July 2015 BOTM - VOTE!

July 2015 BOTM - VOTE!


  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .

Tim

Administrator
Staff member
Builders - get your photos and details up. If you'd like a different picture in the poll let me know - I try to use a good one for each bike but need your help in getting good pics sometimes.
 
It truly is an honor to be nominated here by our fellow builders and to be here with such a beautiful bike built by brother jpmobius, as always all of your support for our work truly means more to me than you will ever know. The carburetors and front brakes are not on the bike in the photo as we are replacing the factory carburetors with new Mikuni flat slide racing carburetors and drilling the front brake rotor for added performance.

It has truly been an honor to work with brother bluesmokey on this RD350 build, here is a link to the build thread http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=42508.0 and a photo of the bike that we started with!

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We decided to do some custom frame work so I removed the rear frame section and instead of just running bars from the rear down tubes to the new rear frame hoop I built I built a pair of new frame rails that start at the front of the frame, bend around the cylinders, connect to the rear frame down tubes, and then end at the rear top shock mount on the frame and boxed in the shock mounts!

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I also built a mount to put the ignition switch in the front of the frame, built rock guards out of aluminum to go in the rear of the frame, moved the kick stand to the left front of the frame, and plated the top of the frame for extra seat support and so that I could build a battery tray to go under the tail section that I hand built out of fiberglass.




















I drilled speed holes in the outside fins of the cylinder heads, polished the chambers, then had them powder coated and smoothed the edges of all the cooling fins. The cylinders were bored to fit the new 358cc Wiseco big bore forged racing pistons and we installed a new Vito's light weight racing crankshaft!















We had the factory hubs and rim hoops powder coated black and I assembled them with new stainless steel spokes.

















My brother Jason painted the tank and tail section that we built Starburst Whole Earth Mettalic and Black with gold and silver pinstripes!















The frame and swingarm were painted the same color and you can see the custom chain guard I built for the bike in this photo!







All of the electronics are mounted under the tank and the tail section so that we could keep the bike very clean looking!





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I love before and after photos!

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Here are a few photos of the steering stabilizer and the rear sets!







We added a Rivera Primo Hedled headlight system with integrated turn signals.



After I built the seat pan we had it covered in some nice material that matches the color of the paint.







I built a steel front fork brace and a side tag mount.









The new carburetors should be here before voting ends so I will add some more new photos soon!
 
Wow Joe, you have some GREAT pics!

Can't think of a better match up for BOTM! I think the honor is mine to be up against definitely one of the coolest custom Rd's out there!

Here's an outline of some of the work on my project. There are some more pics in the build thread: http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=66498.msg763037#msg763037
1) Chassis:
a. Frame
i. Smoothed and de-tabbed
ii. Relocated side stand mount
iii. New custom side stand
iv. Reworked foot peg mounts
v. New custom foot peg bracket w/stock pegs 1” back and ½” up from stock location
vi. New custom rear brake pedal with relocated rear brake light switch
vii. Tapered roller bearings in steering head
viii. Bronze bushings in swingarm pivot
ix. Adjustable steering dampener
x. Single stage black 2K urethane paint
b. Suspension
i. Rear: Custom Race Tech shock absorbers and springs
ii. Front: Race Tech springs, and cartridge emulators with associated internal machining. Reverse assembly to bring brake caliper closer to steering axis.
c. Wheels
i. Rear: 18” dia. WM3 shouldered aluminum alloy rim, re-machined stock hub, stainless spokes
ii. Front: 19” dia. WM2 shouldered Aluminum alloy rim, 1974 Yamaha TX500 re-machined hub, stainless spokes
d. Brakes
i. Rear: Ventilation holes with stainless screens added to backing plate
ii. Front: Resurface and lightening holes in stock rotor. Master cylinder has smaller diameter piston than stock to reduce lever pressure.

