Quick update part deux

The frame....
The frame I got from mr C in stafford turned out to be less than perfect. It's not scratched or dented and the history is fine but it had seriously oval steering bearing cups. Apparently this is not unusual on Rgv frames and is blamed a lot on braking, endo's and wheelies. I must admit I find this a bit difficult to accept and think it's more likely due to the fact that most have been crashed.
Crashing rgv's is very easy and if you had just got off a 125 on to a 250 I would think an impact is inevitable. The thing with the 250 is it's gutless and struggles to pull 5th at legal speeds so you knock it down a few, gas it and suddenly you are doing 100mph and that corner is right under you....bump!
I digress, sorry

So the bottom bearing cup was loose but not unserviceable. A bit of loctite retainer has it held strong so that will work. The top cup was stretched by 0.70mm!
The Gsxr front end uses a 30mm steering tube, the Rgv one is 26 I think. Anyway the upper bearing cup was 47mm and a 30/47 taper bearing is not available but a 30/48 was. So it's simple - open up the 47 diameter (47.70 in places) to 48. All I needed was a person to do it...
Spondon....££££!!!!!
Local engineers not interested
I tried to get the tool room to do it at workout they didn't seem keen to do foreigners (a bit odd)
Local blokes with various machines were a bit scared of the job or too busy.

I think the truth is that people were a bit frightened of the job and not sure how to do it. Well if you want a job doing right you should do it yourself....so I did.



Sadly I didn't have a horizontal boring machine handy or any kind of vertical machine either (like the Bridgeport that I've since acquired) but col has a lathe so that would have to do.
Basically I used the steering tube between centres to align everything and then hold the frame upright against the tool post with g-clamps. Once set in position I put a boring tool in a small 4 jaw, set it to cut 47.95 diameter and put it in the big 3 jaw.


I turned it our by hand. Look. I was quite pleased. It must be said that i took 3 or 4 attempts to position the frame and probably took 10 hours to get set. It's only cheap if it's your own time. Anyway all done and everything went together great. The bottom taper bearing was available in the right sizes without any machining which was good news.



Sweet.


Next was the swingarm. No real drama, just required the removal of 5.5mm off each end of the axle and new needle rollers. I then took 11.00mm from the internal bearing spacer. It needs some different shims making but nothing difficult.
The frame rearset mounts needed the inner edges filing back a bit to give clearance but that's all and it went in 'dreamy'.
I got a gaxr600 k8 shock from eBay to see if it would work. Shock length is the same as Rgv but the reservoir is attached. Directly to the shock near the upper mounting. I've been told hat it is a good upgrade but I want an ohlins unit and Gsxr ones are everywhere so I should get s good deal on one if I can get one to fit.
The swingarm has retained the aprilia linkage because it uses the same distance angles as the vh22 (did you hear that you posh aprilia owners?)

Front end on and a swing arm fitted. You know where this went....


Mega!
The subframe is 11mm higher at the end than it would be with a standard swingarm and shock. I think that is close enough.

So next I need to get the Gsxr rear wheel aligned and the sprocket carrier positioned.
So I got the back wheel and.... Well have a look.



Double mega!

Then I had to try some clothes on it.



Triple mega!



Quadle mega!

It's better than porn. Well it was until that fat bloke sat on it...



It's tiny. I'm talking about the bike.
I think I'm going to have a pretty cool looking GP bike in the end. If it has 110bhp and weighs 140 kgs it will be as good as it looks.
Why did I not do this years ago?

Quick Update for summer

Engine

Sir Stan Stevens has the top end. He was away in France on his hols all of June and has had a bit of a health issue which has slowed his return to work. Get Well Soon Stan!
Anyway I spoke with him to discuss if I should go for a 570cc oversize (plus tune) as the cost of replacing pistons etc would make it no more expensive to do. Stan put me off, or should I say put me right, by pointing out that a good set of barrels is worth keeping. Oversizing is fine when the barrels have gone to their last re-bore size but other than that it is worth keeping them standard and prolonging their life. He did say that more power comes with 570, as you would expect, but it's not a huge amount more and is it really worth it???? I agreed with him, bid him a speedy recovery and hung up.

