburetion/ignition options. A favorable CAD/NZD exchange and some great communications with Liam at Fastbike Gear has me sold on the ignitech setup. Tony Lloyd has inspired to me look hard at carb options -- if the BSTs don't fit (and I don't think they will), fake FCRs on custom manifolds, or TM38 carbs on malossi or custom manifolds will be another option. While "mikunioz" in Austrlia sells a TM38 kit for Ducatis, these are for the older bevels, and the jury is out on whether these actually work well for the belt drive Ducs. Interweb keyboard warrriors claim that they are harder to set up as there is limited baseline jetting information, and the throttle pull is stiff and excessive travel-wise. These will likely require custom manifolds as they can't be tipped more than 20 degrees, max. Dellortos are also an option, but finding jets locally for mikunis and keihins is hard enough -- the local bike shops have not even heard of dellorto carbs...
Despite the colder (than usual) weather, I ventured out in the garage to start work on the frame. As it is going to be a monoposto, I could save some weight by simplifying the rear subframe. As I am using a supersport swingarm, I could also remove the shock mounting boss from the left hand side of the frame. I also need to trim back the left rear engine mount -- I have a solution, but it's hard to explain. Anyway, off we go. While I was baking the stripped and repainted calipers in the toaster oven I bought off of facebook marketplace for $15, I attacked the frame with a hacksaw. I didn't use the angle grinder, as plugging the grinder and the toaster oven at the same time would trip a breaker. So I got a bit of a workout to start... the frame now sits on the gutted case properly, and I have some room to grind away some more metal. Some eyeball engineering shows there might be enough room for a set of BST carbs to fit into the frame... a hell of a lot cheaper than split fcrs. We'll see. The full 800ie engine should be here from Edmonton on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. After several hours... A bunch of metal and paint removed, and the first of two subframe supports it offered up to fit. Mind the gap... By now I couldn't feel my toes so I retreated inside. Will tack weld the left subframe support, and hopefully do the same for the right tomorrow.
Another garage escape on Sunday allowed me to finish the rear subframe tubes and tack-weld things into place. Even thought it is just tacked into place, I could see the left side frame tube which mounts to the engine "pull" a bit out of place due to distortion. Before I do any more welding, I need to get a steel "plug" made, press it into the inside of the left rear frame mount, and tack that into place. That should ensure the frame won't distort too much when I finish-weld the rear subframe tube. This will butt up on the inside of the left rear engine mount and ensure the rear engine bolt stays "in line". A reminder to not finish weld anything until I get the plug fabbed and in place. You can see here that the scrambler engine case has this section cutaway in order to accomodate the side-mounted shock: I've also started to fab the front steering head mount. Not for a fairing (the bike is gonna be nekkid), but to mount a steering damper.
A bit of an update -- after a week-long cluster fook the engine showed up. After giving it a good clean, I put it on the engine mount and fitted the frame. I quickly discovered that no "racked" set of carbs (BST or FCRs) would fit (even with the marginally shorter 750 manifolds) so I would have to come up with a split solution. Thanks to Tony Lloyd/Buzzer for the idea on mocking up manifolds, using the stock material as a starting point. Some careful work with the hacksaw, some finishing with the file and sander, and tightly wrapped electrical tape, and I have a start... I'm trying to figure out if I need to find a downdraft carburetor to deal with the "angle" the horizontal intake manifold is at, or if a regular horizontal FCR can manage being tipped "up" that much. Does anyone have an idea of the "max" angle an FCR (particularly a cheaper chinese option) can be tipped at?