2) Engine
a. 1974 RD30 air cooled 2 stroke twin.
b. Rd350/Banshee hybrid crankshaft w/upgraded connecting rods and bearings.
c. Stock cylinders with minor transfer port timing change and general clean up. Cylinder tops milled flat for o-ring head gaskets.
d. Re machined cylinder heads with new squish area and combustion chambers for pump gas.
e. Yamaha YZ125 reeds and 9 mm reed block spacers with Banshee manifolds and cross over pipe.
f. Moto Carrera stainless steel expansion chambers.
g. Stock carburetors with stock Y-boot and K&N air filter.
h. Final drive converted from #530 to #520 chain and sprockets with slightly shorter ratio of 15/41.
3) Bodywork
a. Yamaha 1977 RD 400 US tank altered to fit 350 chassis.
b. Shortened front and rear stock fenders.
c. Modified stock oil tank and side cover.
d. One-off custom fiberglass seat and tail section.
e. Engine side cases milled smooth removing the stock cast in “racing stripes”.

4) Highlights:
This bike was intended to look like a production model that never was. Parts like foot pegs, controls and instruments are either original or fabricated to look as much like production parts as possible, with the notable exception of the hand levers which are modern adjustable pieces re-machined to fit stock era perches, and the aluminum rear brake stay strut. Graphics are slightly adjusted 1974 factory stripes and fonts masked and painted in house – no decals.

The bike is slightly taller than stock due to the larger front wheel and longer shocks, which adds a bit of extra trail to improve stability. The rake is stock. The front hub was changed to allow the brake caliper to switch sides and still incorporate the stock speedometer drive. Bringing the caliper to the back brings it closer to the steering pivot, reducing the moment of inertia and tendency to speed wobble. As a bonus, the larger wheel spins a bit slower, and the notoriously optimistic speedometer is now right on the money!

The engine was intended to be noisy but reliable. The exhaust system and cylinder heads are the primary source of extra power. Crankshaft is a Banshee/RD hybrid with upgraded main bearings, con rods and Suzuki RG500 big end bearings. A Banshee permanent magnet flywheel is fitted to the Banshee end of the crank, with much improved CDI ignition and no need for a battery, saving a ton of weight and improving reliability.

A lot of time was spent on the cosmetics. The oil tank and side covers have been relocated slightly to tighten up the gaps between the tank and seat. The original plastic “louvers” have been replaced with custom stamped stainless screens. A simple process on the right side cover, but requiring major surgery to the oil tank. The grills are now functional and duct air directly to the K&N air filter, though the actual benefit is mostly cosmetic.

Here are some additional pics:
 

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Here is a before and after comparison - though so few parts came from the "before" bike, I'm not too sure how relevant it is. The frame and tank are definitely from this bike though!
 

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A couple of under construction shots. Pretty good view of the one-off foot rest mounts and brake pedal. Also the Banshee dynamo on the left and CDI mount and relocated brake switch on the right.
 

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Front and rear wheels.
 

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And a shot of the "air intakes".
 

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.. This is one of the most exciting BOTM match-ups I can remember, two great bikes built by two great craftsmen. I know where I'm going with my vote !
 
Each bike couldn't be any cooler or more different than each other! Luckily I own one of them so my vote is easy!! LOL Getting the RD recognized on such a cool site is awesome! Thank you!
Joe has been awesome to collaborate with on this project and a true craftsman and professional. Between this bike and the Bridgestone 200 build he did for Carlos, Joe shows an incredible attention to detail and the ability to stay on script or rip it up and write his own. Now I'm going to stand back and watch!!! Thanks Guys!
 
Wow, thanks everyone! When I look at how many fantastic bikes and builders are on this board it is really a prize just to be nominated for BOTM, but to be selected - especially next to Joe's beautiful machine is really an honor! Great bike Joe, and thanks DTT!
 
Hey Tim, the banner looks beautiful! Many thanks for investing all the time you put in to these threads!
 
Congratulations Brother jpmobius!!!!!!! It truly is a great honor to be nominated by our fellow builders here who are also very talented! I was very impressed with your build and you definitely deserve the honor of her being on the banner here!
 
Thanks Joe - means a lot coming from you! Can't wait to see the RD wrapped up, and looking forward to your future projects!
 
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