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Project: 955i Daytona Golden Era Superbike Racer

83K views 232 replies 28 participants last post by  Riffraff 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello All, My name is Steve, I’m not that good at typing or spelling so please bear with me. :)
I had raced a couple of Proddy YPVS 350 Yams & a jelly-mould CBR600 in the super-sport 600 class in the late eighties early nineties but sadly I haven’t had time/cash for bikes for a good few years.

Scan_Pic0003 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
Top pic Langbaurgh - Bottom pic Carnaby.
I always kept up buying Performance Bikes magazine & had been following their Triumph Daytona 595/955 project racer & had really enjoyed its story from the start, so much so that I decided to build one myself as it’s British and something a bit different and I always wanted to have another go at racing, as I’d never raced on a big bike or slicks & the only circuits I had raced on were Elvington, Carnaby, Cadwell, Mallory & Langbaurgh, So......................................
In the middle of November 2011 I saw a cheap 1999 Daytona on eBay (it had engine noise’s), so without telling the Mrs (she can’t say no if she doesn’t know) I set off on the 365 mile 9-1/2 hour round trip and I am now the owner of my own Triumph Daytona 595/955 project racer!

2011 097 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
(This is a picture from the ebay listing)

The first thing I did was make a list of all the things I thought I would need to do & parts I’d need to buy and trying to stick near to what PB’s own racer has tried as it has proved of what works by running near the front in thunder bikes, (which was the class I intended to race in) but also I didn’t want to copy exactly either as I have a few ideas of my own & also there is a very tight budget to (try) to stick to, so here is the 1st list I came up with
1999 Triumph Daytona Racer List: 1st stage
• Strip off all unnecessary road equipment
• Honda Blade 954 or Suzuki GSXR 1000 Forks & Yokes
• All Suspension/Head Stock & Wheel Bearings Replaced
• Race Exhaust System & (K & N Filter already on the bike)
• Light Weight Battery
• Rearsets
• Race Faring & Seat
• Race Rear Shock & Aprillia RSVR swinging arm
• A ZXR750 1/2" Rear Master Cylinder had already been fitted to improve the poor rear brake
• Engine repaired & tuned
My original plan was to run in the Thunderbikes club with a standard motor but on finding out there had been some rule changes (it meant running with R1’s in Thunderbike extreme) I knew some tuning would be required and having joined the triumph forum Triumph Torque (T595net) I quickly found out that there was a Race car firm that did a race kit by Wilcox Engineering but unfortunately this kit was no longer available, also having read in PB their plans to race in the Thundersport GB club, in the Golden Era Superbike class, and by this time the season had started, I had watched some of the racing on the I-player http://www.thundersportgb.com/i-player
This looked like good fun!
 
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#3 ·
Thanks Chap,
Here is a bit more of the story that will answer your question in a minute...................................
I got down to stripping down the bike and selling some unneeded parts on ebay, this ment I was able to buy a few parts, Honda Fireblade CBR929/954: Front Master Cylinder, Fork Yokes - Top & Bottom, Pair of Front Brake Callipers & Standard Front Wheel.
I also hit the jackpot on Triumph Torque forum as a guy was selling a full Akrapovic System, A full set of Skid-mark race bodywork & a set of tyre warmers, he also had a full race WP shock, but it did need a rebuild & anyway as I could not afford it - I had to leave the shock.

P8300615_(Small) by Farmfab01, on Flickr
After saving up awhile & selling of some more stuff ment I was able to buy some more parts & on ebay I came upon some Blade 954 Forks with K Tech Internals & Nitrided Sliders

IMG_1683 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
The same lad also had an Oz front wheel with PFM Iron 330mm Discs - another long drive down south and they were added to the growing collection of parts to be fitted to the bike.
Here are some more parts that I had gathered up
Motorcycle Li Battery 8 Cell
$(KGrHqJ,!pgE-v7id!IlBQ!MRbF98g~~60_35 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
http://www.ballisticparts.com/index.php

TRIUMPH FUEL GAS CAP

$(KGrHqZHJFQE88fBbsi0BPUTFIYUtQ~~60_12 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
I managed to get a Nitron shock that was almost new, it’s not the full monty race shock it is the track model this will be fine to start with as the bikes I raced before only had standard shocks!, I’m sure it will be an improvement over the standard shock

p1010509 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
I was told about a chap called Clive Wood who used to run the Jack Lilley race team and has tons of experience with the t595/955i in racing, so I spoke to Clive and he advised getting a 2001> motor as they have more power and importantly are much stronger, the earlier motor seems delicate for racing, so I contacted Dave Stewart at Thundersport GB to double check it was legal for their meetings which he confirmed it is and as Clive already races himself with Hottrax and Thunderbikes UK with his own later double sided swing arm 2001 model it is looking like the best way to go with the later motor, but it also means getting: Throttle bodies, Exhaust Headers, Loom, ECU, Air box, I now had a big decision to make as that means a large over spend on my budget & no racing in 2012.
While I was deciding on what direction to go with the motor I made a start with the chassis and parts, cleaning off all the accumulated oil, muck & chain lube from the past decade, I also cut down the sub frame & rear mudguard
Another job I did was to make a steel jig using the original triumph faring mount as a template to make light weight faring mounts so I am able to make replacements in the event they are damaged in a crash, I did not make any where to attach a dash as I was not sure what dash I’m using yet

P1010027 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
Another set of blade yokes were purchased as the first set I bought were badly twisted and the thread was stripped on the yoke spindle! (I did get a refund for the 1st set), so I set about the task of fitting the Fireblade Yokes to the Triumph, the bottom bearing was no problem as both are the same diameter, the top one however was a different matter as for a start triumph use a plain bearing & the Honda yoke spindle diameter is an odd size (26mm) so I bought one with the correct O/D and width And tuned up a spacer on the lathe to fit over the yoke spindle for the bearing to slide onto at some point I will replace the spindle/spacer set up with a new spindle
The Bearings I used were:
NTN Bearings
Top................4T-320/28X Metric Taper Roller Bearing - 28x52x16mm
Bottom...........4T-32006X Metric Taper Roller Bearing - 30x55x17mm
I also put the top yoke in the lathe and turned a bit out on the underside for clearance

P1010023 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
Sorry about this picture it has a bit of glare on it
 
#4 · (Edited)
I have another part typed up & it brings me up to the beginning of August 2012...........

