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Hyde Harrier Build

70K views 272 replies 48 participants last post by  QSIMDO 
#1 · (Edited)
Thought some of you might like to see some pics of the Hyde Harrier
build I started about a year ago.

Here's what it looked like the day it arrived:



... and a pic of the engine in the frame.



I started by buying a clean low miles '06 Scrambler and stripped it
for the engine and electrical system. The rest was sold. (Thanks to
all of you who bought parts!)

I also started on the wiring harness. I removed the emissions
connectors and wiring, carb heater circuit, side stand switch and
wiring, alarm system connector and wiring and rewired for a MOSFET regulator. I also added a quick disconnect for the tail light
harness so I can pull the seat off faster and shortened the pick up
coil harness. Hope it starts.
I had to find places to mount the components so the wires reach
where they need to go with minimal cutting and splicing and fabricate the sheet metal stuff they mount to. While there's still
work to do, the hard stuff is done and everything is at least located
where it needs to be. Here's a pic of the battery box and electrical
stuff mounted behind it.



Also bought CBR600 wheels and forks. Forks have new springs
and valves set up for my weight, riding style and the chassis itself.
Using 3 piston Nissins, so I've bought them and a 14mm master
cylinder to match.



Rear brake is from the Scram. Caliper bracket is a custom part
designed to match the 220mm EBC disc. Notice the "shocks".
Once the bike is on it's wheels, I can take some measurements
and order a set from RaceTech.



I've also bought a bunch of other parts and had several parts fabricated as well as fabricating stuff myself. Still waiting for triple clamps which I thought were
going to be made locally but in the end I ordered from Harris
in the UK. Once they arrive I can align the wheels and sprockets
and make axle spacers.

I also plan on engine mods: TPUSA forged 865 pistons, cams, carbs,
lightened flywheel and a custom exhaust.

What I've learned so far:

It's a much bigger project than I thought.

Everything takes longer than I thought.

Small and seemingly insignificant details can take just as long as large ones.

The ratio of thinking to doing is (and should be) very high.

Large amounts of patience are required.

Parts will be made or purchased more than once as you screw up,
change your mind or learn something new.

I takes a lot of time to find vendors who have what you need, will
sell it to you without large minimum charges, and will get things
done when and how they say they will get them done.

It costs more than you plan for, no matter how generous the budget
is.

Despite all that, it's very satisfying to see things coming together.
 
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#188 · (Edited)
I'm still waiting for the cylinders to come back so I've been taking care of small tasks. The studs for the Cush drive needed to be loctited back in place. I swapped the anti-backlash
gears onto the new cams. The remapped ignition came from Triumph Twin Power, so while I was at it I ordered a Safe Start crankcase reinforcement kit and installed it. The fuel
filler on the Harris gas tank is glued in rather than secured with screws. Harris recommended an industrial epoxy called Araldite, so after very careful surface prep they were epoxied
together. The left front caliper was drilled from the center bore into the gallery behind it so that all three pistons work together. (These calipers were used on a
bike with linked brakes, with the center left piston activated by the rear brake.). Both front calipers were stripped and completely rebuilt with new seals and various other bits. Still need to find someone to weld the remaining two brackets to the
frame: I haven't been able to get a hold of the guy that did some welding before for me, but I've got a couple of names so I need to get around to calling them. That's pretty much it
for now.
 

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#194 ·
Well, I'm back. I won't go into why I've been gone for 2 years, but circumstances have changed and I now have time to work on the bike.

First order of business is to assemble the engine. Cylinders were bored and plated and the 904 pistons are in hand. I gapped the rings yesterday
so I should be able to fit the pistons. Just need to buy ring compressors and some oil.

I had the exhaust supports welded to the frame previously, so once the engine is assembled it goes back into the frame and the exhaust system
need to be finished. At that point, I might be ready to paint the frame???
 
#195 ·
Glad to see you’re back! This is one of my favorite builds on this site. Looking forward to seeing updates.
 
