brewtown16 said:
the paint scheme looks just like the old racing GEEBEE racers.... too cool.
Haha, I guess it wouldn't be a surprise to know I watched the movie "The Rocketeer" just a few days before paint would it? It was a favorite movie of mine when I was a kid, and the racer he ends up with at the end always held a little place in my heart. The off color isn't white however on mine, more of a beige/tan. But similar! And I dig it.
Thanks for all the comments guys, it's good to know people can get down with the style. Obviously I like it, since I built it specifically for myself, but to know other people think it's pretty cool is always a good feeling. The seat is going to be a sort of "plank seat", really simple, which um, if you haven't noticed, is the overall theme for this thing.
Wanted a two up scoot for me and my lady friends.
And on the single carb manifold, Monte. Yes, a big ass 650 twin is not my first choice for revving up to the sky, but I want that bottom end. And it works perfect for that. When I was test riding this bike during mockup, with the Firestones, I constantly had to keep my wrist under control coming away from stop lights and out of corners because the power is just right fuckin there. I'm used to the Honda, which is a 350, where you are basically riding it like a two stroke, but the Yamaha is like a 454 Chevelle, power, RIGHT NOW, tapering off at the top. Because obviously, this manifold and single 36mm carb is not going to be the most efficient when both cylinders are demanding fuel and air at a ridiculous rate that the higher revs will require. And in my opinion, I believe that manifold is going to be the chink in the armor in that situation. I feel the carb is probably just fine as far as throat size, and can supply the fuel, but I believe the manifold, in it's design, will cause too much turbulence in the air charge to be efficient up there in top end of the tach. I could certainly go and design an equal length intake manifold with a smooth collector on the carb side to split the charge perfectly. There is a guy on TCU(The Chopper Underground) that has an XS with a single manifold, and his is amazing, basically just what I described, sits off to the side with equal length tubes with a smooth split on the inside. I can see this design working just as well, if not better than the two carbs. Some people may disagree with me on this, but until someone proves me distinctly otherwise, this is my hunch.
I wish I had some pictures of the manifold off the bike. Maybe I'll roll her out today and take some detail pictures of it. I'm glad you guys can get on with that manifold too, I wasn't sure how it would be accepted as some people think it is going to reduce performance. But I think most of you understand the reasons why I went this route.
Again, thanks for the comments everyone. If you have any other questions, just ask. I'm waiting for my paint to cure before I can do anything else with it, and with nothing else to do on the bike at all, I need something to keep me busy!
Steve