Sangyang trackerish Khmer 'build' Srey Khmau Sros

[epidemiks]

Decided to make the most of the first work-free weekend in a while and started pulling things apart!
Tentatively named it "Dek Dek", which is Khmer for 'a little', but scouring the dictionary for a nicer name!

What it looked like 12 months ago:


I've owned and ridden this for the past 12 months, and it's a fun little bike to ride, perfect size for Phnom Penh streets and comfortable for trips down to the south coast with the missus on the back. It’s easy to maintain, and cheap to fix. But it's time I breathe some new life into it. I initially thought it was a CG or CB 125, but some research here and elsewhere has let me to the conclusion it's a Sangyang (Sym) out of Taiwan. They're fairly common here as tuk tuk and remork (trailer) pullers, but the cable operated disc model I've got seems to be unique here.

Getting around Phnom Penh on tuk tuks and motodops gets expensive quick, so I bought a replacement ride while it's getting worked - an Indonesian Honda Win copy for $150 off a backpacker, replaced the rear tyre, new oil in the front suspension, lubed and tuned for $27 all up.

I can't weld, grind, got no workshop, scant tools, and I work around 55 hours a week and then some on the weekends, so this build will be based around what I can dream up, sketch/cad and then get fabricated by local metal shops. I can speak a little Khmer, but nowhere near enough to discuss what I need, so it’ll be an interesting exercise!

Wiring is largely a mess, with wires ending willy-nilly, numerous layers of different tape.  New harness and wiring to relocate bits and pieces to a new central electrical box with some useful new fuses and relays. LED indicators and brake/tail are planned, thankfully very cheap and easy to get here - every teenager with a Super Cub has LED's of every imaginable size, colour and shape. Will also replace the headlight to a bigger cone and chuck a halogen inside, and probably also some driving lights to help avoid stray cows on the highways.

Thinking a cream frame, blue tank colour scheme, but I haven’t yet delved into the head#$%# of getting paint done here. There’s very little options – no powder coating available anywhere in the country and so far I’ve not found any decent options. Currently investigating wrinkle paint for the frame, but I’m doubting its availability.

Considerations for the build:

• Needs to be practical, easily repairable, and  (80% of ride time is with the missus on the back, so will have a new 2 up seat made)
• Needs to cost less than $300. Most mechanics here charge for parts, but not labor.. I've had guys work on my bike for two hours and paid less than $3, so I’m hoping the fabricators/welders/painters do the same!
• Needs to be back on the road by end of March (the Win is pretty annoying to ride)

Posting this up in the hope it’ll keep me moving on the build..

Swingarm is rusted out, picked up a rust-free replacement for $25. Dubious about the bushings in the new one, but I'll probably leave the heavy lifting for someone with tools.


Tank had a pinhole leak, and more icing than a wedding cake. Took a while to get all of this off in my 'workshop'. Wasn't pretty underneath, will have someone refill and shape before painting.





Here's where I'm at, mostly stripped, but leaving the engine in until I make a decision on whether to paint the frame, and that will probably rest on whether I can find a decent painter.


The replacement ride. Bought for $150 with Vietnamese registration card. These sell for about $300 in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, so once I'm done with this I'm gonna get a local artist to do some custom Khmer Apsara artwork on the tank and plastics, cover it in clear, and sell it on to a backpacker at the market price and make a few bucks back.




Will add a raised loop at the back




Chrome is fairly good, but considering trimming the front fender, sanding it down and going flat black.



Will reuse the rear fender, but need get a few other things done first.





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So, you're welcome to tag along, I'm fairly clueless when it comes to bikes, so any advice/pointers will be much appreciated. Most progress will happen on weekends, so may only update this once a week.
Cheers

[tomgbda]

Subsribed. Try to make it into more of a tracker, as I'd guess the roads aren't the smoothest out there?

[rundown]

This should be very interesting. 

[epidemiks]

Hey guys, no updates as yet, spent the last week deep in strategic planning for work and the weekend was full of engagement parties, cheap beers, and diarrhea, so not a lot of progress was made..

Definitely leaning towards a tracker style to suit the terrain and rideability in the evening traffic jams.

I did track down a mechanic who can do proper custom work, and will be taking him my pile of sketches and plans to him during the week to get a quote. This might turn into less of a build thread than a 'where to get work done in Phnom Penh' thread..
Here's a pic of a recent job by the mechanic - an SR400 http://t.co/M0eaAHUY
I saw this in the shop a few days after that shot was taken and it'd had a little more work including some clip ons. I was impressed by the custom made fiberglass rear fender, locally upholstered custom seat, and very discreet electrics hidden under the seat.

[tom050162]

Any updates on the build, I was looking forward to seeing this take place !

Tom.

[epidemiks]

Any updates on the build, I was looking forward to seeing this take place !

Tom.

As a matter of fact, there kind of is. I resigned myself to the fact I'm useless with the tools, and between that and an inflexible work schedule, I decided to just chuck it all in a tuk tuk and take it to the mechanic to build. It should be ready next weekend.
At this stage, it'll look something like this, but with the original tank, so better lines through the seat.




Going 'milk' white (a Honda FTR colour) for the frame, and FTR orange on the tank. Working on Khmer decals for the tank, but they're on the work computer..

