So, my long term 'hack' bike is getting a new lease of life, although it probably isn't going to be too happy about it...
After I sold my CCM Supermoto when I was made redundant when Streetfighters magazine folded, I needed a cheap ride, so bought a damaged repairable SV650 for 600 quid. It got used and abused for the following four years, with just oil changes, tyres and a set of Fatbars fitted in place of the standard clip-ons, the fairing trimmed and some heated grips fitted.
But last Autumn I decided that it was high time that I did something interesting, so the SV is getting some treatment, and being prepped as a track bike, for track days, Minitwins racing and hopefully some tarmac hillclimbs too.
So far, the bodywork is off, the standard can is off, some race rearsets have been fitted and a Honda Hornet race nosecone lined up for the pointy end.
Pics soon.
And as I'd got a new battery, I checked the difference in size - now I need to decide whether to make a new battery tray, or modify the old one so it can hold the battery and something else, maybe reg/rec or starter solenoid?...
If you decide to reuse those pistons, give them a nice little polish with 600 and 1000 grit paper and then a buff, be a shame if the ridges on those pits ruin your new seals
Battery box... seems a fine spot for the starter relay. Definitely would not house the r/r there - keep that hot thing away from the battery please. Best if you can get some airflow on it.
A bit more done last night - subframe drilled and tapped and a hanger made for the exhaust can from a length of alloy strap. I might add to it later with a piece of strap from the other mounting point, but for now...
Also, I have an alternative for the Hornet nose cone that I'm planning to use. I still prefer the look of the Hornet Cup piece, but the alternative has a bit of Streetfighters mag history - it was first used on Will Jobbins' 'Naked Racing Project' SV Minitwin, and then on Rob Bean's GSX-R Thundersport bike when the magazine sponsored him...
He's good, still working in the city, and commuting on a bike, he's got an S1000RR for sunny days, and a hack VFR for the winter, although In think that has just died as he's looking for summat else...
As you can see fronm those last two pics, the fork sliders were painted (black Smoothrite) and forks reassembled with new springs and emulators fitted and set-up to suit, which meant cutting down the spring spacer by 15mm and drilling an extra hole in the damper rods. All back together with new seals and 15W oil.
Bottom yoke was painted black, and the calipers stripped for the caliper repair kit that has landed on my office desk this morning.
I made up a bracket to hold the new little battery, and then fired up the TIG for a play.
After two hours of fucking about trying to get something that could be worthy of the terms 'weld' or 'bead' I kopped the hump and went inside. Besides, it was too late to carry on grinding pigeon shit off pieces of scrap aluminium...
I got my caliper rebuild kit from Powerhouse - contains seals, stainless steel pistons, stainless bleed nipples, rubber grommets and red rubber grease, and got both calipers rebuilt and back on the bike, but not bolted up and bled yet as I'm waiting until my new race pads arrive...
The Hornet nose cone has had a treat too - the class I plan to race in demands a numberboard of a set colour, so that has to be done, and I marked out the areea with fineline tape, masked off the rest and sprayed on the yellow.
That area was then mased over, and the rest uncovered, before some Volvo Grey (they only dark grey I could find that wasn't a metallic) was laid on, and then the masking was all taken off and a couple of coats of acquer applied.
It's not a bad job, for me, not professional but there's no reactions or orange peel, and with a bit of fine sanding and some polish it should be okay I guess.
Indeed Yan. I'm starting to get paranoid that some pesky wee fucker is breaking into the garage at night and robbing stuff that I'll need the very next day. :jpshakehead.sml::angry:
Not much happened, aside from getting the wiring sorted so it now runs no ignition key - kill switch is all that turns it on/off - no lights with the exception of a rear rain light etc, all undertaken by the wonderful Vizman, artist, tattooist and wiring magician...
Sweet FA been done, apart from sneaking up on it and getting it started one day last week. brum brum.
Now have some loominum to make up a battery box, and got a fibreglass front mudguard that needs some brackets making, just as soon as I can find some time that isn't taken up by work...
Having fucked about with the poxy bit of seat foam that I got with the tail unit, which was only 10mm thick, I decided that I needed thicker foam so bought some 20mm thick that had the added bonus of having a peel-off sticky backing. Cut to the right shape using a cheapo hole saw and a stanley blade, and then roughly shaped with a flap wheel in the grinder and then some sandpaper, it's not perfect but it is a race bike... if I spent hours making it perfect you can guarantee that I'll spill acetone on it.
I also had a look at the (out of shape) front mudguard that I want to fit, which'll need some brackets...
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