Mark at Performance Fabs has the carbs and they are getting bored out to the max. I also bought a shift shaft support.
I called in at his place and was a little surprised to see it was at the back of his house. from the outside it looks nothing but inside it is pretty smart with 500cc goodies and projects everywhere. NICE!

Frame
Success! I had some problems with it but these are now fixed. details in the next post.

Spring into action?

It's June and the need for the 500 is stronger than ever having done a trackday on the 250. The little 'V' was amazing on the track and managed to live with modern 600's, with a better pilot it would have got past them too. My mate has one too but fitted with slicks and a '22 back end. We both went well and thought how cool it was to live with modern race kit on 20 year old smokers. Things obviously haven't moved on as much as the marketing men tell you.

One thing is clear though - that handling and double the power is going to be quite a ride.

So lets discuss power.
After several months of deliberating the engine spec I have made my choices.
Stan Stevens stage 3
Carbs bored
Programable ignition
Straight cut primary gears
Some tidying up in the crank cases
Lomas pipes
Air boxes in the fairing
Nova gear train and dry clutch.

That should give me over 100 bhp easily, maybe 110???
I thought about doing the bdk engineering Rgv 250 top ends conversion but I feared it would have hidden complications and I'm not sure it actually does what bdk claim. I followed a forum link and after a lot of messing it managed to crack 115. To be honest I would be happy to mess but I want it running this year so that meant using the rg5 top end. I called Graham File but it was mega pricey. I suspect that he would do the best job but it was just too much.
Mark at PF would be likely to do a decent job but he gave me a strange reply on the forum when I asked about which top end to go with so I've chosen to give my hard earned to the godfather of 2 stroke tuning. At least I know it will work even though I could maybe get more bhp going elsewhere. I got a forum response saying how good the Stan tune was, it's a safe way to go.

As for carbs I think opening them up has been done loads of times and proven technology. As the finished bike will live for track days with the throttle wide open, bigger carbs will be beneficial.
Timing is an area where it's obvious I will need to work. I like the idea of two maps and a switch but that's just showing off. I will buy an off the shelf solution here.

Gearbox- like everyone else I love the Nova racing unit but £3k is lottery money. My box has some wear so that is enough excuse enough to borrow some wedge and get one. Again, my track day intentions are going to destroy a gearbox with any weakness so one is going in. Anyway, dry clutches are the shizzle.

Bodywork
I'm afraid it's coming from a h*nda



No- I'm not styling it like a dog. That is Elvis my aerodynamics expert consultant

The fairing hung on the pushbike is from an RSW 250 and is proper GP style. Mega. No headlamp (it's not having one) or mirrors. I will have to do a lot of cutting on the sides to get air in and I will try and reveal the clutch.
I've not got the back end yet but it's likely to be based on a k10 fireblade as it is small, simple (unlike new Gsxr) and will reveal the exhausts which is a look I want.

Colours
I'm going to go modern and keep the Suzuki race rep theme. I like the sert colours although a 500 gamma would be a stupid endurance racer choice but I'll steal the colours anyway (or at least be similar)



Looks good don't it?
I'm hoping for a similar cutaway to reveal the lovely engine goodies.
The best thing about this the White wheels. When I were a lad there was two rules for motorbikes :
1. Frames were polished
2. Wheels were White
As far as I'm concerned these ate still THE rules and all this black frame nonsense is just bring silly. And WTF is that gay blue purple thing on new gixxers? I'd sooner have it with hammerite!