Orange:


Can't find a decent example of the milk white, but it's about half way between pure white and cream.
Pretty much everything else will be matte black, including the engine.
Chucking some superbike bars Vay had lying around, dumping the battery and big dials, and getting a new brown seat upholstered. Still investigating muffler options, was thinking about a short, straight pipe like the Deus, but haven't settled on anything yet.

Will take my camera up to the workshop over the weekend to try some progress shots. Vay's also working on an Estrella and a mid 70's BMW airhead.

[tom050162]

Ive always been a big fan of the polished tanks! I've decidced to strip mine and just clear it over with some laquer and hope for the best in the end its only a cg so anything half decent looking is acceptable

You changing the tyres on it, they really do lend themselves to the look of some nice fat knobblies, probably wouldnt go a miss on some of the roads over there too seeing as they arent as smooth as they could be from what i've seen of them! One thing with going with a straight pipe is that you'll definitely need some sort of baffle inside it to keep the back pressure up otherwise it will loose all of the low end torque that these engine are so renowned for (or not) 

It might also look pretty good with a high style scrambler pipe found on the CL's and old school triumph desert sleds! Not sure if you'd be able to get your hands on one over there, could always sacrifice the stock pipe and get some sort of high pipe fab'd out of it just need a little extra 1 1/4 pipe to work with if it needed lengthening which I suspect it would do if your ditching the stock muffler!

Tom.

[Bert Jan]

Hey guys, no updates as yet, spent the last week deep in strategic planning for work and the weekend was full of engagement parties, cheap beers, and diarrhea, so not a lot of progress was made..

Definitely leaning towards a tracker style to suit the terrain and rideability in the evening traffic jams.

I did track down a mechanic who can do proper custom work, and will be taking him my pile of sketches and plans to him during the week to get a quote. This might turn into less of a build thread than a 'where to get work done in Phnom Penh' thread..
Here's a pic of a recent job by the mechanic - an SR400 http://t.co/M0eaAHUY
I saw this in the shop a few days after that shot was taken and it'd had a little more work including some clip ons. I was impressed by the custom made fiberglass rear fender, locally upholstered custom seat, and very discreet electrics hidden under the seat.

AAhh cheap beers and diarea - sounds fantastic! What a beautiful balcony view you have!

[epidemiks]

dropped in yesterday to check progress, and progress is slow. the main guy who does the metal work was sick and had to go to Ho Chi Minh city for treatment, so there was a week delay. Of course, I forgot my camera, but the rear hoop, fender, some bullet indicators, and a nice compact dial with oil/high beam/neutral LED dash, and superbike bars. Also decided to go all black with a milky white frame. Will add a few touches of white on the headlight and grips (if I can find any white ones here).

Off to Siem Reap for a friend's wedding this weekend (copious amounts of beer to look forward too), but I've been promised the bike will be ready by the following weekend. 

Was talking with the guys at work today about Khmer names for vehicles - they don't do it, but we brainstormed some good ones.

srey mao - also black girl, but the 'soft' version which won't bring me bad luck if the monk vetos neang kh'mauv.

srey srawh-aim sros - translates to something like beautiful fresh brown girl, and looks nice in Khmer script, but might be too long for a tank sticker.

neang kh'mauv - which I like the most. literally girl black, but is also the colloquial word for sandalwood which has a guarding spirit/protection quality in KH Buddhism. But, the spirit gets angry and causes bad luck when used inappropriately. Will check with a monk and see if he gives it the go ahead.

Here's an example of what each look like in my terrible Khmer

[epidemiks]

AAhh cheap beers and diarea - sounds fantastic! What a beautiful balcony view you have!

The beer is plentiful, thankfully the diarrhea doesn't come around too often!
Here's a few better shots from the balcony:



When it rains, it really rains..


Early in the wet season back in 2011



Spoke with a local monk today and he vetoed "Neang Khmau". Basically it would bring me or the bike bad luck. Bad luck here means getting stuck under a 16 wheeler. 5 dead a day on the roads here, so I'd rather not stir up bad karma.

Instead, he suggested "Serey Khmau Sros" which he told me means "dark girl who provides happiness and is more and more beautiful each time she is looked upon" Monks talk like that, and it sounds pretty good to me!

In Khmer it looks like this, will do some work in illustrator and finalise a design before hitting up the vinyl sticker guys down the road early next week.
Will also have photos of the bike so far.. now off to Siem Reap for this wedding!

[tom050162]

Sorted anymore of the bike out yet, anyone would think you hated us all on here 

[epidemiks]

Sorted anymore of the bike out yet, anyone would think you hated us all on here 

haha, sorry mate, lots on here. The bike is finished - well, enough for me to be riding it, but I still have a list of things I want to change.
Haven't had a chance to get out with the proper camera and get any shots, but here is the final stages at the workshop:

http://instagram.com/p/YcX37WlT5W
http://instagram.com/p/YcYbUKlT5u/
http://instagram.com/p/YcgNYwlT-w/
http://instagram.com/p/YojA7wFT68/

Will do a more detailed post once I've done a proper photoshoot and had a chance to give it a good ride.