The obvious decision was finally made...... Later DSSA 2001> model motor it is then, so the search was on for: 2001 Motor, Throttle bodies, Radiator, Exhaust Headers, Loom, ECU, Air box, I now had to find these parts on my budget - definitely no racing in 2012 then.
The search on eBay was fruitless no motors came up (there was one but they wanted nearly £900.00! For the bare motor) - Then this came up listed on eBay.........................................

Triumph DAYTONA 955I 2001 [Y] SALVAGE DAMAGED REPAIRABLE BIKE
17553miles STARTED non-recorded on hpi
£1195.00
THIS BIKE HAS DAMAGE TO:
HANDLE BARS, LEVERS, FAIRINGS, EXHAUST CAN, HANGERS, ENGINE CASING etc. PLEASE LOOK AT PICTURES AS THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE AND NOT LIMITED TO
$T2eC16R,!)QE9s3HE3VlBQB(Qyq7Tg~~_12 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

$(KGrHqN,!jUE+u!eqJ+uBQB(QytH(Q~~_12 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

$(KGrHqVHJE4E+Wco-yVrBQB(QykjJQ~~_12 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

$T2eC16FHJIYE9qUcNUTKBQB(QynPL!~~_12 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

I rang them up to see what they would take................................we did a deal and I was the bikes new owner (I didn’t tell the Mrs again she was fairly understanding with the first bike but hit the roof this time, things were quite frosty for a week or two, I'll probably not do that again!).
Time to strip the bike to find out what the damage really is all the parts I needed were OK except the radiator which had taken a right bashing it was a twisted, bent, mess, and someone had tried to stop the leaks with silicon sealant..................it wasn't working.
I decided to put the new motor in the 1999 frame (I was using the older 595/955 bodywork) and it just seemed to me to be the right thing to do somehow. (I am keeping the other frame as a backup anyway).
During the strip down I also stripped out all the unused parts of the loom for the lights & indicators etc., the loom is not finished as I’m still not sure 100% what instruments I’ll use but at this stage it is most likely the 2001 bike instruments will be fitted
P1010415 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
That done I did the frame/engine swop

P1010418 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010417 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

My plan is to now build up the bike roughly to see what is needed before any paint/finishing is done as there is bound to be some parts that will need some "tickling" then when I’m happy strip it back down & do the paint and finishing
 
#6 ·
Thanks Chap, there will not be lulls for a short time as I'm catching this thread up to date Here we are, this will bring the story up to October 2012...........................................................
The engine is in and I fitted the Fireblade front end, I put on the double sided swinging arm on from the later 2001, I fitted the later air box And tried to fit the early fuel tank but it would not fit so I removed the scoops fitted to the top of the air box, (I was going to do this anyway) then tried to fit the tank it sort of fitted if I used the top large holes on the front tank mounts but I decided to try the later tank which I preferred as it seemed a bit narrower at the back too, the only problem was that I broke off one of the plastic quick fitting fuel connectors, this as it turns out is another common problem as in time they go brittle, so I purchased a pair of metal ones.
Http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300765103880?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

!CFFcK+!B2k~$(KGrHqJ,!h4E1Kvu7Lc3BNU!+Fycg!~~_35 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
Getting the broken plastic part out was quite difficult but once done I wrapped PTFE tape on the threads of the fitting to make sure there is no leaks, I then fit the fibre glass seat unit, next was the front faring bracket from the early bike is fitted, it is temporary for now as I have not made a light weight race one yet, next the side panels of the faring this will need altering as the later motor is a different shape to the early one so some cutting of the faring will be required so armed with my pneumatic die grinder fitted with a pointed carbide bur and a black marker I carefully marked out and removed the necessary glass fibre for the panel to fit over the later motor, I may glass these over at a later date or style some scoops we will see!
The next job I did was to fit a set of used Harris clipons I bought from ebay

P1010489 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
but another known problem with the 995 is they have a very long throttle movement, which is a bigger problem for me as my Scaphoid was broken for around 9 months without realising and ended up having a bone graft so I have less movement in the throttle wrist, I had a R1 throttle tube laying around so I tried it - it fitted but it’s just under 1/5th of a turn which may be a bit too quick!
Early on I had bought a set of Race Supplies Direct rear sets I fitted these but I may alter them or buy some different ones yet as the gear change set up is not how I would like.
Sitting on the bike and looking at it and the pile of removed parts I came up with the idea of fitting the 2001 standard seat on to the race seat unit so I got the grinder and cut off all the moulded plastic lumps so the seat base was flat and attached an alloy bracket to the seat base and fastened a couple of rivenut to the seat unit to hold on the seat

P1010025 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
Here’s a picture of the bike

