Let the build begin

[union]

Did a little assembly this weekend. Got the forks done. Still waiting for the triple clamp to be made so they are off to the side. Swapped out the stock pegs for a pair of moose pegs. The moose pegs are wider, have a more aggressive tread, and have a slight convex shape to make it easier to move on the bike. I decided to pull the shock. In addition to pulling the shock I did the exhaust. The way the bike is built you need to both at the same time. Ill get some shots of the stuff on the bike hopefully later today.

Stock exhaust



After market



Both are made by akrapovic and both headers are titanium. The stock weighed 6lbs and the after market weighed 4lbs. The 2lbs weight savings was all in the muffler. I think its nuts an entire system can weigh 4lbs including the steel flange used to hold the pipe to the motor which is probably close to 1lb itself.

[csmutty]

I think it's nuts that the stock system was only 6 pounds!

[hatchet]

Looking good james,Its crazy the stock is only 6 Ibs

[union]

New header on the bike



Peg comparison

[slowkermit]

I'm drooling right now!

[union]

I'm drooling right now!

Its easy enough to stop by the shop one of these days Im working on it. We are in Bellingham after all.

[slowkermit]

for sure...I'll bring da coffee! I was riding my top secret test trails about 1/4 mi from you guys when you wrote this haha. Do you happen to have studs for the crf? if so let's rip it!

[union]

I have access to studded tires. I bet Pete would be interested to go too since hes the one with the tires

[slowkermit]

Nice! I've ridden ice on screws before, but today was my 2nd ride on legit trail studs. it's pretty cool, as you can keep up about an 80% pace. Just gotta be ready to get aggressive if/when the front starts to tuck. I'm actually bummed that it's supposed to warm up this week.

[union]

Stopping power has arrived.



Went with a 15RCS master. Hoping I can get the same lever feel Ive had with the 16/18 on the 525 and the 19/18 on the R6



Got the 30/34 billet caliper. I choose this over the 34/34 cast caliper that we have on the 525 because its not as wide as the cast piece. Anyone that has tried to upgrade their brakes on a motard knows the pain of possibly having to shave the back of the caliper. With a quick mock up on the 525 (need to cut spacers) it looks like the caliper doesnt need to be shaved at all. Hopefully its the same case on the 450 with the 16.5 front on it.





Waiting on new clamps to install.

[CBR929RE]

I'm gonna come drool on it today

[csmutty]

Why did you go with the 15rcs if you liked the 16/18 on the 525?

[Jim]

you sure do nice bike builds. good job james.

[turbo]

Looking great

[union]

Why did you go with the 15rcs if you liked the 16/18 on the 525?

Try something different. I can always go back to the 16/18 if I dont like it. I thought it would be nice to have the option to change the ratio. Might come in handy since Im looking to run in a second series this year.

[KB]

When I had my CRF I was running a 20mm offset set if Tri-Star triples. Kates had a buddy that made em but they are no longer around as far as I know.

KB

[union]

you sure do nice bike builds. good job james.

We can build you one just like it. All I need is your credit card and probably your check book too just in case.

[union]

I got my stock triples back back yesterday. Still waiting on the ones being made but I can now continue to assemble the bike. Today I put the front end back on and then fit up the new caliper.



Had to make a couple of spacers to move the caliper back a bit but this caliper was worth the extra money paid. With my 16.5 wheel mounted there is no contact between the caliper and any of the spokes. Its close but they all clear. I dont believe Ill have to shave the back of it at all. Tomorrow Ill mount up the 17in spoke wheels but they were not a problem on the 525 like the 16.5 was.

[union]

Most of the big stuff for this bike is assembled and ready to go so now Im down to the smaller stuff.

Put on a set of TM Design chain sliders and guide.





Installed the new brembo master and acerbis hand guards. Ill get some photos of those this week.

New and hopefully better clutch will arrive this week. Still not 100% sure it will work at all but about 90% sure. One of the issues of having a rare bike is parts are not specifically listed for it.

Need to get bike tuned and Im still waiting for the drawing for the triple clamps.

[union]

Made a little more progress on the bike.

Hand guards and new master are installed. Now I need to make a brake line.





Got what is hopefully the last shipment of the big parts.

Im planning on running two series this season which will require much different gearing so I got a few chains for the bike.

I dont like white on race bikes. It gets dirty too quickly so I got a set of black fork guards to replace the white stock ones. These are also a bit stronger. Unlike the stock ones which just cover the front the Acerbis wrap completely around.

The new clutch came in too. There is still some debate between me and Hinson on whether or not it will work. They say no I say yes. Hopefully Ill have time to find out this weekend.

[union]

Made a big change to the bike today.

As you can see here the Swingarm is off



When I went from a 40 to a 42 tooth sprocket I ended up being between a link with the wheel pushed forward and the wheel base was getting a bit long with the chain adjusted to proper tension when I added a link.

Luckily we have a bridgeport at the shop and a guy that knows how to use it.

Swingarm goes into the bridgeport





We milled 10mm out moving forward of the axle hole which shortened the wheel base. We talked about doing this back when the bike first came back but never got around to doing it and with the 40 tooth sprocket the wheel was far enough forward it wouldnt make a huge change.

The immediate benefit was the 42 tooth sprocket fits without being between links pushed all the way forward.

Other benefits that I wont see today but I will on track is a better handling bike. It should be a little quicker with a shorter wheel base. The shock will work better because it will be able to transfer more force to the rear wheel.. The bike will have better mechanical grip in the rear. I suppose Pete could explain the changes better then I could.

Hopefully I will now stop crashing in 1a.

[JettaJayGLS]

Wheelie city!

What size front sprocket does this thing run? Also, is it a 6 speed? Sorry if these were mentioned earlier, I didn't feel like re-reading.

[union]

Wheelie city!

What size front sprocket does this thing run? Also, is it a 6 speed? Sorry if these were mentioned earlier, I didn't feel like re-reading.

Its a 14 in the front and its a 5 speed box. The rear sprocket size was a suggestion by Eric Block. He would know better then me but just in case I have a 40 and a 38 available. Ill figure all that out on the Friday before the race weekend when I get to ride it hard.

[Jim]

...in 36 degree weather

[union]

Left to go is dyno tuning and a few minor things to button up but here it is.