KrookStreetRacing

Bell helmet update.

2011-05-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

I've just spent a week in New York and I was amazed at the lack of motorcycles in Manhattan. A couple of tragic cruisers with tassels and stuff was about it. One would have thought that with all the traffic that people would turn to bikes in order not to get stuck in the congestion, but no. Very few bikes. In places like Milan and Rome, where car drivers drive like maniacs, there are bikes absolutely everywhere. Strange.

And of course: with few bikes, there are also very few dealers. I only found one, and that was small and poorly stocked. No sign of any Bell helmets. So I call Bell's support centre and even they couldn't tell me where to find a "Custom 500" in New York. Hm. When I was a kid riding motocross bikes, there were Bell helmets all over the place. Guess the brand must have deteriorated.

Fortunately, Bell has a web shop, and I now have a white Custom 500 on order. Time to order some paint. Marcus of Marcus Moto Design tells me you can get two pack in rattle cans nowadays. Weird, but if he's not pulling my leg, it's apparently true.

Air or water?

2011-03-25T11:17:00.001-07:00

I STILL haven't decided on what to build next, and it drives me crazy. All I know is that I want something that can travel a little further than my Husky tracker. Don't get me wrong: I love the way the Husky came out, but it's not very, erm, comfortable.

I came very close to buying a mint KTM 990 motor this week. The price was right and it had only 2400 clicks on the meter – barely run in. It's a cracking engine, powerful, light for a twin and thoroughly modern, which I like. It would be the perfect engine for a kick-ass street tracker. There is however, the issue of the cooling. The Katoom engine is liquid cooled and since it puts out a lot of power, it needs big coolers. And therein lies the rub: it's very difficult to build a naked bike with all those coolers, hoses and little plastic tanks. I haven't seen one that looks good. And believe me: I've looked through the entire Internet looking for good looking KTM-based bikes. Yes, the entire thing.

I figure I need about 80-90 bhp in order to build a fun bike, if It's a torquey engine and if I can keep the weight of the bike under 180-190 kg. Which got me thinking about that Buell engine again... Now, there's no denying that an air cooled engine looks a LOT nicer than water cooled ones. Just have a look at the sketch from Bottpower above. How cool is that! They are aiming at a weight of 170 kg, which I think may be a little optimistic without spending a fortune on components like the wheels, but 180 should be attainable without braking the bank. But the best thing of all is the fact that their sketch does away with the aluminium perimeter frame, instead opting for a central tube. Which makes it possible to use a proper gas tank (incidentally the same tank as on my Husky. It wouldn't be too difficult to build either. All you need is a big, bent steel tube (preferably cro-mo) from the swing arm pivot up to the steering head, some brackets to fix the engine in place, and presto: good looking, minimal frame. At least that's what I'm thinking at the moment – I'm not sure about where the mounting points are on a Buell. Tomorrow I'm going to the local Harley dealer to take some spy shots!

More images.

2011-03-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

I got an email from the guy who runs Bike EXIF – one of the bigger blogs for cafe racers and customs – requesting some images of my bike and I sent him some of the shots that weren't featured in Sideburn.

I must admit that it was with some trepidation I sent Chris the images since quite a few bikes get "murdered" in the comments on his blog. But people were actually quite kind and even the "Yoda" of the street tracker scene, Richard Pollock (of Mule Motorcycles) put in an encouraging post. Click here to see the images on BikeEXIF.

Preaching to the choir.

2011-02-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

You probably know this already, but there is a new issue of Sideburn for sale, and my bike is featured! Buy it. You WILL love it. The best bike magazine, bar none.

PS: if you're working for the Swedish Postal Service, stop reading this and hurry up with my issue will ya?

Captain Sweden.

2011-01-30T07:40:00.001-08:00

I normally use a full face helmet. But after seeing the wonderful "Riding September" video, I now want an open face one. And being too cheap to buy one from Ateliers Ruby, I've decided to go for a "Bell 500 Custom" which are on sale for about $100 in the US, despite being made from proper fibre glass.

I've always liked the "Captain America" scheme featured in the movie "Easy Rider" – even if it is a little overexploited by now. So I thought I'd try my hand at making a colour scheme of my own and throw in some Swedish influences as well.

The plan is to get a white one and then paint it myself like my Photoshop-sketch above. I'm planning to use rattle can paints and not be too fussy with the masking and painting in order to achieve a little bit of a "retro" feel – as if the helmet had been painted in the seventies by some hippie and then lost for decades, before being rediscovered by me. That way I get a nice looking lid and still get modern levels of protection. That's the plan anyway... If anyone uses a Bell 500 please get in contact with me – I need some help with choosing the correct size.

Santa was late.

2010-12-29T14:11:00.000-08:00

But then again, what's a day or two when you get something like this! I mentioned earlier that I tried a Keihin FCR flat slide carb on my bike during the summer and I just could not believe what a difference it made compared to my old Del' Orto. It was as if the old jerky and vibey Husky big bore lump had suddenly been transformed into a modern, smooth and really powerful weapon. It also made the bike a doddle to start – hot or cold. I've been on the lookout for a 41 mm FCR ever since, but come across a lot of dodgy ebay-sellers that refused to send images or otherwise behaved strangely.

Then I found this Dutch website: http://www.frankmxparts.com/ and got in contact with the very friendly and helpful owner Frank. Not only did he find the carb I needed, he also got it jetted to my specs, changed the wire operated (from the handlebars) hot start mechanism to a simpler and nicer button on the carb and changed all the transparent tubing for black ones. The cost of all this, including shipping: €360. Considering that the carb I got is almost new (and really looks as good as new too) and that the throttle and cables were included, well, I think that is awesome value.

If you want to transform your thumper, buy an FCR. And do buy it from Frank.

Got it!

2010-11-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Now I know what I want to build next. A Porsche 909 Bergspyder. The pic is from Porsches' own museum and doesn't it look great? It was built in 1968 "specifically for competing in hill climbing competitions" and it weighed an incredible 385 kg! That's a 100 kg less than the weight of a modern Formula 1 (sans driver and fuel)! The 909 encompasses everything I like; light weight, no nonsense styling and of course: black rims. Now I just need to work out how it would look as a motorcycle. And what engine it should have. Back to the drawing board!

Help please.

2010-11-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Can anyone tell me where the wheels on this KTM comes from? They're obviously 19-inchers (which we like), but I can't place them. Any help appreciated.

Quo vado?*

2010-11-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Now that the Husky tracker is finished [I've unofficially christened it the "Sidetracker" since it proved such a distraction from my other obligations like work and my other projects], I find myself in the most enviable position there is: with a blank slate in front of me. This means I can go in any direction I want, and I find that feeling quite exhilarating.

I have a mental short list of bike projects I want to try and one of them is building a really nice café racer. A month or so ago I found a Buell engine on the web that was for sale at reasonable money and I did what I usually do in these circumstances: I fired up Photoshop and tried a couple of ideas. Now, there is nothing at all wrong with a CB750 special or a nice Bonneville, and in fact I may come back to those bikes later on, but I felt I needed a bigger challenge. The Husqvarna tracker was challenging since most street trackers are either Harley/Buell, Triumph or Rotax engined. There isn't very many Husky street trackers around. With that in mind I sketched a new frame and borrowed bits and pieces from other bikes to see how it could look. You find the sketches above [with and without bullet type fairing].

The scale and measurements aren't a hundred percent correct, but I still think it could have turned out pretty nice. But... the Buell engine turned out to be less good than advertised and I lost interest in the project. Now I'm thinking of doing 4 cylinder tracker along the lines of the R1 street tracker that Gregg's Customs made last year. Mine would be less "blingy" and perhaps use a smaller engine (like from an R6). What do you think?

*First person version of "Quo vadis" - meaning "where are you going".

One liquid cooled framer - done!

2010-09-30T00:11:00.001-07:00

Without further ado, here it is...

(low res pics taken with my compact. Proper studio shots to be taken later).

Victory!

2010-09-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to report that I'm now the proud owner of a fully legit, road legal, street tracker. My framer passed the final inpection about an hour ago. Now I'm going to mount the proper tires and the ISR brake stuff and take some pictures for you of the finished article. Then it's time for a professional photo shoot (if everything goes according to plan you might see the bike in one of our favorite mags in the not too distant future).

BTW: It wasn't the carb that was acting up, it was a faulty ground wire.

Buggeration!

2010-09-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, but I missed my M.O.T-appointment this morning since the bike absolutely refused to start. This is the first time ever that I've failed to get it running. I kicked the damn thing for 40 minutes and got it running for one (1) second only for it to die again. I've now bought a new plug and have another carb lined up if it turns out it's the carb that's acting up. I've managed to get a new M.O.T-appointment already on Monday morning. Fingers crossed.

I'm now on the look out for a flat slide 39 or 41 mm carb. My friend changed his Dell'Orto for a Keihin flat slide and it runs like a dream now and start first kick every time. So if you've got a spare one, drop me a line.

Damn it! (part 2)

2010-09-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, look what I got in the mail today... Yes, I went for the radial one. And yes, it is a little bit on the large side. But as "Road Warriors" pointed out: the rest of the running gear is really modern, so I decided continue my theme of juxtapositioning old school elements like the tank and seat with bang up to date engine and brake components. I think it's this mix of 1975 and 2010 that makes my bike stand out somewhat among other trackers.

I won't mount them until this weekend after the final MOT on friday. Will post some pictures of the finished bike then, including some other minor touches I've been busy with. Then it's on to the next one. I'm working on a Photoshop composite of a café racer at the moment. I hope you'll like it!

Damn it!

2010-09-07T02:40:00.000-07:00

I promised myself that I would keep my old Brembo brake pump and clutch lever, but I just can't resist ISR's stuff. It's just so... bl**dy gorgeous in a Mies van der Rohe "I didn't intend for this Skyscraper to look this good, I just paid a lot of attention to the proportions" kind of way.

So... I called Acke Rising (owner of ISR) to hear what I should buy. He suggested the old style brake pump (he knows I'm building a tracker), but I had my heart set on a radial one. What do you think: radial or old school?

Free distort.

2010-08-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

I like italic racing numbers on bikes. They look like they are forced into leaning backwards as the bike accelerates. At least if you view the bike from the left side. The problem is that if you put italic numbers on the right side of the bike – then they lean the wrong way! Not nice. Thankfully there is a workaround. You will need Adobe Illustrator (or another vector graphics application) and a little patience. But it will be worth it.

Step 1 is choosing a font that you like. I very much like a font called "City" that was designed in the 1930s for the Berthold type foundry in Berlin. So I chose that.

Step 2 is firing up Adobe Illustrator. Make a new document and write your desired numbers two times. “Create outlines” of the numbers (It's under "Type" in the top menu). This will turn your numbers into easily manipulated vector objects.

Step 3: select the effect called “Free distort” (Effects/Distort & transform/Free distort). You can now distort the numbers into pretty much any shape you like. In order for mine to fit in with the lines of my tail piece I made my numbers a little bit lower towards the end of the bike, which will emphasize the "leaning" effect. I added a black outline to my numbers for that "Nascar" look.

