Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 09:02:31 pm
Thought I'd share my ongoing project for a little criticism, hopefully a little praise and generally a touch of banter.
Bought in October this year.
From the off, it needed:
new chain and sprockets,
Fork Seals,
Back Tyre,
Oil Change,
Headlight Mod,
Engine repaint,
New Mirrors,
Downpipe replacement/repaint,
Carb Balance,
And a general deep clean and polish!!
But for £500 with 48k miles, and a couple of months MOT, I think it was a deal and a half.
And so the project (and the fun!) begins....
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 16 October 2013, 09:19:29 pm
Will be an enjoyable project to watch, so keep us posted!
I'm especially interested to see how the carbon wrap comes out; there's a few of us on here who have started down the carbon dipping route, especially devilsyam who I think was the first to introduce many of us to it.
Sounds like you got a good deal for a project base there, assuming you have the time/skills/money to throw at it!
Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 09:56:00 pm
I'm pretty happy with the Carbon so far, and for relatively little investment. A lot of time and swearing though!
But like any good storyteller, I'll start at the beginning and leave the best bit til last!
If you're sitting comfortably, then I will begin...
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 16 October 2013, 10:16:57 pm
Post by: reillypadraig on 16 October 2013, 10:37:02 pm
She looks in good enough nick,
Enjoy!!
Keep us updated
Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 10:48:43 pm
But this was offset by the fact that the back wheel was wonky as I rode away and upon trying to straighten it in the first garage forecourt I discovered that the chain tensioners were seized solid.
So a careful and slow ride home was followed by a complete dismantling of the tensioners and generous smearing with aluminium grease (like copper grease, but silver, due to the aluminium. clever that). Also replaced the nuts with non-rounded shiny stainless ones and attacked the tensioner plate with Autosol.
removed plate, rusty threads!
Clean and shiny tensioner! (and straight wheel!)
So with that done, it was time for the chain and sprockets.
Dirty horrible gears with the worst tight/loose spot I've seen.
I ordered a D.I.D gold chain and JT Sprockets set from Busters for £79.99 but specced it for 2 teeth bigger on the front and 2 teeth smaller on the back. (I drive an old diesel car as well, so it'll still feel PLENTY fast enough, I tell myself!)
While waiting for the chain and sprockets I picked up this bad boy:
So while I had the back wheel off, I also had a Metzeler Z6 fitted (from M&P) at http://www.ultimatebikegear.co.uk/ (http://www.ultimatebikegear.co.uk/) in Papworth. for just £12.50 balanced.
Here was the first clanger. The previous owner told me the chain and sprockets were relatively new (i was VERY sceptical due to the aforementioned tight spot) but on replacing the whole set I KNEW he was lying.
No photo (sorry) but the front sprocket had shark fin shaped teeth. And it STILL had the original 9mm thick front retaining nut. So another couple of days wait and the new nut and retaining washer arrived from wemoto (just over a fiver) and I cracked on.
I took the opportunity to remove the swingarm and give it a proper clean, check and re-grease the bearings. Which also allowed me to rivet the new chain off the bike. Much easier on a bench!
All Done!
All shiny and fresh looking!
I gave the wheel a good clean and polish while it was off. Luckily, almost no scratches and absolutely no corrosion or blistering. Looks like a new wheel now!
As for the new gearing, due to the closeness of the gears, I haven't really noticed any large drop in acceleration. And when I get above 8,000 rpm it still feels like someone lit a rocket under my @rse!
The first bonus is that in top gear, the revs have dropped by about 1,000 rpm for any given speed. Im doing about 4k rpm at 60 mph. So the bike is much smoother, which I like (I'm getting old before my time).
But the real win is that I now get at least 200 miles before the light comes on. And I've bravely ridden as much as 50 miles after that. Current highest range is 265 miles. And this is with the 20 litre tank.
Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 10:55:54 pm
The fact that it's such a great bike to ride makes the skinned knuckles worth it! My engine seems pretty solid so far. And from what I've seen, at 48k its got plenty of life left.
You're good Nick! It's a 1979 Zephyr 750. Kind of the motivation for the aesthetic efforts on my Fazer as it's in truly amazing condition. Belongs to my dad and he ensures that we ALWAYS have a tube of autosol handy. There isn't a single piece of aluminium on it that isn't mirror finish.
He can't touch me on the twisties though!
Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 11:21:47 pm
A technical error with my phone (I 'dropped' it), means not many pics of this, but it's not too exciting so thats ok! :rollin
The forks were painted black, but it looked like what paint hadn't already corroded off, was put on with a broom.
You can also see the led DRL I've mounted under the fairing. Very unobtrusive, but traffic definitely sees me better when I'm filtering than they ever did on dip beam. Queues part like the sea! Could be the slight bluish tinge though?...
So I took them off, stripped them down using a guide on here, thanks John Silva
http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,42.msg120.html#msg120 (http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,42.msg120.html#msg120)
and replaced the oil (15w for a firmer damping, I'm almost 15st) and the seals.
While I had the sliders off, I stripped the paint off and polished them up with a buffing wheel and some Autosol.
They now look the business, passed MOT and don't bounce like pogo sticks!
Post by: Ruby Racing on 16 October 2013, 11:26:52 pm
I ordered a D.I.D gold chain and JT Sprockets set from Busters for £79.99 but specced it for 2 teeth bigger on the front and 2 teeth smaller on the back. (I drive an old diesel car as well, so it'll still feel PLENTY fast enough, I tell myself!)
Blimey! That seems a very radical gearing change. I thought you were going to say it's too much, so was surprised when you said it wasn't.
Can you tell me the product name for that aluminium grease please?
Post by: Dead Eye on 16 October 2013, 11:32:41 pm
Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 11:48:03 pm
I'm afraid I don't know the brand of the grease Ruby Racing. It was just silver slippery stuff in a plain white tin! My Father was a vehicle mechanic in the army for 25 years or so (VERY handy!!) so as well as his experience he has a whole wealth of wonderful tools and engineering consumables. Sorry. Copper slip grease will do the trick, just not the right colour!
Post by: apage16 on 16 October 2013, 11:49:56 pm
Balanced the carbs. Now have a smooth tickover and quicker pickup/ throttle response.
The mirrors were all rusty and the glass looked like it came from the hall of mirrors so I bought some replacements on ebay. Sadly it was a case of "buy cheap, buy twice" and the replacements, although better looking, were just as crap. Vibrating more than a teenagers phone and just as bendy as the originals. So I'm waiting for a set of Thou mirrors to replace them with. (I complained to the ebay seller and got a 50% refund without need to return the mirrors. So a partial win!)
Completed the headlight Mod (thanks to John Sliva and Moffmeister http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,181.msg92567.html#msg92567 (http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,181.msg92567.html#msg92567) )
I also replaced the candles in my headlights with Osram Nightbreaker plus bulbs, which are incredible for halogens. Furthermore, I removed the reflector in front of the left H1 bulb (snip the tabs so it drops into the headlight, use a magnetic rod thingy to fish it out through the large H4 hole) So now I can see. sort of.
The bike passed MOT with both of these modifications. Though I did trim the H4 bulbs tabs so I could rotate it slightly clockwise (from behind) to make the beam cut-off cleaner.
Changed the oil.
Changed the grips (which appear to have been covered in UHU glue) for some funky red ones. Top tip, Hairspray. spray it in to the grip, it's slippery enough to slide it on, leave it overnight and it'll be stuck harder than solid effluent to a woven warming device.
With all this done, there was nothing left to put off the engine respray any longer...
Post by: Ruby Racing on 16 October 2013, 11:58:00 pm
I'm afraid I don't know the brand of the grease Ruby Racing. It was just silver slippery stuff in a plain white tin! My Father was a vehicle mechanic in the army for 25 years or so (VERY handy!!) so as well as his experience he has a whole wealth of wonderful tools and engineering consumables. Sorry. Copper slip grease will do the trick, just not the right colour!
No problem. Did your dad "liberate" the grease? ;)
Post by: apage16 on 17 October 2013, 12:09:06 am
I'm afraid I don't know the brand of the grease Ruby Racing. It was just silver slippery stuff in a plain white tin! My Father was a vehicle mechanic in the army for 25 years or so (VERY handy!!) so as well as his experience he has a whole wealth of wonderful tools and engineering consumables. Sorry. Copper slip grease will do the trick, just not the right colour!
