Project: RONIN

[Switchblade315]

Came over from the Snow bikes conversion thread. I have a FZ-1 that I got a few months ago. All i can say is, DAMN!!! I want one.

Great build.

[elephant man]

kawasaki probably read you (awsome!) thread and stole your idea...
what about a bash plate?
and maybe even a small wind deflactor?

[sailah]

Originally Posted by Switchblade315

Came over from the Snow bikes conversion thread. I have a FZ-1 that I got a few months ago. All i can say is, DAMN!!! I want one.

Great build.

Thanks it's as much fun to ride as it looks. Got the conti trail attacks this time anxious to see how they do. Got 5 k from a scorpion rear which I was honestly shocked by, I'm hard on rear tires. I will tear it down and fix some stuff and get it looking sharp with paint. Also have some really trick custom bits,, one from germany that was hand made...

Originally Posted by elephant man

kawasaki probably read you (awsome!) thread and stole your idea...
what about a bash plate?
and maybe even a small wind deflactor?

I haven't ridden the new versys but the 650 needs a rocket to keep up. I raced a buddy on a vstrom 1 k up an on ramp and it wasn't even close. The lamborghini murcialago my buddy has was also not close but not in my favor

Bash plate maybe. I'm doing mostly dirt roads etc with it. I offroad ed a bunch thissummer

With it. Yada yada, I now have a 450...

No wind screen ever. Did 500 miles day no issues. I hate buffeting more than a sore neck

[sailah]

Haven't updated this forever

Built a new fender And installed new tires




redid the pannier racks much better than before, way stronger and no rattles plus they come off with these fancy little bushing thingsI made





Got the cbr on the lift for the final push



Finished adding the new tool post to my lathe, much nicer



Almost ready for the final tear down. Couple more welding projects and then i'm ready to rip down to the frame and get the frame coated. Rethinking the orange frame, might go with silver instead

[sailah]

Well I didn't get it powdercoated yet... I went on an 1800 mile trip to NC and back on some really excellent roads from Pittsburgh, had a blast.

Been thinking about hauling a lightweight trailer for some down the road adventures. Mostly hauling a dirt bike or a canoe on a purpose built ultra lightweight aluminum trailer. I think with my revised trailer design I have the weight study down to about 70lbs. Plus a 250# bike. Should be no sweat.

I needed to weld the mounts to the bike frame before it gets finished, so I decided to get those done. This is what I came up with for the mounts, it's necked down to 23/32" for a thru hole which I will drill in the frame all the way through and then weld around it. Tapped for M8 1.25 thread. The tubing I welded in a tube end threaded for a M8 rod end.

Basic mounting idea on some scrap tubing (the scrap is 7/8" OD the frame is 1.25" OD so it will have more strength)



This is the main support for the subframe and the attachment point for the main hitch bars. Should be around where my calf is on the bike. The boss above will get drilled and welded here and then attached with an M8 bolt



Here's the ass end. The lower bars of the hitch do the pulling and stopping and are 1" 0.065" DOM tubing. I bent the lowers on my JD2 bender to wrap around the tires. The upper supports are 7/8" tubing, same tubing insert and M8 rod end as the lowers.



Shot from above, I haven't welded in the uprights yet. I plan on disconnecting the battery and ECU and finish welding those on the bike after I have drill and welded all the bosses, should help with getting it aligned. After I have it just where I want it, I'll make up some plating with lighting holes and weld that in between the tubes for added rigidity.



I think the whole thing is overkill for such a lightweight setup, I'll hopefully get the metal to build the trailer in the next couple months and get that knocked out. My plan is a single aluminum channel, probably 5" structural aluminum. I was going to run some elaborate suspension with a 3 link, transverse spring etc, but then decided that the dirt bike I'm hauling is more than capable of taking a few bumps. I'll try it with out suspension, if it doesn't work I can add it later. Axle will be a custom job on my lathe, I'm think somewhere around 4' wide?? Not sure. The trailer will be really low to the ground with small 8" tires and the channel U-bolted right to that.

[dentvet]

trailer build, very interested! i thought that depending on what trailer wheels you run, you could run your channel under the axle to keep the cog a few inches lower.

maybe use a set of sumo wheels that you could install onto your bike at the destination if you had to

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=503013

[Qwik]

Dont forget a crossbar to strap the bike too. It will make it easier to secure.

[Scott_PDX]

Darnit! Got suckered in on the thread only to see it's nearly a year old - save that last post.

Was there ever a final picture?

[sailah]

It looks pretty much exactly the same haha

after I finish the new bike I'm going to tear the ronin down and fix some things I know I can do better.

The basic premise of the bike is sound but after living with it for a couple years and 20k miles I would like to make some changes such as

Fix rear brake
Lower subframe angle
build airbox and get rid of those stupid pod filters
Redo front lights
Raise the bars
Remake pannier racks

[sailah]

Taking the bike on a trip this weekend, was hoping to have the Ninja done, but no chance and the CBR isn't exactly a weekend bike. So I dragged the FZ1 out of storage and it was suffering from some neglect. Hadn't been cleaned in awhile and was generally a little sad.

I got sick of the rust on the tail section so I decided to prime and paint it until I can sandblast this winter when I will be redoing the bike and correcting some of my hastily built subassemblies.

Stuff I did:

Reset TPS
Cleaned filters
Oil Change
Complete fork rebuilds
Redid wiring harness
Cleaned and scrubbed entire bike
Re-wrapped exhaust in new header wrap and shot with silicone
520 conversion
Rebuilt swingarm
Sync'd carbs

And about 38 other things I forgot about. I did fire the bike up outside after I got it out of storage and it came right to life. I miss that sound...



I know the 2 tone looks a little ridiculous but I was sick of looking at the rust starting and constantly sanding it so I will deal with the derision until I can strip the bike down again.



Typical state of affairs 2 days before a long trip