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kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2019 2:10 pm
by dollydog
after aquiring a kawasaki 250 ninja rolling chassis for peanuts, i decided it would make a perfect recipient for a suzuki 2 stroke engine. so the plan is: change the swingarm for a lighter alli gsx-r400 item, fabricate some frame tubes to make an engine cradle and fit the gt350 engine i built. standard gt250 engine going in THAT frame and sell it. this one might be a bit of a challenge, but at that price i couldn't resist :D
cheers, dd.
here's what i started with.
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Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2019 2:47 pm
by Zunspec4
Looks interesting dd. Figuring a way to make the engine a stressed member and eliminate the down tubes would be cool though.

Cheers Geoff

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:46 am
by sportston
Fascinating! Are you planning to leave it un-faired?

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:37 pm
by dollydog
hi geoff, thanks for the input. i've looked at using the engine as a stressed member and doing away with an engine cradle - which is how the original engine was fitted - but the gt250 top end doesn't have many strong points to hang it from, i mean where? the holes for the ramair covers? very weak. the 2 holes next to the exhausts? the boss there is small, just big enough for a 6mm bolt, but not big enough for an m8, which i'd need [at least]. even a pair of brackets down to the front engine mount wouldn't work, as they are notorious for breaking, even in a gt250 frame, when ham fisted peeps overtighten the bolt through them. if you've got any ideas i haven't thought of, i'd be glad to at least consider them :D
sportston. i like my bikes like i like my women - naked :D i've never had a bike with a fairing on yet, i know the plus side to them, but for a special, why cover all the fabbing you've done with a fairing? :D thanks for the interest anyway.
cheers, dd.

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:17 am
by sportston
dollydog wrote: sportston. i like my bikes like i like my women - naked :D
Well...when you put it like that, who am I to argue?! :up:

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:12 pm
by Zunspec4
Hi dd,

I was thinking of the T500 in a modern CB500 alu frame special that has popped up on the forum. I have no idea if the 250 engine could be approached the same way though.

I'm with you on having the engine on display though. To me it states MOTOR BIKE in the best way. I cringe at most modern "nakeds" with pipes and radiator stuff all over the place (and no bodywork to cover them up :D )

Cheers Geoff

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:58 am
by dollydog
hi geoff, what about you using a gsx-r400 rolling chassis? nice looking chassis and still suzuki :D i'm sure you'd get a t500 engine in there, with the added bonus of ali frame and swingarm, monoshock and usd forks. even those 3 spoke wheels with the curved 'spokes' look good. i've got a pair, all polished up and they look superb. unfortunately i don't have anything to use them on atm. also got the gsx-r400 swingarm, monoshock and dogbones. all doing nowt, if you're interested? i have got the frame, but no paperwork with it, i bought off a breaker to build a track day bike years ago, but never got round to it :D sure i've got a pair of usd forks as well somewhere, but they are definitely 600, not 400. if you feel like going mad, or you know somebody, just pm me and we can soon sort something :D
cheers, dd.

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:05 am
by Zunspec4
Hi dd,

Thanks for the offer but I have enough to do in the workshop with the bikes I have :D . It requires a fair bit of stamina to take a project from a bare chassis to a working bike and I don't have the resources at the moment.

Cheers Geoff

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 1:37 pm
by dollydog
ok geoff, just a thought. didn't want you going down the h*nda route, when you could stay suzuki :D
got the 25mm square tubing today - 3mm wall x 7.5 metres long and less than £20 - cheap as chips :D
cheers, dd.

let battle commence.
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Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2019 4:23 am
by dollydog
change of plan, now that sundial has re-opened for business i had to post something :D
decided on round 27mm tube, same as gt250 front tubing, instead of the square tube. finding somebody to bend it to my specs is going to be the difficult bit. would really like them mandrel bent, but everybody i've phoned round here has said 'a what bend'? :D so it looks like an hydraulic bender. i'm not going the fill it with sand and heat it up method, far too much work, taking far too long. in theory two-thirds of winter over, soon be spring and fingers will be thawed out - can't wait :D
cheers, dd.

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 10:39 am
by dollydog
new cradle fabbed and welded in. straight as a die. just back from the powdercoaters :D
cheers, dd.
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Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 1:13 pm
by dollydog
rear wheel sans tyre: keep forgetting about this post and putting stuff on the what crazy things have you done with your suzuki thread :D
cheers, dd.

proper shed build:
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rear wheel:
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newly powdercoated:
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Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:03 pm
by sportston
Nice job on the wheels!

Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2019 1:00 pm
by dollydog
finally, finally managed to track down a decent fuel tank. fitted and started stripping the paint and decals. it's nearly stripped now and surprisingly it's in brilliant shape and condition, even inside :D
cheers, dd.


as it was:
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Re: kawasaki/suzuki hybrid

Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 2:52 pm
by dollydog
how she sits atm. just got the tank back from the beadblaster as i couldn't get in all the nooks and crannies with my sander :D spannys now black, all plastics have at least 5 coats of hi-build primer on them, just waiting on some more hi-build to give the tank another 3 or 4 coats, then it's all off to paint. then the hard work starts - putting it all together. there are dozens of m6 bolts that hold the rear mudguard, seat etc on, and you can't get at them with the rear wheel on, but hey ho, these things are sent to try us. ditto with the front mudguard, you can't get the bolts in with the wheel in. i'll get there eventually. rear shock came back from the refurber and he made a great job of it. fitting it was a pain in the @rse, but got there in the end. all that work for something that's virtually impossible to see.
cheers, dd.

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