No problem. Did your dad "liberate" the grease? ;)
Ha ha! I doubt it. He got out almost 20 years ago. I think it's more a case of missing/worn label. I'll quiz him when he's about for a brand.
Post by: apage16 on 17 October 2013, 12:45:20 am
As you can see, the bike had a pretty bad case, lots of white powdery sea with islands of loosely clinging black paint.
I also noticed that the carb rubbers were pretty badly cracked. But given my good fuel economy and performance coupled with the solid advice I've found from the FOC community I'm not worried just yet. Might get some self emalgamating tape or black silicon to cover over the cracks. Just to make them look nicer if nothing else.
I attacked the flaky paint and corroded aluminium with a combination of small wire brush attachments on a dremel tool and cordless drill. Plus the short edge of a steel rule for scraping duties without gouging the alu.
As you might expect, this was long, arduous and boring work. So i got distracted by the dull and scratched engine covers. I rubbed off some of the paint and in doing so pulled a thread that just kept unravelling. Before I knew it, I'd polished up all the engine covers. Nothing like a polishing wheel on a high speed drill to aid procrastination from the monotony of wire brushing. It just looked nicer so much quicker! :D
Anyway, all stripped back with shiny covers. (kind of disguises the scratches from when the bike has clearly been laid down at some point before my tenure. Other symptoms are steadily becoming apparent)
As the wire brushes smouldered and the drill cooled, I raided the magazine rack and set about masking off the bike as I intended to use aerosol paint to ensure a good finish. No brush marks for me thank you very much.
Looks like a badly wrapped, but still quite fantastic gift. I'd be happy with it on Christmas morning!
Other side
I completely removed the generator/alternator/stator cover and stuffed paper into the cavity. easier than carefully taping.
B&Q's Matt black Barbecue paint stepped in for the covering duties on account of it's high temp resistance and no need for a primer.
I wiped the whole engine down with Isopropyl Alcohol to ensure good paint adhesion and got on with it. Lots of very thinly misted coats with 5-10 mins in between and I'm really very happy with the result.
I think the shiny silver covers really set off the black and vice versa. It's all about contrast darrrrling!
Now I may set a cat among the pigeons here, but I like the semi fake cooling fins on the Fazer and I like them to be silver. BUT, I firmly believe that one of the reasons that the paint seems to just fall off the engine is that the silver fin effect is created by rubbing the paint back to the metal, thus creating an incursion point for moisture, air and all the corrosion related woe that their marriage creates. SO, I painted the edges silver using chrome effect enamel paint. i dipped a firm, flat, cube shaped sponge in the paint and wiped it across the fins in order to only get the vertical face.
Really happy with the results so far.
Here it is once again, looking much cleaner, with the Rear end of the enigmatic Zephyr and in front of one the most ridiculous bikes ever made! A Triumph Rocket III.
Post by: Ruby Racing on 17 October 2013, 12:59:39 am
Post by: Lez72 on 17 October 2013, 01:01:21 am
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 17 October 2013, 07:07:01 am
Can't wait to see the finished bike - I think it's going to be a stunner!
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 17 October 2013, 07:13:21 am
Belongs to my dad and he ensures that we ALWAYS have a tube of autosol handy. There isn't a single piece of aluminium on it that isn't mirror finish.
He can't touch me on the twisties though!
Don't forget to tread on the open tube of autosol while it lays on the garage floor! :lol
Post by: fazersharp on 17 October 2013, 09:14:23 am
Can we have some better pics of your polished forks please -once you sort your phone out
Post by: reillypadraig on 17 October 2013, 11:12:47 am
Post by: apage16 on 22 October 2013, 01:32:53 am
Belongs to my dad and he ensures that we ALWAYS have a tube of autosol handy. There isn't a single piece of aluminium on it that isn't mirror finish.
He can't touch me on the twisties though!
Don't forget to tread on the open tube of autosol while it lays on the garage floor! :lol
I've already done it time and again! tbh a large chunk of the polished parts are from having 'excess' polish!
Post by: apage16 on 22 October 2013, 01:33:56 am
like your thinking on the silver fins and your work around ---I dont like to see them just black.
Can we have some better pics of your polished forks please -once you sort your phone out
No problem. Just need to make sure they're still nice and shiny!
Post by: apage16 on 22 October 2013, 02:30:00 am
With the mechanicals in order and the engine looking peachy, it was time to start on the cosmetics. And what bigger cosmetic on a gent's motorbike than the paintwork? So mine is looking pretty tired. This bike has clearly spent too much time in the sun without the appropriate SPF!
I've always liked the look of Carbon Fibre components, ever since the Spinergy 4 spoke wheels of my mountain biking days. So without the cash flow to bankroll Carbon Fibre composite body panels, vinyl wrapwas the clear runner up.
Several youtube videos and a healthy confidence in my own hands later, and I set about wrapping my bike in sticky plastic.
You can see just how bad my paint is. The bike is more orangey pink than the 'vivid red cocktail #1' that it should be. And the carbon vinyl sheet looks WAY too flat to fit the panel!
But after an hour of pulling, smoothing and warming with a hairdryer (I have a heat gun, but the hairdryer slows the heating down enough that I didn't destructively melt anything! "if it doesn't burn your fingers, it won't hurt the vinyl" youtube) I managed to make the flat sheet of vinyl hug the panel.
I particularly liked the way the vinyl is thin enough that it subtly shows the Yamaha decal.
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Only shame is that the 'Vivid Red Cocktail #1' now looks worse than ever.
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So I guess I'll be doing the rest of the bike now...
Post by: apage16 on 22 October 2013, 02:41:38 am
Post by: Dead Eye on 22 October 2013, 08:57:05 am
Hopefully this will work;
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Post by: His Dudeness on 22 October 2013, 10:26:02 am
Post by: darrsi on 22 October 2013, 10:36:15 am
Would that not make it really sluggish from the off?
Post by: risticuss on 22 October 2013, 11:18:32 am
I did the same to the clock surround and tank infill panels of my CBR600. It was great for external curves...not so brilliant on internal ones. I've been thinking of doing the airbox covers on the fazer for some time but always talk myself out of it. The CBR looked great to start with, but a year later and it was looking a little bubbly and stretched, but that was mainly down to the shapes of the panels.
Post by: Ruby Racing on 22 October 2013, 11:32:53 am
Post by: apage16 on 22 October 2013, 01:57:18 pm
"...I ordered a D.I.D gold chain and JT Sprockets set from Busters for £79.99 but specced it for 2 teeth bigger on the front and 2 teeth smaller on the back..."
Would that not make it really sluggish from the off?
Not at all. The gearing is so high in first that I really haven't noticed the bike being slow. Obviously it's an exponential effect as you move up the gears. So if I wanna go faster I just change later! As you well know, there's plenty of power and torque there anyway. On a Divvy, for example, this change in gearing would probably kill it.
So far a Kwak Versys 650 and a Zephyr 750 have been unable to keep up off the line.
I really think it makes the bike more usable though. I'm not constantly changing gear anymore.
Bottom line, it's fast enough for me.
Post by: darrsi on 22 October 2013, 03:30:43 pm
"...I ordered a D.I.D gold chain and JT Sprockets set from Busters for £79.99 but specced it for 2 teeth bigger on the front and 2 teeth smaller on the back..."
Would that not make it really sluggish from the off?
Not at all. The gearing is so high in first that I really haven't noticed the bike being slow. Obviously it's an exponential effect as you move up the gears. So if I wanna go faster I just change later! As you well know, there's plenty of power and torque there anyway. On a Divvy, for example, this change in gearing would probably kill it.
So far a Kwak Versys 650 and a Zephyr 750 have been unable to keep up off the line.
I really think it makes the bike more usable though. I'm not constantly changing gear anymore.
Bottom line, it's fast enough for me.
Cool :smokin
Post by: apage16 on 25 October 2013, 11:04:33 am
I planned to keep the original black and silver paintwork, and just cover the horrible Red which is really showing the bikes age. So I gave the black a few goings over with T-cut to smooth it out. I did this before the wrap purely so I wouldn't get T-cut on the vinyl afterwards. I have no idea how the vinyl will react to the abrasive nature of Turtlewax's wonder liquid. Better safe than sorry.
After that I gave the whole panel a good clean with warm soapy water and then a wipe over with Isopropyl alcohol to get the best adhesion possible from the vinyl. I envisaged this job being a real pain in the @rse, so I don't want to have to do it again for a while!