P1010488 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
 
#7 · (Edited)
The engine on the 1999 Daytona was making noises when I bought it, (I bought the bike cheap because of them) I was not too worried as at the time I planned to strip it down anyway to check it over & refresh any part that required replacing, upon stripping the motor I found the cause of the noise, the little end had stretched, and the piston had touched the valves after speaking to some of the guys on the Triumph Torque forum, it seems that it may be that the electrode of a spark plug had maybe fallen off & got jammed in the valve, holding it open making the valve shaped ding in the piston.

piston by Farmfab01, on Flickr

plug_001 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

This is not the first time it has happened apparently
 
#8 · (Edited)
At around this time I had spoken to Maxton about suspension for the bike, as I had been given advice from various different people that the Single Sided Swinging Arm was not stiff enough for racing, & caused some handeling problems on track, but he advised against using the later Double Sided Swinging Arm as the linkage design on it is not very good at all (I think there is too much rising rate if I remember correctly) but it turned out he had got mixed up & it is the SSSA that has the rising rate & the DSSA that has the linier movement which is better for race suspension, I plan to make a steel jig to hold both ends of the swinging arm & the new linkage mounting point to stop any warping during welding but also make it so the whole assembly can be bolted down in to the correct position on a miller. I have not worked out any details yet, but the Aprilia arm is for the future as I plan to use the standard DSSA at first then maybe try it with some bracing welded on.
Below are some pictures of:
Triumph Single Sided Swinging Arm
Triumph Double Sided Swinging Arm
Aprilia RSV1000 Double Sided Swinging Arm


P1010009 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
The large black dot is a rough position of the linkage pivot position
P1010011 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010010 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010008 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010028 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Above: you can see the chain has started to chaff the arm


P1010027 by Farmfab01, on Flickr


P1010026 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

As you can see the Triumph Single Sided Swinging Arm linkages (LEFT) & Triumph Double Sided Swinging Arm linkages (RIGHT) above are a completely different design
 
#9 ·
Right this post brings things up to around the end of Nov 2012.....................................................
If you look at the pictures of the 2001 bike you can see the radiator is damaged (I mentioned it in a previous post)

P1010415 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
so I had a good look on e-bay but nothing was decent was available for a reasonable price and anyway the Daytona’s are known for running a bit on warm side sometimes
Anyway a mate of mine does a lot with cars (he makes inlet stubs to fit bike carbs to cars among other things) he also makes alloy radiators, so I had a word with him to see if he was interested in making one for the bike & he said he would so we discussed what was required & this is the spec I decided on:
It is 25mm narrower at each side to try to avoid damage in a crash
It is a double row core and he has reused the original triumph neck, cap, inlet & outlet pipes
There are no cooling fan mounting points as this bike is for race use only & a fan is not required

P1010021 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
Race radiator - YUMMY
My plan for the engine in the first year was to keep it pretty standard for reliability, but I ‘d like to do a bit of work to the Inlet/throttle-body & fit a manual cam chain adjuster & maybe a set of adjustable cam sprockets & I ‘d like to fit a Sigma Slipper clutch if I can afford it
The plan for the chassis to start with is to fit the DSSA & wider Honda Fire blade rear wheel and also run 520 chain and try to get rid of some more weight
The overall plan is to develop the bike slowly, improving things step by step looking at what other Race teams are & have done in the past to successfully develop their bikes & try to replicate the successful ideas but at the same time trying to keep to a tight budget and doing as much of the work myself as I can to keep down the costs, that's what I’m aiming for anyway
 
#10 ·
I had been busy on my lathe at work & while I was on I lightened the rear single sided cush drive hub a bit & polished it up, I also picked up a S/H toby steering damper with a fork clamp
Here is a picture i’ve borrowed off ebay as a before picture

Here is the after picture of the hub & the toby damper

p1010519 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
At the time, I was in two minds wether to paint the frame or scotch bright it, so I’d had a bit of an experiment with the scotch bright and had a go at the single sided arm, I finaly decided to go with scotch bright, as I see it Scotched Alloy will stay looking OK indefinitely - just keep scotching it to keep it smart, as black paint will be easier in the short term but will soon start to look tatty especially on a race bike.

p1010536 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010537 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
I had also bought some bearings, seals for the swinging arm & linkage & also some gear box drive sprockets

p1010536 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
 
#11 ·
Here is a couple of pic's of the lightened & polished Hub mounted in to the scotched arm, you will notice that the caliper carrier is not a standard Daytona one it is a sprint ST1050 one which has the caliper mounted at the top instead of underneath the arm this allows me to run with the larger sprint ST1050 disc, (595/955 Daytona rear brakes arn't that strong)
You maybe wondering why I was still messing with the SSSA, well I was still unsure of my plans at the time & wanted to have all options still open

P1010541 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010541 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
 
#12 ·
At around the end of December 2012 , I made a start using industrial paint remover, & stripped off the paint from the 2001 frame, I may now use this one as the main race bike frame & use the other 1999 frame & 1999 motor as a wet bike, but it is just another option to consider, the paint Triumph put on the frames & swinging arms is a heck of a thickness it took most of a 4l full tin to get it all off, once the paint was off I started to tidy up the casting seams & remove the moulding pips & part no's & smooth it all down ready to be scotched, the same as I did on the swinging arm
Here are some pictures of the frame while I was working on it.

p1010553 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

p1010552 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

p1010548 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

p1010551 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

p1010549 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

p1010550 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
If you look at the frame rails the one on the left has been done & the one on the right has not
I had also joined Thundersport GB club just in case I got things father than expected & I needed to join a club to get my race licence sorted, I requested to run with the number 955 in their races (Triumph 955i) which I thought was apt & they are signing the licence application before sending it on to the ACU
 