Step 4 is saving your document as an Illustrator eps-document and then emailing it to your local digital printer who will print them on vinyl and cut them out for you. There really isn't more to it!

polymimetic alloy.

2010-08-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

No, the part in the picture is not manufactured by Skynet in some sort of potential alternate future. It's actually made in good old Sweden by a firm called ISR.

As I'm waiting for the beuraucratic paper mill to return my paperwork, I've been busy making some decals and surfing the web for a replacement for the crude looking Tochico brake caliper I've been using so far. And beeing Swedish, there just is no way around the fact that ISR makes som pretty impressive and affordable stuff. At least if you compare to other calipers of the same quality (I won't post the price here since I suspect my wife checks this blog now and then, but it was about a third of the cost of a comparable Brembo caliper.). ISR makes six piston calipers as well, but I went with four pistons since I think it looks better. And besides: who has ever seen a race bike with six piston brakes?

It needs new spacers, but the very friendly proprietor of ISR, Acke Rising, has promised to turn some for me. I'll post a pic of it mounted when the spacers arrive. Now I just have to resist the temptation to buy new master cylinders from ISR as well...

Thrilla in Svedala.

2010-08-15T02:39:00.000-07:00

Put on the kettle and get comfortable, cause this post is going to be long. In my last post I wrote that I had booked an appointment to get the final SFRO-approval for my frame. What I hadn't expected was that this final inspection would turn into such a palaver.

But before we proceed I thought I’d just take a minute to explain the process of getting what is to all intents and purposes a scratch built framer through the Swedish M.O.T/approval procedure. The Swedish government has outsourced the responsibility for inspecting “amateur built” bikes and cars to an organisation called SFRO. SFRO consists of a small number of Swedish car and bike enthusiasts who, by being fiercely thorough make sure that no dangerous or badly built contraptions reach the streets. And by making sure of that, they protect the hobby from bureaucrats who would like nothing better than to put a stop to our beloved hobby. I just wanted to make that clear from the outset to make sure you don’t get the impression that I in any way have a beef with SFRO. You can see where this is leading now can’t you…?

In order to get a bike like mine approved you first have to get your frame/bike SFRO-inspected in an unpainted state. At this point the welds must be left untouched (i.e. not ground or sanded). This to show that the craftsmanship is up to scratch and that the overall geometry of the frame is sound. I passed that one with flying colours. Next step is to paint and assemble the bike and have the bike noise tested. And as you know, I somehow managed to pass that one too. The third step is where the SFRO inspector actually rides your bike and makes sure that it handles and that the brakes work and so on. If it does, you can then book an appointment to have the bike M.O.T’d and get your official papers and your registration plate.

So, with that in mind, let’s rewind the tape a month or so. I loaded my bike on my rental trailer and drove the 75 clicks to Svedala where I was meeting up with the SFRO guy. I unloaded and the guy complemented my on the looks of the bike, the components and the overall craftsmanship. After taking some measurements he mounted a G-meter on the tank and drove off. He came back after 15 minutes or so and I got compliments on the brake performance. Not surprisingly really since the brakes are a bit oversized, to put it mildly. He then checked the paperwork once more and was just about to put his stamp of approval on the bike when he decided to have one last look on the receipt I got from the place where we bought the frame tubes…

As I may have mentioned, SFRO doesn’t like Cro-Mo tubing, so we decided to opt for regular steel tubes to make sure the bike passed with as little fuss as possible (the bike is so light anyway that it makes little difference on the street). Now, SFRO publishes a book every other year where all construction rules, permitted measurement etc are listed together with a list of all the different kinds of tubing that SFRO prefers. What we didn’t know at the time when we ordered the tubes, was that SFRO, in their latest book (that we didn’t have), had inserted a paragraph where it stated that cold drawn steel tubes should be avoided due to possible problems with brittleness resulting from bending the tubes.

The SFRO-guy looked up from his papers and said in a sombre voice “we have a problem”. He explained the issue and my heart sank. Suddenly my frame was unusable anywhere outside of a racetrack. I loaded the bike up again and thoughts of torching the bike and trailer and leaving it by the roadside to burn went through my head. My wife told me later that I looked completely gutted when I walked through the door.

After a few days of almost clinical depression I got a text from the SFRO-guy where he stated that there was one possibility we could try: a Brinell-test to see if the tubes we had used perhaps would fall within the permitted tolerances after all. He would start looking for the test equipment that was supposed to be somewhere in Sweden. The weeks came and passed. And with them the best part of the Swedish summer. Until finally this week when I got the call: “Can you come to Svedala on Saturday? We have a bit of a SFRO-conference and I have been able to locate the Brinell-test equipment”.

I felt a bit like I was presenting my bike to the Spanish Inquisition as I rolled my framer into the large garage where the SFRO-guys were having their meeting. I was told to leave and come back in two hours. I drove to a press centre and picked up the new PB while I waited for the minutes to tick down.

I hour, 59 minutes and 50 seconds later I pulled into the court yard and was met by “my” SFRO-guy who, not unlike the emperor in “Gladiator” slowly raised his hand in front of him, stuck his thumb out and gave me a slow-motion thumbs up… It passed.

In the image above, you can see where they scratched off the paint in order to test the steel. I guess I will have to repaint the frame, but I’d much rather do that than start all over from scratch!

I know I've said this before: but this time it really is close to finished...

The sound of silence.

2010-07-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

If you've ever heard a big bore Husky at full chat you know it's loud. Proper loud. Little children screaming, car alarms going off at 50 yards - loud. Then imagine that you have an 84-decibel limit to adhere to. That's exactly what I was up against today when I did the mandatory noise test for my street tracker.
I always thought that passing the noise test would be the hardest part of the whole M.O.T-process and I knew from the start that there was no way in h**l that I could get my bike under 84 dB at full throttle – not unless the test was done in deep space. So first on my list was finding a way of making it impossible to give the bike the full beans. After some head scratching I found a nice little hole on the underside of the plastic carburettor lid. I put a 50 mm long screw in there, which made it impossible to lift the throttle more than about 40 % of the way. That went some way towards getting the noise down. Next up was filling the SuperTrapp silencer with sound deadening fibre glass "wool" and taking out 11 of the 12 discs at the end of the silencer.

At this point I was kind of happy with the results but the induction sound from the carb was still too loud to my ears (I was guessing at this point since I didn't have a dB-meter). So yesterday night I started panicking a bit and began botching together a sort of external air box over the exposed KN filter. And when I say botch, I really mean botch. Or how does cutting out plastic pieces from IKEA boxes, filling it with cell foam and gaffer taping it all up sound? Botch Engineering Ltd.

After a few hours sleep I brought the bike up from the garage to do a test start before I was to load it and go to Malmö (some 65 clicks away). It absolutely refused to start! No matter how many times I kicked the thing – nothing. Obviously it didn't get enough air and I had to modify my "air box" one more time, with one hour to go to the test. I finally got it started and it sure was quiet:-) I also ran like Chitti Chitti Bang Bang with a bad cold. Ah, to hell with it I thought and loaded up.

After waiting in line for an hour or so, watching all sorts of machinery go through the sound trap, I handed my bike over to the guy who was going to do the test ride past a dB-meter and watched him "speed off" with the engine coughing and farting on "full gas" (40% throttle). On his return pass I could see the frown on his face and he gave me the bike back stating that it "just wasn't working". I felt the panic rise since I knew that there wasn't going to be a new test for some weeks. I told him I was going to do some mods and could he please give it one more go? At this point the other bikes and cars had passed their tests and it had started raining. So I started tearing frantically at my "air box" to try to give the bike some more air. Guess what? The bike refused to start. I kicked and kicked. I checked the plug, the fuel and everything else I could come up with. Nothing. After some 15 minutes of this I was drenched in sweat. Seconds from giving up, the last remaining biker told me to throw away that stupid air box since "I was screwed anyway". I did and the bike fired up and I handed it over to the tester, expecting disaster.

But do you know what? IT PASSED! I was actually one dB under the limit even without the stupid airbox. I haven't felt so relieved in years. On Monday I'm going back to get the final clearance on the frame and then the final M.O.T will be a mere formality. Wish me luck!

It's a wrap. Or is it?

2010-06-13T03:49:00.001-07:00

I spent a few good hours yesterday wrapping my exhaust. A pretty fiddly job, even with the coolers off. The headers turn and twist and the clearance is marginal at best. Now, I know that exhaust wrap isn't strictly in keeping with the flat tracker-style, but the Husky exhaust isn't the prettiest in the world and I like the way a wrapped exhaust looks. So sue me.

It looks like a piece of cake, but it is actually pretty difficult to get the wrap to fit perfectly. After having finished with the light coloured wrap (picture #1) I took a step back to admire my handiwork. And quickly realised that it looked too retro. And that the light wrap clashed with the colour theme of the rest of the bike. Damn!

30 minutes later I had purchased a new wrap (another 50 Euros) and started over again. This time, with the darker wrap (picture #2), I think I got the look I was after.

A word to the wise: use a long sleeved sweater and maybe even latex gloves when you wrap your own exhaust. Those little fibre glass strands itch like a son of a *****. I washed my arms three times and still couldn't stop the itching. In the end I had to resort to using my wife's body lotion. Yuk.

BTW: the new Öhlins spring is now in place (after having been powder coated black). It's 60 Nm instead of the 110 Nm standard spring. Hopefully this will smoothen out the super stiff ride.

Under cover.

2010-06-08T02:25:00.000-07:00

The traditional flat track frame (and trust me: I've studied quite a few) uses a turned up metal loop as a connection point for the rear bodywork. Or in the case of a Woods frame, the rear frame loops around the bodywork. The loop makes the rear frame stiff and light.

I knew however that I needed an easy way to fix the rear light, reg plate and indicators on my street tracker, so I opted for a slightly different rear frame with a small "shelf" at the back. Not quite as light but it makes for a convenient place to put some of the electric gubbins that are not needed on a race tracker. None of these components are visible once the rear bodywork is fixed in place and the "shelf" protects them from rear wheel spray. As you can see from the image, the horn was relocated backwards as well.

Vive la resistance!

2010-06-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

First of all: I'm no electrician. Despite having read many books on the subject, I still can't differentiate between my watts and my amperes. So when I couldn't get my indicators to work properly I had to consult a friend (thanks Erik).

The problem was that when I had replaced my standard indicators, which used a 23 W light bulb, with my new mini indicators, which contain LEDs instead of bulbs, the current would "creep" (lay mans term) around the system and make all four indicators light up at once. A bit confusing for the people behind my bike. I had changed the indicator relay for one suited for LED indicators, so the blink frequency was correct, but the "Christmas tree" effect persisted.

It turns out that LED indicators use as little as 1 W and thus the current would go through them almost without noticing the LEDs (again: lay mans terms). So to make it work we had to install a couple of resistors to "fool" the system that the 23 w bulbs where still there. Two resistors from "Biltema" did the trick once they were installed together with the rear indicators. Just remember to install them "in parallel" with the indicators. Now everything works and its time to shrink hose the whole loom to make it reasonably waterproof. Not that I'm ever going to ride in rain, but still.

