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I've been wanting to do a big brother in red to the 600 Hornet Nighthawk bike I built a couple of years back. I came across a low mileage Hornet 919 so here we go again. This build is going to be a bit more aggressive. I going to use a VFR800 single sided swingarm CBR929 shock, and a Yamaha R1 front end. Here is a pic of the CB919 I'm starting with and one of the CB600 I built that I'm going to copy.
I've been collecting parts for the last month or so. I picked up this 09 R1 fork assembly. I needed a fork the was long enough. The R1 forks are 20mm shorter than stock 919's but still longer than most CBR forks that I was considering. They have a little less offset so the combination will give me a slightly steeper rake angle a little more trail so they should work fine. Also the r1 wheel is a 5 spoke to match the VFR800 wheel I will use in the rear.
I removed the stem to lengthen it to fit the 919 frame, turned everything on the lathe to keep it all straight. Next step will be installing the front end.
Well the only thing a VF800 swingarm and 919 swingarm have in common is the diameter of the pivot bolt and length of the arm. The first issue was making spacers to center the wheel. I was able to tack these to the frame easy enough. Which brings up the second issue, the spacing from the center of the wheel to the sprocket is 7mm wider on the VFR. To solve this a VFR sprocket is indented 4mm if I flip it around and space the 919 front sprocket out 3mm it will line up. Next I had to mill and space out the 919 outer frame supports due to the wider VFR swingarm.
Ok making the VFR linkage and the CBR929RR shock work with this frame was a challenge. I was able to find the geometry for a VFR800 but to keep the same mounting points I had to cut into the frame to clear the shock spring, even doing this the top shock mount was slightly behind the original VFR mounting point. I did the math and there is very little difference in overall suspension travel. I made tabs for the linkage pivot and top shock mount and tacked them in. I will go back after the bike is disassembled and add gussets to the frame to give it support.
Making mounts for the tank was easy enough,but I had several clearance issues, one was the coil, that I had to relocate a little lower, second was the airbox had to be trimmed a bit and will need to be resealed, third is the radiator cap is mounted under the tank and will have to be relocated closer to the radiator. and forth was the exit tube for the fuel regulator had to be bent slightly to clear. I was also able to mount the tail section and grab bar
Made side panels out of aluminum to join the tank and tail together. Welded them at the seams and cleaned them up for a more finished look. I will make separate filler panels to cover the airbox.
I installed rear sets on the bike. They were made for a CBR600RR so I made brackets to mount them to the Hornet. This will also allow me to move the peg position if I choose to.
I originally was going to use a VFR swing arm on my 78 CB750 but there were several issues. The length of the arm was more that what I wanted and the offset of the sprockets was an issue. Now I have overcome the offset issue on other builds including this one, In my opinion a Hawk GT swing arm would be better suited for that swap, but would still require some modifications.
I added a rear brake master. I didn't like how far back the rear-set mount put the master and it was in the way of my exhaust, so I opted for a CBR1000RR master which had the reservoir inlet on the opposite side of the master for more clearance. I also made a new mounting bracket to bring it further forward.
I mounted my muffler and made a bracket for it. I then welded the mid-pipe to the existing stock exhaust using a small piece of stainless pipe in between to connect them.
Worked on the seat padding. I glued several layers of different density foam together and shaped most of it with an angle die grinder with a 2" sanding disc.
I added a steering damper with a universal mount off the fork and welded a mount to the frame. The 919 had a fuel pump in the tank and cutting a hole CB700 tank mounting it inside wasn't the best option. I found an external pump that had the same PSI and GPH flow rate. I did test it and the bike seems to run OK.
I mounted a small headlight cowl and was able to retain the stock gauges. Mocked up the bike to get an idea of the overall look. Time to tear it all down and paint and powder coat everything.
Tore the bike down, lots of sanding and sand blasting to prep for paint. Painted the frame,engine and some other parts. Sent some parts to be powder coated. Was able to get the engine mounted back in the frame.
This is the fun part bolting everything back on the bike. I was able to secure all of electronics in the rear under the seat. Mounted the swing arm, shock and added a new 520 chain and sprockets. I finished welding the exhaust and cleaned it up. Had custom red braided brake lines made to fit. I cleaned and polished most of the engine cover bolts.
Next on to painting all the bodywork.
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