#13 · (Edited)
Here is another instalment of the story of stuff that went on in Jan 2013…………………………………………

I've got some more done on the frame, its taking some doing - carpal tunnel syndrome looks a possibility!!!
Race licence c/w orange novice jacket came in post, (I just hope I can get rid of that jacket without too many crashes this time round)


P1010555 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010554 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Well for the first time in a few weeks I've spent a bit of time on the bike, I've not finished cleaning down the frame yet, but I decided to make a start on the Triumph double sided arm as I was sure I’d be able to get it finished today.
I made a start with the paint stripper & after 3 coats I was down to the bare alloy (Triumph paint is very thick), next came the removal of the casting ridges & getting rid of the unnecessary cast lugs etc. & then I smoothed down the cast parts as they were quite a rough finish, that just left the scotch bright to do & I’ve got it to a state which isn’t too bad for the moment.
Here is a picture of the Triumph DSSA.


P1010556 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Here is a pic from before I started

P1010028 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Well time for a bit of a catch up with things, well I’ve still not got much actual work done on the bike but I have at least sold a few parts:
Triumph Daytona 955i 2001 Front Brake Master Cylinder
Triumph Daytona 955i 2001 Rear DSSA Linkage (spare)
Triumph Daytona 955i 2001 Front Wheel
Triumph Daytona 955i 2001 Front Discs
Triumph Daytona 955i 2001 Rear Wheel c/w Rear Disc & Cush Drive.
Selling the above parts I’ve been able to purchase some parts too:
CBR 929/954 Fireblade Rear Wheel c/w Rear Disc & Cush Drive
CBR 929/954 Fireblade Pair of used Braking 330mm Front Discs
I have been putting up a post in the Triumph Torque Forum similar to this one & have got talking?/messaging to a lad from the Netherlands who does lots of track days on his own 955 Daytona & he is also in contact with other lads across Europe who race & do track days on theirs & he has sent some drawings to me for spacers to be able to fit CBR Fireblade 929/954 Rear wheel which has a 6" rear rim (955 DSSA has a 5.5") It’s a handy coincidence that it’s a CBR Fireblade 929/954 Rear wheel as it matches the front end I have already fitted, the lad also sent drawings & pictures to replace the swinging arm adjuster blocks & other mods to the swinging arm.
Here is a picture sent by the lad from the Netherlands during his swinging arm alterations


IMGP1924 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Having posted earlier that I had purchased an a barely used Track (2 way adjustable) Nitron shock for a SSSA, I now due to my change of plans need a DSSA shock so rather than sell the shock I already have I decided to contact Nitron to see how much it would be to convert it for the DSSA & also upgrade to a full race spec shock (3 way adjustable) below is the quote I received back from them:
Converting a Triumph 955i Single Arm Shock into a Dual Arm Shock:
Rebuild and Revalve - £105.00
Body Tube – £25.00
Piston Rod – £18.00
+25mm Clevis – £45.00
2 x Spacers - £4.00
In addition you requested a price to convert a 2-way shock into a 3-way. The price for this is £50.00 (plus the rebuild and revalve charge above if you only choose this option).

I don't think this is too bad as the parts removed are returned too
A picture of the shock as it is now

p1010509 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Here is what it should look like when it has been modified.

Nitron by Farmfab01, on Flickr
 
#14 · (Edited)
Here’s a picture of the rear CBR rear wheel & braking front discs now they have arrived, I’m chuffed as they have both arrived & are in good condition, the disc on the rear wheel has almost no wear when measured with my micrometer & the braking front discs are only worn by 0.1mm!!!



Trawling eBay I’ve also managed to get a spare fuel tank & a spare CBR929/954 bottom yoke cheap & I have also arranged a swap for a set of standard CBR929/954 discs + cash for a new Vaypor VR2 Dash - hopefully when it arrives it will not be too bad to wire up as the electrical side of things is not my strong point.




I removed the bearings from the CBR wheel & gave it a good clean & inspection it is in good nick apart from a very small ding in the rim which will easily tap out with a soft hammer, so now I just need couple of bearings & a new spacer turning up to go between them as the Daytona uses a 20mm spindle & Fireblade uses a 25mm spindle.

The wheel is in good condition considering it's around 12 or 13 years old


Next I checked the Braking Discs I have just bought for run out (bent or warped) in the lathe with my dial gauge & they checked out OK, so I popped them on the CBR wheel just with 3 bolts each side as that tyre will be coming off & wets fitted to that wheel.

Stuck the front wheel in the bike & it's looking good with the set of Braking discs on!


Next on the list I decided to sort out some lock stops as I'd not got round to doing it when I fitted the forks, I looked at a few different ideas but settled on bolting round nylon stops on to the head stock so I tried a few different sockets to see which one was the correct height I needed and I also marked out the position it will need to be fitted with a marker pen,

In the pictures you can see how I used the socket to work out the position & of the stops.

 
#15 ·
Here’s the next part of the project from Feb 2013…………………………………………………..
I got a start making the nylon stops in the lathe, I had some 100mm round nylon bar which I cut a 90mm bit off the end (enough to make 4 stops).
Here are a few pics of the stops being made in the lathe.
I




The spare tank has arrived & I have removed the pump & cap etc. & transferred it across to that one as the original one's paintwork is in good condition so I will sell that one. on

I've ordered some Viton rubber so I can remove the fuel level sender by making a small alloy plate & sandwiching the Viton the same as the original seal

Here is one the Alloy covers & Viton seals I've made.

