Down under, an idiot and a 400F

No problemo PJ, got to get me some 1/4" SS plate for the carriers, will have a word with them about turning me some custom spacers/spigots.

Will get all that stuff shipped soon when/if your ready on the block off plugs/exhaust collars.

I can then check the offset needed to give to the fab shop for the spacer depth part of the spigot.
 
Also turns out I got a bit grinder happy with my tank trimming and it's too narrow at the rear.

Result is I will be welding in some panels to bring it out and also will be stretching it 2" as this helps move the problem too.

It also means the tank will look effin cool... if I don't ruin it ;)
 
TIG welding test run tomorrow. Tank and seat getting done weekend after next. Fingers crossed I don't bugger it all up.

Anyone know the thickness of the tank steel? Going to buy some sheet and it looks a bit thinner than the 1.5mm I have been using for the other parts.
 
probably 0.50 or less?
I had to 'mow the weeds' and go to physical therapy so didn't get much of anything done today, tomorrow isn't looking so bad though
 
0.8mm in the end, bought the closest I could find 1mm.

Had my first go at TIG welding today too, quite hard with the little machine I was using. Finished up on the MIG and it was a million times easier.

Should have my seat and hump welded soon along with my tank stretched and knee scoops welded in :)
 
Got some updates, crazypj has been my Cafe guardian angel and is helping me no end with my front end dual disc setup, been dragging his 350 out of the shed with a terrible bad back... He'll be ok ;) us Brits are built tough!

He's been a massive help in getting the offsets fixed for the discs, making a tonne of custom parts for me, being an eBay delivery address and generally being brilliant.

Got a few more parts delivered:

1. Fork seals
2. Fork boots
3. Steering stem roller bearings

Plan is to get the fork legs in for straightening and paint the triples, that should have most of the front end ready (except rims, clip ons and controls).

Also got ideas waaaaay above my station in the rear end department too (not my pic but absolutely the concept):

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On a side note got my KTM run in last weekend. Totally rips with a fresh bottom and top end (the reason I bought this cafe project), just need to fix an annoying gear lever return issue:

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2 jobs done this morning. Fixed the KTM and removed the gasket off the bottom of the 400's cylinders.

Went to my local hardware Store and bought some goodies:

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Was damn tough getting it off but in the end managed to get it clean:

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Is this clean enough? There are a few scratches from the knife and scotchbrite, do I need to have the cylinder Block shaved or can I put a gasket straight on top?

Also found both the holes in the head (non stud holes) completely blocked. What are these for (the hole on the bottom)?

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just been through your build, going really great. wish i could help you with those holes but i got no idea. keep up the good work, ill be keeping an eye on this one.
 
STRETCH-CB said:
just been through your build, going really great. wish i could help you with those holes but i got no idea. keep up the good work, ill be keeping an eye on this one.

Cheers Bud :)
 
I'm guessing it's an oil drain or an oil feed if it goes all the way up to the head and has a matching hole in the upper crankcase.

You can use a single sided razor blade or Stanley knife blade to scrape any tiny particles off that surface. Minor gouges ans scratches are not usually a problem. That's what teh gasket is there is fill.
 
I have a 400f block here, if I can find it easy I'll take a look.
I think they are for locating dowels.
I'm going to make rotor spacers about 6mm thick, it will move rotors towards spokes but the larger diameter will give plenty of clearance.
I'll angle mill the calipers a little as well to match spoke angle, I'm having fun ;D 8)
 
crazypj said:
I have a 400f block here, if I can find it easy I'll take a look.
I think they are for locating dowels.
I'm going to make rotor spacers about 6mm thick, it will move rotors towards spokes but the larger diameter will give plenty of clearance.
I'll angle mill the calipers a little as well to match spoke angle, I'm having fun ;D 8)

Thanks PJ, not sure on the dowel suggestion, the holes go right through the cylinder block. I thought they might be oil galleries but they don't match anything in the head, maybe they are a vestige of another motor design????

Are both rotor spacers the same or is one thicker than the other? Be careful divulging too much of what your doing for me, you will have a million ex pat Brits living in far climes asking you to do a tonne of work for them ;)

... oh and I wanted the pass your work off as my own too ;)
 
neevo said:
... oh and I wanted the pass your work off as my own too ;)

LOL, sorry ;D ;D
I'll make both the same, it may be easier to re-locate caliper bracket? (plus, I'm using 1/2"-12.7mm plate so can't be more than 6.7mm ;) )
If I made them from 3/4"-19mm it would be a lot more machining for max of 2.5mm extra offset
unfinished exhaust clamps look real ugly,should look good when done though 8)
The through holes may be something to do with machining process?
 
Relocating caliper bracket will be easy, not sure how different the offset is anyway on my hub.
 
Went on a dirty ride yesterday on southern Sydney trails with a bunch of good mates. Tough riding but bloody good fun, the first one in 7 months, and my fitness isn't too bad.

Sunday (a little sore) decided to tackle the tank panels. Fabricated a sheet steel bending tool:

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Worked pretty well considering this was all done by hand:

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Test fit:

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Will be welding on another strip on top and grinding the edges back to form the crease. Tried bending it by hand first but couldnt get the curve sharp enough.
 
Laa da dii, didley daa dum dii doo daa llaa fii dee dii... Kapow!!!!!!

My $23 indicators finally turned up. Just need to replace the nuts with a polished stem:

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Spent all of Saturday round my friend Juha's as he was kind enough to let me use his MIG for my tank and seat. Bashed out a good 5 hours and about 3/4 of the way through. When I was leaving he offered me these, don't like taking things for free, so $20 was exchanged:

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Didn't realise how good those little hammers would be until today when I had the grind back all my welds. Turns out the tank was a little twisted and buckled from the welding, a few taps here and there and it's pretty much perfect. Also was able to get the curve on the rear almost spot on. Needless to say I'm quite chuffed this weekend!!

Pics of course. Basic shape ready for the grinder:

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Stretched tank looks damn sexy:

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The result:

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Its not that noticeable how stretched it is here, hopefully that means its going to look good. Still need to finish off fixing some warpage on top and fill the gap:

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I ground through a couple of welds in the tidying up, so will be going over those again. Gives me a chance to weld in the side panels and my new rear tank mount:

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