Old school supermoto

[Christo]

Finished assembling the 17 x 3.5 inch supermoto rim to the DR drum hub yesterday. The spokes will need to be shortened and re-threaded to suit the DR hub. I fitted the wheel with a 110/60 tyre which goes between the fork legs with about 5mm clearance either side. Will be interesting to see if a 120/60 will fit as recommended for this rim, but I do not think going down a size will matter. I will have to grind off the cable guide mounts on both sides to ensure clearance. Very happy with the result.

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[Christo]

Unfortunately all my efforts to try and mate 17 inch supermoto rims to old school drum hubs have been in vane. It is a bit hard to tell from the photo, but the angle of the spoke holes in the rim is not quite right and so the spoke does not seat properly in the rim. The joys of customising, its taken about a year to get to this point, only to start over again.
The next plan of attack is to go for 18 inch rims front and rear. If I can source a rim that is drilled for an old style hub, say from an old open-class Suzuki motocross bike them it may fit. I could get 17 or 18 inch rims custom drilled with custom spokes, but that is probably about a $1200 option. I still reckon its possible to do it for around $500.
Back to the old drawing board, stay tuned folks, its going to get even more interesting.


spoke-not-seating.jpg

[Christo]

When comparing the front and rear hubs I noticed that they looked fairly similar. They both use 150 x 28 brake shoes, but the rear hub has larger bearings and is about 20mm wider, so you cannot lace the rear rim to the front hub (spoke angles are different). The front brake plate slots perfectly into the rear hub. So it looks fairly likely that I can run the rear hub and rim on the front! I will to see if I can get bearings that fit the OD of the hub and the ID of the smaller axle. According to wemoto.com the front bearings are 12x32x10 and the rear left is 17x40x12 and right rear is 17x47x14. So that means I need 12x40x12 and a 12x47x14. Will do a mock up of the whole setup sometime this week.
I'm not concerned about the lack of a speedo drive as I will be using an electronic unit anyway.

The DR400 rear rim is 18x2.15 which will allow me to run up to a 110/90 front tyre according to the 2011 Michelin tyre fitment guide: http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/pubs/fitment2011.pdf

The rim is a little beaten up and has one small flat spot, which will come out with a little heat and a shaped male and female dolly. I also bought a JOSCO metal polishing kit just to see if I really make that rim shine. I also have brand new zinc plated spokes that I got for nothing which I will also use.


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[Christo]

Sourced this used carburetor (left in these pics) from ebay. Looks like it’s in fairly good shape, and is the same size as the original. Not much play in the throttle slide, but those observant viewers may have noticed that the main needle is missing, so I am going to salvage it from the old one (right in these pics). The problem with the old carburetor is that the throttle slide in seized in solid, so to extract the needle I have to cut it in half! Breaking out the hacksaw I cut just at the right spot that I can get access to the retaining plate that holds the needle in place and withdraw the needle from the old carburetor! Perfect! Doesn’t look too badly worn either

carb-ebay-001.jpgcarb-old-chop.jpg

[Christo]

Scored this off ebay the other night:
Its now on its way from Ontario, Canada.

Brand New Vintage WISECO Forged PistonAvailable Sizes:
4158P6 .060" oversize = Qty 1
Specify Size and when ordering

Fits:

• Suzuki DR400, SP400, 1980, 4-Stroke, 397cc
  

Each Kit Includes:

• Piston
• Rings
• Cir-Clips
• Piston Pin
  

Specs.
Bore - Standard: 88.0mm Bore - Actual: 89.5mm
Bore - Oversize:1.5mm Stroke: 65.2mm Cylinders: 1

[Christo]

I am still trying to find an economical wheel option for my Vintage Sumo.
If i can find a 18 x 2.5 inch rim from an RM370/400 or an early XT550/600, these should
suit the standard DR front hub. If anyone knows of any then please let me know. This size rim is much less common, most dirt bike rears are 18 x 2.15. Early Husky's and Maicos have the right size rim, but would not suit my hubs. I found an RM400 rim from the states that is only $27(US) + $55(US) shipping, but its got a few cracks in it, so I am still looking further.