Here they are fitted, the M5 bolts are a little too short but I want to put petrol in to check for leaks before I bother getting longer ones

The alloy plate is a little thick I know but I wanted to be sure it would not bend & leave a gap for petrol to leak out of the gap.
I bought the bearings to replace the Blade Rear wheel bearings, as the Blade Rear wheel uses a 25mm spindle & the daytona DSSA Rear wheel uses a 20mm spindle, so I removed the blade ones & when the generator was eventually fixed I turned a couple of bit of stainless tube (I made a spare for another Rear wheel when I get one for wets) in the Lathe to length to replace the original blade distance spacer between the Rear wheel bearings & fitted the new spacer & bearings, all it needs now is the O/S wheel spacers sorting out & spacers to get the disc & rear sprocket aligned in the correct position.


Out with the old & in with the new (Right)

P1010577 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

One other little job I did was to straighten the slight bend out in the blade rear wheel rim, so I put in boiling water for a while till it was hot (Someone once advised me to do this when bending cast alloy, I’m not sure if this helps or not but it can’t do any harm), then put it on my plastic "anvil" & gave it a couple of belts with a plastic hammer/mallet you can now not tell where it was.

Wallop - Wallop! Start by hitting softly & go harder till the bend starts to straighten, as it’s easy to over do alloy.
 
#16 ·
This takes us up to the end of march 2013……………………………………………………..
Today I’ve cleaned off a few parts in the parts washer, that includes the Daytona rear wheel + cush drive & I then weighed it & did the same with the Blade wheel + cush drive, here are the results:

Triumph Daytona 955 rear wheel 9.1kg

P1010576 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Honda Fireblade 929 rear wheel 7.1kg

p1010575 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

That's is a 2kg saving in unsprung mass & the Blade wheel is also a 6 in rim where the Daytona is a 5.5 in rim - double bonus.
Well after a bit measuring I have decided to use my own set up with the wheel spacers rather than make the wheel spacers sent to me by the lad from the Netherlands, as I want to avoid running distance washers between the sprockets & discs, it is going to be a bit more work but hopefully will be a bit better than losing a washer while rushing to change rear sprockets in the paddock at a race meeting!
I've turned some steel ones up for the moment as it is cheaper than alloy & when I've settled on the final design, the final ones will be made from alloy & it will then be just a lug to be made & welded on to the swinging arm for the calliper mount to slot on to

I can’t afford to get the shock sent off yet, so I made a couple of steel struts to take it's place temporarily

P1010575 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

Next job is to double check wheel alignment to make sure all is in line

P1010574 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
I have managed to finish the lock stops,(I’m using rivnut’s in the frame for now but will weld in some top hats later) I drilled a hole for a M8 rivnut in the frame where I had marked out the position with a socket & I then fitted the rivnut, I did the same to the other side, then I fitted the stops but they’ve required 5mm turning off them so far & I may take off a little more later on if nesasary.
Hole drilled & rivnut fitted.

Lock stop finally fitted.
 
#17 ·
Thanks for posting up your project. You've just gained another fan across the pond. Say 'hi' to Guy Martin for me, huh? :cool:
 
#19 ·
The progress of the project build now slows due to work & also because we’re looking at new premises to move to, also to be honest there was much less work done on the bike anyway for the same reasons.
So it’s been a while but I’ve sold a few bits off the bike I’m not using & picked up a few bits too,
New 520 44T rear sprocket, A couple of tank valves & a set of S/H but unused Diamond clip-ons.

P1010589 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
I have fitted one of the tank valve’s after being told that the race caps valves can cause problems due to not allowing enough air back in to the tank during full throttle use, it was an absolute git to fit, there is a large (fuel pump) cover which unbolts at the side of the lower section of the tank, but it was impossible to get my hand in to screw on the nut for the valve from the inside, so I pushed a 3.2mm gas welding rod through the hole for the valve I had drilled in the tank, then turned the tank upside down & slid the nut onto the welding rod then slid the nut down so it was sat in position over the hole I had drilled, I then carefully removed the welding rod leaving the nut over the valve hole, next I carefully put the valve into the hole turning it as I gently fed it in (I had to do this process a couple of times over as the nut moved) the threads eventually engaged & I carried on turning the valve till it was tight enough.
Here’s the fitted valve.

p1010591 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

I’ve also got round to fitting one of the 520 pitch drive sprockets (18T), the original nut locking device was a tab washer but I’ve not bothered with that, instead I’ve just lock wired it in place as it’s a lot easier & cheaper to use lock wire as sprockets are swopped much more when gearing is changed, also I fitted the rear sprocket (44T) but they have locking nuts as standard so no need to lock wire, I put light dab of copper slip on the threads before putting on the nuts, stops damage to the threads from lots of loosening/tightening when gearing is changed.

p1010592 by Farmfab01, on Flickr

P1010590 by Farmfab01, on Flickr
I had managed to get the frame for the 2001 bike finished that I started to smooth down the casting marks & give it a scotch-brite finish - I’ve added some pic’s of the frame which after all the time & effort (& sore fingers) has come out OK & I’m quite pleased with it..





Due to the impending move to new premises I can’t see me getting the time to finish the bike & race this year sadly, so I have also sold my Shoei helmet & supertech boots for the reason I’m fed up seeing them sat there doing nothing knowing I can’t realistically race this year, but I’ve started to regret selling them already!, I’ve also ended up selling the Nitron shock for the single sided swinging arm as somebody might as well be getting some use out of it while my bike isn’t being used & I’ll buy another one when I need it rather than mess about getting the other converted then sat doing nothing.
I’ve managed to pick up a second hand Accossato radial master cylinder so that ought to improve the feel of the brakes in theory anyway
Had a quick few minutes spannering on the bike tonight, I've removed the clip-ons of an unknown brand (bought as Harris off eBay but not so sure they are now) & fitted lighter Diamond clip-ons, Accossato radial master cylinder is also now fitted & I've used some longer Hel brake hoses that came off the 1999 955 that had wide bars fitted, I think they will be OK, brakes just needs some pads & the system bleeding now, I also fitted the fork steering damper clamp & started to work out the design of the damper bracket that fixes to the frame.
 
