Norton / Harley Ironhead Cafe Project.. Build thread

His was one mans test against many hundreds of real world applications that. Whether it retains heat or not is not enough to say never do it. If the powder was applied properly it should be no thicker than paint and therefore should not hold heat any more than paint would. If it won't hurt the motor then there is no reason it is a bad idea.
 
ProSimex said:
...then end result was the powder coating held in significantly more heat then the paint did, i do mean significantly....

Then they did it wrong. Turbo guys powdercoat intercoolers all the time and there is barely measurable impact.

-Deek
 
ILoveThumpers said:
Then they did it wrong. Turbo guys powdercoat intercoolers all the time and there is barely measurable impact.

-Deek

The intercooler manufacturers coat their coolers. As you mentioned the negative results are negligible and almost not measureable.
 
I haven't decided yet how best to finish the barrels and heads, other than the barrels will be black and the heads a silver/grey colour. I have used engine enamel before which looks ok but was always tricky to get good coverage between the fins etc using a brush... I used this on my Guzzi cafe motor.

So this time if I DIY, I'd like to use some kind of a spray paint. Since the barrels and head are iron, I'm tempted to use smooth Hammerite, which always gives a good tough finish, so long as you follow the instructions to the letter. Also the engine heat will cure Hammerite nicely.
 
beautiful work there !!!
KG formerly kalgard has top shelf engine coatings

http://www.kgcoatings.com/auto-coatings-products.php
 
Today I've been trying to piece together the downpipes from stainless 13/4 inch tubing, both straight and bends, just taping the pieces for now to work out how its going to look. .. and I got nowhere.



The first problem was that I couldn't attach any tubing to the exhaust port, because the 16 gauge tubing was a couple of mm too small to slide onto the engine head. In fact even if I'd used really thin walled 1 3/4 tubing, it still wouldn't have fit.



Now I have to find away to make it fit.. One option is to expand the end of tube, which I'll look into tomorrow. The other option is to machine a separate (stepped) sleeve which would fit the head and in turn be welded onto the tube. This would take longer to do, but wouldn't cost much.

The second problem I hit was not having the silencers yet. I'd been trying to source a pair of stainless reverse cone megas of the right size for awhile, without success. So today I decided on Plan B.. and I ordered a pair of short chromed megas instead. They'll be here in a few days, they are the size I want, and are made in England with decent quality chrome...I'll make a better looking mount than supplied..



This small change, will have quite a big impact on how the bike will look, as now the downpipes will need to be linished and polished to match the chrome megas. I had intended to give the bike a raw industrial finish, with the welds left in view, and the
the frame powder coated in clear. But now I think with a polished exhaust the frame will need to be painted too.
 
Too late for you now, and not sure if shipping would be a deal breaker but this is where I go for all things megaphone or exhaust related. Pricing is fair and they have everything or will make it.
http://www.coneeng.com/exhaust_tips.html
Go to a local muffler shop and they can expand the end of your head pipe or our local auto parts stores have expanders you can borrow (buy it and then return it for refund loaner program). Building a proper exhaust really is an art.
 
o1marc said:
Too late for you now, and not sure if shipping would be a deal breaker but this is where I go for all things megaphone or exhaust related. Pricing is fair and they have everything or will make it.
http://www.coneeng.com/exhaust_tips.html
Go to a local muffler shop and they can expand the end of your head pipe or our local auto parts stores have expanders you can borrow (buy it and then return it for refund loaner program). Building a proper exhaust really is an art.

Yes, I've seen that site before, pity its in the States.. a pair of megas from there are priced at 260 usd, which would be around 400 usd by the time I got them, that's if they ship outside the US, I've found many smaller places wont.
 
Great work Bevelhead - love the featherbeds. The HD torque will be alot of fun in that chassis.
 
Bevelheadmhr said:
Yes, I've seen that site before, pity its in the States.. a pair of megas from there are priced at 260 usd, which would be around 400 usd by the time I got them, that's if they ship outside the US, I've found many smaller places wont.

You can get the parts you need from them cheaper than some of the already made megs. I am getting a 1-5/8" inlet, 3" outlet, 17" long meg for $25.20. I'll get a 3" Supertrapp end kit for around $30 and have an adjustable meg for my CB400f for around $60.
 
Something like this help? It's a pipe expander available from several sources here in the states... "Lisle" to be a name dropper.

LIS32500.jpg


$(KGrHqJHJE0FGW,yIsK9BRmMl3LwPw~~60_35.JPG


71ailZ-QQbL._SX342_.jpg


17350inA_8964B2DD0A4A1.jpg
 
There are cheap pipe expander kits on Ebay in the UK, but the reviews suggest they aren't man enough to expand 16 gauge stainless, while the Lisle make is too expensive for me, for something I may never use again. I think I've got a solution which should look neat. TBH the exhaust has been so frustrating, if I could transport the bike easily, I'd take it to a specialist and let them make the headers the way I want. It may come to that, but haven't given up just yet.
 
The exhaust reverse cone megas arrived today, I'm really pleased with them, seem to be very well finished. They came with a simple mounting bracket that would be too long no matter where they end up being fitted, so one job today was to make a couple of the temporary brackets with lots of holes so I can try different positions for the megas. So I made them quickly and simply from a scrap piece of alloy, no need to be any better as they'll be replaced with something much neater..



Making the tempory brackets


That done, next job was to mount the coil under the tank. I marked out, punched and drilled a couple of mounting holes in the head steady. It places the coil quite close to the front cylinder head, but raising it up an inch or so would've kept it out of the air flow.. swings and roundabouts.. so I decided on the lower option in the end.. The coil is an aftermarket 3 ohm single fire unit (effectively its two coils in one), std Harleys use duel fire coils, with both spark plugs firing at the same time. Single fire is supposed to give a small performance gain, and at least my spark plugs should last longer. I'll be fitting a matching electronic ignition, which fits neatly in place of the points. Points ignition use a 5 ohm coil usually, which gives a weaker spark than a 3 ohm coil that modern ignitions can handle..

Engineers blue, helps to mark out where I need to punch a guide mark prior to drilling


All done..


To make a start on the exhaust downpipes, we made these collars in stainless, they are stepped inside, so they slide tightly over the exhaust tubing (to be welded), and over the engine exhaust stub. I preferred this method, rather than finding someone to expand the end of the tube, because I don't know yet which tubing I'm going to use at the moment..
 
Looking great Man.
you keeping up here,and its enjoyable to follow along this thread.
Featherbeds are sooooooo beautyful.
Hope to have one rolling myselves in a couple of years.....
(Loud pipes saves lives) ;D
keep posting!!
 
When I get chance I'll post a thread on my Guzzi Café build, which was 2/3 completed before I put it on hold to start this one. Since then I've decided to go in a different direction with the guzzi, but that's next years project :)

This neat little petrol tap arrived, I did buy one last year, but I gave it to a mate who was desperate for a replacement for his Harley to make a trip. This one is nicer and not much more expensive...





I played around with the location of the megas, I'd prefer them to be higher and tilted up a bit more, but with the rearsets being so far back, its not practical as I'd be toasting my feet and melting the soles of my boots. Still haven't finalised where the downpipes will go, I need to make another trip to the exhaust pipe supplier for a few more bends with a tighter radius if I can get them. Current idea is to have the front pipe going beneath the engine and on to the LHS, while the rear will loop down and back to go into the RHS mega.





 
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