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97' YZF1000-R Thunderace Build Thread.

41K views 65 replies 21 participants last post by  929_adam 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everyone, this project is going to be one hell of a learning experience. I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes down to motorcycle mechanics / fabrication. but I always say:

If there is a will - There is a way :rock:




A brief history about myself, I rode a gs500 for about 6 months before selling and buying a 95' ninja 750 / 97' yzf1000-r. Went down on 2/14/06 on a the ninja, and fractured my right tib / fib that looked like this:



(they put a 12mm thick titanium rod in my tibia and 1 screw in my ankle 2 in my knee - Fuck metal inside your body - metal was removed via surgery on 6/26/08)

Needless to say I was discouraged from ridding for some period of time from friends and family. But being the person I am I could not resist getting back on two wheels. The bug had took a bite out of me and during my recovery that bite got infected.

now, back to the bike..
I bought this bike a while back (06') for a smooth $2400 with hopes of building it up to my tastes. Soon after I bought it the seller (whom worked at a motorcycle shop) was going to get the instruments fixed for me. The yzf was in the shop for an electrical issue regarding the low fuel light not working properly. During that time I had my injury. As the bike sat at the shop a few parts were shamelessly stolen. 2x bar end mirrors, and a duel headlight set up. I took the front fender off to help discourage me from ridding until i was fully recovered from the injury. and that time has come.. I am now 21 and in the past few years I have matured in ways I never thought possible. I am striving to be a safe rider and protect my life as well as the life of others. Life is short folks.

if you have any questions/comments about the above please feel free to PM me or post here...

moving along,




Today the bike sits in my garage.

as a naked mess.

I will post more on this thread as I get information / money for my build. it will be a slow process - and thats okay with me. I'd like to get it done right the first time around. :rock:







Here is the bike when I first purchased it for visual stimulation.

Shortened D&D pipe.
Chop'd Subframe.
Vortex Sprocket +2 rear.
Real CF Front fender.
Fake CF Rear fender.
LED light bar for rear brake light/turn signals.
(bar end mirrors + lights have been stolen, will update pics soon)













 
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#55 ·
#57 ·
Enter: "The Salvage Title"

As it turns out - sometimes getting hit isn't soo bad.

I was showing property in Downtown Los Angeles, and a Woman on her Cell phone - backed up into my parked bike.

Long story short - her insurance company totaled out the bike. Cutting me a check for "market value" blah blah blah.



My last post was in regards to the tires. Which by the way are - AWESOME. I was caught in some rain a while back and these things stuck really nice.


I'll be looking to add some new parts soon. The brakes are still holding up. The Ace needs new turn signals and a new headlight. I want to do something with a metal bracket - tired of zip ties.


Be safe out there :rock:
 
#58 ·
Whats up CF, its been a while since Ive logged on.

quick update:

I still have the ace' ... she has been resting in my garage for a little over a year now. Last time I rode (Oct 16) - I got pulled over and the bike was impounded, took a blow to my ego and decided to give riding dirty a rest. Last month I went to court for the ticket that impounded my bike, the fine was $1950 - the judge was awesome and reduced my fine to $250. Prior to that, I was on toying with the idea of selling the bike. It just didnt make sense to keep it after all the court / impound fees. Now that I only had to pay $250. The Ace is here to stay.

Fast forward to today. She still has 2016 tags :fu:

Tried to start her up to no avail, charged the battery a few times, didnt work.

Went to the battery store - purchased a newish battery for $20, the battery was out of the box just sitting on the desk when I walked in, it showed 12.5v instead of 12.8. Got home, the bike started right up.

.. As I revved the 1000cc genesis engine, all the sweet memories regarding this beautiful machine came pouring over me. From the loudness of the chopped exhaust in the garage - to the exhaust leak poisoning my lungs. it was quite an experience. times have changed, oh how the times have changed.




This time around, when I unleash the Ace on the streets - she will be registered & insured.

AND

I'm going to get my shit together and show her some TLC.

wont talk about it till i get some pics and parts.

Godspeed
:cfrocks:
 
#59 ·
After a good sweep and a trip to Osh, I spent a good chunk of the time cleaning the garage, it was full of dirt and dust. Needless to say the garage is looking 10x better than before. Pleased with my humble workspace:





These pads worked great and the clean up was easy. I will be reusing the same pads the next time I DW.