#20 · (Edited)
My Mrs & the kids have been dispatched on their annual weeks caravan holiday, so after work today I had a bit of time cleaning down the green fuel tank ready for some paint, I have yet to fit the breather to this one, I must also explain I forgot to mention in the earlier posts, I sold the good silver tank that came on the bike on eBay to a guy in Budapest in Hungary & I bought another one which happens to be silver too, that is the one I have fitted the breather to in the earlier post & both have had the Alloy covers & Viton seals fitted over the fuel level sender hole’s in the earlier posts.

Pictures of the tank being prepped for paint


It’s been a while since I painted any plastic, so I asked around & this is the advice I received, “You need a coat of plastic primer first of all, only a thin coat to help the primer to stick to the tank, it is usually clear so not the easiest thing to spray. Follow the instructions as some need two coat, and most need the primer on after about 15 minutes to ensure it sticks.”
Then prime/flat back/paint as normal.

I bought a couple of old Metzler Slicks of eBay (£5) so I can move the bike around on its wheels & check out clearance on the swing arm & to get the attitude of the bike set roughly, I have fitted the rear one to the standard Honda wheel & fitted the front slick to the Oz wheel, it’s now starting to look a bit more like a real race bike, I quite like the rim tape on the Oz wheel enough to consider putting on some white ones on when I've repainted the wheels, I'm not normally that big a fan of rim tape on road bikes as it often tends to look a bit tacky/tatty if not put on right, but it an't so bad on race bikes as paint work on wheels gets a hard time due to lots of tyre changes & it's easy to slap another bit of rim tape on to hide a bit of paint damage. I thought I’d put up a picture, bikes fitted with slicks all ways look better than treaded tyres to me for some reason.

The plan for the colour scheme is to paint the bike black is it is my company colour so it makes sense to do the bike the same, I’m going to put the company name on it for a bit of advertising, I’m going to be taking my inspiration from the tech-3 & seven stars colour schemes.
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-top-10s/top-10-designs-for-race-replicas/11682-9.html
http://www.teamtech3.fr/motogp/index.php/bike71
I've stuck the faring on the Daytona as having it laid around & then it keeps being moved around coz it's in the way It's getting marked up, also I have picked up a better link pipe & exhaust can after making a cheeky offer of £30 which I am chuffed about as it was listed on t’bay for double that, the can is quite marked but I plan on cleaning it down & polishing it up.
Extricated from it’s packaging - the can just needs a bit of TLC (& quite a bit of polishing)

Here it is fitted it to the bike, the end can has been cleaned & polished, it's not perfect but it'll be ok for a race bike, I'm not sure if I will keep it polished I may give it a scotched finish to match the frame, but I'm going to wait till the paint work is done before I make the final decision.


I’ve had another couple of decent result on eBay, I’ve managed to win a second hand Accossato PRS Mk2 Radial Master Cylinder 19 x 17-18-19 Adjustable Ratio c/w a folding lever the chap from eBay had crashed his R6 & is braking it for spares, it will replace the more basic Accossato I have that I got second hand, the folding lever has had quite a bit of material taken off the end, but I’ll see if I can get my mate to weld a bit back on the end & I will reshape & smooth it to look presentable, if not it may have to be a new lever.
The folding lever has had quite a tough time

I’ve also won a Pipercross Air Filter MPX107 it was a good bit cheaper than list price, it’s brand new , boxed – it’s another little bit of the jigsaw - I'm just about at the stage where I can get it running again!!!
 
#21 · (Edited)
It was at this point in the story, two days before Christmas 2013 things take a painful twist & bring to a head a problem I’ve had from my teens, I dislocated my left shoulder again, fell off the step ladders prepping walls ready for the builders skimming with plaster in new house & put out my arm against the wall to save myself & pop out it came again before I'd even hit the ground & had to be put under to get it back in again, it could not have come at a worse time, I was so busy with everything - work, new house & workshop etc. etc. all of which have had to be put on a stop - so there was even less progress on the bike now – & at the time I had to decide if I was going to continue with it at all as the shoulder problem was likely to rear its ugly head at the first small spill during racing - so I decided to mull things over for a while & make a decision on whether to carry on if I was unable to get something sorted out with the shoulders.

I've had this problem for years & they seem to come out easier every time, anyway I finally got to the hospital for a couple of scans on both shoulders to see if something was able to be done, the specialist says both the shoulders need stabilising with key hole surgery to reattach the ligaments to the bone he’s booked the right side shoulder in as an emergency operation!!!
After a few days I received a letter to ask if I was available for cancelations with 48hr notice, I replied I’d be available, they contacted me back to say they'd got a cancelation slot, so I had the 1st op on my shoulder & I was allowed home. 6 weeks later I went to see the specialist, he seemed happy with my progress & he even showed my some pic’s of the inside of the shoulder, the only thing is it took till late August to even get a date the second operation to be done on my Left shoulder , but the day after I put the left shoulder out yet again, luckily the operation went ahead as planned in early September.