#197 ·
Engine Assembly

Engine is going back together: fitted the pistons, torqued the head, fitted various widgets and installed the cams.
All the dots and dashes line up on the cam drives and turning over the engine went fine.
I've measured the valve clearances and just have to order a fist full of shims before I can adjust them.

743595
 
#199 ·
Engine assembly is finished and the engine is back in the frame. It took a while: I ordered a batch of shims
and installed them to find that I missed on the math for one valve and had to order another shim.

Next order of business is to sort out the exhaust hangers. Tabs were bronze welded to the bottom cross
tube on the frame and matching tabs to the headers. The left side worked out just right, but the other is a little
off, though I can work with it. It just won't match the left perfectly. The aft end of the headers will be supported
by rubber mounts that are from a Honda CB500. In the pic below the rubber mount can be seen bolted to the
frame. A steel sleeve will be turned on the lathe and a link silver brazed to it which will drop down to the tab on
the header. My drill press spindle is apart for a bearing change, so I'll have to sort that first though I can get
started on the lathe work. Notice how close the side stand spring is to the header: everything is a tight fit on
the left side with the exhaust just fitting between the swing arm and the side stand.

Maybe I should leave the mufflers off and just run straight pipes...

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#200 ·
Some time ago there was a lot of discussion of colors on this thread. At the time I simply couldn't decide
which direction to go until I saw this:

746610


This is the early version of the Harrier, which utilized either the older twins or the triples. Classic look which
to my eye looks perfect, so black it will be.
 
#203 ·
First Exhaust Hanger

Finished up the left side exhaust hanger this evening. The round part was turned on the lathe and
silver brazed to the tab. The rubber vibration absorber and inner sleeve are Honda parts. Hardware is
temporary, and the part needs painting. The right side bracket will be similar.

Notice the bronze welding on the hanger: structurally fine but ugly. I think the guy that did it was out of
practice, but the right side was better so this was probably done first. Notice the engine mount welding
just above it. That was done by Harris, and it shows.

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#205 ·
If spending money is an indication of accomplishment, then I accomplished a lot this week. Received a pair of FCR 39's from SUDCO yesterday along with some
other bits and some tools for a part I'm fabricating. I was concerned about the carbs fitting up under the tank but as it turns out there's plenty of clearance and the
K & N air cleaners that were shipped with the carbs fit as well, so fuel system is coming along.

749092
 
#206 ·
Fitting The Air Cleaners:

When Sudco shipped the FCR's, they also included a pair of K & N air cleaners, which as it turns out, fit the space between the battery box, the fuel tank,
and the carbs. This was a huge relief, since the space is pretty constrained and I was having trouble finding air cleaners that would fit. The only fly in the ointment
was that the air cleaners had 54 mm flanges and the adapters that came with the carbs were 52's, and actually measured about 51 1/2mm. I looked through
the Keihin catalog, but none of the other adapters were suitable. So, the solution was to make the adapters bigger! I started by making a fixture to allow
the adapters to be mounted on the lathe, and turned down the flange and cleaned up the surface. A pair of aluminum rings were turned, with an ID a few
thousands over the OD of the adapter, and a bit larger than 54 mm. The rings were epoxied to the adapters with JB weld, cleaned up and allowed to cure
for a few days.

750345


The OD was then turned down to size. The only problem is the inner surface of the filter housing has a lip 1/16" high, but the wall thickness of the adapter was close to
.200", creating a huge "step" where the air stream transitioned from the filter to the adapter. The creates turbulence and disturbed airflow in the carb: not good. So
a smooth, "bell mouth" like shape was turned into the adapters by making a series of angled cuts in 10 degree steps and then smoothing things out with sandpaper and
a sanding sponge.

750346


And the final result: it all fits!

750347
 
#207 ·
Small Details:

Working through the list of small stuff during the last couple of weeks. Ordered in the fuel system parts: filter, disconnect, shutoff, hose etc. Fabricated an abrasion block
for the swing arm, a carb brace and a bracket for the fuel system. I also sorted the crankcase ventilation by locating a Uni filter up between the intake manifolds where it's
pretty much out of sight and out of the way. The vertical hose should also drain any oil back down to the crankcase. It, and the carb brace are secured to the frame
attach lug on the back of the cylinder head, which isn't used by the Harrier frame.