Blinker, part 2.

2010-05-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

And this is what it looks like in place. Once painted black, I hope it will look even less conspicuous. But that will have to wait until after the MOT (the triple trees will get anodized as well).

Took it for a longer spin today, and managed to summon up the courage to let go of the bars at speed. It tracked straight and true. Phew.

Blinker.

2010-05-26T13:44:00.001-07:00

Is "blinker" American English BTW? Anyway: I've been unable to find a solution for where I should place the front indicators on my bike. At one point I thought about integrating them into the top triple tree, but changed my mind at the last moment. I've also looked into the idea of having them on the ends of the handlebars, but since the flat track bars are quite wide, I dismissed that idea as well. In the end it became apparent that I needed some sort of custom made bracket to put them on the forks. The Swedish rules state that the indicator lenses need to be at least 240 mm apart and cannot sit together with the headlight.

Anyhow, I made a drawing, brought one of my mini indicators with me and payed a visit to "Kent" the aluminium wizard who lives about 20 klicks from me. Three days later I picked up the bracket in the picture. It looks huge, but it is only as wide as the forks and it will sit – turned upside down – underneath the lower triple tree and only about 25% of it will be visible. The bracket will be painted black in order not to stand out against the black fork tubes and only the curved parts at the ends will protude out and to the sides when the bike is watched from the front (and, no there isn't room to mount the indicators behind the fork tubes - the radiators are in the way.). Now I just need to get the airfilter and the rear light (it refuses to work as advertised) sorted. Then I can book an appointment with the M.O.T inspector.

It's aaaalive!

2010-05-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, but after having gone through the usual start procedure (choke out, five kicks with the decompression handle held in, choke in) the trusty big bore Husky engine fired up as if it was just yesterday, never mind two years since it last barked into life!

To say I was elated is an understatement. I didn't quite trust my ability to get the new wiring loom right and I guess I've had some subconscious doubt that it would actually work. I've had the flu pretty bad for two days but that was soon forgotten as I very gingerly let the clutch out and did a few really slow laps up and down the street applauded by my oldest son (he's eight and thinks I'm Pierre Terblance and John Britten rolled into one).

First findings? Well the rear spring is way too stiff. No surprise there and I'll just order a new one. It also felt stupidly light! I don't know if that is to do with the fact that the bike is lower now than it was in super moto guise, but it feels as if I could pick it up like a bicycle. I'll weigh it later, but I'm guessing around 130 kg. More soon!

Neato.

2010-05-19T12:34:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of respect for the way that ISR does things. And not only 'cause they're Swedish. I love the no-nonsense, form-follows-function look of their stuff. And the fact that they are pretty affordable considering the quality.

I discovered a cool feature today when I bled the rear brake caliper. In lieu of the standard type bleed nipple, where you push the clear bleed hose onto the same nipple that you then turn to let the air out, ISR have a nice little system where the bleed nipple and the bleed screw are separated. The brass bleed nipple in the picture is only used when bleeding and thanks to an o-ring, can be threaded in using only finger force (there's one on the back side of the caliper for the other piston as well). The hose stays put since you don't turn the nipple and the blue screw is easily accessible using a 11 mm ring spanner for botch free operation. Perhaps not the biggest innovation ever, but still a nice little feature that I imagine would make a professional spanner man happy.

I'm going to get one of these for the front brake as well...

Aaaaaalmost there.

2010-05-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the image, I am now very close to finishing my build. I have a little bit of the new wiring loom still to do (the old one was so bad I just couldn't look at it), some brakes to mount and bleed, exhaust wrap to, er, wrap and a few other minor tweaks before I can hoof the kick starter and – hopefully – revive the engine that has been dormant for almost two years now. Oh yeah, I will mount an air filter from K&N too.

If you're wondering if I've lost the plot totally and mounted tires from some 80's two stroke learner bike, then let me explain. You see, the very thorough man from S.F.R.O will not give me the final approval of the bike if I use tires that aren't marked "for road use". Hence the old and tired tires that I got from a wonderful man in Stockholm who runs a shop called "Wheeler Dealer" (if you've met him you know what I'm talking about). Approximately 30 seconds after I get the final M.O.T the bike will be wearing the proper Maxxis tires again. The ugly yellow spring on the Ohlins damper will be painted black by then too.

I can now hear the missus dressing up the kids downstairs for a dinner at some of our friends, which "I just don't have the time for, since I have a s**t load of work to do". Time to make a double espresso and head down to my garage...

Plumbing, done.

2010-04-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

Liquid-cooled engines have their pros and cons. They can generally handle higher power outputs (since they are better at shedding heat) – which is always a good thing. The flip side of the coin is that there is no getting away from those bulky coolers and all that piping. And sometimes it can all look a bit like snakes on a plane. Tear the plastic off from a water-cooled Ducati and you'll see what I mean. My Husky engine is no different.

Thankfully, a few of the ugliest parts will be obscured somewhat by the tank. And my radiator-shrouds will hide the backs of the coolers, which are both vulnerable and unsightly. In the picture you can also find the ignition coil and the voltage regulator which have found new homes under the top tube and will be hidden from view by the tank. The streaky rubber thingy wrapped around the top tube is actually a vibration damper for washing machines which I found at "Claes Olsson". It fits perfectly in the "tunnel" under the tank and will make sure that the alu tank doesn't crack from the vibrations. There is a similar one furter back on the top tube as well (not in picture).

So far everything has gone together pretty easy. Hopefully this will continue. Next up: the wiring.

Black is the new black.

2010-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got my finger out and did the finishing touches on my radiator "shrouds" and the brake hanger. After a LOT of rubbing with a Scotch Brite cloth – all in the same direction mind you – I had my wife drop them off at the anodizers a couple of days ago. I got them back today and the results are excellent. The shrouds really look factory made, rather than botched together by a copywriter with very limited metal working skills.

Since I didn’t polish the details to a shine, but rather “scarred” the surface very, very finely with the Scotch Brite, the anodized finished turned out a deep satin black that almost absorbs light – like a Skunk Works drone.

Anodizing is now officially my favourite way of finishing alu parts. As soon as we finish the triple trees, they will go in the anodizing bath too. To create some contrast I’ll go for a traditional polished finish and perhaps a gun metal colour to offset the black fork legs.

Shaving my legs.

2010-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

I think radially mounted brakes look much tidier than conventional ones. There is however one big drawback when using forks with mounting points for radial brake calipers: they are an integral part of the fork bottoms and can't be unbolted. And since my forks came off of a Gixxer 750, both legs had the mounting points (I will only be using one calliper). And it looked crap with that empty "horn" sticking out into thin air on the right side of the bike...

Now, if I was a much more accomplished mechanic, maybe I could have disassembled the forks and put the fork bottoms in a lathe, but to tell you the truth, I couldn't work out how to loosen the damn things. I guess they are pressed into place? Or maybe there is a bolt holding them on inside the fork sliders?

The only way forward I could think of was to put the right fork leg in the mill and machine off most of the mounting points structure (see picture 1). This step could have been accomplished with a hacksaw as well, but if you have a CNC mill at your disposal… The result can be seen in picture 2. Better, but not good. Next step was to somehow round off the part where the mounting points used to be and make it look as if it was never there. This took me a few hours, using a combo of pneumatic angle grinder/sander, and a flat steel file. Take it real easy here so you don’t remove too much material!

The final step was to restore the matt painted finish (picture 4). I went for a special brake calliper paint that is supposed to withstand brake fluid, which can wreak havoc on standard paint. It came in a spray can, and despite the salesman’s repeated guarantee to the contrary, turned out as glossy as a grand piano. I let the paint harden and then took the shine off with a scotch brite cloth. Result.

Candygram for Mongo!

2010-03-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Look what the friendly UPS-man brought me today! Yes, it's the long awaited tank and seat unit. And I'm quite pleased.

If I may say so myself, it really hits the mark I was aiming for: a sort of homage to the old school Husky ruby red bikes, mixed with the traditional flat tracker aesthetics that got me hooked on the whole flat/street tracker thing in the first place. And trust me, the picture does not do it justice. The two-tone red scheme doesn't really show up and the flake looks much better IRL. I'll bend the arm of one of my photographer friends and make him take some proper shots of the bike when it's finished (before I flip it...).

The paint was laid down by Death Spray Custom in London. But if you don't like the scheme, the fault is all mine. He (Death Spray) wanted to do an altogether more creative paint scheme, but since the rest of the bike is all about modern/high tech components, I wanted to keep the paint traditional. Was it the right decision?

Ooops.

2010-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

My invoice from Pro-Bolt... Not cheap for a handful of bolts. But as we say in Sweden: "det kostar att ligga på topp":-)

First layer down.

2010-03-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Just got this image from David of Death Spray Custom in London who is doing the paint job. Looks promising!

That's more like it!

2010-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

I got the frame back from the powdercoaters yesterday, and I'm happy to report that this time around it looks great. The satin black finish gives it a lovely "factory" look that I really like. And in retrospect, the matt finish that I went for at first, maybe wasn't the best idea, since it might have proven too difficult to keep clean.

I got a few other bits and bobs painted as well. More on that later. Next up: compiling a list of all the bolts I need and ordering those from tastynuts.com. With the frame and the rest of the components looking as good as they do, I can't very well bolt it together with anything other than top of the line fasteners, now can I?

It all adds up...

2010-02-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

Almost two months ago I ordered 12 countersunk, stainless bolts from a company called McMaster-Carr in the states. I needed them to fasten my sprocket and rear brake disc to my PM rear wheel, which uses a really archaic bolt pattern and 7/16'' bolts. A month passed without any bolts arriving. Then a further two weeks. A call was placed and met with the suprising answer: "We cancelled your order due to export restrictions". "-Come again? Export restrictions? I wasn't aware that old imperial bolts were covered by some sort of non-proliferation treaty", I replied. "And why haven't you informed me of the cancellation?" Since the customer relations person at the other end couldn't give me a satisfactory answer, I hung up. Annoyed, to say the least.

Since McMaster-Carr were the ONLY source I could find for the bolts I needed (stainless 7/16'' contersunk must be the rarest bolts in the world), I had to resort to having them custom made. A company called Acme Stainless in the UK made the ones in the picture and had them sent to me within a week. The cost? £65 including postage. Aouch!

Halfway there.

2010-02-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

In this day and age of iPhones, nano-tubes and what not, it's easy to overlook some of last century's high tech, like the CNC-mill. In essence 1970's technology (invented in the 50's), it still makes my mind boggle at the sheer precision of the thing. I understand the basic principles of it all, but the way it moves in 1/1000 mm increments back and forth, and even more amzingly, mills perfect circles in solid blocks of metal is just astounding to me.

As you can see, the upper triple tree is almost there (lower part of picture), while the lower tree is still a big, but not heavy, piece of billet. The difference in weight between these and my steel prototypes is amazing. Next up: machining the "slots" and the threads for the bolts that will tighten the clamps around the fork legs.

Dangerous times.

