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Syscrush

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    Toronto, ON, Canada

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  1. It's looking amazing so far! I've done a couple of pieces for my bike (tire hugger with integrated chain guard, and an undertail piece), but nothing on this scale. It's inspirational. Are you still planning to make carbon pieces, or will you just use these glass ones? Keep up the good work!
  2. Ahhhhh! Gotcha. Thanks very much for the info.
  3. I'm really curious about this. I have done some fiberglass fabrication, and will be doing a lot more on future projects. What I did to form the molds was fabricating it with foam-core posterboard, paper mache, and plaster of paris. But this approach wouldn't work for fabricating a full fairing like you're doing... ...what approach do you take to define the shape of the basic fiberglass pieces? I have seen people using chicken wire + paper mache, and stuff like that... But again, I don't see how that would work here. And do you do anything special to get the left and right sides the same? Or just artistic skill? Great work so far!
  4. It's a VERY long shot - as in, it won't work. If you clamped it dead straight, then heated it to just below the temp where it becomes plastic to relax all the internal stresses, it might come out straight, but this would mess with other properties of the metal, and if you weren't super careful about heating and cooling the part evenly, it would just warp from the temp changes. Can't win, don't try. Be glad it's only 50 pounds! Take it easy,
  5. It's a start... Keep 'em coming.
  6. You can save a search on eBay and receive daily emails stating what's been posted for sale that matches the search. I've found it pretty handy in my '86 FZ600 rebuild project. Hope this helps,
  7. Don't worry - I have LOTS of fun with my Katana on the street, and I'm looking forward to having fun with my FZ600 on the track, and my CB550 on the street and at shows. Take it easy,
  8. My first (and still primary) bike is a '00 Suzuki Katana 600. I've ridden it pretty hard for 5 seasons now (still going deep into a Toronto November - I chuckle when I hear folks complain about a British winter ), have almost 60,000 kms on it and never a problem. I'm not gonna come on a Yam site and be a Suzuki advocate, but I get a bit tired of the bashing from that one dude who's so fixated on the oil burners. It's a great bike and I intend to hold on to it for a long time. I recently acquired an '86 FZ600 which is in really rough shape. The intent is to have it as a dedicated track bike (no racing yet, just club track days). I got it for 3 reasons: 1) I had a hard-on for one of these when I was in HS in the 80's. 2) They're still regarded as a light, nimble, good-handling bike. 3) It was sitting derelict right outside my window when I moved into my new place. For the record, I also have a '75 Honda CB550 which is to be a project/show bike. EVERY manufacturer makes good bikes and not-so-good bikes. EVERY manufacturer makes some interesting bikes and some boring ones. Take it easy,
  9. Sounds like a cool project. A word of unsolicited advice, though - use a steel or aluminum tank or fuel cell with a carbon/kevlar cover. Steel and aluminum will both deform a LOT before breaking. A carbon or fiberglass tank has a much greater propensity to smash or shatter. I'm sorry, I can't find references now, but since carbon tanks have been allowed in some top-level racing categories, fireball/explosion type failures have become much more common. On the street, I think it's a bad risk. Looking forward to seeing some pics, though!
  10. Thanks for the info and encouragement. I think it'll make a fun machine to practice on and refine my skills at the track. I am wondering, though, if there are specific shortcomings of the bike that should be addressed. I assume that the forks are as bad as other 80's entry-level hardware. What are the other weak links? What kind of power should I expect with a yosh pipe, pod filters, and stage 3 jet kit? Thanks,
  11. Hi all. I posted this in the Classic section and didn't really get any specific pointers or insight, just some positive feedback. Maybe I put it in the wrong area: Original Thread Thanks,
  12. So, it looks like I'm close to scoring a beat-up old FZ600 (NOT an FZR, an FZ), and I'm thinking that it would be cool to invest some effort in setting it up for the track and using it as a track bike for a couple of years until some other projects are out of the way and I can get to work on it - do a serious, radical customization. What I was thinking in terms of track prep is just basic stuff - go over it and make sure everything's OK, safety wire, braided lines, HH pads, sport/street tires, RaceTech front end, 520 chain and sprockets and a jet kit. There's already a yosh pipe on it. I want to be clear that my goal is NOT to break any lap records or anything like that, but to have a simple, reliable bike that I can take to a few track days a year to have some fun and sharpen my riding skills. Racing school is great, but it's a lot of dough for the amount of time you get on the track. I'm not interested in putting my daily rider bike at risk, so a cheap, old, relatively nimble air-cooled sportbike seems like a cool alternative. Thoughts? Pointers? Other things I should consider? Thanks a bunch,
  13. Dude, you seem pretty normal to me. I've actually shacked up with my bikes: See for yourself - click here Sorry, no Yam in here yet - just the Suzuki for now, but a CB550 and an FZ600 on the way.
  14. Bleeding isn't so hard - this trick is effective once you've done a first-pass bleed to ensure that there's absolutely no air in the system. But I suggest a zip tie or twine instead of an elastic band - you do want some significant pressure on the lever. To make the bleeding easier and faster, you can apply a vacuum to the bleed screw. A tool for doing this is available in most automotive shops. It has a vacuum canister and hand pump. Next step up is to make a jar that lets you use engine vacuum to aid bleeding The ultimate is a system where you can apply a bit of pneumatic pressure to a reservoir to force fluid back up through the lines through the bleeder screw into the MC reservoir, carrying the air with it. This type of reverse bleeder is VERY fast and effective, but it's a bit tricky to make and a bit dangerous to use - you don't want high-pressure (and corossive!) brake fluid flying at your paint or your eyes. Believe me. Take it easy
  15. Syscrush

