Down under, an idiot and a 400F

[neevo]

No problem. Thanks PJ. I have those case markings in the thread, but haven't recorded the markings on the crank so I will do that when I get home. Its probably a moot point anyway as David Silver Spares only lists the B/C bearings for sale anyway which is what I started with. I will see if the loose clearances can be tightened up with the other bearing size, if not I will have to just replace with original bearing sizes and hope for the best.

CNC is definitely a cool bit of kit although not cheap. Getting parts made though is a bit of an addiction!

 

[neevo]

Also... are heavy duty cylinder studs required for the rebuild? Hopefully not as the cost is blowing out a bit, but I would rather a oil leak free motor.

 

[crazypj]

I've never used heavy duty studs on 490 conversion, even with them they always leak after a few years because the 'O' ring on oil feed has no support so gets real hard (the ones at either side of cylinder block)
I've modified a few, clamp cylinder and head together with the dowels in place and run a 3/16" 'aircraft' drill up the oil hole to make sure they are in line, counter bore for spare dowels from alternator cover (I think 7mm?) enlarge counter bore for larger 'O' ring (less thickness of head gasket)
I know that will last a minimum of 10,000 miles on 13,000 rpm motors

 

[neevo]

Good to know they are not essential PJ. I will grab some if I'm feeling flush, otherwise I will just use the best of what I have. I plan on having the head decked anyway along with some copper gasket on the head gasket to try and reduce any potential for leaks.

 

[neevo]

Picked up my billet from my buddy Darren today. Very pleased with the final outcome, not only from a practicality perspective but also I believe they look quite pretty too.

Motor Mounts (still have some spacers for the rear end to be made up):

Fender Mounts and Caliper Carriers:

Updated Ignition Switch & Speedo Mount:

The speedo is sitting a little low at the moment, however its still got to have a thick rubber washer to stop vibration so this should raise it up to level with the triple clamp. The speedo mount is quite clever as it is adjustable so I can space it out form the triple clamp a little if I prefer. It also has an indexing hole in it as when I turned the handlebars (with the rubber washer in place) occasionally it would also turn the speedo, the plan is to put a small pin through the speedo mount to stop this happening.

I also need to work out what I do with the raw billet pieces. Currently thinking of having them anodised, however need to see what the advantages of this are vs. powdercoating.

 

[ronnie]

Hey those pieces for the engine mounts are very nice! Your buddy wouldn't happen to share those cutting files go would he? I have a friend with a machine as well.

I think for these applications, personally, I would do anodizing.. It just looks nicer than PC. It may not be as scratch proof or what have you but anodizing lets you see the machine marks and stuff through it which is cool.

 

[neevo]

ronnie that was my thinking on the annodising too, I would like to keep the tooling marks if possible.

Will ask about the design file too.

 

[neevo]

ronnie that was my thinking on the annodising too, I would like to keep the tooling marks if possible.

Will ask about the design file too.

 

[neevo]

I was just about to pull the trigger on the engine internal parts however have had a change of mind. Mainly because I do not have everything I need to run the motor in, so if I rebuilt it, it would be sitting there and potentially not be run to a point where it could be properly run in. Therefore I have been toying with the idea of buying other parts instead and finishing my built with the motor internals. I will see what the experts think about that...

So the questions comes up about what I can buy... well I have my eye on some exhausts, so thought I might grab them, with a view to building the headers etc. Most of the bike is in a position where I can make the headers and muffler mounts so I thought this could be a good move, one that would also start to make the bike look more like a bike too!

I originally had my eye on some Yoshimura's, but at $900 a pair this is probably a bit too much to put into mufflers. So instead I went looking at what other shorty exhausts there are out there for reasonable money and settled on these two.

1. Leo Vince Italia's:

2. Two Brothers M-2

There are some concerns with each. The Leo Vince is reasonable in price ($500 delivered) however I am nervous the black may be a bit too much with the final colour scheme of the bike (grey and black stipe), however I am planning some CNC Alu muffler brackets and the end caps are silver which might help this out a bit. The Two Brothers is a nice looking exhaust, however at around $660 delivered I think its a bit too much to pay still.

Keen to hear some thoughts.

I also plan on having dual cans (like in my signature). Does anyone know which bike I should base the purchase off (eg an R1 or similar)? I want to make sure the exits out of the cans will be ideal for a symmetrical use (one on either side) with the header pipes running under the rearsets and meeting the header in the middle underneath the motor. Hopefully that makes sense. I probably plan on having custom headers bent anyway so may not need the mid pipes supplied with the mufflers, however I want to make sure they are reasonably setup to work from the beginning.