2010-02-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

At the moment I'm waiting for my frame to come back from the powder coaters and my tank and seat unit to come back from the guy in London who's doing the flake job. Until I get the frame back, there is not much I can do on the bike (apart from finishing the triple trees which is pencilled in for for Monday) and my brain has started whispering: "–screw this project, let's move on to the next one... It will be much more fun than this... Haven't you've always said you were going to do a cafe racer... I bet there is a nice paralell twin engine somewhere on eBay..."

Must. Not. Start. New. Project.
Must. Finish. This. One. First.

What's wrong with this picture?

2010-01-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

I'll give you a hint: there is something missing.

I've had a bad really bad day today; suppliers screwing up, customers complaining, horrible [even by airline standards] food on the plane from Stockholm etc. So when I got a call from the powder coaters that the pieces I gave them a week ago were ready for pick-up, I envisioned a weekend locked in my basement, finally assembling my tracker. Suddenly my other worries melted away. But, alas, it was not to be. And it's probably my own fault. You see, I wanted my frame, swingarm and a couple of other brackets and stuff painted with a kind of powder that leaves a rough, semi matt, almost crackelated finish. The guy had limited experience with the stuff, but told me he would give it a try.

To say that it looked shite is like saying emo-rock sucks. Rather than the slightly bumpy, semi matt apperance I was looking for, it looked as if the frame had been left out in the rain for ten years and then coated with a thin, shiny black film, exposing the rusty, pitted material underneath. I was gutted. The shiny pieces (see image) where fine, but the rest has to be redone. To his credit, the painter didn't argue, and promised to media blast the pieces again and redo them. Plain old satin black this time. Oh well, what's another two weeks?

Flake.

2010-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

I got a paint sample in the mail today from the guy who is going to paint the tank and seat unit. It turns out that flake paint is not like ordinary paint in the sense that you can mix in some other colour in order to change the shade – like add a bit of white to turn a blue colour into light blue. Instead, it's the small flakes themselves that are coloured. So in order to change the hue of the finished paint, you have to use different background colours "behind" the flakes. The left part of the paint sample was painted red before the flakes were applied, and the right part was painted black. As a result the right part of the sample looks darker from some angles, but not all (you cant really see the black base paint). From straight on it's hard to tell the difference, but from a more oblique angle the difference is clear. I really like the "red flake on black background"-colour. It looks a bit like the old Husqvarna "Ruby red" paint (image here). I think I'm going for that as the base colour.

Yokes 2.0

2010-01-04T05:09:00.000-08:00

After getting some excellent feedback from #15 (among others), I've decided to change the design of my yokes. The "integrated indicators"-design that I had in mind is now out. I got a little bit carried away with that and maybe it was a little bit to elaborate for a street tracker? I now have a different idea for how I'm going to mount the front indicators, involving a bent aluminium tube that will sit under the yoke (more on that later). And yes: I need indicators for my bike to pass the final M.O.T. After that they can, err, fall off. I guess...

While I'm at it, I'll add 10 more mm of grountrail by shortening the offset to 30 mm, giving me a total of 100-105 mm ground trail.

Yokes.

2009-12-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

The time has come to put two proper slabs of billet in the mill and make the yokes that will replace the iron ones I've been using during the construction process. This will not only lighten the bike by some two metric tonnes, but also address the problem with the lack of ground trail that the friendly MOT-man pointed out last week. By reducing the offset [the distance between the center of the steering stem and the centre of the fork legs] by 20 mm, I will move the front axle 20 mm backwards. This will INCREASE the trail by the same amount, giving me appr 85-90 mm ground trail, and hopefully a stable, yet nimble bike.

I couldn't find a good place to mount the front indicators on the bike, so I thought I'd try to incorporate a mounting point at the back of the top yokes. This way I can route the cables through and under the top yoke and hopefully get an uncluttered look to the front end. The Swedish law states that the indicators must be mounted 240 mm apart, so mounting them onto the headlight is not an option.

The red number 1 points out the mounting holes for the risers, number 2 is where the Trailtech computer will be mounted and number 3 is the mounting point for the Bates headlight.

Virtual paintshop.

2009-11-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

The time has come to paint my pride & joy and I'll start sending out parts soon. The frame, along with the soon to be new triple trees, will be powder coated matt black. The back wheel gloss black. The thinking behind this is that a subdued colour scheme for the chassis will form a nice backdrop for the tank and seat unit.

I guess I could go for a really edgy paint scheme that will be truly memorable, and set it apart from all other street trackers. Something that would really stand out from the crowd. But that was never the point of this bike. I fell in love with the style of flat track bikes, and I want my bike to be instantly recognizable as a flat/street tracker – even if I've chosen a modern motor and modern brakes and suspension. I also wanted to incorporate something of the Husqvarna heritage from the time when a Husky was THE bike to have if you were a motocrosser or enduro rider. That's where the logo comes from incidentally. It's the same logo that was on Steve McQueen's personal Husqvarna bike (sans the black outline)

So this is where I am at the moment (see image). It may change somewhat, but it will resemble this Photoshop composite with the two-tone red and contrasting white panels. Trust me when I say that I've tried every conceivable combination of Husky/ruby red, black and white:-). The ruby red will get a subtle flake treatment, the whites will be solid.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2009-11-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know that those red, flake grips are a little bit over the top, but I couldn't resist when I found them on ebay and thought that they would be a nice match for my soon to be red bike. They're proper vintage "balloon" grips, made by an Italian firm called "Granturismo" and according to the fact sheet they are "make [yes: make] to absorb the roughest of vibrations". A good thing, since my Huskvarna engine vibrates like a pneumatic drill on nitro. If they turn out looking too garish on the bike, I'll order these from the Wrench Monkees. Check out the cool little glass vial of rubber cement that has survived perfectly ever since the grips were manufactured, which may have been in the seventies(?). They may also have been made last week in China and are sold as "vintage" to suckers like me...

The lovely little billet tank cap is made by the same guy that made my XR-style tank, many moons ago. As per usual when it comes to people in the flat track business, he was more difficult to locate than Saddam Hussein. Impossible to find on the interweb, and of course: he didn't accept credit cards. Once found (thank you Richard of Mule Motorcycles), he turned out to be a very friendly chap (also typical of the flat track scene) and promptly sent me the tank cap and a few other bits and bobs that I needed. His name is Fred BTW, and his company is called RaceTec and he's the one who actually makes the tanks that are subsequently sold by Storz. I don't know if it shows up on the image, but the quality of the milling of the cap is quite superb.

Motorcycle manufacturer...me?

2009-11-22T05:45:00.000-08:00

First of all: forgive me reader, it's been a long time since my last post.

You know how it goes: someone asks you to "assist a little in a project we're doing" and before you know it you are working flat out, day and night for a month and a half. Oh well, at least the pay was good. But if anyone so much as mentions the word "PowerPoint" to me before the new year, I'm going to go ape.

Big things have happened since my last post. I took my bike to the "SFRO"-man yesterday to get a preliminary OK for me to go ahead and finish the build. To make a long story short: in order for me to get my bike approved for the streets here in Sweden, I have to go through a series of steps. The first, and biggest, is the one I completed yesterday. Before I can paint my frame, I have to show my bike in a semi-finished state to a guy who is a certified inspector for "SFRO" – an organisation that performs inspections for the "department of traffic security". The rules governing what you can build and take to the street are actually quite liberal in Sweden, but they [SFRO] nonetheless want to make sure that people don't kill themselves on poorly constructed death traps. Fine with me.

So, I loaded up my bike and drove the 80 clicks to a place called Svedala, just outside of Malmö, where I met with the inspector. I had half expected him to give the bike a cursory glance and then give me the go ahead, but he took to his work with the fervor [and humour] of a preussian customs officer. He crawled around the bike, looking at every weld seam, every bolt and every nut. He even spotted the absence of a "certified for the street" marker on my tires, despite the fact that I had buffed out the "for racing use only" lettering. A process that took me several hours to get right. So now I need to borrow a couple of street legal 19 inchers for the next time I go back. After much sucking of teeth and scribbling on notepads he gave me the verdict: as long as I add another 15 mm to the trail, and get the tires sorted, he would give the bike his blessing. Result!

Adding some more trail is no biggie since the tripple trees are still in prototype form and by reducing the offset a bit on the finished items, I will get more trail. I can also lower the back a little which will give me the same result.

Then came the paperwork. In order to stop people from putting together a host of stolen bits and pieces and then registering their collages as "new bikes" and thereby entering them again into the system, you have to show proof of purchase of the major components and produce the papers that show that you are the rightful owner of the engine etc. Again: cool by me. I also got my new 17 digit frame number and the SFRO-guy, who by now had lightened up a bit, stamped the new number onto the side of the stearing head. He them proceeded to take photographs of the bike and the new ID-number. My bike was now officially a new product with a new identity.

While filling out the remaining paper work he went through the list of questions: "Capacity?". "577 cubic centimeters" I answered. "Tank capacity?". "Oh, about 8 litres". "Make?". "Eh...Husqvarna..." I started, before he interrupted me. "No, no" he said. "That was before you made something totally different of this bike. You can't register it as Husqvarna any longer, you are now the official manufacturer of this bike as far as the authorities goes. So who is the manufacturer of this bike?". "Erm... Krook Street...I guess?" And then it struck me: Krook Street, i.e. me, is now an official motorcycle manufacturer. Who would have thunk it!?

Wavy discs. No longer only for poseurs.

2009-10-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I chose my Braking wave rotors solely for their, erm... aesthetic value (i.e. I thought they looked cool). Imagine my surprise when I flipped through the pages of the latest issue of Performance Bikes, and found their test, aptly named, "Do wavy discs work?". It turns out they do. They (PB) swapped the standard discs on an R1 for the exact same disc type that I'm using, and the wavy beauts actually made the big Yamaha stop quicker. Significantly quicker in fact. They suffered less fade too. What was it they used to say at the Bauhaus school? Function follows form? or was it the other way around?

Fruit of the loom.

2009-10-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know where all this crap goes? Jokes aside, I actually took the precaution of labeling most of the connectors, before I tore the bike down. Thankfully, the wiring loom is quite straightforward. It's no Gold Wing after all. No hand warmers, no GPS, no radio, not even a battery. My only concern right now is how to feed the Vapor computer with power, without running the risk of frying its little electronic brain... If it comes to that, I might have to read the instructions. Even if I consider that cheating.

Exhaust hanger.

2009-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that I didn't like the look of the standard exhaust hanger clamp/band that was supplied with my Supertrapp exhaust. And that I wanted a somewhat tidier looking solution. This is how it turned out.

We welded a little stainless "stud" (is that the word?) with some M8-treads in it onto the back of the exhaust, bolted a new hanger to the stud and then welded a mount for the hanger on the underside of the tube supporting the seat unit. The hanger was laser cut out of 3 mm stainless, which is a little bit too Krauss-Maffei, but there was a little bit of a miscommunication over the material choice between me and the supplier... Since I had planned to powder coat it black anyway, and the hanger isn't very heavy, I chose to keep it. It's too bad you can't make a whole frame out of stainless (It's too brittle) – I just love the feeling of longevity you get with properly manufactured stainless pieces. Pardon the crap mobile phone-image.

Rear brake master cylinder.

