YZF600 | Banshee

Well Elijah came to me with a cool idea, “my Banshee needs more power”. So he had already started roughing the motor into the frame. He needed me to make it solid and functional.

So stated out by making the lower frame rail giving me a solid base. The oil pan needed to have more room than the original motor, so that was pretty straight forward to make happen. Then I started making the engine mounts. Starting with the rear lower mount. The engine needed to be suspended in order for proper chain alignment. This was tricky. I left one of the motor mounts Elijah made in place, he had the alignment pretty close. While lifting the motor from below and suspending it from above, I managed to make the right side motor mount which also needed to be removable so the engine could be taken in and out. It was quite the balancing act. Once that was done it was on to the left side mount which could be stationary. My chain alignment was good and the rear lower mounts were done.

For the rear top mount I was able to line it up with the upper frame. I drilled a 7/8″ hole in the frame and used 7/8″ tubing to fill it and make the motor mounts. I had to sleeve the 7/8″ tube with 7/16″ tube in order to have a snug fit with the engine hardware. This also helped fine tune the alignment. I drilled holes in the 7/8″ tube and plug welded the 7/16″ tube inside of it. So at this point I have top and bottom mounts done.

I then switched over to the top of the frame. I needed to connect the front and back halves while still having room for the larger engine and room to remove and install the motor. I attached the new tubing using slugs to create a lap joint and placed gussets and cross-members in oder to strengthen the new geometry.

Finally I needed the side motor mounts. The left side was to be stationary, because to engine comes out the right side of the bike. I started with the left side making motor connecting points out of the 1″ tubing I was using for the frame. I bolted those the the motor. Once they were on it was simply connecting the points together and to the frame. On the right side of the bike the side mount needed to be, you guessed it, removable. So I made mounts out of 3/4″ solid stock and drilled and tapped them. These got welded to the frame. Then from there it was just like the left side, time to connect the dots.

1963 BSA | tail light

The BSA came with a microphone as a tail light. It was mounted on the side of the bike near the rear axle. It is a ’50’s area mic from what I can tell, I do know it looks sweet! I mounted it so that the actual mount is shaped like the base of the mic, which locks it into place. Since it is on a ridged frame there is going to be plenty of bumps tying to shake it loose. I think it looks cool as is but once it’s lit it will really shine! 😉

1963 BSA | Fender Mounting

Custom mounting of a Wassell style rear fender and making a custom fender strut. I found this Fender on the TC Bros web site. Joe, the owner of the bike, like it so I needed to get it mounted. The original fender was a flat fender which didn’t look bad but the ribbed fender really matches the BSA gas tank. Also the Wassell style fender is not as wide as the flat fender was, so it contours the tire better for a tighter cleaner look. Making the front mounting tabs I matched the ribbing of the fender. I backed the fender with tabs that I drilled and tapped for easy removal and installation of the fender. I made a strut for the back portion of the fender. I bent, drilled, and tapped flat strap to mount to the fender. Then I used 3/16″ solid round stock to join the fender to the frame of the bike. I bent tabs around the stock for a clean simple look.

https://www.tcbroschoppers.com/

KZ750 Twin | Rear Hoop Tail Light Pocket

Ok, let’s put a rear hoop on this KZ 750 twin. Charles came to me needing a little work. He wanted a rear hoop and tail light installed on his bike. So I said, no problem! Charles was also wanting the tail light to be set into the frame.

I first started out concentrating on the rear hoop. Measuring the distance between the frame rails I knew it was going to be wider than my dies diameter. I have run into this in the past and found that making smaller bends and bringing them together to make the right size hoop is the answer. The side effect is more of a pitched shape to the hoop rather than the conventional U shape, which I dig. I attached the hoop with solid slugs that are plug welded as well as welded at the seam.

Now on to the tail light “pocket”. This is all sheet metal work and I’m using 20ga steel. I made what I call the “backing plate” first. I trace an elongated oval and cut it out. Then I radius my piece to the same curve of the new hoop. For the “pocket” I bend 20ga around a piece of .5” OD round stock, making sure it’s a 180 degree bend. Then using the “backing plate” I trace out the excess material to be removed. After it’s removed the backing plate will take its place. At this point the tail light pocket is made and needs a place to go. I cut out a section of the new hoop to make room for the pocket.

Once I weld the pocket in it’s just a matter of cutting the protruding material to leave a clean profile in all directions. The light will be contoured to the hoop and set in the pocket. Now, Charles has a sweet custom hoop and more over his tail light is set in the frame!! I dig it and so did Charles!!

Customer Project | Honda CB Gas Tank Mod

Ok, so Sean came to me with a little project. He wanted to flatten the sides of his Honda tank, “the flatter the better”. I started out by making really rough cuts, just to get some material out of the way. Then I started to map out my final cut with 1/8″ fine line tape. This was working well, but in the back of my head I was remembering Sean saying “the flatter the better”. So, I noticed that the bottom seem of the tank was nice and flat. I was able to use that as my guide line to making a nice flat cut.

After I had my final opening I needed templates. The easiest way to make those is a set of dirty hands. I placed a piece of paper atop each opening. Then using my hands I rub the edge of the openings. This leaves a outline of the shape I need. When transferring the template I add a 1/8″ all the way around to make sure its oversized. I will latter trim it down to an exact fitment.

After I had the templates trimmed down it’s time to weld them on!! Sean also wanted a new gas cap and bung so I welded the one he provided in place. I was happy with the end result, at first I wasnt to sure about the flat sides. But seeing the finished product my opinion was changed. I ground down my welds, pressure tested for leaks. Oh yeah, Sean liked it too!!

I forgot to take photos of the finished tank so next time I see Sean hopefully Ill remember to take some.