street/flat tracker build

not normally one for build threads but :
today I have mostly been welding and grinding to raise the tank and make a base for the seat unit. didnt take any pics yet but heres an idea of where I was up to before I started today taking into consideration the tail peice is held up by a bisciut tin :smile:

to this

and this , The weld up will bring all the bodywork up an inch or two and support the seat unit and rehome all the electrical bits


a bit more work on the front end as one disc and calliper are going then to get semi knobbly tyres and number boards each side and its nearly there . then make a stainless battery box , shorten the zorst / make some bellmouths and make a fork brace or tiny mudguard then I have to decide what colour.
all electrics will be hidden under the seat and I would like to hide the battery somewhere so the frame is bare but I dont think that is possible

 

A flat tracker would benefit from a low Center of Gravity - build your Stainless battery box to hold it under the swingarm.

Free Stainless Steel !! - - discarded toaster ovens !

 

I'm assuming that you will be leveling the bottom of the new tank (and what tank is that)? I'd recommend keeping both front disks and going with a street-oriented 90/10 dual sport tire (like Pirelli Scorpion or Michelin Karoos) - not sure if the 750 Seca wheel size would match tire availability. You do not want knobbies with the Seca's weight.

And the OEM front fender has a fork brace built in - look on the underside of yours. You can cut down the OEM front fender to the place where the reinforcement starts.

Good build so far.

 

Bottom of the tankis fine although it will be lined up with the tailpeice a bit better if thats what you meant , It is off an old xs650 . I wanted a smaller tank but as this bike will be used everyday aswell as the odd track day then it needs a god range and the 750 with a small tank wouldnt go very far.
Definately only going one disc on the front . The bikes lost so much weight allready and the exhaust is being chopped even more but I have a ducati brembo set up that will get fitted in the future .Next winter i will be haing a spoked wheels made up for it, more for looks though as they will be heavier than the standard ones . I will be going for Bridgestone Trail wing tyres .

 

Seriously. Semi-knobbies on a 500lb shaft-driven bike ("slimmed down" or not, you can't chop off the middle gear box and shaft) + "track day" sounds to me like a recipe for disaster.

Actually, "rainy day" would probably prove just as entertaining.

Some combinations just AIN'T chocolate+peanut butter, if you know what I mean.

 

Save your original spiral rims for your "sticky" tires - run what you want on the spokes. Make sure you find alloy rims, not chrome steel for the spokes to help with weight.

Save 18 pounds by deleting the lead battery and starter, and using a 3 LB Lithium pak. (bump-start only)

Start drilling holes and grinding away any excess metal, maybe shave another 20 LB ??

 

well I have got rid of :
all realys and wiring is down to about 6 wires
the horrible headlights at the front and the huge rear light as well as all indicators are gone ,
Both horns have been replaced with a small electric one.
airbox and filter have gone
all panels have gone plus the seat .
headlight and clock brackets aswell as all the other brackets / seat locks and helmet locks
front mudguard gone
battery is samller Gel type

so all in all by the time the exhaust is slimmed down its going to have lost loads of weight , i will get it weighed at the MOT so that will be interesting..

Fitz , as you dont seem to be able to say anything of value in any of my posts since I joined the forum i would rather you didnt look at anything I post .

 

hey man I just don't want to see anybody get hurt.

 

He is one of the few people that I PREFER see my posts first. I would be willing to be that you have used much of his info to get yourself this far whether youve realized it or not.

You gotta remember. That guy is like an automated poster. With 14k posts, there are very few issues that he hasent seen.

Im not for nay-saying anyones ideas, so I say go for it, but he does have a point.

You dont see many shaft drives with crazy tires at the track for a reason. If you want a shaft drive that will stick you to your seat, I would look for a early to mid 90's Vmax.

These XJs are rated very highly in the speed to price ratio, but, they are far from being fast motorcycles.


-Kaya

 

sorry , not normally one to dig on forums and normally let it go over my head its just come accros that there has always been a negative on most of my posts on this forum . I have been working on bikes for years . I know the limits of bikes and myself and I am not just some part time biker that can only just adjust a chain.

Now I fully understand the xj is heavy and its a shaft drive thats what attracted me too it . No offence to anyone on here but compared to suzuki's and Kwaka's the XJ is half of them , you only need to look at the amount of carb threads on here and the effort that people Including Fitz have gone to drumming into people how important and thorough you need to be with these carbs , You just dont need any of that with the Z,s and GPZ kwakas and Suzi GS's of the same era , they just work . Thats why XJ's are so cheap over here and thats why I love it

Now Kaya a VMAX would be terrible as a flat tracker as its 20 kilos heavier than a XJ and the vmax frames are rubbish coupled with the XJ having a 10 inch shorter wheelbase ,and it would be too fast for racing on dirt .

70-80 bhp is ideal which the xj has . It also has a good stiff frame , Yes it does have a shaft drive but to think outside the box and use things others havent bothered with is what drives me and the shaft drive is excellect on dirt , In theory it makes perfect sense as thier are no chains to wear or get bunged up with sand . due to the shaft it also has its weight low and near the rear of the bike which will help in drifting on a dirt oval . It also (with a few small mods ) has the right stance for the job.An aircraft engineer is milling me diffent final drives so I can change the gearing to suit . i dont want the bike to do over 90 mph But I want it to be fun getting there

It would be easier and cheaper in the long run to do what I am doing on a XS or a big single but its been done allready hence why you can just buy bolt on bits for them but whats the fun in that.The whoel ethos of flat tracking is to make the best of what you have and have fun

I hope this post gives you all some idea as to what inspires me and also inspires a lot of other custom builders. My winter hack is a GPZ 550 and summer ride is a R1 , I understand bikes have owned loads and find anything standard plainly boring and dull and I do find some posts patronising.

 

whats the capacity on that tank? Does it have the fuel level sensor?

 

This sounds like a fun project to watch, I am listening about the final drive gear changing let me know what the dollars are for that and if they are available to all!- However I noticed you said "over here" where you from? Continue on with the build sir.

 

im diggin it.

 

did you have to make any modifications to get that tank to fit?