2009-09-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

My idea of keeping the bottom part of the original Husky frame, rather than fabricating that too, has so far proved to be a good one. Most of the fittings can be used "as is", and the engine mounts are already there, which of course saves time. However, since my new swingarm has a kink just after the bearings (number 1) it is now impossible to mount the rear brake master cylinder in its original place - since that space is now taken up by the new, wider swingarm. Instead, I have mounted it on the outside of the original bracket with the help of a couple of small spacers (number 2) that will be welded to the frame before I send it off to paint.

Despite the fact that is now sits a little bit further out, It's actually not in the way of my foot, but the relocated master cylinder necessitated a slight mod to the brake pedal in the form of a new, straight, tab at the back (number 3). The original was bent inwards. BTW: don't you just wish you could weld alu like that? Thanks Kent. The original brake line was waaay to long for the now much shorter swingarm and has been replaced by a new steel spun one. If I can muster the energy, I will try to replace some of the ugly hardware on the brake cylinder with some stainless pieces. Damn, there is not too many things left to do now. Next up: getting the chain line perfect.

Brake hanger, part 3.

2009-09-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

I got my brake hanger back today after my friendly fabricator Indiana had shaved off some 6 mm, leaving the full 15 mm only where the brake caliper bolts to the hanger. These are my findings on the subject of laser/abrasive water jet-cutting of thicker alu pieces:

"Daws" mentioned that the program I'm using – Adobe Illustrator – is not very good at generating AutoCAD-files and that the resulting curves are not as easy for the cutter head to follow as curves resulting from a proper CAD-application. And he does have a point. Looking at the cut surface (see image 1) it's obvious that the cutting head/water jet hasn't described perfectly smooth radiuses (radii?). It looks a littble bit as if the cutter head has paused/started/wobbled around a bit. This may of course be a characteristic of the water cutting method, but I suspect that it has something to do with the file as well. He also cautioned me that the cut surfaces won't be 100 "parallel" but rather have bit of taper - also a characteristic of the cutting method. Again, he was correct. It wasn't super obvious though and I'm not sure I would have noticed if I wasn't looking for it.

So, is it a worthwhile method? Yes and no. It's a quick and relatively cheap way of turning out pretty complex shapes without having to resort to more complex CAD/numerically controlled milling. On the other hand, the resulting pieces are nowhere near as perfect as pieces done using a mill. I spent three hours cleaning up and smoothing/straightening the edges in order to make it look like I wanted (see image 2). The surface isn't perfect yet – I'll leave the final polishing to the anodizers.

Conclusion: I think I'll save this method for thinner pieces in the future. And I'll use the freeware application "Solid Edge 2D Drafting" that Daws recommended.

I give up.

2009-09-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

Damn that Pareto guy and his damned 80-20 rule. You know the one that states that "80 percent of a company's revenue comes from 20 percent of its products" or "80 percent of all speeding violations are committed by 20 percent of the drivers" etc, etc. In my case it's: "80 percent of the build time is taken up by 20 percent of the components". Make that "stupid small stuff that I hadn't expected to be such a hassle".

At the moment it's the speedo issue that's driving me crazy. The speedo drive turns the cable 2,8 revolutions for every revolution of the wheel (I've measured it). When I mention this fact to people who sell speedos, the line goes quiet. Then they start babbling that "Most Harley Davidsons..." or "I know that old Shovels use a 1:1 ratio..." or something else irrelevant (99,999 % of all aftermarket speedos are for Harleys, it appears). And when I add that I now have a 19 inch wheel (rather than the 17 inch wheel of the Ducati 996 that the speedo drive comes from) they tell me – in order to make me go away – that I will never be able to get the correct gearing ratio. And without the correct ratio the speedo won't show the correct speed. And that means I won't be able to get my M.O.T.

"Well, change the speedo drive then", I hear you say. But, alas, I can't. The front spindle is 25 mm and the only speedo drive large enough is the Ducati one I already have. I've thought about some sort of solution where I could machine the spindle down to something like 20 mm (so that I can use some kind of jap speedo drive), but then I need some sort of sleeve to thread over the the end of the spindle, in order for it to fit the forks, and I don't like that thought at all. And besides, I don't want to throw away my exquisitely machined, hollow, stainless spindle.

So. Enough is enough. I've decided to eat my words, and go with an electronic speedo. I've found one from trailtech. It's called Vapor Stealth, it's black and it's OK looking. The superbly helpful technician I spoke with (why are all US help line operators so genuinely helpful and friendly BTW?) informed me that the installation is quite easy and even the RPM tachometer graph works on my Husky (despite the fact that it didn't come with a tach to start with), using a simple lead that wraps around the spark plug lead. Looking at my front disc I now realise that the good people at Braking had foreseen my failure to sort the mechanical speedo and have machined a little eyelet for the sensor magnet into the disc carrier. Hm...

Brake hanger, part 2.

2009-09-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the abomination of a brake hanger that I showed you a while ago? Well, the time has come to make a proper one. This is how I go about it. There are of course a lot of ways that you could do it, but this is an easy one, especially if you are familiar with Adobe's wonderful vector-drawing application "Illustrator".

The prototype made from scrap pieces of steel (top part of image) is fundamentally correct, but has an awkward shape that I want to improve on. I also want to add some "meat" to certain parts of the hanger now that we're switching from steel to aluminium. So I put the prototype on a flat-bed scanner and place the resulting JPEG-file as a background image in a new Illustrator drawing.

Using vernier calipers, I take some really exact measurements of the real thing (length, width, size of the hole for the steel spacer) and make sure that the scanned image of the hanger gets the exact right size in Illustrator. Now that I have the scanned image as a background/template in the right size, I can draw a nicer looking hanger "on top of it" and still get the measurements correct and the needed holes in the right place (lower part of image). Once satisfied, I do a printout of my new hanger in 100% and check against my prototype.

Finally, I export the Illustrator file as an "AutoCAD Drawing"/dwg file and send it off to the laser/water cutters. If all goes according to plan I will receive a 15 mm thick alu part cut to my specification next week. This part will need a little bit of milling to get the right thicknesses (its thicker at the back) but it's still easier than doing the whole thing in the mill.

BTW: The reason why the hanger is a little bit longer than normal is that I want to be able to secure the "tuning fork" part of the hanger to the little stud inside the swingarm that keeps the hanger from rotating, using a screw. And in order for me to get to that stud it needs to be welded a little further forward on the swingarm – to clear the brake disc. The hanger will be black and most of it will be hidden by the black swingarm anyway so that's no problem.

Help!

2009-09-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Can anyone point me in the direction of a mechanically driven speedo that would work together with my Ducati speedo drive? I can't find one I like. This one from Deus is passable, but surely there must be a firm somewhere that specialises in old school mechanically driven speedos?

Star Bars.

2009-09-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, that's the name: Star Bars. Supplied by Outtacontrolla from his "Red Max Speedshop" at a very reasonable 80 quid including postage and packaging.

When I unpacked them my first thought was: damn they are REALLY wide. But once on the bike they give that flat special flat track look that is so hard to describe to people who never heard of the sport. And they look quite well made too. Glossy black [of course] anodising, matching the forks perfectly and with a really nice matte, almost crackelated finish on the "bird pearch" as we call it i here in Sweden. And what's even better: they don't have any ugly painted logos or anything like that. Just a small and tasteful "Star Bars" embossing on the central part of the bars. You see, we want the designer stuff – we just don't want it to be too obvious:-)

Picture, thousand words, etc.

2009-09-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Now, if you've been in any way inspired by my little build and is currently sitting in your garage, espresso in your left hand and angle grinder in the other, thinking; hm, that old Gold Wing might look good with a new frame and some 19 inchers, then by all means go for it. But before you tear your bike to pieces, do yourself a favour and take lots of pictures, from all possible angles. Trust me, you will thank me later. I am at the moment trying to modify my wiring loom to fit my now totally modified bike, and the pictures I took before starting the disassembly are really worth their weight in gold (if a digital image actually weighs anything...?).

On a side note: looking at my "before-pictures – what a terribly messy job the Italians did with the wiring on my original Husky! It looked like a Calcutta street corner, loose wires hanging everywhere. I promise to do a much neater job this time around.

Angle of dangle, part 2.

2009-09-02T12:05:00.001-07:00

I've said it before, but it bears saying again: it's a good thing I don't do this for a living. I've been dicking about with the angle of the muffler and the connecting pipe now for days, without finding that elusive, perfect solution.

I tried the shallower, scrambler-looking position (see last post) for the muffler for a couple of days, but I just COULD NOT get the link pipe between the 2-into-1-pipe and the muffler to look good. The angle and curvature of the link pipe clashed terribly with the angles of the frame. It looked like an afterthought (which in essence it was - but don't tell anyone...). I now have a whole heap of discarded pipes on my work shop floor, and a new-found respect for people who make exhausts as a regular job.

As you can see, I have now gone with a much steeper angle for the muffler, which makes the link pipe much easier to get right. It's now parallel with the support strut for the seat and doesn't break with the overall lines of the bike. The increased angle (which was suggested by "Outacontrolla" BTW) actually looks more flat track than Scrambler as well. Or is this just my brain trying to justify my decision to give up on the other position? Hm. Next up: moving the mounting point for the muffler a little bit backwards and fabricating a little hanger to replace the strip of duct tape. I don't fancy the "clamp hanger" that came with the muffler.

Angle of dangle.

2009-08-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

My Supertrapp exhaust arrived yesterday and I'm now trying to decide on the optimum position for it. I've tried quite a few different angles and found that a slightly forward sloping angle works best (see image).

Marcus of Marcus Moto Design, gave me some feedback on my first attempt and suggested that I put the exhaust as high as possible in order to show off as much as possible of the wheel. A valid point and I have now moved it up as close to the seat unit as I dare (I don't want the heat to spoil the paint). Looking at the image now, I think I'll try to lessen the angle a little bit further to make it a little bit more parallel with the seat unit (also one of Marcus' suggestions). But I still want to keep a little bit of forward lean. I tried the fully parallel route but it looks to static and "slow". What do you think?

I may add a laser cut polished stainless heat shield with the same style holes as in my radiator guards, for that old school scrambler look. More on that later.

Spot the difference?

2009-08-25T12:29:00.001-07:00

Have you ever noticed that 99% of all bikes have the speedo drive on the left side of the front wheel? Neither had I. Well, at least not until I started to look for a new speedo drive to replace the original one on my Husqvarna, which for some unknown reason was mounted on the right side.

Since my new front wheel spindle has a diameter of 25 mm – in order to fit my Gixxer forks – the old 20 mm speedo drive wouldn't fit, and couldn't be modified (like enlarged/drilled or something like that). After a lot of digging in the intertubes, I found that some Ducatis use a 25 mm front spindle and I finally found a drive from a 996 at my local breakers in Fleninge outside of Helsingborg, who incidentally is THE least service minded and friendly establishment I've ever had the displeasure to visit. Anyhoo, the problem is, as you can see in the image, that the Ducati drive is meant to be mounted on the left side and can't be flipped over and mounted on the right side, since it then spins the speedo wire backwards. And there is simply not enough room on the left side where the disc carrier gets in the way of the speedo cable...

