sparkmeister

Cheers Merv. I was actually advised one day whilst I was cleaning my bike by a passing binman that if I undid a screw and just chopped off a couple of inches off of the baffles (or something) it would do the job. I wasnt really listening. Hence the need of a reminder.

Ok....Ive been told I can get a few more mph out of my Yam rxs 100 by cutting the baffle(s). Anyone want to take the time out and give me a step by step guide to doing this? Heres hoping.....

Ok then....have some finishing touches to make (they are top secret and ive run out of funds at mo anyway), but heres where I am so far.... Couldnt bring myself to cut the mud guards and stayed my hand from doing anything to drastic. What do you think so far? (dont ask about my trip to the petrol station this evening......really, please dont ask)

Some of the mods to yall guys bikes just make me want to weep for joy. Though im not normally given to criminal activity I hope there is some good locks out there because I would surely be tempted to steal sum of dem hawks if I had the chance. Only kidding. Or am I.......

Well after putting it on I decided I completely hated it. The problem (I think) was that the fin was over engineered and the end result was very boxy looking. I took it off, removed some of the inards out and have tried to taper it. Ive also sunk the light futher under the fin. Ill decide when I get it all back together whether it works or not. If I still hate it ill purchase a replacement seat from somewhere and go back to the original. I got the tank off, sanded it (loads of discs used!) and sprayed it along with the side panels and the fin. Tomorrow will hopefully be the last day of spraying, a couple coats of lacquer to finish it off. Still planning on cutting the mud guards back and that should really be the last of the structural stuff done. Oh and a small tip for budding bike builder moronic wannabes like me.....when removing the tank either syphon it first or have a big bowl ready (gotta be quick with the screws), if id had a fag on id be toast right now. Will post pics when I think its worth seein em. (was gonna remove pics from the last post cuz they look cack then I thought its all a learning curve so fuck it!)

Ok then...the majority of the "structural" work has been done. THIS IS NOT THE FINISHED ARTICLE..(lol) Trim the edges, bit of piping or something, lots of filler and a nice spray job. Dont laugh too hard but here it is..... left to do.. modified mud guards total spray job extras (indicators etc) as and when I can afford them

Got a few more hours of work under my belt. Heres the latest exciting installments..... The fin thing... and from the front... Getting the fin symmetrical was a complete bastard and im still not sure its bang on.(as were the metal tracks which the seat and fin are now attached to) (the fin is not the finished article...it will be rubber edged and sprayed and am thinking of putting some real and decorative pot rivets in it) I plan to cut a piece of metal to fit in the back of the fin and then drill a hole for the back light and ones on either side for the indicators. I spent an hour and a 4 drill bits just getting the old bolt I sheered off from the front brake clamp...grrrrr! Ive had an idea for the mirrors. The existing ones unbolt at the end of the stalk leaving about 40cm of stalk and the swivel bit of the mirror and the mirror itself. Was thinking I could cut the end off of the handle grips,get some thick rubber washers and stick them in the end of the bars then feed the stalks inside the bars right up to the mirror. Ta da!....Mirror ends! To be continued.....

Ok last post for today. Managed to get a couple of more hours in before the gf started to complain. Got the rear mud guard off, detached the rear lights, got rid of the sissy bar and sawed the seat in half with a bread knife. The fin I was making is actually going to be quite small now...its a work in progress. Im thinking about giving the rear mud guard a good clean, painting it and attaching the rear lights and number plate to it. Or I may put the lights a bit higher on the back of the fin...cant decide? I need to buy some drilled metal strips and start experimenting. Thanks for your input so far....changing the forks is out of the question (im doing this on a shoe string), defo on the indicators (a fund raising car boot sale in order me thinks), end of bar mirrors would be cool (bicycle ones are a lot cheaper and not much diff) and moving the pegs is a great idea but wouldnt have a clue how to move the back brake. Yet. Oh the sump guard is a great idea...ill have a bash. Keep tips and comments coming...ta.

Ok, this is the bike as it was (the kid on the bike with the blurred head is someone I look after and id get in big trouble for showing his face)... And heres the wee bit of progress ive made so far.... And from the front... Its weird what a different set of bars do to the ride position, im more bent over but not in an uncomfortable way. Incidentally I paid 5 quid for the bars from a bicycle shop and stuck a slightly thinner piece of tubing through them to get a bit of extra length.(was having problems with the acc with just the bars alone) More to come as and when I have time...ive got a full time job and a baby, ya know what its like.

Well spent about 4 hours on the bike today although at this stage the metal shelf idea isnt looking too hot. The front mudguard and lid box/rack have gone and I replaced the handle bars with a dead straight pair. I sheered off a nut that attaches the front brake lever/mirror to the bars, not sure how im going to fix that?(wish I had some black pvc tape , that yellow and green stuff looks gay) Ive redefined my idea of turning it into a cruiser opting instead for a drag style. Keep tuned for my comedy of errors and how much more I can devalue my little pocket rocket. (side note....Im 35 and im pretty sure this is some type of mid-life crisis....WTF im enjoying myself)

Thank you for your reply Paul but I am going to carry on undaunted nonetheless. I have started to make a back fin (dont really know what else to call it?) out of an old metal shelf (bending it and cutting it is a bastard), I aim to remove the back half of the seat and place the fin (lol) over it and maybe bolt the light and indicators a wee bit higher up onto the fin and lose the sissy bar. I will also shorten both the mudguards and give them some groovy looking edges. To finish the whole shebang im gonna spray the bike a nice glossy black. Like I said I have very little technical know-how, even fewer tools but hell I got a lotta enthusiasm. Any tips and hints most welcome (apart from telling me not to do it!) Pics to follow.

Hi there...Well I bought an RXS 100 a couple of months back purely for getting to work and I would like to know where to look to get any info on making it look more sexy. Ive seen quite a few things about baffles and racing reeds etc but not that interested in speed so much as making it look funky. I really dont know very much about bikes so the whole project will be winging it. For instance... Can I get a range of handlebars to fit it? Longer forks? Different mud guards? Id like to spray it black..how hard is it to remove petrol tank etc? Funky lights available? Now I know its a pretty ugly wee bike and perhaps im asking too much but any help at all would be very much appreciated. (btw I have looked on the net and the most impressive thing I found was some Indian bloke who turned one into a sports bike, it was a pretty decent job except he kept the wire wheels) If all goes well ill keep a photo diary on here and yall can see what a hash im making of it..lol. Ta in advance.