First round of parts came in. Ebay swingarm spools and pro-tek frame sliders. The old sliders have many stories to tell - however... their time has come - they had to GO. After installing the new sliders, I'm not please - I must have bought the wrong part/design, one of the sliders is too short. The sticker on the part said it was for a 1997 yzf1000r. Not sure what happened. Will have to locate the proper sliders and replace in the future.





Here she is stripped after the first round of cleaning:












My friend stopped by and he took a pic of me smoking a spliif:




:rock:


As I was sitting back looking at the fruit of my labor, I started to visualize the build. Here are some thoughts I had:

1) Take off the CF front fender, save to cut and make a custom windscreen. Get a stock front fender and dremel out some kind of design.

OR

Save the front fender, learn some bodywork and massage the cracks/imperfections (it is a bit cracked). When that is done and ready for paint, paint it black and have a middle stripe or arrow that exposes the CF.

2) Use rear fender as a mold. Add clay and shape out a new fender with the correct body lines. Figure out how to lay CF and make a new custom rear fender. Design new seat, learn how to lay CF and make custom body panels

3) Remove current exhaust, tighten up everything, would like to take it to an exhaust shop and have them replicate the current design with something more modern. Seems $$$$

4) Order from bike bandit missing OEM parts: Engine screws, Radiator brackets.

5) Inspect all caliper seals. SS brake lines up front can be cleaned / reused. Rear brake line to be upgraded to SS.

6) Rebuild or replace rear shock.



I have a set of driven CF wrapped bars that have been with me for at least 8 years, its time to install them.

*My next priority is to get the clip ons off and the dirt bars on. Hopefully I'll have some time tonight.

I've been watching a lot of this channel, its filmed nice - very informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifRkF3tJst8

until next time :knucks:
 
#62 ·
http://www.racetech.com/page/id/105

keeping this here for reference, I'm going to quote a rear shock rebuild and leave that to the pros. *edit - called racetech they want $270 for full rebuild w new parts + labor or $150 just labor and oil rebuild. I'm sure I can find a better price or figure it out myself.

As far as 3D printing goes, was thinking a speedo mount, thought about it more and could just as easily fab some sheet metal - might scratch the 3d printing idea. Will need to decide on a new tach






finally, the bars are on, went to a local metal shop to have them shave off the crown nut for the triple tree. They did it on the spot - $5 well spent. Someday I'll have my own garage with tools.



























damn it feels good to have these bars installed. :rock:
 
#63 ·
After installing the bars, I noticed that the ignition wiring was a little tight around the forks. I'm thinking the next priority is to install a new speedo and re wire the front end. From there, bleed the brakes, clean calipers, install rotors.

I have 50mm vortex clip ons posted in the FS section, check it out!




I've always wanted to try ebay rotors just to see what the deal was. China made etc. After reading a lot of differing opinions I settled on these:

$200 shipped iirc






Will be a long while before the rotors go on the bike. However, wont be as long as it took to install the dirty bars! lol


Until next time ~
 
#64 ·
I am glad I waited so long to get this project finished - cheaper parts / more parts - oh and this!

"Motogadget M-Unit blue Digital Control and Fuse Box Motorcycle MG4002040"

This thing looks amazing and a great way to freshen up the bike





Not much has changed on the bike since last update. Hopefully will get rolling again on the project soon
 
#65 · (Edited)
Amazed that this website and community is still going. I am truly grateful for that. Just reread my old posts and this thing has become legacy and archive of my life. Its grown beyond the bike itself. Badass. I am proud to reflect on my past and know that I have evolved from the young man I once was. I am in no rush to get the ace on the streets - I am making love to the process. It will be a glorious day when I'm rippin (again) along PCH here in Sunny SoCal.

Update on the bike:

As of March 3rd 2022, she has been sitting in a garage since 2017 when I last took parts off.

Purchased 2/22 - this will come in handy :D

Rectangle Font Screenshot Software Technology



The time has come 🤟
 
#66 ·
Glad to hear it brother. There is indeed a lot of from a lot of our lives here. Excited to see what the future brings us! DFW>
 
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