TR500 replica build

[ChrisK]

Got started on the frame mods today. Basically the top tubing is all coming off to be replaced with some cromoly with a new tube running from the steering head to the swing arm pivot and then a new top rail will replace the exisiting one. Toying with changing the steering head angle at the same time, need a jig for that so we'll see.



New tubes being measured up for bending.



Once the tubes are all bent, I have a guy lined up to do the welding. Was going to mig them myself but I think we'll end up bronzing them.

New box section swing arm jig roughed out also.

[ChrisK]

Hi Chris,

Nice one, let us know if the quality OK on these items.

Cheers Geoff

The bearings arrived today and as well as the mains (complete with seals and o rings) there were also new big and small end rollers. They all look great, the mains seem really smooth and have a "quality" feel, if that makes sense. Of course who knows how they will perform at high stresses, time will tell I guess but with what I can see I'm very happy.

[Pete O'Dell]

don't fit them chris they will kill your engine, oil holes are wrong and if the seals are fitted you will see 2 timing side seals in the outers and the centre seals are all the wrong way round in the 10 sets I have.

[Suzukidave]

Cool frame mod pictures Chris but it looks like your dog photo bombed ya

[ChrisK]

don't fit them chris they will kill your engine, oil holes are wrong and if the seals are fitted you will see 2 timing side seals in the outers and the centre seals are all the wrong way round in the 10 sets I have.

Thanks for the heads up Pete. Not having your experience I am not sure about the seals but here are a couple of photos that maybe you can identify if mine are the same?





I see what you mean by the oil holes not lining up in the outer bearings, however I will be running premix so that is not a concern. The centre bearing does seem to line up, I checked the measurements carefully and they do seem right.

[Pete O'Dell]

yep seals are wrong way round Chris check oil holes against old bearing I'll be very surprised if they are correct

[ChrisK]

Ah great Thanks for the info Pete. Do you know if they can be removed and replaced the right way around or are these a throw away job? I was pretty careful to measure the centre bearing oil hole and it did seem OK. Outer ones were wrong.

[ChrisK]

Well, it seems like I've been twiddling my thumbs for a while on this project and clearly the Island classic in a couple of weeks is NOT anywhere on the radar! However, in the background there has been quite a bit going on in the design front where we have been down a few blind alleyways, done complete 360's on some ideas and generally have been mulling over a myriad of ideas on the motor front. Two of the design team are now using a neat CAD program to draw up 3D plans to share and at last some metal is being cut! The heads have been carefully redesigned and we will be running a central plug with squish band via a nifty insert. No pics yet but I am quite excited about the concept. A spacer is being made up to raise the barrels for better port timing, the top of the barrels to be milled accordingly, porting design almost completed and it looks like we will machine out the old liners and press new ones in with all the new ports cut into them directly, which will save all the usual porting hassle.The chamber design is all but finalised and is just dependant on final porting details. One sticking point remains the crank. I am desperately keen to get some meat taken out of the stock unit but trying to find someone to do it with a commensurate rebalance is not as easy as it seems. I haven't been able to locate anyone in Oz who can take on the job, there are a couple of options in the UK and US but the $AUD is not doing too well at the moment and the cost of postage is horrendous. The quest continues.

So what have I been doing? Well, tearing a ligament in my wrist for one thing, which has reduced my usefulness in the workshop! Facing an op to graft a new one on from elsewhere in the body I have managed a minor mod of the rear brake plate to add some cooling. Racing pads have been grafted onto the old shoes. The front calipers have been disassembled, blasted and painted and are now awaiting the installation of the new piston kits. Pads from Vintage Brakes. 38mm VM's have joined the 34's in the garage as a second option and I picked up another crank, set of spare heads and a box full of gearbox parts and motor covers locally to supplement the spares collection.

The frame, ah the frame! Bloody Zunspec, I keep looking at that Seeley and all my instinct tells me that it would be a much sweeter bike built around one of those. My wife tells me otherwise! So, the agonising on that front continues, thanks Geoff! I have fired off emails to some replica builders (apart from Roger Titchmarsh who doesn't seem to own an email address). If anyone has any leads or ideas, I would like to hear them.

Anyway work continues, Island Classic NEXT year!

Rear brake plate cooling mods:



34 vs 38mm VM's - the 38's could swallow a small child!



Picked up these heads as spares - not bad condition.

[Zunspec4]

No problem, Chris. Glad to be of service

Roger Titchmarch advertises in Classic Racer:

PO Box 8
Summerbridge
Harrowgate HG3 4XQ

Tel/Fax : 01423-781772 - In case you don't have contact details

An after market frame will come with the need for forks/wheels/brakes/tank/seat requirements (you won't want to re-using std parts) and the wallet slapping will continue at a great rate . If you have a decent engine though the Suzuki frame will be a big limitation. Going racing, what fun

Cheers Geoff

[ChrisK]

Thanks for Roger's details Geoff, I might send him a fax for a price - just for shits & giggles! So are you saying I can't bolt up my forks and wheels to a Seeley frame? I'm running 35mm front (currently with Maxton's getting the internals done). If that is the case, that counts that option out for me. There is a guy living here in WA that I have met who has done quite a bit of frame building in the UK in the past and who was going to do the mods on my frame. Now if only I could get the correct dimensions, maybe he could fabricate our own "replica"?

Racing, what fun! Ah yes, but when you are running a team of 4 bikes, expensive too! The crazy part is, our Supersport bikes cost less to build (and run) than the classics. (They don't sound or smell half as good though!)

[Zunspec4]

Hi Chris,

No unusual problems (apart from the normal "getting things to fit") using std. forks etc. but if you invest in a racing frame you may as well upgrade the rest to suit. It guess it depends on your pocket and what you want on the bike.

Cheers Geoff

[Pete O'Dell]

chris, I have one frame left

[ChrisK]

chris, I have one frame left

Thanks Pete. I did send you an email about this and a crankshaft build a few days ago. Did you not get it?

Chris

[Pete O'Dell]

I'll check the spammy box mate, who is the guy you met who built frames in the UK?

[ChrisK]

Stace Martin, a welder by trade, mainly involved in the drag scene I think, I don't don't think he built on any RR frames from scratch but modified plenty of them. Used to work for Ricardo's building motors and was with Alf's Motorcycles team for the endurance events, along with my machinist here in Perth.

Did you manage to find that email I sent you?