I’ve got to say the staff were spot on, & I also got the chance to speak to the surgeon this time after he had been in, I wish I hadn’t in a way as the news isn’t great, as it seems there has been much more damage in there than they expected & basically they’ve only been able to fix one ligament to the bone as the others are damaged & “tenuous” so the recovery period will have to be “extended”, but he then started going on about having further surgery to reconstruct the socket if what I’ve just had done doesn’t work, but I’ll get to hear more when I go back in 6 week to his clinic; this isn’t really what I’d hoped to hear & it makes any kind of heavy lifting at work, never mind a racing come back look further away than ever – disappointed ain’t the word & it’s not looking like I will work at all this year!!!, So this brings this subject up to date, so it will be back to the bike again (\o/) to get that caught up to date.
 
#22 · (Edited)
This is back to the bike build story from around mid Feb to around mid May 2014……………..

While I’ve been off work, but have been at the stage of being able to do some light duty’s on the bike that don’t involve any lifting, just a little bit of light tinkering, I get my son & Daughter (under my supervision) to do the other jobs I’m unable to manage :), I’m lucky I have the bike to tinker with or I may have looked at daytime TV & that is the path that leads to madness :)

Anyway awhile back before my accident, I swapped the motor into the other frame, I noticed there was a split in the rubber intake trumpet where it slides onto the injector body, so I’d bought a complete S/H air box a while ago to replace it, anyway I opened it up a couple of days ago & it turns out it is a speed triple air box & the trumpets (one of them also has a split in it) are different……………….Doh


I got my mate to weld a blob of weld on to the end of Accossato brake lever where it was worn down, he did a good job & it did not take much shaping to get it looking something like the right shape, I then decided to give it a coat of paint, I’d got a really good finish on it & was drying the paint off nicely with the heat gun & dropped it into all the muck on the floor………….Doh again! after cleaning the paint off yet again due to bad paint runs, on the third attempt the paint still isn’t that good but it will have to do now.


I’ve bought a few little bit & pieces:

Another Degree wheel to replace my other one that seems to have disappeared somewhere & a top dead-centre tool (I’d like to alter the cam timing when I’ve bought some adjustable cam sprockets)
Soft compound bar grips, glue & some grip covers are a good idea – coz I always somehow manage to get them covered in oil/grease etc.
White wheel stripes enough for both of the sets of wheels I have.
I won a set of almost new clip-ons from eBay at a real bargain price, they are of a different design to the others I have & I’ll be interested to see when I get time to experiment to see if they make any difference to centre of gravity with rider the aboard.

New clip-ons at the bottom


After spending lots of time on eBay, the other day I won a set of used Promach rearsets for £80.00 delivered, they didn’t come with the gear linkage, but as those parts would most likely not fit I was not bothered, so with just those bits missing, I didn’t think for a set of good quality rearsets it was too bad, they are really for a GSXR 1000 k5/k6, but I looked at them & thought I’d be able to make them fit somehow, so I made an offer & he accepted it, the rearsets I have at the moment are OK but they are not adjustable & I have to say that when I’ve sat on the bike I’ve struggled to get comfy, so I decided to look for out for a set of good quality ones, the plan is to make an adapter between the bikes hanger mounts & the adjustable hanger bracket on the rearsets then at a later date I can make a new rearset adjustable hanger bracket if I feel the need to save a bit of weight, in the second pic I’ve taken it shows what I mean, I have set the rearsets into their central position so there is room for adjustment, then I lined up the peg positions & this shows there is room to make the adapter mount.

Promach rear sets.

Peg positions lined up shows there is room for a spacing bracket.


We’ve also made a cardboard template, I just need to make a couple of em out of alloy when I’m able

A while back I picked up a spare exhaust link pipe, I noticed it was slightly longer & has slightly more of a bend in it that the one I had fitted, so we have fitted this one as it leaves a little more room for the back of my boot & the front of the end can in the foot peg area.
we have also finally now fitted the new radiator I had made after my mate who made it moved the mountings, we made the new rad double thickness but 1” narrower at each side to help avoid damage in a crash, but when he welded on the mounts he forgot & measured from the side of the original rad, which meant it was of set to one side.
 
#24 ·
Thanks Threepot, if things don’t work out, I'll be disappointed & it'll be a shame, but not the end of the world :)

As time went on I’d recovered enough to do progressively heavier/more tasks, this is from around the end of May 2014………………………………………….

I’d been wondering what the bike weigh’s at this stage of the build, so with a bit of help from wife & kids we’ve stuck the bike on the bathroom scales, it is partly stripped down at the moment, coz I’m back on with stripping out unused wiring, so the parts that will go back on have been weighed too, now some parts on the bike I know are going to be changed & some stuff added, also I’ve no rear shock & no fluids in it either other than engine oil, so I have estimated the missing items weight & have come up with a lardy 185kg with no fuel, this is accurate enough for now & gives us a rough idea of the weight, so I have some way to get anywhere near the class limit for triples of 162kg, so there is going to have to be some fairly aggressive weight shedding from somewhere (the fuel tank & pump weigh 7.5kg Mmm) but 20kg is a lot to find, & I can see it could get expensive too if I don’t stop myself get carried away :)

Stripping out unused wiring, I hate this job


Yesterday I managed to win an Aprilia SXV Rear Master Cylinder of A New Unregistered 2010 Bike for £30 Inc. delivery; when it arrives I’ll try fitting it on to the Promach rear sets hopefully without too much bother.

