Honda XL600R - DTRA race bike build

Pinky23

New Member
Hey everyone! I've been wanting to build a flat tracker for a while now. Then these XL's came up on eBay.
0f3840c485ddb3a505f288af50e22116.png


I checked all the parts and although I'm not familiar with XL's I thought I've got pretty much everything I need to build at least one bike, maybe even 2. To be honest I won't actually be using that much of the original bike.
659530b7dd5fe5320a0004b2dd10ef8b.jpg


I've had them in my garage now for a few weeks. I'm not rushing this build. I started with the carbs, ordered full rebuild kits and set to stripping the carbs down. They where pretty manky inside. I borrowed an ultrasonic cleaner and stripped them down completely.
38891792aae28b5398c25364ddf847bc.jpg
253643972516d28044eba11d87733841.jpg


After reassembling the carbs I put them back on. Next I dropped the oil, put some fresh oil in, new filter, plug and plug cap. I managed to cobble together enough of a wiring loom to get a spark so I rigged up a fuel source and gave it a kick... it started on literally the first kick

Now that I know it runs I can concentrate on the chassis mods. However it was a little smokey so I might take the head off when I strip engine from the frame and re lap the valves and put some new stem seals in. Hopefully that will cure it.

Next up I managed to buy a full set of 19" wheels. Excel rims, Talon hubs and stainless spokes and they had the regulation maxxis DTR1 tyres on.
b2515779059f0c522c19dc938b9baab1.png


That's enough for now, but I hope to start getting a rolling chassis together this week so I'll post a few more updates then.

If anyone has any info or any sources about setting up a tracker frame geometry wise, heights etc. Please chip in!!


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I had some time in the garage the past few days, cleared a few jobs up with the Vmax, new forks, rebuilt fresh from the powder coaters. Rebuilt carbs. All back on and ready to get rebalanced.

My garage is a little stuffy at the moment
2a11f1b1bbd3a9155aa6a9b926e637a7.jpg


I had some old Vmax forks lying around so I put them in the frame because the XL forks weren't wide enough to take the new wheels with tyres.

I cleaned some spare parts up in a parts washer and then I started fitting the swingarm to the spare frame.
b3bcd2ae46ee64b2b1b03575e4e2bcf3.jpg

21540ce5b49b0409489564832232433b.jpg


Once the swingarm was in the frame. I put the wheels in just to have a look at whereabouts we where. It's looking good so far though...
6ac3853815ad14b9d928ee0f59798972.jpg


I can't decide whether to use the Vmax yokes, bore them out from 40 to 41 mm for the forks I want to use or go down the root of making my own yokes... I've already drawn some up, might even make some adjustable ones.

I'll keep posting updates as I go


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I haven't done much on the bike for the last few days but I have managed to get some adjustable triple clamps drawn up:
1d2285f7e1acbf2289663e5331e0249b.jpg
d88c16c4d12d842e6529626b09627a50.jpg

I also won some forks off eBay the other day from a thunder cat. I'm pretty sure they are exactly the same as the R6 5EB forks but they where only £77 delivered and the R6 ones are £250+ Happy with that. I'm hoping to get all the yokes machines asap so I can push on with the frame mods.



Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
Haven't been getting much done last week but plenty in the pipe line. I've finalised the design for the clamps and I'm just waiting on a quote back to get them ordered.

I have made a new steerer tube though, got on the lathe in work and took a couple of hours.
263d8868cf83da04b8446a3bbca780db.jpg

I turned it up out of stainless. One of my friends thinks I should have used high tensile steel but I think 24mm OD stainless should cope. Any thoughts?
Managed to get this far on my own...
047016132b91e35df75000ebe15245e0.jpg

Then I had to take it to a friend who's a machinist to get the thread put on. And that's it done!
ff9b0bb7a521dab9803efb27fa7d696f.jpg

I've had my forks now too so I've taken a few measurements and should be able to work out the size of the spindle, and wheel spacers I need to make so more lathe time this week hopefully.


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I made my stem out of 7075 aluminum. Stainless should be more than strong enough
 

Attachments

  • tmp_8440-20170512_0829121837843164.jpg
    tmp_8440-20170512_0829121837843164.jpg
    2 MB · Views: 317
Ye I'm pretty sure it will be fine. It's probably heavier than standard and definitely heavier than aluminium but it's what I was able to get hold of free


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
A small amount of progress tonight. My bearings arrived so I had a go at trial fitting the steerer tube. Pretty happy to say that it fits like a glove!
1dd3b299987878c463a977a9482bf9a3.jpg

I've never done this type of swap before so I'm really happy it fits so well.
I've also had a little sketch on solidworks to see how it will look because I was a little concerned I'd made the yokes too wide.
f912e254f7630e5bc68770d0673aec92.jpg

I'm happy with the way they look so I got them ordered today and hopefully they'll be here by the end of next week.
To say I'm excited is a little bit of an understatement

I've also been looking at inspiration online and came across this...
2efcc31d3587362ac7c041150f47811d.jpg

If mine looks anything like that when it's done I'll be pretty happy


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
That almost looks like a bike from mule. I love the look of the champion seat, its a bit more work to uae but looks good.
 
