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Knifemaker87's Virago Powered build "Instigator"

7K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  TURNIP 
#1 ·
Okay everybody, discussion on this build goes here. bring it on.

http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1448929#post1448929

As some of you may know, this is my second round with this build. I entered it in last year's build off but had too much work to do to finish before the deadline. if you want to check it out, you can either see it in the old build-off section, or my ongoing member's build thread

previous buildoff:
http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61503

On going thread:
http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60761


Okay, down to business. I didnt have a paper, and i didnt get around to posting these up till now, but here is my time stamp (and yes.. the movie WAS good):


as the bike sat as of Nov 1



A basic assessment of the bike now: (all the custom work i designed and fabricated)
1982 Virago 920 Engine and final drive (shafty)
Gsxr 750 front end, rotors and calipers
Custom triples, rotor adapters, and axle
Custom main frame, subframe, lower frame and swingarm
Harley hub and rim in front
Harley rim and custom hub, CBR rotor and caliper
Custom exhaust with danmoto GP tip
Custom 2-1 intake manifold and harley CV carb
Koso Gauge
Custom wiring (in progress)
Custom carbon fiber tail unit (in process)
Custom carbon fiber tank (in process)
ninja 650r rear shock

cost so far: $2870

I am working on finishing the body-work before finalizing the wiring, ensuring the bike runs and everything is functional before i tear it all down for painting and engine rebuild. my goal is to have the bike cost less than 4k when it is all said and done, and have it running and on the road before the end of the build-off.


Now that all of the formal stuff is done, lets get to work!
thanks for everything
~Chris
 
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#2 ·
Alrighty then!

I was unhappy with how the fabric on the tank matched at the centerline, so i laid up one more layer of fabric and pressed the parts back into the mold, pressing the resin and new layer tight to the mold. When they had cured, everything lined up beautifully, and other than a few bubbles that can be fixed easily it was a great success.


and now.. according to my wife, it is dinner time, so i will post this to not loose my place and then come back and finish the post.

okay, i'm back.. and dinner was delicious.

I made the support for the tank cap (aftermarket for a Ducati 749/999) so i will mount the aluminum base in the carbon fiber after the two havles are permanently joined so that the gas cap will mount flush and seal will allowing for venting


Then, i put the two halves into the mold, bolted them together and with them lined up duck-taped them together. I could then do the final fitting on the bottom and the throat. here is the result:


and to prove it is carbon fiber... here's a shot in the sun


so that was friday's work. My dog was out "helping" me and was quite tired after all the effort, and decided to take a well earned lounge


on saturday i got a good pit of work done. i made a battery box for my ballistic battery.


it fits very nicely and will keep it secure.


however... after the work i did later, i decided to scrap the idea. i was going to mount it under the tail section right behind the shock. however this totally screwed up the lines, and i am going to sell the 12 cell and get an 8 cell as it will fit inside the tail. so if anyone wants an unused 12 cell ballistic battery, let me know.

Then i got working on the hard points for joining the undertail and the tail, and trimmed the undertail to fit the subframe.


all aligned and fit up:


i also finished the hard mount that will support the undertail and the upper tail will rest on it, and it will allow all of the electronics to be supported.


all put together...




more to come soon!
thanks
~Chris
 
#3 ·
Well so much for keeping this build up to date.

the one problem with composite work is it is messy and hard to get pictures of, however i will try and show you what i have been doing.

I got my new 8-cell Ballistic battery. it fit up inside the tail perfectly. i will make some slightly more permanent mounts for it... but you get the idea. now i dont have to try and mount it underneath the tail.


I got the flange made for the throat, i havent trimmed it yet, and will wait to do so till i finish the side flanges so i know the match here you can see it fit on flush


and it pulls off like so:


with some of the extra resin from the throat flange, i made the fly-screen twill.


here you can see one of the side flanges laid up... sorry for the darkness. i masked and released the bottom so the flange didnt stick to it, but roughed up the side part with some 80 grip paper anbd cleaned it really well.


here you can see the flange all set up after i removed it from the bottom. I used the bottom mold to line everything up and laid up the flange strip on a flat plate (five layers of carbon) then laid it in so as to get the proper amount of resin in the fiber without the mess inside the tank.


here it is sitting together by itself.



Now i just need to do the other side, before joining the two side. then i will connect the two side to the throat, before i make the gas cap recess, and put in the petcock mount and the equalizing mounts.

also there was some confusion on the exhaust routing, as the previous pictures all but hid it. here is one that shows the exhaust exiting behind the left rearset.


more soon!
thanks
~Chris
 
#4 ·
Hey everybody,
My heater died, so while waiting for the repair-man to fix my quickly cooling house, i did get some work done.

I got the other side flange done, and got this picture with the part all lined up before i put the flange in.


With both side flanges done, i put the halves back into their prospective molds, and bolted it down, lining both sides up. This is why you make a two part mold that will go back together just perfectly.