Frame update
Nightmare. Clive flogged me one with egg shaped steering bearing cases. The top one is stretched by 0.7mm! I need to open it out for the Gsxr front end so I'm looking for a machine shop to not charge the earth. I might do it myself yet.
Oh yes, another thing. I've got an aprilia rs250 swingarm. It would be cool but it's got the usual dent on the right. I half expect rubbish from eBay but this was from an rgv250.co.uk forum member. You can't trust anyone these days. I will put some metal in and a sticker over it ( like all the rest)






The frame is progressing slowly.


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Finally reached the start line.

Its been a long time and many a late hour has been spent in the damp garage but today we finally generated smoke and noise from the RGV. I'm talking about the 250 not the 500.
Before I get to the 500 I'm going to indulge myself with a paragraph(s) and picture(s) about the VJ21.

When the 500 project turned up I chose to leave it alone until the 250 was complete. Inevitably this meant the 250 project took a different direction to what I set out to do and it has not reached the perfect Pepsi that I had in mind. What I mean is I took some shortcuts to get it out of the way.

Engine - Its a long story but It is wearing 250 L barrels (these take the 22DO pistons) - the porting is much larger than the K cylinders. The porting is still conservative compared to VJ22 but I wanted a standard type of engine and didn't want to start messing with the 2 stage powervalves on the '22. I had a set of 22 barrels and swapped them with Col (he will be mentioned again later) for the 250 L's.
I've lifted the barrels by 0.50mm over standard and machined the heads to step the combustion chamber into the barrels. Its running 0.80mm squish and the combustion area has been profiled to give just over 13:1 UCCR so I'm close to the limit of what I can get away with from the Shell forecourt. I'll see how hot it gets and might end up chucking a splash of Ethanol in the fuel to cool it but we'll see. Other than that the engine is bog standard so it should run pretty good but the exhausts are likely to spoil things over 10k rpm but at least they might save the engine from being revved to death. I bet I end up with some fruity pipes after my first track day.
I worried that lifting the barrels would make it struggle at low revs but it pulls smooth and strong from tick over - I'm amazed - It's easily as smooth and progressive as my old 350 YPVS.

Anyway it ended up in non standard clothes but it does look pretty smart, just the smoked screen lets it down (I hate smoked screens) A replacement clear screen is on its way from Skidmarx via Crooks Suzuki and should be fitted at the weekend along with a fresh water pump. It will get an MOT, Tax then have a few shake down runs along the Coast Road then its off to some track days wearing some of the tons of spare bodywork I've got.

Remember that shell suit that you loved... My RGV is wearing it.

Looks pretty smart I think and I managed to get some Dunlop track sticky rubber for that 18 inch rear. Its all new, freshly painted and polished and feels nice and tight. the forks are GSXR400 because they have better damping but with standard springs (see Vincent Crabtree blog) and Goodridge front lines. what more dy'a want?

I have to say TA to Alan in Carlisle for the chat and bodywork. when building project bikes you meet loads of people who share a liking of garage tinkering, Ive met loads and it makes me laugh. I thought I had it bad but when I met Alan to do a deal for the body work I found he had 3 RGV's and a pair of GSXR250's all getting the treatment . I've got to hand it to you Al, you're mad for it and you will have a sweet collection in the end.

And here it is in its natural environment. I will get it a bag like what the GSXR has been in all winter. Side note - the GSXR has remained perfectly stored all winter and the alloy is gleaming as much now as the day I packed it. What a marvellous invention - a huge plastic bag.

lost in a world of rubbish. Note the Santa-Fe Express next to the GSXR, its a beast!

Now lets get back to business. The 500

Although I've restrained myself I have been doing some homework and bought an engine cradle from Mark at Performance Fabrications. It wasn't cheap at £230 but the quality is excellent so its a fair price for decent work. Ta.
I got a GSXR 750 rear wheel to match the front and it fits in the swing arm wearing a 180 even with the spindle forward in the slots. Chain line is going to be a challenge and I suspect the sprocket carrier is going to need some creative machining but I'll figure that out later. I'm pleased as I'll be able to get plenty of choice when it comes to putting tyres on.