I'm also considering what I should put on the ends of the carbs. Current ideal option is the K&N pods, however I am seriously considering velocity stacks, mainly because pods seem to be a target for coppers to give you a ticket and secondly I am not sure how much space I have in the bike before the shock mount to fit some pods. Would be good to get some and test fit but thats an expensive exercise.

 

[crazypj]

You only need 1 K&N to test for clearance
Personally I don't like either of the dual silencers for a 400f, although style wise, the Leo Vince is 'better' than the two brothers
Any other alternatives? (CRF250?)

 

[neevo]

Yeah, CRF250 has:

1. Yoshimura's:

But I'm not a fan of how big the can is, length of the can is good though. Price is fair also.

2. Pro Circut T4

These things tend to be farking loud though which isn't what I'm after.

 

[andycafe]

440mm long 44m down to 36mm inlet ? $276 at your door?

 

[neevo]

Not too bad Andy, but I want something modern looking to match the GSXR forks and monoshock. I'm also looking for a name branded exhaust.

 

[spotty]

why are the filth up there targetting K&N filters? emissions or noise? never heard of anyone down here (vic)getting hassled for them. and surely they'd do you for the same rwasons if you put velocity stacks on?

oh and those Pro Circuit mufflers are not only LOUD, they're quite large and bloody expensive, you prob wouldn't get much change out of $6-700 from memory (i used to work for the importer)

 

[neevo]

Same reason they ping cars with pods, because the filter needs to be in an enclosed box due to fire risk. That's why I was thinking stacks as I'm not sure they are targeted as much.

 

[o1marc]

What ever can type muffler you choose , they can be disassembled and powder coated any color you like. Anodizing would not hide the machine marks on the motor mounts.

 

[neevo]

What ever can type muffler you choose , they can be disassembled and powder coated any color you like. Anodizing would not hide the machine marks on the motor mounts.

Good point... and good (I want to keep the machine marks)

Also Marc, I am looking into getting some small items powder coated, basic colours (gloss and matt black). Should I look into getting a gun and cheapo oven and having a go myself, or is this something to leave to the pro's?

It would be good to have the ability to run small objects at home if I can get a good enough finish, however not sure what involved. I am in Oz by the way, otherwise I would just send them to you!

 

[o1marc]

Good point... and good (I want to keep the machine marks)

Also Marc, I am looking into getting some small items powder coated, basic colours (gloss and matt black). Should I look into getting a gun and cheapo oven and having a go myself, or is this something to leave to the pro's?

It would be good to have the ability to run small objects at home if I can get a good enough finish, however not sure what involved. I am in Oz by the way, otherwise I would just send them to you!

If you weren't in Oz I would say leave it to me (I need the money ;D), but since your not it depends on how much stuff you plan on coating to see if you can recoup your investment. You can find electric ovens cheap on craigslist or other sites. We have a site here called "Freecycle" where people list stuff they are getting rid of but not yet ready for the landfill and everything listed has to be offered for free. You can usually find a stove now and then. The Eastwood Dual Voltage gun is a reasonable hobby gun for around $170 (US) and good for the hobbiest . It has it's limitations on intricate parts but for the most part what you need it for it should be fine and you can get the same results as an expensive gun. The next range of guns jumps to the $1500 range and the good guns run in $4-$5K range. Obviously you will need 220V or equivalent and a sandblaster, masking tapes, plugs,caps,etc. to be efficient. I'll be glad to advise you on anything you need though.

 

[neevo]

Appreciate it Marc! I assume those Eastwood kits are 110v? Is that a problem? I have a 110v US transformer here as I had a Dewalt battery charger here at one point. I assume that would work to run the Eastwood gun as it's by far the cheapest option vs buying in Oz and also seems to have fantastic reviews.

I think I could make my money back with all the parts I need to powder, just. But I would have the flexibility of doing it all myself in little bits and pieces.

 

[spotty]

if you're going to put an oven in the workshop you'll have to get it put in by a reg'd sparky and run the right cabling out there. maybe not a major prob but worth considering in the equation.

i had thought that maybe a small toaster oven stood on end and lower the parts down into it might work but i don't think the temp settings would be sensitive enough, might be worth researching though.

EDIT - just checked youtube for 'diy powdercoating oven' and there appears to be loads, one guy was even talking about using a small toaster oven, so there you go ,maybe it is possible