Heres the panel before. Looking haggard and tired.
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And then began the wrestling match. Think of when you try to stick a pice of sellotape onto something in a straight line, then when you get close the static SUCKS the tape onto that something, in the wrong place! Or worse it sticks to itself! Well it's like that, except the sheet for the rear fairing was about half a meter square! Luckily this stuff is pretty resilient. you can unstick it, apply and reapply it many, many times. And if it stretches or creases, a little heat with the hairdryer and it returns to its original flat and smooth state. Very clever.
After much swearing, stretching, heating, unsticking, more swearing and re-sticking I reached this state. Already feeling pretty smug about how well I'd done.
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Now to trim it back. 2 things are vital for this stage.
Number 1 is an incredibly sharp knife. The vinyl is really resilient, but it WILL tear. and when it starts, it unravels like a Tory/Lib-dem alliance. So your knife need to cut like, well, like a sharp knife through warm vinyl.
Number 2 is 'Knifeless Finishing Tape'. The brand I have is called Wrapcut. It's a really thin sticky tape that has a filament in it. You can see it in the pic above under the vinyl, along where the black originally met the red. You apply the tape first, then apply the vinyl and after that, by pulling the filament away from the panel, it trims the vinyl to EXACTLY where the tape was. Then you strip out the excess tape and smooth down.
And this is what you get...
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Cool huh?!
And on the bike...
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Tune in next time for the Front Mudguard. Bit apprehensive about that one. It's just one BIG curve!
Post by: apage16 on 25 October 2013, 11:19:30 am
I love the carbon wrap. Would be great to see the whole bike done.
I did the same to the clock surround and tank infill panels of my CBR600. It was great for external curves...not so brilliant on internal ones. I've been thinking of doing the airbox covers on the fazer for some time but always talk myself out of it. The CBR looked great to start with, but a year later and it was looking a little bubbly and stretched, but that was mainly down to the shapes of the panels.
I thought about starting on the airbox covers too. At first glance, a simple shape. But after doing a bit more I think the'd be a real pain because of those horizontal cuts. Never going to get the vinyl into those corners!
Going well so far though...
Post by: apage16 on 25 October 2013, 11:21:27 am
Good luck with the vinyl wrap. I tried to do the fairing on my track bike. After two attempts with help from a mate I gave it up as a bad idea. Hope you have more luck than me as there is definitely a knack to applying it.
Thanks. I couldn't agree more. It's been a real learning curve. I watched a LOT of youtube videos before making any investment though. I DON'T like messing stuff up when it costs me money!!
Post by: dcurzon on 25 October 2013, 02:57:25 pm
I ordered a D.I.D gold chain and JT Sprockets set from Busters for £79.99 but specced it for 2 teeth bigger on the front and 2 teeth smaller on the back.
You wouldnt happen to have a web link for that? Trying to get a decent deal on a chain/sprox.
Also, great job on the vinyl!
Post by: apage16 on 25 October 2013, 07:30:34 pm
I ordered a D.I.D gold chain and JT Sprockets set from Busters for £79.99 but specced it for 2 teeth bigger on the front and 2 teeth smaller on the back.
You wouldnt happen to have a web link for that? Trying to get a decent deal on a chain/sprox.
Also, great job on the vinyl!
Thanks! It's really coming along.
I got the chain set from Busters' eBay store:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAMAHA-FZS600-FAZER-98-03-X-RING-CHAIN-AND-SPROCKET-KIT-/270778927129?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item3f0bae8819 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAMAHA-FZS600-FAZER-98-03-X-RING-CHAIN-AND-SPROCKET-KIT-/270778927129?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item3f0bae8819)
To get the non standard gears I had to buy it on eBay, then phone their customer services number to spec different sprockets (at no extra cost). Don't try and do it on a friday afternoon though, the packing staff go home early. So do it on a Monday morning!
Post by: apage16 on 26 October 2013, 12:33:33 pm
Front Mudguard.
After buying a (very unconvincing) Carbon effect hugger, it was the idea of Carbon wrapping the front mudguard to match that started the whole vinyl experiment. But a mix of fear and low confidence in the skills needed caused me to try the rear panels first. However, I'm really happy them, so I sucked it up and got on with it.
As with all of the pictures so far, this one doesn't really show just how bad the paint is. In reality it is going pink as the primer is showing through in great patches. The previous owner must have been riding this bike to work in a sandstorm! :rollin
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And then the oh-so-flat sheet of carbon vinyl. At this point i was thinking that there is NO way I was going to get this flat sheet to go around that curve.
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I quickly figured out a handy trick to cover around large curves. Heat a large area of the vinyl so that it becomes extremely pliable. You can then pull and stretch it over a large space like a piece of hot cling film! You'll probably have to then go back and smooth out some small creases at the edges but it's satisfying when it works.
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The finished article with mounting holes, Fenda Extenda and 'Rubber bung of unknown use' re-attached.
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like your thinking on the silver fins and your work around ---I dont like to see them just black.Can we have some better pics of your polished forks please -once you sort your phone out
And finally back on the bike. Looking good against the shiny forks (here you go Fazersharp ;) )
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Due to the amount that the vinyl was stretched to get it round the corners and around the thin edge, I made the assumption that it's probably pretty gossamer thin and under a fair bit of tension. One small stone or item of cager debris and it might well unzip faster than a leopard print catsuit on TOWIE. So i applied a chrome finish screen trim around the leading edge to protect it. Not really sure how I feel about it yet. Black might have been better???
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Post by: 69oldskool on 26 October 2013, 07:23:14 pm
You deserve a medal tackling those compound curve rear sidepanels.
Post by: Geordi Sussex on 27 October 2013, 12:55:54 am
Question
I have tried wrapping before (failed miserably)
Dose is not stretch the print and make it look distorted as you heat and pull it about
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 27 October 2013, 09:48:52 am
Post by: apage16 on 27 October 2013, 09:57:56 am
Great work
Question
I have tried wrapping before (failed miserably)
Dose is not stretch the print and make it look distorted as you heat and pull it about
It does a bit. But to be fair, the weave does stretch and compress in the contours of real carbon fibre parts. So it doesn't look at all bad.
Post by: apage16 on 27 October 2013, 10:04:23 am
Durability is a very real worry. I don't think it'll be all that resistant to stone chips to be honest. I've read about people getting good results from a couple of coats of clear lacquer over the vinyl. But it's too cold in my garage to try that at the mo!
At least I have plenty of offcuts. So worst case, any chips can be patched. Up until the point it starts to look awful!!
And at the end of the day, the vinyl for all the panels done so far has cost less than £20. So with patches and extra graphics, it could become an organic and ever changing beast! !
Post by: apage16 on 27 October 2013, 04:33:55 pm
Before:
[Limit reached]
(As an aside, I had 265 miles on the clock since the last fill up when I removed the tank. I still managed to get 2 thirds of a gallon out and there was enough in there to audibly slosh about while I was messing with the tank!)
Start with the largest flattest surface, even if just for self motivation!
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I had to really heat the webbing over the filler cap to stretch it in far enough to stick to the sides.
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After trimming with the magical Wrapcut tape and returning the tank to the bike, I edged the carbon with red pinstripe as a nod to the original colour.
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But I don't like it, so gloss black vinyl striping is on the way!
I gave the filler cap a good polish while it was off too!
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Post by: bozboz on 28 October 2013, 12:48:38 am
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 12:57:51 am
Because of it's complicated (in a nouveau-retro 90's way) shape, I decided to buck the trend and paint the front fairing. With only a large 'V' of carbon fibre vinyl, following the shape of the screen and carrying it to the headlights.
So I went through the arduous and hateful task of prepping for paint. Cut back with 600 grit wet and dry, mask and degrease.
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Then I foolishly tried to take a shortcut and bought Rustoleum's 'Universal' Paint which promises to not need any primer, stick like a needy Koala to a velcro tree and work on almost any surface. The unique 360 degree application system and ergonomic grip tickled my fancy too.
Initially it looked good. Rich, glossy black. (despite the unique application system being uniquely like blowing paint through a Capri Sun straw. more of a spatter than a spray).
[Limit reached]
But it just didn't set. After a week it was still easy to scratch. even touching it left finger prints.
So after a brief spell with my friend and yours, Google, I half learned 2 lessons (because I don't know which is right, maybe both?! We'll never know).