At this point you are probably asking yourself; why the hell doesn't he stop this nonsense and mount a modern little magneto driven speedo instead? Well, first of all: I like a challenge, and secondly: I really want a nice looking proper mechanical speedo, and not some poncy liquid crystal, glorified pedal bike computer. I know that the 996 drive won't be very exact since it's calibrated for a 17 inch wheel, but that a compromise I can live with.

I sat wracking my brains for hours on how to modify the drive gear or the spindle in order to make it all fit. Then it suddenly struck me. What if I simply flip the wheel over? After all, I can just as well run the brake disc on the right side... I'm not entirely sure if this means that I have to exchange my Tochico brake caliper for a right side one, or if mine can be used, but that's a small issue. Time to start looking for a nice looking speedo. Any suggestions?

Let there be light.

2009-08-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's realization that I had made a mess of my gearing calculations, it feels good to be able to report that the Bates 5 3/4'' old school headlight I bought from a German web shop, looks perfect in its new home between the [still prototype] fork legs of my tracker. Next week it will be adorned by a mesh grille taken from Triumph's accessory program.

And if you think you've already seen that particular combo (black Bates light /Triumph Scrambler mesh) on a street tracker somewhere, you've probably visited the fabulous website of the bike brand with the most pretentious name in biking history: Deux Ex Machina. Their super cool "Mono" has exactly the same combo. In fact, I sent them an email about where that cool mesh came from, and they were kind enough to send me in the right direction.

Originally, I had planned on using a front number plate with a small projector light poking through one of the digits, but since Richard Pollock of Mule Motorcycles thinks number plates on street trackers look "goofy" [see sideburn #3], I went with this setup instead:o)

Bollocks!

2009-08-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Me and my big mouth. I should have used one of those gearing calculators after all (see last post). Instead of lowering the sprocket ratio by 15% I should have increased it by 15%. In other words: I need a larger rear sprocket than standard for my now larger wheel (too make it spin slower). Not a smaller one (which makes it spin faster). In fact, I need a 52 tooth rear sprocket (if I use my 16 tooth front). Learning by screwing up. Now, where did I put that phone number to Talon again?

BTW: does anyone need a 42 tooth rear sprocket for a PM-wheel. Never used...

Gearing.

2009-08-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

In its original state, my Husqvarna SMR ran a 48/17 sprocket combo. But that was with the dinky little 17 inchers. Now, with the huge 19-inchers, and the swollen Maxxis flat track tires, we need a different gearing altogether. There is no shortage of "gear calculators" to be found on the web and some are really OTT (here's one), but some simple maths is actually enough.

Here goes: The stock sprocket ratio is 48/17=2,83. The standard tire (150/60-17) had a circumference of about 1,92 meters.The new tire has a circumference of about 2,20 meters, i e about 15% bigger. That means we need to lower the sprocket ratio by the same amount (15%) to get the same "total gearing". 2,83/1,15 comes out to about: 2,46, which is our target ratio. I wanted to keep the front sprocket with 17 teeth and only change the rear sprocket. So I chose a 42 tooth rear sprocket, giving a sprocket ratio of 2,47 which is pretty close to what I need. I've always thought that the original gearing was a little long and I have a 16 tooth front sprocket in reserve should the gearing turn out to be on the long side.

BTW: does anyone know of a company that sells stainless Allen bolts with "countersunk" heads in 7/16''? The ugly hex bolts I'm using now have to go. I've been googling furiously, but to no avail.

The missing link.

2009-08-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

My 570 Husqvarna engine has two exhaust ports and two 32 mm stainless exhaust headers. These two headers continue separately all the way back to the muffler (image here), which limits the choice of aftermarket mufflers to a a few specially made for the SMR/TE570. All of these have the same problem as the standard muffler: they are very long and looks terrible on a flat tracker. So, in order to run a smaller and better looking muffler I needed to somehow link the two header pipes into one larger pipe. And as it happens, the more recent Husqvarnas share the 32 mm headers, but use a 2-into-1, Y-shaped connector pipe followed by a larger diameter link pipe back to the muffler. For some reason, this 2-into-1 pipe is not availble as a spare part from the dealers – You have to buy the whole system... But as usual, Ebay came to the rescue, and I was able to find this stainless little time saver (It saved me the work of trying to find suitable stainless tubes, bending and welding them). The part number is A0868. Next up: trying to decide what type of Super Trapp muffler to order...

Rear light.

2009-08-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Another piece of the puzzle falls into place. I've been looking for a rear light on ebay for for some time, but not been able to find a suitable one. They were either too large – most jap/standard bikes use huge rear lights – or just too flimsy/ugly. I've also visited my local breakers yard looking for something that might fit, but to no avail. However, a trip to a nearby place catering to cruiser/chopper types (let's keep that one under wraps shall we), solved my problem. I would have prefered a red lens since I think clear lenses are bit chav, but none was available. So this one had to do. At least it looks well made, and I think the rounded shape snuggles up quite well under the seat unit. I know from experience that the vibey Husky engine kills off lightbulbs at a frightful rate, so I've put some extra rubber bushings between the lamp housing and the "carrier" to protect the diods. The "carrier" (professional builders look away now) started life as a bracket inside a PC, but an hour or so of cutting and drilling later, it now serves a bigger purpose in life. Isn't recycling great?:-)

Heads up.

2009-07-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Now, this may be totally obvious for those of you who've already built a couple of street trackers, but I must admit to have been a little dumbfounded about how to best attach the seat unit and seat pad.

My seat pad from "First Class Glass" came with a set of rubber mounts and screws. You're supposed to push the rubber mounts into the seat base from underneath, make corresponding holes for the screws in the carbon fibre seat unit (the central of the three holes in the picture), thread the screws through the holes and into the rubber mounts. As you tighten the screws, the rubber mounts inside the seat padding expand and lock everything in place. So far so good. But how do you fix the seat unit in place on the frame, without bulky screws and washers between the seat pad and the carbon fibre? An email to the ever helpful J-W of Dutch Brothers gave me the answer: BigHeads. Mine are – as you can see – home made (from stainless), but they do the job perfectly.

Radiator protectors, part 3.

2009-07-22T03:10:00.000-07:00

The radiator protectors are now bent into shape and they actually fit perfectly. When painted/anodized black I think they will look quite good. However, if you are going to do this yourself, don't go for 2,5 mm aluminium sheet like I did – it's too stiff and makes the bending very tricky indeed. 2 mm sheet is quite enough, or even 1,5. It's not meant to be bullet proof after all.

And one more thing: I designed little "notches" into the design (see earlier post), to guide me when bending. In retrospect, that was unnecessary and the notches "flared out" in the corners and looks unsightly after bending (probably because of the thick material). I will ask Kent to fill the notches with some weld and then I'll file and sand them smooth again before I send the pieces off to be anodized.

The protectors will restrict the airflow through the radiators a bit, but since the engine has two quite big coolers I think I will be allright. As long as I don't drive too slow:-)

The proverbial sieve.

2009-07-21T05:35:00.001-07:00

Did I mention that I was a little bit irate after I had had my tank paint stripped? What was to be a simple case of getting the old and [super] ugly paint removed and then sending it off for a respray, turned into a real hassle. Not only were there huge bondo-filled dents in the tank, when pressurized and submerged in water, we counted 20 (yes, twenty) little holes in the weld seams underneath! It leaked like a sieve that someone had shot up with buck shot for good measure. Thankfully, Kent "the aluminium wizard" managed to not only plug the leaks but also push out the dents from inside, after having cut numerous holes in the bottom of the tank and subsequently welded them shut again. I just wish I had real world skills like that...

What can be learned from this? Well, I for one will never again buy a painted tank from someone I don't know. And I will probably look into having a custom tank made from scratch next time. It's not THAT expensive and will probably save me a lot of aggravation. Kent gave me a quote for a scratch built tank resembling my Storz tank that was well below what it has cost me now. Grrrrrr.

Radiator protectors, part 2.

2009-07-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've been busy over the weekend with my drill and file, creating these radiator protectors. Just kidding – I sent the drawing (see earlier post) of my radiator protectors to a company who specializes in laser cutting and two days later I found these in my letter box. It's amazing what you can achieve with some basic Illustrator skills and the equivalent of about 80 Euros. The laser cutting process is so precise that the plates only needed a very light clean up with some emery paper, where the aluminium had melted and formed little "blobs". And a little softening of the edges.

Next thing to do is to bend the the side plates (look closely and you'll see that that there are little knotches cut into the plates, to guide me when bending) and drill the bolt holes where the retaining bolts go. Then they are off to be polished and anodized. I decided on anodizing, rather than paint, since they are going to sit very close to the rather hot radiators.

False economy.

2009-07-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly beginning to understand why no one was very keen on taking on the job of making a custom frame for my Husqvarna motor when I started this project. It's a massive undertaking building something like this from scratch. And it's no simple, unsprung, cookie cutter chopper frame either. We've already spent more than a 150 hours in the workshop and there are still small but important bits to fix. Lock stops: 3 hours, mounting bracket for rear lamp: 1 hour, moving and modifying kick stand: 4 hours! It's those final things that require determination.

So, if you've ever thought to yourself: "hm, maybe I should start a business building custom motorcycle frames", then think again. You will never make any money. Unless of course, you are prepared to build S&S engined choppers that look like PEZ-dispensers. But then again, you wouldn't be reading this if you were.

Radiator protectors.

2009-07-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the backs of the radiators don't look particularly good. In fact: I wouldn't mind loosing the coolers altogether. But since I can't afford to change engines after every ride, they'll have to stay. Now, there are lots of motoX radiator protectors/braces out there, but they are all intended to protect the FRONTS of the coolers, not the backs, since the backs of the coolers are normally protected from your knees by the "radiator scoops". So, I've spent an evening making this drawing for some custom protectors. Tomorrow I'll try to find someone who can laser/water cut them for me. The perforated middle sections will form the backs of the finished items, and the solid sections will be bent 90 degrees and become the sides. When finished, they will receive a coat of, you guessed it, black paint.

Ugliest ever?

2009-07-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

Is this the ugliest brake hanger ever? It might be. Well, it is a prototype. As I've mentioned before, we like to do a pig iron trial run before we put expensive aluminium billet in the mill. This time it turned out to be a good thing, since we, eh.. screwed up the measurements a bit. What is 220 mm divided by 2 now again, Indiana?:-)

If you've done this kind of thing yourself, you will by now have seen that we are going for a "hidden" brake hanger without a "strut" from from the brake caliper to the swingarm. Instead, the brake hanger itself is meant to take up the rotational force when the brake is applied, preventing the caliper from spinning around together with the disc. The tuning fork shaped part of the brake hanger sits inside of the swingarm and is held in place by a bolt, but can slide backwords and forwards with the axle when the wheel is adjusted to take up the slack in the chain. And yeah. We are going to make a nicer looking one. I promise.

Need-to-know basis only.

