“Build a Race Bike in 100 Days”, he said.
“Should be easy”, he said.
“You've got most of the bits here”, he said.
“Won’t cost much”, he said.
Sounded a brilliant idea, even before Beer was involved.
So now reality is here.
Day 24
Rural Posties.
If you’ve ever met one, you'd be excused for thinking that you've found the perfect profession for grumpy, National-voting talkback-listening antisocial old buggers.
And the reason your parcels turn up damaged and crumpled.
However today's visit from Mr Grumpy brought a little box of Happiness.
Italian made noise-making Happiness to be exact.
A set of Termignoni (that had spell check buggered) carbon mufflers. And mid pipes.
Happy. Extra Happy.
These aren’t the standard 45mm sized pipes, but the 50mm drainpipes, as recommended by People That Know Stuff.
Because bigger is always better right?
One step closer to winning the Inaugral "Looks Good Sounds Great" award.
Day 41
Shiny Things.
Just like Magpies and Goldfish, Motorcyclists seem to be attracted to Shiny Things.
And by Motorcyclists, I mean me. And possibly you if you’re reading this. So here is todays Shiny Thing.
Our original pipes were covered in dirt mud, road grime, and 30,000km of Unlove. They were ugly. Fugly even. So we sent them off to Gordon at Vapour Blasting South Canterbury.
We've seen Gordon at a few race meets and stopped to have a chat, and he reckoned he could improve the looks of the 748 exhaust system. Rather than wear away my fingertips using steelo pads and polishing mops for a week, he got the job.
Wow. Almost looks like a new set. But the springs look shite, so they went off to him too.
Brilliant result:
Add a seal head rebuild, race spec Ktech valving, and swap the 7.5kg spring for a 9.0kg one for TeleTubbies, and it's ready to go in the hole.
Done and returned in 8 days. 4 of which would have been in courier vans. And all for a price that makes one smile. Brilliant. Well done to that man.
At the beginning of this project we’d sent the forks off for some re-valving and fresh oil. 6 weeks later they’re still not done. Or even started.
So we sent the Ohlins shock to Someone Else who came recommended. Here’s some during and after shots, if you’ve ever wondered what the tummy of an Ohlins rear shock looks like:
Day 45
If in doubt, paint it black.
Having made a spreadsheet of Jobs To Do on the Ducati race bike (there are 89 on the list), today’s was an easy one to cross off.
Unbox the lightweight alloy subframe.
Find it’s bent sideways (damn you Rural Postie!!!).
Hit it with brake cleaner, a light rub with a steelo pad, then the Worlds Most Slimming And Flattering Colour.
And if you have to paint something, this is the best ever.
Wattyl Etch Primer Black.
Super Etch Primer Black, even.
Best bit?
It has a matte, flat, subtle black finish:
Day 46
Today’s progress was...politely ask The Man With The Forks when he may consider doing something with them. See, that’s polite.
And strip off more bits.
Reminds me of renovating a house.
You make a Massive Pile Of Bits You Don’t Need. Then go and buy A Lot More Stuff to replace the Bits You Don’t Need.
It’s never going to be logical to someone without the Bike Disease.
Day 47
And still 78 things on the To Do List.
Today’s one wasn’t even on the list. Love how that happens.
Grab spare wheels.
2 x spare wheels will be fitted with some wets. Probably in case the bike goes to Auckland.
1 x spare rear rim to be fitted with spare race tire.
Note spare rims have marks from tire changing baboons. Sigh.
And now that I look closer there are marks elsewhere too, where the main area of the wheel bolts on.
So. Brake clean. 3M steelo pad, etch primer to help see the bumps, and dust off this awesome workshop weapon: an air powered die grinder with sanding attachment. Plug this thing into your compressor and Bingo!
Ours seems to need plenty of air, so sometimes you get to stop, let the compressor catch up, and have a look at your masterpiece. And your sanding work.
With 3M emery pads, it’s awesome for whizzing off the wee sharp edges, and making the marks on the rims smaller or gone completely.
Also handy for making the ends of alloy footpegs and bars nicer if they’ve had friction modifications. That’s a Technical Racing Term. Ahem.
Just use over a wide area, gently. Like they did with Napalm.
Apply more paint. Put in sun to dry. Repeat times 3 rims.
Kids, ask your parents first.
Parents, use safety glasses, rubber gloves and a good breathing mask, as airborne aluminium dust is NOT a recommended Food Group.
This is the sort of detail judges of the "Looks Good Sounds Great Award " at the Mike Pero Classic will be looking for. Big Tick!
Day 52
Front sprockets: 14 or 15 teeth?
Ah, it’s a fun debate.
Perhaps we should get out more. Or get Netflix.