1. Don't use this paint.
2. Don't try and paint when it's only 12 degrees in your garage. It may have just been too cold, even though I did move the panel indoors after painting.
SO, I made the laboured decision to cover the whole panel with carbon. I was initially afraid of overkill, but now I had no choice. If the painting failure was due to temperature, then history would repeat itself unless I waited til spring. But I'm impatient. In Spring I wanted to ride out of the garage, with the bike like a resplendent butterfly. Fluttering it's glorious velvet wings after a miraculous transformation in the cocoon. Over the top analogy, but I'm sure you inderstand.
The front fairing has too many corners and contours for someone of my newly developed skill level to attempt with one sheet of vinyl. So I laid out the seams with my new fave tool, wrapcut tape. Two rows where two sheets would meet, to create a neat butt joint. (Thanks Youtube!!)
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Then I took a deep breath, poured the coffee, peeled the backing and got stuck in.
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After more heating and stretching than I ever thought possible, and almost having to bin the whole sheet because of a misalignment in the early stages, I got to this:
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I used the Wrapcut tape to trim back all the vinyl, peeled out the excess and got on with the headlight holes. Much like the fuel filler, a LOT of stretching here.
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The seams went very well, considering this was a first time. But when I heated them to smooth down the edges after removing the excess and the wrapcut backing, they receded slightly. Not the end of the world, but not as tidy as I would like, and wide open to moisture and dirt ingress.
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I couldn't have that. SO with leftover black vinyl tape (which replaced the red pinstripe on the tank) I covered the joins.
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And with that, the carbon wrap was finished.
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 01:02:28 am
The front was a real challenge! But it went pretty well.
I seem to have reached the picture limit for today, but photo's of the finished job to follow.
And then on to the next job. There's always something. :rolleyes
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 01:06:50 am
Impressive work!
You deserve a medal tackling those compound curve rear sidepanels.
Thank you kindly!
Then I should get a happy ending for the front fairing! :rollin
Post by: Ruby Racing on 28 October 2013, 01:15:39 am
I have done two of my race bikes this way, so each one cost me £20 to paint all the bodywork!
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 01:23:19 am
Try this method of painting with Rustoleum it's as cheap as chips, no over spray and no mess: [url]http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html[/url] ([url]http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html[/url])
I have done two of my race bikes this way, so each one cost me £20 to paint all the bodywork!
Great tip! I have a 'spare' fairing that will need painting when I've finished modding it. I think I might give this a go! That way, I can do it in the warm of the kitchen!
Thanks!
Post by: Ruby Racing on 28 October 2013, 01:25:35 am
If you do try it, the trick is to load the roller with VERY LITTLE paint as it is quite runny. You just keep rolling it back and forward to spread it out and it sort of self levels.
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 01:34:25 am
You have any pics of your £20 paint job?
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 01:36:45 am
[Limit reached]
Those of you with keen eyes will notice something different about the headlights. I performed the headlight mod ages ago, but wasn't happy. So while I had the fairing off, I went a few steps further. More details about that later (In case you were wondering, they are Halogen bulbs)
Also, while the fairing was off, I thought to myself "Hey, that looks pretty cool. I wonder?.... Streetfighter for summer?"
[Limit reached]
And so began a side project that I'll share with you even later still...
Post by: Lez72 on 28 October 2013, 10:32:29 am
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 11:09:52 am
I personally liked it better before the carbonizing took effect but its your bike and your rules. You are certainly not lacking in enthusiasm though and its refreshing to see you doing so much work on it yourself as any fool can throw money at a bike and have someone else make it look all spangly. I still don't think you can beat a nice deep paint finish though :\
To be entirely honest, I was hoping originally to re-paint the Toxic Red Cocktail bits as I liked the red. But it turns out it needed 4 different stages to get it right. Primer, base coat, top coat and the lacquer. Too much for my funds, equipment and ability. Next idea was to paint the red bits Gunmetal grey, but again in my dusty garage in the winter the results would be patchy at best! (excuse the pun).
The beauty of the carbon is that it's not permanent. So when the weather turns again, or a paint shop opportunity arises, I can peel it off and go for a nice deep paint finish! ;)
Post by: fazersharp on 28 October 2013, 11:19:24 am
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 11:25:40 am
I like the mudguard with the silver edge
You do?
I was worried it gave the bike a little bit of a cruiser look. And I'm not really into cruisers! I like corners. :car
Post by: fazersharp on 28 October 2013, 12:49:53 pm
Can we have some extra closer pics of the mudguard please, what is it and have you done the back, is it screen edge and if so how is it fixed---- I might even do it myself (not the carbon ) as mines already black
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 01:02:22 pm
It's just Oxford silver screen trim (Nick Sharp will be pleased!) It's holding itself on. I've got a bunch of Black coming from FleaBay for the fairing, so I'll probably see which I prefer on the mudguard when it gets here.
Post by: fazersharp on 28 October 2013, 01:45:23 pm
Post by: Ruby Racing on 28 October 2013, 02:35:25 pm
You have any pics of your £20 paint job?
There ya go.
(http://www.rubyracing.com/_ROB9803.jpg)
CLICK HERE (http://www.rubyracing.com/_ROB9803.jpg)
Post by: apage16 on 28 October 2013, 02:39:21 pm
Did you dilute and roller on the primer too?
Post by: Ruby Racing on 28 October 2013, 02:49:20 pm
I just rubbed down the panels to key them and applied about 4/5 coats of paint. No primer. It's a race bike, so didn't need to be perfect as it would go down the road at some point! That said I was very happy with the result. Only downside is the colour choices are very limited.
Post by: apage16 on 30 October 2013, 12:25:04 am
I'm not realising anything new here. They're crap and we all know it.
When I bought my bike, it got dark on the way home. As the sun disappeared over the horizon I went from having the most fun since I discovered girls, to abject terror at not being able to see ANYTHING! I calmly assumed something was wrong. Easy fix, I thought. But then I discovered FOC-U and the crushing reality that the headlights were designed that way. Maybe Japan is 100% energy efficient LED streetlit?
Anyway. I very quickly did the Headlight mod thanks to the forum and the improvement was vast. But considerably better than awful was still bad.
First thought was to modify the nearside reflector to take an H4 bulb so that I could have twin dip, twin main beams. But that plan relied very heavily on the reflector working with a different bulb setup. Not to mention the fact that the silver in the reflector, as is common, is flaking off. NOT very reflective! And I'm dead against anything that might cast light in a wayward fashion because I hate it when I'm dazzled by badly adjusted/wrongly fitted lights.
So I jumped on the Bay of E and ordered a set of these from China.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171093207271?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171093207271?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649)
For £30 I was happy to take a punt.
So the lights arrived and the 'fun' began.
First off was the very unnatural feeling act of putting my headlight in the oven.
[Limit reached]
20 minutes at 80 degrees did the trick I think. Then a couple of flathead screwdrivers worked around the edge and the front was off.
[Limit reached]
Finally I got to have a closer look at the infamously troublesome left hand reflector. As expected, the reflective material was in a rubbish state. And you can see where the silver shroud has worn away the top and bottom of the bulb slot.
[Limit reached]
On the right hand H4 reflector, fitting was pretty straightforward. At first. The lamp fitted through the hole and an adapter plate fills the space where the H4 base would be. BUT the reflector interfered with the solenoid mechanism of the lamp. So out came the Dremel, a little earlier than expected.
[Limit reached]
Which gave the space to fit the projector in without interference.
[Limit reached]
Sadly the modification wasn't over. My assumption that "will work with any H1 bulb" meant I could use ANY H1 bulb (I din't want to go to HID just yet). Sadly I was wrong. The hole in the back of the unit was made for HID H1 bulbs. But a little filing to extend the slot northwards...
[Limit reached]
And the standard H1 Halogen bulb fitted like it grew there!
[Limit reached]
The other side, the H1 bulb reflector, neede a LOT more work. I had to Dremel out the whole H1 mounting surface to make a hole big enough to fit the projector into. (no pic unfortunately. Seems I neglected to photograph this stage. Must have been getting pissed off with the continuing cutting!). The hole ended up being much bigger than expected as the left hand reflector is much more shallow than the H4 one. So the projector actually touched the front of the headlight unit lens. Until I chopped away even MORE of the reflector. The kit also came with Chromed plastic shrouds which quite simply didn't fit into the cramped space. SO after a bit of chopping and shoe-horning (unsuccessfully) the shrouds found the bin.
