V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by Roadracer_Al

It's not hard to add a speed reducer to a drill press. Have a look at a recent issue of Home Shop Machinist, someone did a conversion on an older South Bend drill press and showed all the parts.

a

there's some help, thanks roadracer.

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by nuggets

Cool

The all knowing websearch knows all about it: http://www.metalwebnews.com/manuals/...e-drilling.pdf


That would make my drill press much better.

you'll be very surprised what you can do with your drill press once you get the speed under control.

[nononsense4857]

Is this another "split" clamp that mounts to your forks first? The biggest advantage is that you can mount and unmount it without removing the triple tee assembly.

If my assumption is right JD,
Could you please share details of this clamp? I hope its something i can purchase online.

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by nononsense4857

Is this another "split" clamp that mounts to your forks first? The biggest advantage is that you can mount and unmount it without removing the triple tee assembly.

If my assumption is right JD,
Could you please share details of this clamp? I hope its something i can purchase online.

those are ProTek fork tube clamps, very strong in this application IF the rest of the mount is designed correctly. there are similar fork tube clamps available from other sources, and in general, this style of clamp makes for a nice neat installation on anything mounted to the forks, whether conventional or USD.

these clamps are available in your size...

http://www.protekk.com/index.php?mai...sr7afsfiki9m97

shop around, they can be found discounted.

[Roadracer_Al]

The Chassis Shop has a lot of very interesting and useful bits and pieces for motorcycle fabricators.

I recall they have something they called a "roll bar equipment mount" that was cheaper, a quick glance at their online catalog didn't find it, but I found this:

http://secure.chassisshop.com/partlist/6041/

Hope you find some interesting bits to solve problems.

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by Roadracer_Al

The Chassis Shop has a lot of very interesting and useful bits and pieces for motorcycle fabricators.

I recall they have something they called a "roll bar equipment mount" that was cheaper, a quick glance at their online catalog didn't find it, but I found this:

http://secure.chassisshop.com/partlist/6041/

Hope you find some interesting bits to solve problems.

thanks, all kinds of gizmos out there when you start looking. some of the misc. stuff in the USA race/accessory market is inch as opposed to metric, but i see more metric all the time.

for the bike builder, there is usually an elegant solution for just about every one of these required parts. if you don't buy, at least you have a solution at hand and might be able to fabricate your own version.

[Roadracer_Al]

I was thinking, but failed to write, that for clamps that pinch a tube, you can buy a smaller inch size and open the clamp interior up to a metric size using a lathe or boring bar on a mill.

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by Roadracer_Al

I was thinking, but failed to write, that for clamps that pinch a tube, you can buy a smaller inch size and open the clamp interior up to a metric size using a lathe or boring bar on a mill.

very true, but in his case there are clamps for his exact metric size. helps that there a bunch of Harley models using the same inner fork tube diameter.

[nononsense4857]

Originally Posted by jdrocks

for the bike builder, there is usually an elegant solution for just about every one of these required parts. if you don't buy, at least you have a solution at hand and might be able to fabricate your own version.

Its as though i've got a glimpse into a new world all together.

To be very frank, it was a big thing for me to just change the engine oil on my own. Then came the 650R that involved an exponential learning curve. Now add to this the DIY opportunity and its becoming a truly satisfying experience.

Never knew a "fork clamp" existed for sale :)

The chassisshop clamps are squarer where as the pro tec ones are round in their outer profile. The pro tec ones have a higher probability of not messing with the fuel tank when mounted ie., there is comfortable space between the fuel tank and the clamp when the fork is closest to it while turning.

I just dropped the decision of buying a Pentax K5 with a lens. I am going all in on giving my diy project some momentum.

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by nononsense4857

Its as though i've got a glimpse into a new world all together.

To be very frank, it was a big thing for me to just change the engine oil on my own. Then came the 650R that involved an exponential learning curve. Now add to this the DIY opportunity and its becoming a truly satisfying experience.

there ya go. in the cookie cutter world we all live in, it's good to have the opportunity to visualize, then design and build something custom yet highly functional, artisanal rather than contracted...and yes, very satisfying, to find yourself riding down a road on a machine, at least parts of which, you built with your own hands.

[Roadracer_Al]

Amen to that!

It's a whole new way to look at the world.

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by Roadracer_Al

Amen to that!

It's a whole new way to look at the world.

right now i'm looking at a rat bike in pieces, i better get my artisanal butt in gear, stick it back together.

[nononsense4857]

Originally Posted by jdrocks

your racks should be designed to be mounted in high and tight, the opposite of what you now have mounted. your ER6 bike has a big advantage over some in that there's no muffler in the way, and the Berg Briggs mount (or similar shop built) for the Wolfman luggage is very compact. you could purchase the bare hoops directly from Berg, then fabricate the rest of the mount yourself, or fabricate the whole assembly. these are 310mm x 180mm, for reference

The reason i fit the side bags as low as possible was to ensure a low center of gravity. I could have designed it much more tighter which i will ensure this time.

Any reason to mount the luggage high JD?

[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by nononsense4857

The reason i fit the side bags as low as possible was to ensure a low center of gravity. I could have designed it much more tighter which i will ensure this time.

Any reason to mount the luggage high JD?

i like the idea of not carrying too much weight up high on a moto, but since we both carry that big roll top duffle without incident, there are some other factors to consider. the higher mounting position keeps the bags away from your feet and lower legs, and keeps them farther away from water, mud, rocks, road debris, and any other hazards that lurk down there. believe me, they're present, i've managed to find most of them.

then there the aesthetics. poorly selected, mounted, and positioned luggage has ruined the appearance of many an otherwise good looking moto. too large or too low mounted luggage makes the moto look ass end heavy, too wide, and the moto looks big hipped and ungainly. any combination of those issues, man, then you've got problems.

i like this photo by my friend, Doug Graham, the motophoto dude. it's not that you're going to be on a road like this, although you might, but you will encounter water like this sooner or later, even if sticking to pavement. with your old mounts, your Wolfman bags would be almost underwater...not mine.

[jdrocks]

that rear fender had to go before it cracked and fell off. when i took the assembly apart and looked it over, there was no hope, long term and rough roads, of holding the thing together even with new seat covers on both sides.

new fender, relocate the signals, new license plate bracket with light, and a few other mods too. i noticed that one Wolfman bracket was slightly bent after falling on that side several times, so i'll add a cross brace while i have everything apart.

i thought i might find some hard mounting points under all the plastic, nope, in typical fashion for these bikes, the mounting is all plastic to plastic. won't work for me.

there is a small locator pin in the right area on the rear underside of the subframe, and i started by threading both sides to M6x1.



the M6 die in the conventional die holder doesn't have room to start or turn, so you have to improvise a little to thread these pins, still easy to accomplish.