Not much been happening over the last week because I'm still waiting on my yokes to be machined out which is holing me up on building the other parts I want to start working on because without the forks in the frame I can't really work out the geometry I want for the rest of the bike. So I've been playing on solidworks working out a rough idea for a new swingarm. I struggled to find any geometry set up advice anywhere and ended up messaging Survivor customs on instagram and fair play to him, he gave me some advice so hopefully I can use that as basic dimensions and then I can work from there.

Here's a couple of screenshots of the swingarm I'd like to build so hopefully I can get this moving in the next week. I'm going to convert the bike to twin shock because I like the old school look more and also it will let me run pod filters, which is a pain on XL's otherwise because the mono shock is so close to the carbs!​
db20ff982d0c12d0fc66e671402f0ff4.jpg
6962a302baaa9e7f64b68b71a68da350.jpg
9f5f79dabdd1ea61a840ddf8b7bc073f.jpg


Let me know what you think


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
Finally got my yokes back from the machine shop. I'm really happy the way they turned out
bea4d9a1c6c240425b05ec0e8501c597.jpg

They will be cleaned up eventually but right now while I mock everything up I'll leave them and clean everything at the end. I got the yokes fitted and trialled the forks and I'm liking the way they look. I think when it's got the number board on it's gonna look awesome.
0c8f999099cc9ea72eacbb85aed821c7.jpg

Fitted the wheel, used a standard spindle but it's not long enough now because the forks are wider than standard so it'll have to make a new spindle. I've ordered some high tensile EN19T bar.
560d99a66b71b612c59f61d8ddb561a9.jpg

I went to the national motorcycle mechanics show in Stafford this weekend and bought a tank it's of a K500 Kawasaki. I trialled it on the roller chassis, but I think it's too long and a little bit too big so I'm gonna look around for another one, at least I've got an idea and size to go off
7e80aadb7f53499785a5a8163ce25833.jpg

I just couldn't help myself really to see where I was going.
I also checked the geometry of the frame while it was set up an the moment I'm pretty happy. I think it's pretty close to where I want to be. Hopefully soon I'll be able to start the real fabrication!
cd8f3ce093297800b709de7bd1ead825.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I've had a quiet few weeks in the shed with not much going on since I've fitted the front forks but it's been time that I've spent trying to figure out a few things. Anyway got going this week with the exhaust. I have wanted to make a sectionalised exhaust for a while now so I already knew which direction I was headed. I have a standard exhaust already and I measured the pipes on that, 32mm OD out of the ports in to 42 OD from then on. Ports measure around 38 mm OD so I figured 38 mm tube would be spot on for what I wanted to do and would give them a chunkier look.

dc3caca2a0e8cee3e1739b9b746bfad6.jpg


Started off by cutting a handful of pipe sections some with 10 degree cuts, some with 5 degree cuts, I hadn't pre drawn or calculated anything beforehand I just cut what I thought would work, I have done pipe fabrication in the past so I had an idea on what would work and what wouldn't. After cutting all the sections I deburred the edges inside and out.

5e0c0969b168d178642eeb5d01a7c61f.jpg


Then I set to starting the mock up, I basically had 2 pieces of pipe roughly the same size with square cuts one side and 10 degree the other and I put them in to the ports as a starting point. Then I just held some tapered sections together and tried to gauge where I wanted them to go.

23ad371f37e300ed12699136088eccde.jpg


Once I was happy with that I just tacked a few pieces together, checked them and worked from there, one or two pieces at a time.

f9c30e8c1dffb26d9a1ab6f888e96321.jpg


I repeated that for both ports and tried to get them to come close enough together that I could then join them together with a Y section. I tried to keep them the same length but without making them completely symmetrical which would have caused issues with the drain plug for the frame I couldn't so I used one more section on the left port than the right. I'm no exhaust guru but I cant see 15-20 mm making a massive difference and to be honest I'm not chasing all out power either.

I then set to making a Y piece, which I'd never made before! So basically I cut 2 pieces of tube the same length had a guess as to where to cut them and attacked with the grinder! Apart from a quick clean up with the flap disc they literally fitted together as you see in the pic. I don't know if it would happen like that again but it worked out perfect.

d7b4f1df504846fe508ec4e8f14a4cc0.jpg





Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I did all this in about an hour and a half one night then came in the next night and decided it could be better so I took some of it apart and re-worked it. I was happier the second time around so I set to the welding! I've still got a few things to add but this is where I'm up to on the pipes. I'm not 100% happy with the welding but this is a race bike after all, and I am probably just being picky.



If anyone wants to keep more up to date on the build or other things I am building/working on the have a look at my instagram @pinkyscustomfabrication
55a1332744ff5928ddb74e61692ddad3.jpg
fb7f72378ce3311dcaa394a353edb78b.jpg
db9aef10c5d9b8c77bb8c8942339a64f.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
Back
Top Bottom