Air filters. I suspect this is going to be the area that 500 owners ponder for eternity. the project came with some of those expensive filters from RG500.com however I might not bother with them.
I'm only guessing but I can imagine these motors dyno better than they actually achieve on the road because air must rush past the filters and almost pull air back out of the carbs at speed. I just cant see how  air is going to turn through 90 degrees in the area of a carb inlet when its moving at over 100 mph. With this in mind I'm favouring air boxes with good sized inlets in the fairing. Again I'm sure this is a well trodden path i'm on
I bought 2 sets of carbon airboxes from Germany so I can use these as a start point when i get to that point in the project.

Frame. No progress although I have had half an eye open for a decent after market shock. I would like something I can change the spring easily as I suspect I will need to change the spring rate to compensate for the heavier motor. maybe?

Bodywork. I fancied Tyga but I've gone off it. It is too obvious and been done to death. On top of that I think the back end is too big and the more I look at the overall shape I feel it looks like something from the mind of an American airplane designer of the 80's. It looks like a Boeing.
I want the back end to be short and the new Mito Evo is pretty cool but It might age quickly?? I like the look of it and I also like the look of the new Ducati Streetfighter, that would give a cool rear and the pipes would look great with it.
As for the fairing there is only one bike in the world I think is truly perfect and will age as well as the Ducati 916 design did. The Ducati Desmosedicci is the ultimate bike design and not just the bodywork. I spent some time with one and it really is as near perfect as you can imagine a bike can get. Worth every penny if you can afford it.
I'm tempted to try and get a Desmo fairing on my RGV but it will need some heavy modification as the Ducati blends into the tank and back end with unbroken lines between the panels. The back end has the exhausts exit out of the top where a pillion would be sat. I'm not sure about that bit but Ducati have made a beautiful job on the Desmo.
I need to decide before I write my project spec.

Engine. I'll go here in the next instalment

...and in the beginning. Day 1 of the rest of my life

Side note on my bench.
My dad made that bench when I was a kid - he was a joiner and used it to cut wood etc.
It has seen many bikes of mine..AP50(proper old one) AR50(s) DT50 RG250 YammaGamma YPVS(s) 350LC GSXR(s) WR400 KDX200 RGV250 etc, even a woman once. I cant remember them all but needless to say that the 500 will be worshiped at this Oily Alter. You can keep your bike lift!

2010 last post

The project is on pause at the moment while the 250 gets out of the way. This is not strictly true as I am still thinking about it, planning parts and keeping an eye out for bits.
My replacement frame turned up today.


Here it is before it gets the grinder.

I have been thinking a lot about the finished bike and what I want it to be. I have previously said that this is important for me to be able to plan and focus the project. I will post a design spec before I begin but in the meantime I have decided on a daylight only MOT so no lights etc.
Bodywork: I thought about ducati carbon but it's too complicated and fussy for my taste. Standard rgv is awful, I didn't like it in 1990 and it's not got better with age.
Tyga is and obvious choice and one I keep coming back to. It is simple, contemporary and, at the end of the day, designed to fit the rgv. I see Mark Dent is offering tyga subframes for 500 conversions that include oil tanks. I have no intention to build something different for the sake of it and so tyga kit seams to suit my needs. I will see when I've done my final design spec.

I have done a project plan ( geek project manager) and it shows the project to take 7 months and cost £4160 on top of what I've already spent. This includes a tune and paint but not a crank rebuild so I'm hoping to get away with my current bottom end. I will see when it comes apart.

One thing I have decided to sort out with or without a spec is the back wheel. I'm going to fit a 5.5 wide rim to run a 170 or maybe even a 180. It will be close. I want a wheel to match the gsxr k6 front I have so need a wider rim and need the spokes to match. A 180 is going to look great but will take a bit of warming up.