Carbon seam all laid up. With the weather being so cold (in the 30's and we got some flurries) i laid everything up outside and then brought the parts in and popped them in the oven for a little bit at 150 degrees.


Now it's hard to see with my terrible picture taking, but with both halves finally together i lined up the throat and laid up the support on that too.


It doesnt line up perfectly, but it is pretty darn close. also, you can see what happens when you let humidity get into your resin and hardener; it hardens opaque. good thing this part will be covered with paint.


This is with the bottom just laid on, but you get the idea. all matchy matchy


So now, the top three parts are one, and fit seamlessly onto the bottom half so it will be a gas-tight fit. now i just need to fit the gas-cap, the spigot and fixtures before i can seal it up and bond it together.


thanks for looking! more soon, and you wont have to look at the tank anymore
 
#5 ·
hey everybody,
the next step in finishing the tank was getting the gas cap mounted.

first things first... gotta cut a hole. What this photo doesn't show is the two hours it took me to fine tune this hole so it was a tight slip fit on the Ducati 999 aftermarket gas cap.



the way i decided to mount the cap was onto an aluminum plate which you can see here:


But i didnt want gas or rain water to corrode it, so, i anodized all the tank fittings. the cap base, the petcock mount and the equalizer mounts.

in the acid bath


out and ready to go into the dye. (they will all be black)


with the parts anodized, i needed to seal the gap between the cap and the base. so i used some modeling clay to fill the gap.


this was then trimmed flush, and some high gloss tape was applied around the cap and clay(which supported and sealed it) but not around the base, as i want the resin and carbon fiber to stick to it.


then i sealed up against any possible gaps with a little more clay. This also served to reinforce the positioning, though it was very snug in the hole.


i laid up the carbon fiber around the assembly, (sorry no pictures of that, but i will get them) and once cured, popped out the cap, clay and tape. I also used some really fancy tape to keep the clay and resin off the sealing surface of the base. this is right after i popped the cap out.


So here you have the mount and recess. The cap is vented, and there is enough room for air to get in, but the cap is sealed against the base around the gas inlet.


and with the cap in:


the splitter plate was slightly off center, so i will need to run a stripe down the center of the tank, but this is all i am going to cover of the seam. the rest of the raised section will just be clear coated.


Now i just need to mount the petcock and equalizers before it gets a final clean so i can seal it and put it together permanently.

thanks for looking
~Chris
 
#6 ·
and back at it...

After wracking my brain on how to mount and support the tail unit i went through several ideas that didnt work, and ended up going with aluminum supports bonded to the tail, and threaded stainless support bungs welded to the subframe. It makes the tail slightly heavier, but makes me feel a little better about it supporting my weight. here i have the bolts upside down to locate them while bonding


here the rear supports are tacked in place and the tail is bolted in place


another gratuitous shot..


then disaster struck. while i was welding the supports on, the arc stopped on the TIG torch, and started inside the welder box... got a little toasty in there


So i am dead in the water till i can get the welder running. The problem is that it is a knock off brand and i can find any info on it anywhere. it is a Precise-weld TIG200ACDCS anybody have any experience with those? My friend is currently looking at it and said the whole power control board is fried. not sure what i will be doing, i have to wait and see what my options are.

thanks for looking and i hope to have a good update soon.
thanks
~Chris
 
#7 ·
okay, since i couldnt get the forward seat mounts on, i decided to at least manage the wires and tuck them out of place till i can actually get up the nerve to finish the wiring. so here are some "progress to date" pictures









Trying to get the welder situation sorted. I may end up having to get a new one. if so, are there any recommendations? i need to keep it under $2k

thanks for looking!
~Chris
 
#8 ·
Hey everybody!

Sorry for the delay in updates. Been a busy week and a half.

I have a Miller Diversion 180 in the mail to me, should arrive on Friday. so that will allow me to finish the seat mounts. any i will need them to be secure because i am going to be moving the bike.

i got a new job. Resigning from NASA to go work for another forumite; fslflint VERY excited about the opportunity. This will require moving however so that is going to put further delays in the build, but i think i can still make the deadline.

Right now i need to finish the mounts for the seat and electronics, finish the tank, and then i test the wiring, and finalize that, before tearing everything down, rebuilding the engine and doing all the painting and anodizing,

i will hopefully have an update this weekend after my welder gets here
thanks
~Chris
 
#9 ·
Hey everybody!

Sorry for the long abcence but I should be back in in business now. Got all moved up to king George, and moved into my new garage and started my new job with our very own fslflint!

Here's my new digs:


I should have a legitimate update here soon.
Thanks for your patience!
Chris
 
#10 ·
ARISE FROM THE GRAVE THREAD!!! LIVE AGAIN!!!

Updates please! Great fookin job on the CF.

Hey everybody!

Sorry for the long abcence but I should be back in in business now. Got all moved up to king George, and moved into my new garage and started my new job with our very own fslflint!

Here's my new digs:


I should have a legitimate update here soon.
Thanks for your patience!
Chris
 
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