2009-07-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally hit a snag. On my original Husky motard, the back brake was mounted on top of the swingarm, but that position is now filled by the supporting structure for the shock mount. So, we tried to cut the old brake hanger, turn it over/flip it outside in and then re-weld the pieces together again. But to be honest, we made a bit of a hash of it. It looked shit, and the cast aluminum brake hanger didn't respond well to our TIG-torch (it melted). The problem with the original low rent Brembo caliper is that it's not easy to make a new hanger for it. The caliper is of the "floating" kind – it needs to be since it only pinches the disc from one side and thus needs to be able to move sideways – and is integrated with the hanger in a pretty complicated fashion. Hm. What to do? I didn't want to put a huge and ugly old caliper from a breakers yard on my lovely framer, and since I'm already over budget "Lookheed-Martin style", I thought: what the heck, let's see what the good people at ISR can provide... And here it is in all its beautifully machined, neutrally anodised glory. Good thing my wife has no idea what this little project has cost me so far... I'm relying on your discretion here:-)

Coolers.

2009-07-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

I am a very relieved man at the moment. The coolers fit! And it doesn't look crap either. When we sketched the geometry of the frame, we left some room for the coolers, but I had a suspicion that the coolers would prove problematic, since they are mounted a little lower now, than they were before. But it proved easy. I cut off two mounting eyelets from the old frame (I think it was the top mounting point for the shock), cleaned them up, drilled bigger holes, threaded a piece of 20 mm tubing through them and presto: we had a solid and rather "factory" looking main mounting point for coolers. It's the mounting point at the very centre of the image. There will be another mounting point in front of the coolers as well. That one sits a little bit higher up the down tube. There is ample room for the front wheel and the forks doesnt foul the coolers even at full lock. Result!

I am now doing some drawings for some sort of ventilated covers/protectors for the back of the coolers, since they sit rather exposed at the moment. I'll try to use the standard "fins" for the fronts.

Front spindle

2009-06-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Freshly turned, hollowed out, stainless spindle with titanium end bolt. In the words of the Pet Detective: "I like it. I like it a lot!"

Oh, and BTW: the front wheel that Steve Lomas built, fit like a glove. No clearance issues. The spokes cleared the caliper by some 3 mm.

Finally on wheels.

2009-06-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

I won't make my deadline. I will not be able to finish this project in 180 days. There, I said it. It has taken quite a bit longer than I expected. Partly because it took much longer than I had expected to source some of the parts and because some parts were lost in the mail. And partly because I simply couldn't make up my mind about certain aspects of the bike. But mostly because this is the first time I've done a major project like this and since I've shown you my efforts here on this web page, I didn't want to make an ass of myself by building a dud. That said, I am really, really happy at the moment. We had the bike on wheels for the first time today, and I have to say that I think it looks OK. More than OK in fact. The proportions of the bike are very close to what I envisioned and the chassis looks compact and purposeful. The Husky engine is very compact (about half the size of a Harley engine) and I was afraid the bike would look wimpy and "empty" with the smaller motor, but it really doesn't. Now I can't wait to get the tank back and start the final assembly! One more month (or maybe two) to go!

Rotaphilia, part 2.

2009-06-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

I'm now back after wasting one week as an unpaid lifeguard in Mallorca (I have two small boys who both think they are Johnny Weismuller) and look what I've received in the post. Not bad eh? It's a Talon motocross hub, black anodized of course, a black Morad 3'' rim and a rather lovely 320 mm wavy disc from Braking, mounted to a black anodized spacer that the boys at Talon knocked up for me. I chose a 3'' wide rim, which is a little wider than the "standard" 2,5-2,75'' normally used for front wheels on flat trackers, since I have a theory that the Maxis tire will be less "squiggly" if it's mounted on a wider rim and therefore is flatter in profile. It will slow the steering down some, but I'm erring on the side of stability here (I'm an old fart after all).

The wheel was built by an excellent chap called Steve Lomas who not only is entirely pleasant to deal with, but also quick and thourough (I'm told he can ride a bit too). To boot, he has a good relationship with the people at Talon. Which is a good thing since nothing from their standard assortment of brake discs and sprockets would fit on my PM rear wheel. Steve called them, and custom made carriers are now in the works. If you want to get in contact with Steve, I'll be more than happy to supply his phone number. Thanks to the Sideburn-boys for the tip BTW.

One problem with the radial brake set up of the GSXR forks I'm using is that the calipes are pretty substantial and mounted in such a way that there is not very much space for the wheel spokes in between the calipers (the spokes of cast wheels are not dished). And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that the wheel will fit, since I haven't had the time to test fit it yet... We've done the numbers, but we may have to shave off some material on the inside of the brake caliper to make it fit. Or perhaps get a slimmer caliper. More on that in a day or two.

Gone swimming.

2009-06-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Next week I'll be on vacation, so no updates. The week after we we'll (hopefully) finish the assembly and I'll show you some images of the finished article (unpainted).

/D

Nice or bajs*?

2009-06-11T05:16:00.001-07:00

Instead of clamping the remote spring load adjuster to one of the frame tubes, using a hose clamp, we came up with this little solution. We turned a little "plug" from stainless steel that fits into the top tube and drilled two holes for a little bracket that will hold the spring load adjuster just below the carbon fiber seat unit, parallel with the shock and within easy reach (there is no battery or anything down there remember). The four bolts will be replaced by bolts with countersunk heads for a really slick look and the plug will be obscured by the seat pad that will snuggle up to the top tube, just below the rear of the tank.

*bajs: Swedish for faeces.

Frickin' lasers.

2009-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe laser cutting is no longer the last word in high tech. But I still think it's pretty cool that you can cut solid steel, like these 3 mm plates, with a lamp (albeit a rather powerful lamp). And the word "laser" reminds me of a funny scene from Austin Powers:
Dr. Evil: "You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!"
And besides: that's one less item on my to do list.

Assembly started!

2009-06-10T02:57:00.000-07:00

We have now started to put all the bits together (bondo bucket tank and all), and to my relief, most things actually fit:-). At this point, it may look as if it's just a case of slapping on the wheels and go riding, but I can assure you that it's not. I have a to do-list that's half a mile long. The exhaust has to be modified, the seat mounted properly, the electrics... Another issue that remains is how to mount the coolers, and get the bump stops right so that the fork doesn't foul the coolers or the tank. I have a plan for how to do it, but sooner or later we are going to run into a big snag. Could this be it?

Spacers.

2009-06-08T00:23:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Suzuki GSX-R750, from which the fork tubes were lifted, had 310 mm discs up front. But since I will be using a 320 mm wave disc from Braking, I needed to lift the caliper 5 mm. Hence these spacers that will go between the caliper and the integral mounting studs on the fork bottom. At first I thought of this method as a bit of a bodge, but I've seen Superbike teams using spacers like these, so I guess I'm in good company.

Prototype yokes/triple trees.

2009-06-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I haven't really got a comprehensive drawing for this bike. Just an overall plan and a mental image of what I want. I do some maths, ask a LOT of questions to a lot of people, and then we make a prototype. If the prototype turns out good, it ceases to be a prototype and becomes the "production item" and is welded/added to the bike. That way I can tell myself: "–never mind, it's only a prototype" when I screw up.

The triple trees, on the other hand, were always meant to be prototypes (honest). The aluminium blocks needed to machine a pair of chunky yokes are pretty expensive and we couldn't afford to do more than one run. So we put some scrap iron in the mill and did a trial run. The result is in the pictures. They look pretty good to me, but they weigh a ton and will be replaced as soon as we are sure that the geometry works out.

DISAPPOINTED!

2009-06-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

I got my tank back from the paint strippers today after it had been soaking in solvents for a couple of days. And it turns out is was a proper "bondo bucket". When I bought it, the seller told me, and I quote: "It has some ugly paint on it, but no dents, putty, or bondo". Yeah, right. Thanks a lot for that.

But since I don't have time to send it back and there is a waiting list for a new one, I went to a guy I heard of that was supposed to be a "wizard" with everything alu. He took a look at the tank, which to my eyes looked terrible, with easily 10 mm thick bondo in places, and said: "This is nothing, I've repaired tanks that looked much, much worse". He then proceded to show me a photo album of tanks that went from "crumpled up fag paper" to mirror smooth in his capable hands. "I'll cut a hole here, and here, smooth it out and reweld it again... No prob". Big sigh of relief from me. Not surprisingly, he had a waiting list, so this means I can't send the tank away for paint until the 25th of June. But I'll rather wait than ride around on something that might look OK, but with bondo festering underneath. On Sunday we'll attach the forks and get the bike on wheels. Stay tuned.

Rotaphilia.

2009-06-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong to get sexually aroused by a motorcycle wheel? My wife thinks it is. But then again, she hasn't been waiting for two months for this, to my eyes, absolutely stunning piece of hardware. I knew from the first time I saw one of these beauties that I wanted one for my project. "Seven sorrows and eight disappointments"* later, it is finally here.

Why Performance Machine stopped making these I will never understand. Unless people stopped buying them of course. Which I find incredible. I called PM's technical support to ask about the "pitch circle diameter" (it was "3 1/4 inch x 5" BTW) and the very helpful guy even congratulated me for picking up such a rare find:-) The fact that it doesn't accept any standard brake discs or sprockets, is merely something we have to work around. Once I get the wheel powder coated black and shod with a brand new Maxxis tire, I'm bringing it to bed with me.

*Swedish proverb

Steve McQueen rode a Husqvarna.

2009-05-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

I got an unexpected gift this weekend from my youngest brother: a DVD of "On any Sunday" – a film I had seen excerpts from on Youtube but not in its entirety. I could hardly wait until the kids and the missus had gone to bed, before I poured myself a JR Ewing-sized bourbon and settled in for some cool seventies flat track action.

What I hadn't expected was that the movie is actually about almost all kinds of motorcycle racing, from road to ice racing. And I didn't expect Steve McQueen to feature so heavily, nor that he was such a good rider. I knew he raced cars, but not that he was a top amateur motocrosser. But perhaps what made me most excited of all, was the fact that the whole movie is a virtual Husqvarna love fest! There is a Husky in almost every scene (the flat track scenes excluded) and the shots of Steve McQueen doing some beach riding with his buddies on his red 1970 Husqvarna 400 (check out the actual bike here) in perfectly fitting jeans and sweater is some of the best motorcycling footage I've ever seen.

Much has been written about Steve McQueen driving his Mustang in the movie "Bullit". And while that car chase is certainly cool, the shots of McQueen wheelying and crashing that gorgeous Husqvarna in On Any Sunday is in a leauge of its own. Thanks again bro.

Back from sandblasting.

2009-05-22T05:22:00.000-07:00

Originally I had intended to paint the frame gloss black. But I have to tell you that it looks very nice in flat gray as well (it's not painted yet, the gray colour is the colour of the raw steel after sand blasting). I know the street tracker guru Richard Pollock of Mule Motorcycles paints a lot of his frames in a medium gray. Hm. Decisions, decisions.

Boom, there it is!

2009-05-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Apart from a couple of brackets for cables and a few mounting points for the seat unit, ignition coil and the water coolers, the frame is now complete. The dark gray lower parts are what is left of the original frame and the lighter/shiny tubes are new. The round pieces of metal in the steering head is there to protect the bearing races now that the frame is sent off to be sand blasted in preparation for that all important M.O.T. and subsequent powder coating.