Due to the size of the hole, I had to brace the fixing nut with a couple a of big rubber washers.
[Limit reached]
After all the cutting, I had to blow approximately a metric ton of dust out of the light before refitting the front lens, with the help of a heat gun.
[Limit reached]
With the light unit back together, now I had to get power into the bulbs.
On the left I used the existing H1 bulb connector so that I could keep the existing wiring. But the lugs had to go as there was no longer any room for them.
[Limit reached]
I also had to cut off the ends of the connectors so that the wiring was out of the way of the forks.
[Limit reached]
On the right hand side I piggy backed a positive feed from the left hand loom. Then I ran the main beam live into the projector solenoids (both linked). The negatives from both the solenoids and the right hand bulb ran back into the right hand lighting loom. (all the negatives lead to the same place anyway!) Sadly the right hand wiring interfered with the forks and looked pretty scruffy too. So I chopped off the original plug and replaced it with an AMP 3-way waterproof connector.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350823770535?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350823770535?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649)
So thats the headlights improved. And what an improvement! I can see where I'm going. I think a large part of that is due to the Osram Nightbreaker Plus bulbs. They're quite fantastic. The only shortcoming is that my pass button (to flash the main beam) operates the solenoids only. So if the bulbs aren't already illuminated, I just get a click and no light. Not sure if this is an MOT issue. If so, I'll be getting the relays out...
The headlights re-fitted, with an extra bit of childish decoration. Though I've since removed the autobots decal. This bike is DEFINITELY a Deceptacon ;)
[Limit reached]
[Limit reached]
Post by: Ruby Racing on 30 October 2013, 01:08:03 am
If you want any OE connectors then I can highly recommend this guy: [size=78%]http://kojaycat.co.uk (http://kojaycat.co.uk)[/size][size=78%] [/size]
Post by: apage16 on 30 October 2013, 01:19:29 am
These ones are a bit big I think. They're a lot deeper than they are wide. I got them because I thought that a standard H1 halogen would fit. But it didn't. (Without persuasion!) So there are smaller 'bi-xenon' projectors avaliable. As long as you go down the HID route. Though I'm sure, like mine, that they could be modded to take whatever bulbs you want! :lol
Post by: darrsi on 30 October 2013, 06:13:18 am
Post by: apage16 on 30 October 2013, 09:04:07 am
Won't halogen lights be too hot for the lens?
I thought that might be the case. But they're Metal reflectors and glass lenses. If it gets hot hot enough in there to melt them, I won't be needing heated grips this winter! :b
Post by: Fuzzy on 30 October 2013, 06:34:00 pm
Post by: apage16 on 30 October 2013, 07:37:20 pm
So, let's see em in action then! ;)
I tried to take some pics tonight, but the phone camera really doesn't show it. It's almost as if the phone has an 'Original FZS600 headlight' filter on it!
I'll take the proper camera out soon and get some accurate shots.
Post by: apage16 on 30 October 2013, 08:56:11 pm
Good work on the headlights apage16. Great project in general too
Thank you kindly Fuzzy. I'd originally planned for all of it to take a lot longer. But I'm just too impatient!
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 12:10:54 am
Me and the lady friend had a running joke about a fictional 'other woman' called Polly.
Then I got a new bike and started spending an inordinate amount of time fiddling with her and riding her... ahem...
So now the bike IS the fictional other woman. The bike is called Polly.
For example:
Her: "What are you doing tonight Dear?"
Me: "I'm going to fiddle with Polly's headlights and then ride her like Seabiscuit until the sun goes down. Dear"
...
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 06 November 2013, 12:24:50 am
Sorry Paul :D
Post by: Chris on 06 November 2013, 12:48:01 am
Chris
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 12:58:12 am
At least I thought I did. I thought that they seemed a lot higher than the stock bars, but after seeing a couple of other bikes with them, cracked on with fitting.
[Limit reached]
But I later found out that the eBay seller had misread the stamp. These were 'Road High' 756 bars! So i was potentially marching into unknown territory. For me at least!
[Limit reached]
But anyway, first off I had to remove the old bars. A thin screwdriver around the inside of the old grip to loosen it, 3 different allen keys, an 8mm socket and a philips screwdriver later (why so many different fittings Mr Yamaha!?), and the bars were off.
[Limit reached]
As many of you probably already know, the switchgear on both sides has a little tab that fits into the drilled holes on the OEM bars.
[Limit reached]
Now you can drill your Renthal bars if you like. Some even come pre-drilled. But I found a Bandit forum thread in which somebody phoned up Renthal and was told that if you drill your own bars, the warranty is voided due to the potential weakening and subsequent potential stress fatigue.
http://www.banditforum.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5428.35;wap2 (http://www.banditforum.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5428.35;wap2)
SO I decided to get rid of the tabs. You can file them, sand them, even use a tiny saw to get them off if you like. I used some little wire cutters and snipped all but a mm or two off. I left the little bit so it would bite into the large bit of heatshrink that I put around the bar. I used heatshrink because I know that Electrical tape can sometimes go a bit gooey (I work a lot with electrics and outdoor lighting, so I've seen tape thats left outside in the wet go weird and slimy many times!) and I didn't fancy this happening under my switchgear!
[Limit reached]
The 756 bars are 20mm taller than the 755's I was expecting, so fitting wasn't all plain sailing.
The brake line from the front master cylinder was originally routed behind my fork stanchion. I'm not entirely sure if this is normal, or a cock-up on my part when I changed the fork seals! But in any case, I had to jack up the front of the bike, loosen the triple clamps and slide the forks and front wheel out of the top clamp just enough to move the brake line in front of the stanchion. (I had to detach the brake calipers because the brake lines are just long enough so had no more give, but the speedo cable was slack enough to allow an inch or so of downwards movement.)
At the same time, I had to move the cabling to the right hand switches. It originally passed through the forks and around the front of the yoke. now it goes straight to the switches. Of course I secured it to the brake line with a cable tie to prevent any chafing or trapping of the cabling.
[Limit reached]
Also, due to the extra height, the bars had to be raked back quite far to avoid the throttle unit fouling the fairing on full left lock. Luckily, this position seems to be far more comfortable than the stock bars!
[Limit reached]
Also, the extra height eats into the grip real estate meaning that there is quite literally only just enough space for the grips, switches and levers. I'm even tempted to trim the grips down by about 10mm to get the levers a bit more onto the straight end section of the bar.
Also, when positioning the throttle grip and the front brake lever, I had to make sure that the throttle cabling was rotated such that the lever could go through it's full motion. If you're not careful here, the throttle housing can actually foul the lever. Glad I realised this in the garage rather than while storming towards a red light!
Next up was the issue of bar end weights. The Yamaha OEM ones won't work straight off as there is no nut welded into the bars. After watching this great video:
Delboy's Garage, Renthal Bars, Bar End Weights Ghetto fix. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mJG9PoymCM#ws)
I took a visit to Screwfix and picked up a 5 pack of Rawl Bolts for just under £4.
I also took a further step and sleeved the bolts in a small length of silicon tubing to give them a bit more grip, and prevent them marking the bars on the inside.
[Limit reached]
And they work fantastically! I could have spent more money on specific bar ends, the Renthal ones would have cost more than the Bars cost me! Instead I just used what I already had! I did need to use longer bolts though.
After a test ride down to London and back, I'm pleased to report that the bike feels MUCH better. Far more comfortable. Almost like it was made for me!
[Limit reached]
Post by: Chris on 06 November 2013, 01:22:04 am
Haha, delboy's garage has saved me loads of time and frustration. I actually found some of those at one of my local builders yesterday and bored my girlfriend with what they can be used for when I get my new bars. haha!
Chris
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 01:26:36 am
Pretty happy with how it turned out!
[Limit reached]
[Limit reached]
You can't really read a great deal on the LCD display, but to be honest, you couldn't before either!
If you try this yourself (and it is VERY easy, see here: http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,1719.0.html (http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,1719.0.html) )
Top Tip!!
I'm probably not alone in thinking that the main beam light on the dash is a bit bright and dazzly at night (which, let's face it, is when you'll use main beam the most!). I tried putting an LED in the place of the main beam tell-tale, but it looked foccin awful. Made an off centre spot in the lens. Not the look I was after.
So my top tip is this. Theres a good chance that the glass of the bulbs you removed when you put in the LED's is darkened from use. Just stick one of these in where the main beam tell-tale is and the light will be much dimmer!