    WD40 Rules!!

    WD-40 is effective for removing crud because it's first and foremost a solvent, and a relatively strong one at that. It's VERY similar chemically to 3 parts varsol plus 1 part light oil. It works very well as a penetrating oil or solvent, but it's not good to use it where you need real lubrication. Save it for freeing rusted fasteners and starting cars with wet cracked leads (it's very effective as a water dispersant, which is where the "WD" comes from - that's what it was originally meant for). Of course, if you've got a car that doesn't start without WD on the leads, those leads are ready for replacement. I really recommend using a solvent where you want a solvent (like soap or varsol), and lubricant where you want lubricant. Don't get me wrong - WD-40 is great for what it is meant for: penetrating oil for rusty fasteners and as a water dispersant. But it's neither fish nor foul when it comes to solvent or lubricant applications. It's much more expensive than solvent, AND leaves a film of oil on stuff like wheels and body parts, but that film isn't enough to be really effective as a rust inhibitor or lubricant. As for Armor All on the other hand - that stuff just has no place on a bike at all... For this, I mainly have anectodal evidence, but the silicone does make stuff slippery, and on a bike, do you want your seats or hand grips to be slippery? And honestly, I just think that the way it chemically reacts with the stuff you apply it to, it's going to cause damage over time, not protect effectively. Again, I can't really back this up (unlike the WD-40 stuff), but I just really think it's bad for the stuff it gets used on. What I CAN back up is that it can cause brutal fisheye problems when you go to paint a vehicle that's had Armor All used on it anywhere. The silicone is murder for this. If you use Armor All (or any similar protectant) on your bike anywhere, be sure to clean and re-clean it with a powerful solvent before you paint it. Also be careful to keep it away from clear plastic or glass surfaces like gauge faces or windscreens - it tends to fog these up badly and it a prick to clean off. And NEVER use any of the "tire dressing" or "tire cleaner" products on your tires. It's dangerous on a car and suicide on a bike. I hope I don't sound like a cranky bastard here - most of these products do have their usefulness in some situations, and legions of fans who swear by 'em. But do give some thought to the chemical composition of what you use on your machinery and what the consequences are. Take it easy,
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