Next job on the list: machining the new fork yokes. Anyone need a pair of Gixxer yokes from a K7 GSXR750?

Rear end done.

2009-05-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished rear frame viewed from behind. Admittedly the rear "loop" is a bit over engineered, since its only purpose in life is to prop up the upper part of the carbon fiber seat unit (and provide a bit of torsional rigidity to the rear frame). But I wanted it to look sturdy, in order to impress the M.O.T man, with whom I have a date in a couple of weeks. At first I had planned to cut off the two protruding pieces of tube (left and right lower corner), but they do a good job of supporting the rear part of the rather flimsy seat unit, so I think I'll keep them as they are. They won't be visible when the seat unit is in place anyway.

Back end.

2009-05-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

We are now truly on the home stretch with the frame. This is what the back end will look like. I know it looks as if the swingarm will hit the diagonal supports. But it won't. I hope...

A pretty good idea.

2009-05-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

After some careful measurements and quite a bit of moving the swingarm up and down (to check clearances), this is how we decided the new anchoring plates for the shock mount should look. Don't knock good old cardboard when it comes to mocking up parts for your frame. To compensate for the decidedly old-tech approach, we'll send the actual plates away to be laser cut:-). One of the things I'm most satisfied with on the whole frame is the "adjustable" front shock mount (an idea I nicked from a C&J frame). I really recommend a similar design for anyone attempting to build a flat track frame of their own. Without it, moving the front anchoring point – to get the correct angle for the swingarm – would have been a huge hassle.

Early mock-up

2009-04-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

Never mind the wheel and its weedy front wheel cruiser tire (God willing, it will be replaced by a bona fide PM 8-spoke rear wheel with a proper, fat dirt track tire in the not too distant future). But we can at least see where this build is heading. I find these mock-up sessions invaluable when trying to get the frame just right. After this one, we decided to change the front anchoring point for the shock. The two plates holding the shock will be replaced by two nicer looking ones, moving the shock about 25-40 mm back and about 5-10 mm "up" which will make the swingarm droop a little bit more and increase the clearance between seat unit and tire. The back of the seat unit will come down about 15 mm.

And please: if you spot something stupid – speak now, or forever hold your peace...

Summer's fast approaching.

2009-04-28T00:20:00.000-07:00

The last week has been unseasonably balmy here in Sweden with temperatures hovering around the 17-20 degree mark (that's Centigrade) and the streets are already filled with bikes. Which of course makes me want to rush the project along. But I'd rather make it right than on time. So we keep on checking, and double-checking everything. The rear part of the frame is taking shape now and will be attached tonight. BTW: the transverse piece of tubing at the end of the rear structure will be omitted as soon as the "loop" that will hold the seat unit is welded in place. More pics tomorrow.

Sideburn Issue #3

2009-04-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

If you are even remotely interested in flat tracking or motorcycling in general for that matter, you need to buy Sideburn – the coolest motorcycle magazine I've ever come across. And believe me, I've read most of 'em. Click here to go to Sideburns blog and then hit that Paypal-button. OK?

Swingarm, part 4.

2009-04-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

We are now some 70 days into the build, out of the allotted 180, and we have yet to encounter any major problems. I know I'm probably jinxing the whole thing by writing this, but I just want to share the good feeling I have at the moment.

The swingarm is almost done, and in a few weeks I'm going to have my "byggbesiktning", which is sort of a pre-MOT, that is conducted by an organisation called SFRO. The SFRO-inspector will check out the welds, materials used and measure all the angles to make sure that the bike will be road worthy when finished. If my bike passes this preliminary MOT, I can then go ahead and install the electrics, brakes and of course: paint the bike (Death Spray Custom: are you reading this?).

Asymmetry.

2009-04-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

For some reason my brain likes asymmetry. Everything has to be a little off kilter to really get me going. Cookie-cutter straight and expected simply doesn't do it for me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've broken my nose so many times, and have had to get used to looking at a distinctly asymmetric face in the mirror every morning?

Anyhoo, I found this super cool Harley racer on some web page a while ago (sorry, I don't remember which), and I just love the fact that the wheels don't match. It looks so workmanlike. As if the guy thought to himself: "I don't give a toss, as long as it's fast", and just slapped on the wheels that happened to be shod with the best rubber for the upcoming race (or could it be that it's a conscious choice in order to get a more compliant front wheel?). In any case I think it adds uniqueness to the bike. So right now I'm toying with the idea of using an 8-spoke PM-wheel (powdercoated black) at the back, and a regular spoked wheel up front (with a black rim and hub). Any thoughts on that?

Seat pad.

2009-04-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just received my seat pad from First Klass Glass. It cost $72+postage, which I find quite reasonable considering the quality. And he included the mounting hardware and the ace bumper sticker as well! Will look great on my grimy Subaru. Or maybe not. But dude: get with the program. Not accepting credit cards is not very "noughties" is it?

Mind the gap.

2009-03-31T00:14:00.000-07:00

When we had the swingarm mocked up, the margin between the tire and the upper part of the swingarm [where the shock attaches] was only about 15 mm, which is cutting it a bit close since the tire expands a little from the rotational forces. I wanted at least 10 mm extra, but I didn't want to move the shock anchoring point under the top tube further forward – purely for esthetical reasons – and I certainly didn't want to elongate the swingarm.

What to do? Well, you could always take a hacksaw to your brand new Öhlins damper:-) Fortunately, the lower mounting fork on the damper was some 14 mm longer than necessary (see red arrow). We'll shorten the mounting fork by about 13 mm and get the tire clearance we need. More pics shortly.

Swingarm, part 3.

2009-03-29T04:41:00.000-07:00

The swingarm is coming along nicely now. The mounting tab for the kick stand on the left side of the frame had to bent a little to clear the swingarm, otherwise it's plain sailing at the moment. Next up is fabricating the "cage" on top of the swingarm, onto which the shock will be attached, and then the shock anchor point under the top tube. And yes: the two less shiny sections of tube is only there to keep everything in check during fabrication:-)

Shock.

2009-03-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

American Penske shocks seem to be "de rigeur" in flat track racing circles. And they are undoubtedly great shocks. But I felt I was letting the side down a bit if I didn't choose a Swedish shock for my project, seeing that we have what is probably the highest profile brand in racing shocks right here in the land of tall blondes and free sex for all. I've been working in the advertising world all my life and I have to admit that I am unhealthily hung up on brands. I buy my computers from Apple, my running shoes from Ascics, my TV's from Sony... the list goes on and on, exposing my inner insecurity and inability to see beyond branding and smart marketing. But I digress.

I spoke to a very helpful guy at Öhlins and he sent me a list of shocks that would suit the frame I'm building. And as it happened, the shock I finally bought was on "sale", and I ended up paying about 475 Euros for it. Not cheap by any means, but still some 35% off the original list price. The model number is KA202 and it's 343 mm long and has a stroke of 74,5 mm, which is in "the ball park" for flat trackers. Penske flat track dampers are normally a little shorter at about 320 mm, but since we are making our frame from scratch, those extra 20-25 mm aren't an issue.

I chose a shock without a remote reservoir for a cleaner look, but with a remote spring preload adjuster that will be mounted within easy reach under the saddle. The guy from Öhlins recommended a spring rated at about 90 Nm, but the spring on my shock is rated 110 Nm, leaving me with three alternatives: (a) lift heavier weights at the gym, (b) eat more pies or (c) change the spring if it ends up being too stiff at the end. I don't like the yellow colour of the spring, so I'll have it powder coated black together with the frame.

Swingarm, part 2.

2009-03-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

We [that would be Indiana – the fabricator on this project] have been busy since my last post. And to say that I'm stoked with the results would be an understatement. I did a little "napkin sketch" of approximately what I wanted, and he started twirling the knobs on his CNC grinder. Out came these little tributes to modernism.

The three pieces to the right in the picture is from stainless steel and won't be painted, and will look nice when contrasted with the black paint on the swingarm itself (center left in the picture). The "lid" in the bottom left in the picture is not quite finished yet and will be trimmed along the red lines for a more square look. Next up: bending and mitering the swingarm tubes.

Gettin' jiggy wit' it.

2009-03-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

A big part of building a framer like the one we're doing, is making sure everything is straight. And that means a lot of measuring. And then some more measuring. If you're contemplating a little DIY-project of your own, be advised that you will need some sort of makeshift fixture/jig to keep everything in check while you weld.

I once had a discussion over the phone with a guy called Pegoretti, who is an Italian frame-maker, famous for TIG-welding the frames that a certain Miguel Indurain took to five victories in the Tour de France – even though the frames were painted in the team sponsor Pinarello's colours. During my twenties I literally lived for cycling, and I really wanted a "Pegoretti" frame. I called him and he told me a little about the construction process. He claimed that he didn't use a fixture of any kind. And that he didn't want to clamp the tubes in place but rather keep everything nice and loose, in order to [cue heavy Italian accent] "let the metal live". How cool is that:-)

In the picture above you are viewing the frame from behind, and the square metal plate in the forground represents the spread of the swingarm (in this case 194 mm). The swingarm tubes will be bolted onto the sides of this metal plate before the welds will be layed. More pics soon.

Swingarm, part 1.

2009-03-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

OK, we've started manufacturing the swingarm. Yeah, I know we could save a whole lot of work by adapting a standard swingarm from a breakers yard, but I really, really want a round-section swingarm like the ones on NCR's retro Ducatis.

The problem with a round swingarm is that you don't get a nice flat area on the inside of the swingarm where the wheel spacers/brake hanger/axle can sit (see red arrow). Hence the turned pieces that will slot into the swingarm from behind. But before we weld them in place they will be drilled both sideways – to accept the axle and provide a reasonable amount of backwards and forward adjustability – and hollowed out from behind to accept the sliding piece that will hold the axle in place. And of course squared off on the inward facing side. As I said: a lot of work. But hopefully, it will be worth it when we´re done.

Learning by doing [wrong].

2009-03-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote the following: "I know the slope of the top tube looks weird, but in order to get the tank to sit correctly it has to look like that." Well, that turned out to be wrong. I don't really know why, but when we had tacked the top tube and the vertical tubes emanating from behind the engine in place, the tank refused to sit anything like what I had planned. It sloped horribly backwards and looked more chopper than tracker. Bollocks.

Now, I strongly feel that in order to look right, the whole profile of the bike has to lean a little bit forwards. Not exaggerated like a German streetfighter, but subtly, to suggest movement. This of course meant we had to detach almost all of the tubing, since raising the top tube had knock-on effects on the the whole frame. Oh, well, now it's back together and the tank sits EXACTLY like I want it to with the bottom of the tank sloping ever so slightly FORWARDS. About 50 mm of top tube (the bit protruding out behind the tank) will be cut once we have attached the sub frame. Which I don't want to do before the swingarm is done and the bike stands on its own two wheels – in order to get the slope of the seat exactly right. I'll be damned if I'm going to make the same mistake twice.