Anyone for Cafe........here we go again :-)

lchris21 · Jan 3, 2017

RichardM said:
Are the calipers opposing piston?

No just 3 pot. Same as I used on my last build. Opposing piston tend to be bulky towards the hub side hence why I abandoned the radial calipers off the gsxr. You can use them with a custom hub available from the states.....but they cost a few bucks !!!

lchris21 · Nov 19, 2017

11 months

..................time just flies by these days. Its been a busy year what with a new job etc... 2017-18 Winter build season is upon us, time to "try" and get some garage time on the DR800.

Right, where was I?

Back to the front end, after chopping and changing the forks/brakes I left off deciding to make a new spindle for the bottom yoke. The original Aprilia one was too short, plus the bottom bearing was not sitting correctly onto the lower clamp.

Time to fire up the lathe, first time for a few months

lchris21 · Nov 19, 2017

After a root around in the back of the shed, and disturbing a few spiders I found the forks and got them on to see how it looked....

lchris21 · Nov 19, 2017

Been chopping and changing my ideas for tank/seat combo's over the last few months. Still undecided, but got the angle grinder out and started removing some metal work to get a better idea. Changed my mind again about a tank, so going to wait till one turns off before chopping any more stuff off. Slow start to the build season, but progress all the same.....lets see how much time I can get on it over the coming dark winter months :welder:

Cris B · Nov 19, 2017

Nice. Are you going to keep the Dunlop liveried tank? I think it looks very distinctive...

lchris21 · Nov 19, 2017

Cris B said:
Nice. Are you going to keep the Dunlop liveried tank? I think it looks very distinctive...

I don't think its going to make the cut........ :whistle:

edging towards the CB50 tank if I can get it in the position I want without too much drastic surgery

Wallace · Nov 19, 2017

The tank with Dunlop on looks like it's from a CB500/4, couldn't place the CB50 tank until you said!

lchris21 · Nov 19, 2017

Bit of jiggery pokery this afternoon and it's nearly there....the Dunlop tank can wait for another day.... :whistle:

Wallace · Nov 19, 2017

Nice, swinging arm looks a bit long, you could put the exhaust in the gap though. :thumbup:

lchris21 · Nov 19, 2017

Was going for the drag bike look

Swing arm is also surplus already decided it was way too long as pointed out. Geometry needs tweaking to compensate for shorter forks Converting it to twin shock.... :thumbup:

Wallace · Nov 19, 2017

Twin shocks will look cool.

lchris21 · Dec 10, 2017

Have been mostly ordering parts and messing around with bits an bobs to get the wheels sorted so I can get some tyres on, in order to get the shorter swing arm in.

Also there's a new kid on the block in the tank department. All the way from the far eastern manufacturing universe, 8 days from ordering

. To be fair it looks decent, not too much remedial work with only a couple of low spots, and a great improvement over the tank I bought from India a few years back.

And the winner is.......... :drunk:

lchris21 · Dec 10, 2017

The wheels needed a strip down. The plan is/was........

Remove the hub from the rear rim and put it into the wider replacement rim I've bought so I can get a bigger tyre up back. Then re-lace the front hub into the rear rim........you following me...

The rear hub had become attached to the spokes after a very long relationship, and they did not want to divorce without a fight :welder:

......eventually managed to get them all in the right places. Will get some stainless replacements on order but for the time being the old rusty ones will be used during the build.

lchris21 · Dec 17, 2017

Been mostly working towards getting the front wheel sorted this week. Plan is to try and get it the bike sitting on its wheels and tyres before the end of the year....... :whistle:

First job up was to shorten the front wheel spindle. I'd forgotten it was too long after the end of the last season. So a quick zip with a parting tool in the lathe and a bit of threading and all is good.

lchris21 · Dec 17, 2017

As I was truing the wheel up ready to start messing about with it, I realised I had forgotten to machine the hub to even up the bearing housings as one is longer than the other. Want to get it looking symmetrical and it should help with the brake disc adaptors I need to make. Time to strip the wheel down again and build it back up. This time with some spare spokes I found at the bottom of a pile of misc bike parts I've been hoarding for years.....the rusty spokes were making the place look untidy anyhow

I'm getting quite quick at re-spoking wheels these days !!

She should have a decent amount of stopping power up front compared to the old set up

lchris21 · Dec 17, 2017

Fits quite nice.......

lchris21 · Dec 17, 2017

Need to get the brake rotor and caliper brackets sorted. So out with the scissors and cardboard............I always watched Blue Peter as a kid

Don't think the cardboard adapter plate will be able to handle the forces of the Nissin 3 Pots, so I made a stronger one out of 1mm aluminium.....................should be fine