One other thing I like and will be putting on the spec is a polished frame. I know it's old fashioned but I'm tired of everyone powder coating frames and I still think a polished rgv frame looks great. My engine will be unpainted alloy too. Lots of shining bits please!

Lastly it was decided in the pub on Tuesday that proper attire must be observed when working on the 500. A shirt a tie MUST be worn at all time when addressing this bike. A flat cap and cardigan are allowed if it's a bit cold in 'the damp garage'
Sadly Suzuki don't do a tie. I asked Martin Crooks (Crooks Suzuki) if he could get one and he told me about his very own 20 year old tie but he wasn't for letting a tyke like me near it. He gave me some workshop gloves and sent me on my way. Cheers Martin.
looks like my old leather piano tie might be making a comeback. I will spec the tie with the bike design. Maybe I should wear a tie under my leathers when it's finished?



Imagine this as a 500 and the bird showing her Windsor knot.


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My frame and other rubbish

I thought I should capture the project at the start and post some pictures.




This is the 250k that I've got to get out of the way before I get to the 500. It looks worse than it is and I should have it close to running by the end of the year. I'm going to spray it in pepsi colours so that helps my choice of what to do on the 500.

I mentioned the gsxr before so here it is so it won't feel left out.




Now to the 500. I have mentioned the frame disaster and here it is. See how the cast webs have been completely removed and where the grinder has also thinned the outer plate. Whoever did this should keep quiet, you are a plonker.









Notice on this picture that not only is the casting ruined but the lug for the frame cradle has gone!
To be fair, the lug removal has been done because the engine fitting kit does not require a cradle. The engine is held at the upper and lower rear mounts and the front is suspended by a pair of brackets. These attach to the front cylinder heads and share the same bolts as the cylinder.


This is not going on my bike!
It might work but I don't like the look of it much. I don't like the idea of 120hp twisting it's way out of the frame being held back by these two skinny bits of ally. Not only that I think the vibration is directly put on the frame and this won't be nice. Most of all though I think they will crack in no time as the natural vibration of the motor will be prevented by this direct attachment - the brackets are going to become vibration dampers and I don't recall aluminium being good at this.
Mine will have a proper cradle (I've ordered one from Mark Dent at Performance Fabrication)

Finally for now- a pic of the donkey. Isn't it great!



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More thoughts and prattling on.

This is a test blog, I've just got an app for my I phone and want to see if it's any good.



This is the bike I saw at the stafford show. Very nice. It was small and that was something I liked. The tank was a one off hand made thing and very impressive but I think it was designed around a sponson frame? It didn't fit the lines of the rgv frame to well but hey- its still a smart bike. I didn't get a good picture of any details but I can tell you it was a very high standard of finish.



An original bike. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that.

I'm thinking about how I want mine to end up. It's not quite a blank canvass I have but I do have plenty of scope to use my imagination and build an rgv500 that is individual and recognised as my creation.

There is no getting away from the base fact; it is a race bike. Theres no point thinking about flat bars or streetfighters, it is meant to be inspired by 500 GP bikes and that is why bought it.
With this in mind I have the following design inputs:

It must be as light as possible.
It's got a race fairing
Single seat
Stiff frame
Power can come on late as long as it got plenty
Noise is good
Absolute minimalist design

These are all fairly obvious but I will develop this design input to produce a design specification and try and project manage the whole thing. It may be a bit nerdy to do this but I think I need to set some deadlines and, more importantly, identify when and what I will need to buy. This is going to be expensive so I need to be able to plan my spending.
Another reason for project managing this is to make sure I keep to the original idea. I see many specials ending up something that is too good to ride or just a show off bike. I think it is probably easy to get carried away and this bike certainly dosnt want anything that it doesn't absolutely need- if it doesn't have an essential function then it won't be fitted. I want to avoid scope creep and deviation from the plan. But first I need the goal defined.

I'm at work. Its good is this app!

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