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 01:30:01 am
Another nice job and good write up 8)
Haha, delboy's garage has saved me loads of time and frustration. I actually found some of those at one of my local builders yesterday and bored my girlfriend with what they can be used for when I get my new bars. haha!
Chris
Thanks Chris!
Yeah, they're pretty useful. Apparently they can be used to anchor things into masonry too. But that seems pretty far fetched to me...
Post by: Chris on 06 November 2013, 01:36:34 am
Another nice job and good write up 8)
Haha, delboy's garage has saved me loads of time and frustration. I actually found some of those at one of my local builders yesterday and bored my girlfriend with what they can be used for when I get my new bars. haha!
Chris
Thanks Chris!
Yeah, they're pretty useful. Apparently they can be used to anchor things into masonry too. But that seems pretty far fetched to me...
No worries man, good work deserves a comment.
haha, some people eh... Masonry indeed.... foccin stupid idea...
Chris
Post by: noggythenog on 06 November 2013, 12:22:13 pm
I was forced into fettling my bike after a crash but given the choice im a bit lazy to put in the hours needed & my work is totally amateur but id love to some day buy a fully modded to death project bike from a serious fettler that always changes their bike.
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 01:03:01 pm
TBH, the plan with mine is just to make it work and look as good as possible, and then ride it as much as possible! And let's admit the truth here, a bike is never 'finished' is it?!
It started purely because I missed having a bike (living in Central London forced me to sell my first bike, a small but perky ER-5)
[Limit reached]
and when I moved out of the city I decided to get back on two wheels. But without much cash to burn I had to settle for another small bike (400-500cc) or get a 600-750cc in need of some TLC.
Fettling is definitely one of my favourite ways to spend the spare time, so this one was ideal.
The only other project is still to do with this bike.
I picked up a smashed front fairing, repaired a few of the cracks and then trimmed it right down to make a mini-fairing. It's a work in progress at the moment, but hopefully will allow me to have a streetfighter-esque look but keep the original headlights (which are now much improved, so worth keeping!). That started because the fairing and tall screen were TOO effective in Summer. No wind getting to me so i kept getting hot! We'll see how that turns out. Currently trying to decide what to do to the scratched up standard screen I got from Red98. Tall 'wraith-like' look or low cafe-racer style. decisions, decisions.
Whats your plan with the front of the Noggyfighter? You mentioned getting something different?
Post by: noggythenog on 06 November 2013, 01:53:21 pm
I really miss the look of having a frint fairing but ive got a battle going on im my mind...ive already spent more than enough & the bike is perfectly rideable....question to myself is this....if i spend another few hundred quid getting the front end looking all dapper......will i keep the bike???...coz it'll be money wasted that i wont get back & i could save my dosh & get a fazer 8 or even a thou...prices are so low for all used bikes at the mo & i could take advantage on a new purchase rather than losing more money on mine.....but i could soend a couple hundred & be happier with the look but what next..its an old bike & soon the front forks will need uprating....a new rear shock, a decent rear caliper off a thou...so i could be another 200 for the front...& then another £600 on upgrades required through age, so almost another thousand squid..
I think ill wait & at least get another season outta the bike to at least get some fun outta my recent soends & if i can get away with spending nothing else next year ill maybe cut my losses & sell it on..
If i was to change the front end i reckon id be going down the cut down fairing route like you're talking about...ive actually got one of those poland made copy front fairings plus ive got an extra & importantly straight front sub fairing to mount it to...so ill need to buy another light unit off ebay, ill need to trim it down from the top so it fits round my new handlebars & mirrors on full lock....but then id need to get it sprayed coz its currently spray can gold...but again it is price....i might get £700 from a dealer as trade in with the bike as is, purely based on looks, not running ability (the rest of the bike is pretty clean & engine only done 13k & sweet as a nut)....but after spending a few hundred to make it look more standard lets say i get £1000 trade in that meansI havent gained anything but wasted loads of time and effort...
Oh youve opened up a can of worms here mate :lol ,decisions decisions...i might have to post this up as a fazer conundrum!, they all love a good winter conundrum. :)
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 02:46:12 pm
It is a real conundrum. Definitely put it to the forum at large and see what they come up with!!
The second fairing I got was only £30, but luckily most of the broken bits were scrap to my project anyway. Though that doesn't help you seeing as how you still need the headlights. Unless you stick with what you've got and modify something from another bike altogether. Like this perhaps....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/gs500-front-nose-fairing-bottom-edges-broken-/290719898364?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item43b0419afc (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/gs500-front-nose-fairing-bottom-edges-broken-/290719898364?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item43b0419afc)
with a little cutting and trimming, who knows?!
Or this one with only one lens to be replaced. Gotta be better lights than the standard boxeye candleboxes!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Trophy-1200-98-2005-Front-Fairing-Inc-lights-Broken-/380762108272?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item58a730b170 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Trophy-1200-98-2005-Front-Fairing-Inc-lights-Broken-/380762108272?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item58a730b170)
Kind of wish I'd seen that one before!
Of course, it seems that my decisions to mess with my bike are a little easier than yours as I intend to keep it for a while. Even if I were to trade it in, I'd only be going for a foxeye with lower mileage. And it's only looks and slight increase in range that would attract me to that option. Bottom line, I simply can't afford the extra fuel and insurance involved with getting a thou. So I'm sticking for the forseeable.
Looking forward to suggested solutions to your quandries though!!
Post by: codgie on 06 November 2013, 07:47:14 pm
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Streetfighter-Project-Fairing-Headlight-Nose-Cone-No-Lights-or-fittings/181252591995?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D18216%26meid%3D2517281851399716467%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D8342%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D190947216712%26 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Streetfighter-Project-Fairing-Headlight-Nose-Cone-No-Lights-or-fittings/181252591995?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D18216%26meid%3D2517281851399716467%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D8342%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D190947216712%26)
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 10:07:17 pm
And I start with an admission. I made a glaring nooobish mistake. I read many times that thou mirrors are a good upgrade for the early 600 mirrors.
So I ordered these puppies:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=350558490245&view=all&tid=480639190022 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=350558490245&view=all&tid=480639190022)
But of course the FZ1 and the FZS1000 are a bit different. So sure enough, they arrived and my initial excitement (they felt like top quality units, no 'hall of mirrors' style wobbly glass) quickly turned to dismay as I realised that they weren't going to fit. Particularly annoying as they took 2 weeks to arrive, and so would take another two to return before I got my refund, minus the delivery costs. :'(
Sod it, I thought. I'm going to make them fit. They have about 41mm between the mounting posts versus the 600's 30ish mm. So not too far out.
I marked up the mirror mount arm, took a breath and drilled a hole in a perfectly good component!
[Limit reached]
Not my neatest work but it would do.
Luckily the rubber 'gasket' between the fairing and the arm was stretchy enough that i just persuaded it into place.
[Limit reached]
And then I had to cut away a bit of the fairing to make way for the wider mount posts. Again, not the neatest, but the gator at the base of the stalk will cover up the rough work!
[Limit reached]
Then the mirrors just bolted on and gave this wide armed look!
[Limit reached]
In the end the effort was worth it as I can now see clearly around my own elbows! No more funky chicken dance every time I want to know whats behind me! It has made me a little more cautious when I'm filtering, although the flatness of the mirror stalks means they do seem to go under many van mirrors and over many cars. Plus, now that I've put the Renthal Bars on, the mirrors don't seem so wide. Best of all, they are much more steady, so I have a pretty good rear view, regardless of engine revs/road speed.
Post by: noggythenog on 06 November 2013, 10:17:07 pm
Post by: apage16 on 06 November 2013, 10:40:24 pm
Post by: apage16 on 17 November 2013, 09:34:37 pm
Any body else had this? Or is it a case of "Buy cheap, buy twice?"
Post by: thunderpantz on 17 November 2013, 09:46:58 pm
Post by: apage16 on 17 November 2013, 09:56:48 pm
TBH, 3 of them blew just from being put in the wrong way. Not a good sign, shows cheap dodgy circuitry.
these ones:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300919587748?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300919587748?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649)
Post by: thunderpantz on 17 November 2013, 10:03:47 pm
Awesome project by the way. I wish I had the time and money to plough into mine like that. Slowly getting round to doing little odd jobs I want doing on it.