[Christo]

If there was such a thing as a vintage supermoto, then this is a bit what it would look like. 18 inch Akront style rims front and back, shod with vintage Firestone tyres. They look great, but unfortunately their performance is also post-war. And then its just a logical step to Beck White Walls....

crispy01-014.jpgcrispy01-014-wwalls.jpg

[bobbyhavok]

stick to the black theme imo - the red tail part seems out of place

[Christo]

Fear not, I have been busy trying to find compatible and economical wheels or rims to fit my project. After umpteen hours of research I have discovered that a 17 x 2.5 rim from a 'G' or 'H' model Yamaha YZ465 should fit the DR front hub. Both hubs have 150mm drum brakes and 36 spokes. I located one in reasonable condition and it only cost me the postage (thanks Trev)!

yz465-wheel.jpg

I am still trying to locate a 17 x 3.5 inch rim to suit the rear drum hub but I think its a long shot. I know I could get a rim custom drilled, but that is not a 'budget' option. Rims drilled to suit disc hubs are not suitable for my drum hub as the spoke angles are wrong. I think the best (read cheapest option) is to go for a 16 x 3.5 inch rear wheel from a Kawasaki VN800, should bolt right in with minimal mods. It even has the same axle size!

vulcan-rear-DR400.jpg

Crispy Cycles

[Christo]

Came home last night to find this little parcel. Its a NOS (new-old-stock) Wiseco 1.5mm oversized piston kit complete with rings, pin and circlips. At about $130 including post from Canada its less than half the price of a genuine Suzuki part. Just need to get the cylinder rebored to suit and will probably take it over to Ray Easson Engineering as they have a great reputation for quality work.
wiseco-002.jpg

[Christo]

This is the final concept (I promise).
Specifications comparing old vs new below.
crispy01-032-hotrod.jpg
dr400-ovn.jpg

[Kodez]

I like it, personally, I reckon you need more chrome =D

[Christo]

Due to a-lack-of-space-issue Crispy No. 1 has lived outside (under a bike cover) since we moved into this house. The combination of darkness and a particularly wet winter means I have not been able to do any work on the bike for months. But now because we have a new storage space my better half agreed that it would be ok to bring the bike into the patio area where I can work on it at night and in all weather. Excellent, now I can actually get some work done! Here is a pic of the ol' girl as it sits right now. Will be great to be finally be able to bolt some parts on!
out-of-the-cold-001.jpg

[Christo]

After I mocking up this wheel with 146mm spokes, I fitted it to the front end to check for clearances etc. Its a good fit, and will allow fitment of a 110 wide tyre and leave sufficient tyre to fork clearance. Still looks vintage, but now a little bit-of-hotrod going on!

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[96]

Good to see this one is still moving along.

[Christo]

Picked up this front wheel today after work. I bought it for the hub and brake assembly as it is a 160mm diameter drum to exactly match my rim and is also a twin-leading shoe type which offers superior stopping power to the single leading shoe. Its got a 15mm axle rather than a 12mm so its also a little bit more durable too. So I will have to modify the forks to accept the larger axle and brake stay bracket. This particular wheel is from a Honda CB175 road bike of early 70s vintage. Also need to source a brake cable as well.

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[Christo]

KZ650 16x3 rim mounted to KX USD forks. I have bought another such wheel off e-bay to mount to the back as originally planned. Aluminium rims painted, hot-rod style. This is the result. Tyre options are 130 or 150 wide rear and 110 or 120 wide front in Bridgestone BT45s. Black rims look pretty 'tough', really monochromatic.

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crispy01-035bb.jpg

[jj81wa]

anything more happening with this beast

[Christo]

Still working on fitting the 16 inch wheel to the usd forks, should be finished in a few weeks.

Check out:

Crispy Cycles

[eichkay]

I like the vintage supermoto idea, all ways lots of head scratching with old bikes when the word custom comes into the mix