Some recent pictures after installing a white Acerbis front supermoto fender, a white Maier MX rear fender, new seat cover, Acewell speedo, Baja Designs LED rear tail light, etc.
Engine trouble and then engine rebuild.
12.27.05
Installed a keyed ignition switch which I ordered from the dealer.
12.10.05
My friend Aaron gave me a spare exhaust can that he had laying around, which he thought was off a CRF450. A quick comparison showed that they were quite similar, so I decided to slip it on and see how it worked. Once I get a new header and mid-pipe, I will adjust the can position and make a better bracket. This swap should drop a decent amount of weight and definitely sounds better!
Here it is after a quick polish.
12.7.05
Time for the new light kit install. This new Baja Designs kit seems really well made and much better than the older version that was on the bike previously. I also swapped the supplied indicators with the LED ones. I did run into an issue where the LED indicators would not blink (too much resistance). I hooked up the stock rear indicators temporarily, until I can figure out what I need to do.
12.5.05
The new Baja kit should be here in a couple of days, at which point I should be able to start riding it (legally :)
12.4.05
I did a valve adjustment and then adjusted the compression release cable. This was a bit of a pain since I had not done a setup like this before, though now valve adjustments should be a quick process.
I also went around and touched up the paint on the frame where it had been rubbed off. This made a huge difference on cleaning up the look of the bike. I have more to do, but this was a good start.
I then installed the front brake and brake cover. The brake cover is needed for now since it gives the proper spacing on the left side of the wheel. I may replace this with the appropriate size washer. I will need to upgrade the front brake setup soon (large caliper & rotor, stainless steel line, radial master cylinder), though this will be ok for now.
Now that I had wheels and brakes, I could work on getting the bike started and take it for a ride! I drained the gas tank and put in some fresh gas, installed a new spark plug and cleaned the air filter. After a few kicks, the bike started right up! I only took it for a short ride since I did not have any lights, but I can tell this is going to be a riot to ride!
12.1.05
I received the new wheels!! These are Excel rims in 3.5" front and 4.25" rear. The tires are Pirelli Diablo 120/70-17 front and 150/60-17 rear.
After installing the wheels and the front fender, I did a quick fender trim to make it look a little more balanced. A "proper" motard front fender will go on the list of things to do eventually.
11.27.05
I replaced the compression release cable since the existing housing was completely split. I also noticed a crack at one of the engine mounting tabs. I'll have Alex take a look and see if this is something that he can weld for me.
11.17.05
I ordered some LED indicators which I thought would make a nice upgrade. I will use the same kind front and rear.
Unfortunately I discovered that the existing wiring is a total mess. It seems that over the years, the wiring from the Baja kit had been cut, spliced, patched, jumped, etc. After opening the left control pod, I realized why the switches were not working... I decided that I was better off just removing all the wiring related to the Baja kit and replacing it with a new kit. This will include a better headlight, improved switch control pod, simplified wiring, etc.
11.6.05
I pulled the steering assembly to replace the head bearings, which were completely wasted. My friend Alex helped me replace the lower stem bearing (pressed the old one off and then heated the new one to install it). I also changed the oil and filter.
11.6.05
After some degreasing and washing, the bike is looking much better:
Ok, down to the wheels. After a bit of struggling I managed to get the old tires off. I removed the spoke sealing tape only to find some crusty end screws. Bummer, looks like I will be cutting the spokes off.
I tried wire cutters, a torch and a dremel, though none were very effective. I finally used grinder with a cut-off wheel which worked really well. After I had the hubs free I removed all the spoke pieces and cleaned up the hubs. The rear wheel bearings seem a little dry, so I will install some new bearings both front and rear.
11.5.05
Time to strip it down and do come cleaning. First, off with the stickers.
Next, starting to strip it down.
Here is the front brake assembly. The brake pads look new so I will likely still use them, though I think I will get a stainless steel brake line made for both front and rear brakes.
11.2.05
Well, I finally broke down and started another moto project. I think this one is going to be quite a blast though :) I picked up my coworker's XR600R which I plan to convert to a nice street-prepped motard.
The bike is street legal with new tags and also has a green sticker for off-highway use. The green sticker will expire at the end of the year, so I will look into getting that renewed. The engine was recently rebuilt with some performance parts, and the suspension was also rebuilt with Race Tech components.
First on the agenda is do some basic maintenance and clean the bike up a bit. This will give me a chance to see what I might need to replace now or in the near future. I may strip the bike down and have the frame powdercoated at some point, though I am not sure if I will do that now or later. Here are a few pictures of the bike as it looked when I got it.