Post by: apage16 on 17 November 2013, 10:25:38 pm
TBH i've tried to keep the cost down to a minimum. I'm a musician so money isn't exactly flowing in!!
But it's been fun.
Oh and the clocks took 3 bulbs.
I'm going to order some, hopefully, better ones. And stick a white one on the far left so I can read the LCD!
Post by: thunderpantz on 17 November 2013, 10:27:13 pm
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e224/edd_summers_101/IMG358.jpg)
This is the effect of white and blue SMD LED's in my car
Post by: apage16 on 17 November 2013, 10:50:53 pm
I'll definitely be getting SMD white ones.
Car dash look good!
Post by: apage16 on 17 November 2013, 11:06:10 pm
Ordered from 'Beinert Zweirad' in Germany for just over €70 delivered!
SO after a couple of days of wondering if Beinert even really existed, the price seemed too good to be true, they arrived. Very quickly too!
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They were relatively easy to fit. Theres not much space for the bolt on the offside rear fixing, but luckily I started my automotive 'career' with an original Mini (850cc, less power than a Vespa!) so i have developed a palm thumb and a second wrist for getting into tight spaces! (For slightly more gullible among you, I have no thumb in my palm, and just the standard 2 wrists. They'd be handy though right?!). And you get 2 shiny new bolts and Nyloc nuts to replace the engine mounting bolts that the bars fix to.
It took about 20 minutes a side, but they look good. Pretty inobtrusive
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The bars do now show how crappy the frame looks. A date with the wire brush and some smooth black hammerite is in order once the downpipes are off for welding. Does the list ever stop growing!
The best and worst part is that I actually got to test them this week.
I pushed the bike off the centre stand, but had accidentally left the side stand down. The side stand amazingly found a lump in the tarmac from an underlying tree root and pitched the bike over. It pulled me with it as I tried to save it so I had to hurdle the poor thing as it hit the ground. Probably looked entertaining to all around. But I was a bit miffed. However, the bars took most of the fall. And paid for themselves instantly. The super wide Renthal Bars helped too! Only a small amount of scratching on the corner of the fairing, and a new crack. But the carbon vinyl is still intact so doesn't look like it needs attention.
PHEW!!
Post by: Chris on 18 November 2013, 12:41:08 am
Chris
Post by: Gav on 18 November 2013, 08:17:43 pm
How reliable are those solenoid + flap dobrey's that limit the light for dipped beam? Being cheap Chinese ebay units, I can't see those lasting more than a few years. Also, If they fail are they spring loaded to stay in the dipped position, I guess so ?
I think I will also buy a pair anyway. as I 'm so shocked with the stock headlamp light output in the dark.
cheers
Gav
Post by: apage16 on 18 November 2013, 11:15:16 pm
The solenoids work well. Very snappy. But yes, they are sprung to the dipped position. And tbh, if I get a couple of years for the £30 they cost me, I'll be happy!
Also, if they fail MOT next year, I'll just make a more drastic and complete headlight replacement. I'm never going back to the day old glow sticks the bike came out of the factory with!!!
Post by: apage16 on 19 November 2013, 11:32:49 pm
Now ALL of the blue LEDs have failed in my clocks. So to all who are thinking about it, probably don't get the same LEDs I did!! (See link above)
Post by: Jamie5319 on 20 November 2013, 10:48:16 am
Post by: apage16 on 12 December 2013, 11:17:13 am
Excellent thread, just bought a 1999 fzs600 :D and am picking up a lot of ideas, will definately wait till the weather heats up before I attempt any paintwork. Keep up the good work
Thanks Jamie!
Yeah, I tried a little bit of paint, even before the temp dropped below 10 degrees and it still went way south. Despite meticulous prep and a radiator positioned directly under the fairing in the garage!
Our countries weather was the main reason for trying out the vinyl.
Post by: apage16 on 12 December 2013, 12:40:32 pm
It's been a little while, lots of Cambridge to London commuting. No time for mods and TOO much time spent cleaning road crap off the bike and worrying that the M11 will leave me with square tyres before I even get to LOOK at the twisties in spring, let alone ride them!
But it finally happened. Even with heated grips (I used to fight it, but now I see that they are the ONLY way!) and HEAVILY chopped down hand guards, I had to admit defeat at the hands of Mother nature and lay up the bike for winter.
Of course, I carried out the usual ritual of a pre-winter bath and polish. I was about to throw over the dust sheet, when I remembered that the tank was near empty. And everybody knows that an empty tank, can turn into a rusty tank! AND the sun was up at this point. So, faster than the thought itself had formed, I donned the leathers and went the long way to my local Shell. SO good for the last ride of the year to be for fun NOT for work! Although it almost all came tumbling down as I found a VERY slippery patch on the second roundabout. Completely lost the front end for a split second. But hats off to the Metz Z6's, as they found grip again pretty sharpish and I even had time to look back and scowl at the offending diesel spill before leaving the panicked volvo driver that was following me in my freshly polished wake!
ANYWAY! Whimsy aside, the very next day the itch returned and I set about creating a summer outfit, so Polly could feel fresh and airy come the warmer weather. In the summer, particularly in town, the full fairing and touring screen left me feeling the heat! So I wanted a naked-ish look and a bit more airflow!
A while back, I purchased a busted fairing from Ebait for around £30.
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It was pretty busted up. Both indicator holes were ruined. and there were massive cracks on both sides near the rear sides. But that was ok, because my plan was to leave just enough to surround the headlights and allow mounting of a cut down standard screen.
On first inspection of the new fairing, I was happy that I was going to be chopping off ALL of the broken parts. Now, upon closer scrutiny, I realised that a few of the cracks were, at best, dangerously close to where I wanted to cut. I didn't want the stress of chopping to male the cracks encroach into my 'good space'. Also I found a few new ones (in the corners of the 'scoop' under the headlight.) that I hadn't seen before. SO, I decided that it was time to try out some plastic welding!
I had my tools ready, soldering iron and a dremel. I had the theory in my head. "Get the plastic hot, stick it together". Simple. :rollin
Of course, there's a little more to it.
First step is to create a groove into which i was going to melt the fresh plastic seam. Using the dremel, with a ball cutting tool, I cut a groove along the crack, about 1/3 to 1/2 way through the panels thickness.
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Next, you need some welding material. For me, this was easy because the best material to use, is a piece of the exact same plastic. (though having seen Noggy's infill panels in the 'Show Me Your Fazer' thread, I wish it wasn't!). Knowing that I was about to hack off some pretty hefty parts of the fairing, I knew that I had plenty of material to work with.
So I chopped the tip off of one of the fairing 'wings' and sliced it into little plastic welding rods.
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The next stage has a lot going on at once, and when you try it, it either just works, or it doesn't! (Like plastering, I'm told. But I've never tried it!). You have to put the tip of the soldering iron into the groove that you cut with the dremel. Push it well in so that the iron melts both sides, even protruding right through the panel a little on the other side. (This meant I would need to tidy up both sides after, but at least I was sure of a complete bond).
The iron will create a little localised pool of melted plastic, into which you must push your fresh stick of welding plastic.
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And then you just take the show on the road. Slowly move along the crack, feeding all of the stick of plastic in to fill the groove as it melts. I found that a little bit of a sawing or pumping action helped to fill the groove, kind of like icing a cake.
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It doesn't look pretty, but it's a good solid bond of plastic all melted to itself and so good for sanding back down to a smooth corner.
Heres one of the other cracks, partially sanded. You can see that it's going to leave a pretty smooth finish. And the fix itself, feels pretty damned strong. I gave it a good flex to test, and no cracking or splitting to speak of. (Obviously i did this AFTER it was sanded smooth, as making the join smooth removes any weak points or areas where stress can concentrate, effectively spreading any loading across the whole seam).
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Next, I set about hacking my purchase to pieces! I used PVC (or insulation or electricians) tape to mark out my cuts as it conforms to the curves of the panel, but also gives a pretty straight edge. Then with a disc tool on the Dremel, I cleaved the fairing in twain! With eye protection and supervision by a responsible adult, of course.
Here's stages 1, 2 and 3 of my trimming.
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I decided that the shape wasn't quite right. A bit too wide, and a bit too pointy (automotive design in the 90's was like the 80's but with more rounded corners after all!) so I carried out a few more cuts, including mimicking the shape of the original fairing at the top. Then I sanded and finished the fairing ready for paint.
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Next step, offer it up to the bike, and think about how much, or little, to remove from the screen...