I have finally got the wiring loom stripped out of all the unused wires & connectors & have more or less finished it at this stage, I have weighed it & have managed to lose one kilogram in weight from the loom, later if I manage to get the planned under seat fuel tank done all the wiring will be moved & I will need to alter it some more & maybe lose more weight, I’d also like to experiment to see if I can get enough charge from the battery to last a race easily, then I can maybe dump the generator & all its associated gubbins too, the starter system is also looking tempting to find a new home in a card board box or on ebay, but that depends on how easy the bike is to start without it, coz I asked on the triumph forum early in the build & one of the guys who raced one in the past says push starting the big triple isn’t a viable option but we’ll see.

I printed out the wiring diagram & wiring code from the CD manual I have.

I identified each connector from the wiring code & marked it with the code number onto masking tape, then I removed all the wires & connectors I don’t need any more

I have just wrapped masking tape around the loom for now as it’s easy to remove, as there may be more changes to make further in the build, eventually I will wrap it in hot melt adhesive tape

So that all done I fitted the wiring loom to the bike connected all up & fitted the battery …………………no smoke yet, flicked on the kill switch (no ignition switch any more) & success the bike sang its little tune from the injection & the lights on the dash came on………………….I pressed the starter & it turned over – woohoo! now fired up with enthusiasm I fitted the fuel tank & connected the electrical & hose fittings to the fuel pump, flicked on the kill switch again & the fuel pump worked, I stuck in some fuel but the O rings have perished on the fuel fittings & it pumped fuel out all over the place…………..dam, so I’ve ordered a 100 Viton Rubber O-rings at 1p each & am now awaiting delivery before we see if she fires up ok without the risk of bursting into flames.

The O-Rings arrived yesterday to replace the damaged ones on the fuel tank fittings, so I carefully fitted them, refitted the tank & connected up the fuel fittings again, flicked the kill switch on – no leaks! Then off & on a couple of times to make sure the injection system was primed & pressed the starter Vroom – Vroom - IT’S ALIVE! - the tacho & temp gauge both work too, so I seem at this point to have sorted the wiring without any major cock ups – fingers crossed, I ran it up to working temp to make sure the new rad is 100% & it seems OK, this bike was the silver Cat D write off & came with a standard exhaust & I haven’t heard it running with the race can & Pipercross filter fitted, It sounds bloomin lovely - I love the noise it makes
 
#25 · (Edited)
The Aprilia Sxv Rear Master Cylinder arrived eventually, after the first delivery company claimed to have been twice, it was returned to the seller who reposted it with Parcelforce & it arrived Saturday morning taking only one day this time, it will need a longer clevis making & it is a good job I have held back on making the rearset mounts as I have found there is not enough travel on the rear brake lever were I positioned it for the cardboard templates & it needs to be rotated clockwise to let the lever have enough travel

The Aprilia Sxv Rear Master Cylinder fits the rearsets but a longer & slightly off set clevis is required


I’ve made another cardboard template that tilts the rearsets clockwise & I’m happier with this design anyway as it’s moved the bolt holes for the rearsets & centralized them nearer to the frame mounting points rather than the top one getting most of the strain, when I’ve made some of these in alloy I just need to lengthen the master cylinder rod & then hopefully the brake side is sorted


Two previous race bikes I’ve have had over heating problems because of the bloomin thermostats, so I’ve removed the Daytona thermostat before it gets a chance to be a problem.

I have been toying with the idea of removing the idle air control valve (IACV) & then blanking off the holes in the inlet tract below the throttle bodies & setting tick over with a longer screw in the throttle stop adjuster, which will open the butterflies to set tick-over when warm, this will mean having to hold the throttle open while warming up to prevent stalling but as the bike has no rad fan I’d like to be there to keep a close eye on the temp gage, so standing holding the throttle open too won’t be a problem, my only concern is the electric stepper motor for the IACV, as I want to dump this too, as it will be much easier if it is removed when I hopefully get round to make a larger glass fibre/carbon fibre air-box at a later date

In my last post I mentioned I was thinking of removing the idle air control valve (IACV), well I already had a spare set of throttle body’s I got off eBay cheap last year to experiment with, so I removed the IACV & hoses, I then cut three short bits of tube & stuffed some bolts in the end to plug up the IACV inlets in the inlet tract (these will be replaced with something better when I am sure it is all working), then put a longer screw in the throttle stop adjuster, but I had to remove that as the air box would not fit over the longer screw …Doh, si I went back to the original set screw & it worked ok, I built it back up then warmed the bike up & set tick over at just under 2k with the adjuster in the throttle cable then stripped it all back down & adjusted the throttle stop screw & closed the gap, I built it back up again & it runs fine, I had left the IACV motor connected at first but decided to see if it ran without it & it does so that is it, I tried the bike today from cold & it ticks over at about 1k but if I want to set it higher I can do that on the throttle cable adjuster till it’s warm.

Throttle bodies & hoses that came off on the left, throttle bodies & bungs that have gone back on


Removing the idle air control valve means less clutter & less to go wrong, a small weight saving too :)
 
#26 ·
On the subject of the glass fibre/carbon fibre I mentioned earlier on, I’ve had plenty of experience of repair work with glass fibre, mainly the faring’s of me & my mates CBR600 race bikes, & also some repairs to ERF truck fibre glass cabs & stuff, but I’ve never actually made moulds before so I have bought a couple of books, & I’m reading up on the subject at the moment before I make a start buying or doing anything, coz I don’t want to end up wasting a load of time, & materials when I can hopefully avoid making simple mistakes I would almost surely make if I didn’t read up on the subject, plus I’d like to try to get to the stage where I’m confident enough to attempting doing the (hand laid-up) Carbon fibre air box & maybe some carbon bodywork, as well as a few other bits & bobs to save some more weight would be nice too.
 
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