751686
 
#208 ·
More small details, for the most part. After I added the adjustable mixture screws, I realized I needed to record which jets Sudco had put into the carbs so when
it comes time for jetting, I know what the baseline is. Dug around in the carbs, which allowed me to familiarize myself with which jets are which and got that done.
Since I'm not going to run a TPS, I removed the sensor and it's cable and turned a delrin cap that's pressed onto the carb body and covers up the stub end of the shaft.
Leak checked the fuel tank and determined that it's about a 4 1/2 gallon tank which seems good for a bike like this.
Reworked the steering stop a bit since the bars were touching the headlight bracket on one side.
Fabricated a new front jack stand to replace the pair of stands I was using before. Once the headers went on the engine, they couldn't be used.

755962


Fabricated the hangers for the mufflers. They were cut from 1/4" 6061 aluminum and a bushing support turned and welded into the brackets. They'll use the
same Honda sourced rubber bushings as the header supports.

755963


Sometimes "working" on the bike consists of spending time in front of a computer screen. I spent several hours researching which Lithium battery I'm going to
use (Anti-Gravity), which tires (Pirelli Diablo Rosso III) and which LED headlight bulb to buy (Sealight). I had planned on using the Scrambler throttle assembly
and cables, but discovered that since the cables run parallel to the bars, they interfere with the speedo/headlight assembly. So I went looking for a throttle housing
that would angle the cables down at about 45 degrees, allowing the cable to pass under the headlight. The solution (I think) came from an unlikely source: a KLR
650. Ordered up one off eBay and it looks like it will work just fine. Just have to come up with some new cables. I was thinking about buying the parts from
Venhill and making up my own: does anyone have any experience with doing that?

Up next is finishing the exhaust system by fabricating the last brackets and having them welded to the mufflers, and fitting the seat. After all this time, it's actually
time to start thinking about painting the frame, which means after that, every part that goes on the bike will stay there. There might just be a light at the end of the
tunnel after all on this build...
 
#210 ·
Fitted The Seat

The seat is secured to the seat base with four 6 mm screws, which engage threaded inserts in the bottom of the seat. The problem of fitting the seat to the base
is figuring out how to accurately locate and drill the holes so they line up with those inserts. The solution was to make a short, threaded transfer "punch" that
could be screwed into the seat. I cut off the head of a 6 mm bolt and turned a point into the end on the lathe. It was then cut off to a length that would allow
it to be screwed into the seat with the point extending a bit out of the insert. Some blue tape on the seat base allowed me to fit the seat in position and press
down on the insert with the punch: this made a mark in the tape which was where the hole was drilled. Each hole was marked like this in turn, with screws
in the previously drilled locations. Some delrin washers were also made to go between the heads of the screws and carbon fiber seat base. Done.

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756968
 
#213 ·
The Things You Learn

Since I'm actually starting to think about final assembly on this thing, and getting close to painting the frame, I thought it would be a good idea to look into the
registration process to see what I'm in for. In Washington, there is a requirement that the state police perform an inspection of the bike before it
can be registered. They're looking for two things: that the bike has all the required lights, horn, turn signals, headlight etc, and they want to see documents that
prove that the "major component parts" were obtained legally. I called the police and asked what the definition of major component parts was and I was told
engine/transmission, frame, seat and fenders (!). But there is a gotcha in Washington State law:
As unbelievable as it may be, none of the major component
parts purchased over the internet or electronically can be used. They must be new parts. So, if I had purchased my engine off eBay, I would not be allowed to
register even if I bought it from a wrecking yard. Fortunately, I bought and titled the donor bike for my project, so I should be in good shape. So, the moral
of this story is if you plan on building a bike, it's a good idea to look into the specifics of the law in your state before you start. They had me worried, since
a bunch of stuff on this bike came of eBay including the wheels and forks. Fortunately, they aren't major component parts...
 
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