After the same question 3 times in 3 days, here is my 2 cents:
The problem is bikes are geared so that they’re just idling when they pass through noise testing on manufacture. Result: they’re fitted with gearing which would reach closer to 280kmph, however aerodynamic drag outweights bhp, and they never will.
1198R/ panigale etc are exceptions.
It all means your bike is a little tricky to get off the line two up, you need lots of clutch slip on hill starts, and it runs crap at 100kmph, preferring to be in 5th gear not 6th.
Some people swear by a 15, as it gives a larger radius where the chain rolls around the front sprocket.
We recommend a 14t every time:
- It’s a 10 minute job to fire on a 14 tooth front sprocket, and then youll know if youre heading in the right direction with gearing, and making your bike more useable.
- You can usually keep your existing chain. Appeals to the Scots. And the Dutch. And Most Motorcyclists.
- And the one that most people love, its cheap.
It's 2018 as I write this and these are $59 for a new sprocket delivered. Either way you've got an excuse to be in the shed Saturday.
With 8 different front sprocket options, we think we've got it covered.
Mark Fenwick, boss of B&C Express – the largest seller of sprockets in Europe - says "One of the easiest and cheapest ways to transform the character of your bike is to fit a different size gearbox sprocket".
Amen.
Day 53
Open Heart Surgery.
Patient is on the table. Rubber gloves are on. Bright lights are focused.
Pass the spanner. Scalpel. Suction please Nurse...
It was a bit like that (minus the nurse action unfortunately) this afternoon.
“Operation Fuel Tank”
Tank on the bench.
Opened up.
Fuel pump assembly removed:
Fuel filter removed for inspection - and a bin-ectomy. Why?
The coffee-coloured swamp water that comes from blowing reverse through the old fuel filter:
Blow, don’t suck.
A clogged fuel filter makes the pump work harder, and, they’re expensive little fellas if they get tired and stop..
The 748/ 916 pump is its own special size, a pump from any other injected Duc won’t fit in the holder. Special.
So, new fuel filter $25, New tank O ring $24, and a new CA Cycleworks fuel pump.
The patient is declared healthy, buttoned back up, and pushed off to the recovery ward.
Visitors, no flowers please.
Nurse!
Day 55
Mr Forks advises the forks are on his bench.
Still. Fecker.
So, do something else...
Front sprocket.
It’s gonna need one, so we grab a Chiaravalli front sprocket (try saying that after a few glasses of your favourite Fantas). Or typing it even.
14 teeth of Made in Italy Perfection. It's 2018 and they're $59 new, so why would you buy a shite Chinese one?
Weigh a race drilled one vs this one and see its 2 grams difference.
About the weight of a sneeze. Probably crucial if you’re a drug dealer, but we run with the standard option today.
After applying a can of (surely it’s environmentally friendly) brake clean to the front sprocket area, we can finally see wassup.
Apply some grease to the output shaft, slip on the new sprocket.
Check front and rear sprockets line up, fit the lock washer (it slides on the shaft, fits into a groove.
Its teeth don’t match the sprockets teeth position, and it’s this offset that stops the sprocket falling off.
Simple and effective.
Debate loctiting or lock wiring the lock washer bolts.
Decide to do both.
Next job: assemble front and rear wheels, replace the grumbly bearings, fit new discs and tires.
They'll be handy when the forks turn up. Fecker.
Day 61
The Plan!
Boring people would no doubt suggest a plan is crucial to the timely success of a project, ensuring it completes on time and on budget. Had to google that last word.
While waiting for Mr Fecking Forks to deliver, so I’ve spent a few cooler evenings reading "The complete book of Tinkering" by John Clarke. It’s so good someone else deserves to read it. AKA Fred Dagg, He’s the guy that brought you..."The Front Fell Off".
So back to The PLAN.
In a nod to the Efficiency Department, I’ve tucked away some bling over time.
Enter the old-skool after-market clutch slave cylinder set up. Wah wah!
We first saw these on blinged 851s, and were impressed. Back in the days when Not Much Bling came to NZ, and tire warmers were just something you saw in grainy pics in Performance Bikes magazine.
Given our "Build a Race Bike in 100 days" project is to be entered in a Pre96, Formula 2 class, it should have some of that Old Stuff on it where possible. Perfect, he thought!
So yesterday’s job was to bolt it on, and bleed it up.
Of course it’s an epic fail.
Where the rearsets gear change rod wants to be to have the race gear change, is right where the PLAN wants to be.
PLAN NOW? Put it back on the shelf for the 851 project.
Install a different slave cylinder for $160, with a 30mm piston for lighter clutch action. Grease the end of the clutch push rod, drain the black swamp of water out of the system, install fresh new fluid, new bleed bolt for $24 with bleed nipple, new crush washers. nice.
Then make a plan for tomorrows job.