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Hack to thrash

17K views 186 replies 16 participants last post by  MDM 
#1 ·
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.
 
#116 ·
Don't think I've heard "smeggy" before. Is that a reference to having smegma on it?
 
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#119 ·
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.
 
#122 ·
I prefer using a stone because it'll concentrate on the high spots much more than sandpaper/emery cloth will
 
#125 ·
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...
 

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#129 ·
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...
 
#133 ·
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...
 

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#134 ·
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.
 

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#140 ·
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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