Post by: noggythenog on 12 December 2013, 12:50:38 pm
Post by: apage16 on 12 December 2013, 12:52:15 pm
Good job buddy, i love the mini fairing. 8)
Thanks mate!
There's more to come.
I was just taking a coffee break! :D
Post by: apage16 on 12 December 2013, 01:38:13 pm
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At first, I considered leaving the screen as it is. Though it looked kinda cool. But then decided that the spare mounting holes look odd. And the screen is a little wobbly, having that much sticking up with no support. And finally, the point was to get MORE wind on my chest! So the Dremel is getting another outing!
I decided I wanted to try and sort of copy the shape of the original screen. I'm going for 'There's something odd about that bike..' rather than 'WTF is THAT!!??'
I also decided that I'd take off just enough to remove the spare holes, AND have the screen just above the level of the mirror mounts.
At this point, I should explain that I had originally planned to take off the standard mirrors and mounts and go with bar mounted mirrors, for the true streetfighter look. But not only did the rear of the fairing, either side of the headlights (viewed from ON the bike) look really open and bare without the mounting brackets, but I've also just spent too much money!!! So there is no funding available to buy the THIRD pair of mirrors this season!
Annoyingly, Louis.de have an adapter that allows you to fit bar mount mirrors onto fairing mounting points. They also have some pretty cool bar mount mirrors aswell! All of which I found shortly after buying the FZ1 Mirrors. I always see these things JUST after I've blown my budget on something else!! :'(
Maybe Santa is listening?...
Anyway, back to the screen.
I got creative at this point and used my trusty marking out tool, PVC tape, alongside a laser levelling tape measure on a tripod to mark out where to cut the screen. Levelled between the two unused mounting holes.
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And then proceeded to chop the top of the screen off. Pretty straight cut too, if I do say so myself!
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Next up, I used the part of the screen I had removed to provide templates for marking out the corners of the new screen shape.
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And here is the finished shape.
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I'm really happy with how it looks. Also, the mirrors where they are is already growing on me. Might need to trim back the fairing a little more to clear the mirrors gaiters. Although, they are rubber, so it doesn't matter too much.
I also know that the standard screen appears to scoop down from the corners to the middle, but I wanted to keep enough screen that the clocks are protected from any rain coming at the directly from above.
The area behind the headstock, above the radiator/cylinder head, looks very open. So I'm planning to try and fabricate some kind of panel to fill this space and also to offer some elemental protection for the horn and regulator on the other side.
Mostly happy with how it's going so far though. :sun
Post by: noggythenog on 12 December 2013, 02:18:51 pm
Personally i reckon it'd look better with handlebar mirrors but its a shame after you going through the effort of sorting out those mirrors then not use them.although this is summer fazer wardrobe.
Just my tuppence worth & it might look totally different once the fairing is Blackened up as the mirrors will then blend in..
The fairing would also look good even smaller but thats the trouble with these light units they're so big & wide to allow any smaller.
Post by: apage16 on 12 December 2013, 02:33:31 pm
Totally agree on all counts. There's still a lot of fairing there, but those lights are massive!
Maybe there'll be a further modification NEXT, next season?! A more radical trimming, maybe a different screen altogether? All money, time and inspiration dependent!
Maybe my ship will come in and I'll get the Louis.de mirror setup so I can still use one set for both 'modes', and then punt the fz1 mirrors on.
We'll see.
Any development on your left side infill panel? Any issues with the horn/regulator poking out into open space?
Post by: noggythenog on 12 December 2013, 04:11:41 pm
Luckily theres tonnes of clearance as the rad sticks out quite a bit further. :)
Havent really done much today, i did tighten up a heavy duty jubilee clip around the frame tube at the point where the bracket has snapped off, fed it through & ive got about 1.5 inches of feed through to the outside which is good as it is enough so that i can drill through it & then use as my upper mounting point for the fairing.
This panel has battle damage from the crash though so i dont reckon its gonna be an exact match but good enough considering im just recycling old bits n bobs.
Post by: Captain Haddock on 12 December 2013, 07:55:45 pm
Post by: apage16 on 14 December 2013, 11:51:01 am
On the blue led subject, did you have appropriate resistors inline with them?
No, I made the assumption that the current protection would be internal to the bulbs, as they were advertised as plug and play. The seller just refunded my money though, so no great shakes.
The newly fitted white SMD led bulbs seem to be holding up much better. I can read the lcd display in the dark now too!
Post by: Fuzzy on 15 December 2013, 07:08:47 pm
Post by: Fuzzy on 15 December 2013, 07:40:11 pm
Post by: apage16 on 20 December 2013, 10:56:28 pm
Mine were from red chariot too funny enough
Mine were from some random seller. But they're still going strong. Despite the moisture evident inside the clocks. ALways misting up, more than my visor!
Why is it that you can never find a couple of those annoying little silica gel sachets when you want them!?
Post by: apage16 on 20 December 2013, 11:34:37 pm
In this episode of my general tinkering, I decided to tackle my concrete seat.
The plan was to lift off the cover and put on an extra inch of memory foam to try and make the seat a little more long trip friendly.
First task was to take off the cover (obviously, unless you fancy some really tight keyhole surgery!)
So with the trusty team of flathead screwdriver and needlenose pliers, I set about pulling out the staples.
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After which I peeled back the vinyl to reveal the foam.
Next up, I employed a little trick gleaned from Del Boy's Garage again. Apparently, when they mould the foam for the seat the moulding process leaves a smooth 'skin' on the foam. If you remove this, the foam becomes slightly more pliant and appears to be softer under the old derriere.
So I used a sanding disc to abrade the surface of the foam. It definitely appeared to make the foam softer.
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Next up I cut the memory foam to shape using a bread knife and then smoothed and shaped it using the sanding disc again.
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It looks a little too big, but the plan was for it to fold under at the front to create a raised front. I'm tired of sliding forwards into the tank under breaking!
Next I got busy with the staple gun. It was another one of those jobs where an extra hand, or maybe at least an extra thumb would have helped! Lots of the staples didn't drive all the way into the plastic seat body, so they had to be hammered all the way afterwards.
The vinyl, being 12 years old, has seen better days so I spent the whole time expecting a rip or a hole as I stretched it over the extra foam. There were a few very weak areas, and a split at the front, but mostly no trouble. The vinyl has also become quite hard and inflexible at the front. I think I'll be re-covering it some time soon though.
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And then as if by magic, the job was finished!!
I think you'll agree that it looks pretty good!! ;)
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Post by: apage16 on 20 December 2013, 11:57:05 pm
It's a custom reupholstered seat that I just picked up from Deefer666 (Thanks Mark!)
As such, I have no real idea how much it originally cost, or what was done during the re-sculpting. So you'll have to direct any questions his way.
But what I can say is that it's BLOODY comfy! And the basket weave vinyl is super grippy and eliminates the sliding up the seat issue.
My modified seat was a slight improvement. A little softer, a little higher (good for my long legs) and a little less genital/tank interaction.
But the lesson here is that sometimes it's just better to leave some jobs to the pro's!
Post by: Paul on 21 December 2013, 08:29:41 am
I bought my Fazer in 2001 and had the same problem of sliding into the tank when braking, although I'm not that tall (just over 6ft).
First I tried handle bar risers, with only limited success, then I decided it was a seat issue so I modified it in 2003.
It rises up where it meets the tank, and it works.
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Post by: MarkWales on 02 February 2014, 01:46:20 pm
Post by: apage16 on 29 August 2014, 03:49:54 pm
If you're interested, check out the post in the FOR SALE section.
http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,14511.0.html (http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,14511.0.html)
Post by: JoeRock on 29 August 2014, 03:54:38 pm
I bought my Fazer in 2001 and had the same problem of sliding into the tank when braking, although I'm not that tall (just over 6ft).
First I tried handle bar risers, with only limited success, then I decided it was a seat issue so I modified it in 2003.
It rises up where it meets the tank, and it works.
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Do you not hold onto the tank with your knees when you brake or something?
Post by: tweetytek on 30 August 2014, 09:23:04 pm
can you advise me please...
I have another bike, stood in garage for 3 years; an old cruiser bob custom; unfaired. The frame and engine needs painting; I noted your mask-up job and use of brush and results with spray cans ;please can you go into more detail on how you approached this, tools used, method, procedure etc. PM if not appropriate to post here. thanks in advance.