gs550 carbon fibre cafe racer

hi
if you have read my introduction (in the introduce me section) you will know why we are building this bike
its based on a 1979 gs550 which was rough at best, the guy i bought it off called it a barn find- more like left in the middle of a field for 20 years (i never saw the barn to see if it had a roof)

Piccies? Oh, and welcome! Ooops, just seen your post in newbies! Welcome anyway Tony, will be very interested to see what carbon wizadry you have to show us.

i said it was a shed!!
it only had 11k miles on it too
spent a couple of hours on it the other day & reduced it to this

The wizard will need a big carbon wand !!! that is gonna be a proper labour of love matey, good luck and i cant wait to see the carbon bits you make for it, will be an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills

Oncas wrote:

The wizard will need a big carbon wand !!! that is gonna be a proper labour of love matey, good luck and i cant wait to see the carbon bits you make for it, will be an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills

i wont be using a carbon wand mate
it needs a big hammer
just started to do the tank i bought a rickman cr long tank cover & have started to fill the moulding cut outs ready to make a mould for the carbon one
havent decided if i will use a tank cover over a steel tank or make a full carbon one (which isnt recomended for road use) either way i will use the same top mould

had a good few hours on it this morning
cut all the brackets off the frame- even cut out the lower frame brace with center stand mountings as we will be widening the frame by 20mm
for the new swinging arm to fit
found some rusty (almost rusted through areas) not too bothered as i will be bracing the frame
so those areas will be strenthened anyway

then started on bracing the headstock, just tack welded them in place as my mate is a better welder than i am (he does it for a living)
also braced accross the frame down tubes - diaganals to be added next when i test fit engine & exhaust

managed to get the engine in yesterday gsxr750 r705
phew it ws a tight fit
had to take the rocker cover off & remove the sump bolt so it would go in.
the rear upper engine mount lines up ok will have to make brackets up for the rest to line up.
Suzuki use the same head bearings throughout most of the range so got to fit some gsxr750 m yokes for the upside down front end.
more pictures next week

Had a very busy week at work this week sending carbon parts to the Usa,New Zealand, Italy along with a couple of wholesale orders & our Uk customers so not had much time to work on this project but still got a few bits done.
Here is what i have done this week,the engine is roughly in, needs mounting brackets making, have had to mount from the front bolts instead of the rear to pull the engine forward to clear the air filters on the frame rails.
The exhaust is loosely fitted to check for clearance for the extra bracing under the head stock to the new cross member i fitted last week.
Swinging arm now fits the frame (roughly) its a honda bros arm which i have fitted a vfr750 L hub & caliper which allows me to use a vfr 5.5" rear wheel, 180 section tyre.
The swinging arm mounts on the frame needs drilling out from 15mm to 16mm to fit a bros spindle & a center mount & it will need bracing possibly to the lower frame brace & engine mount which i have to make 20mm longer than standard .
The next major task is to widen the frame at the left swinging arm mount by 15mm to allow the chain to clear & let it run true also this puts the arm slightly over & the rear wheel bang in the center of the frame.
The forks are gsx750/1100 L & the wheel is the same at the moment, that will change for a honda wheel to match the rear prob an early 16" fireblade with speedo drive.
Tank cover is a rickman cr long tank unit which i have started to smooth ready to make a mould from
Next week i have to make rear shock mounts, rear set, mounts coil & battery box mount & try to finish the frame ready for blasting.

have just added another 100 plus moulds to our collection, spent some time sorting that lot outl!!
just fitted the rear shock & started making the frame mountings up for it, will finish the bracing & hopefully get the frame welded up fully this week.
did a bit of work on making the plug / master for the seat unit mould, 7 layers of insulation foam bonded together with mastic & left under the weight of the bench sander for the weekend, have started to do a bit of shaping with a bread knife borrowed from home (please dont tell the mrs) have quite a bit to do on this but its taking shape slowly
tony

That's moving along nicely! Do you have a web site for your carbon fibre bits yet?

we only have a holding page at the moment as it is taking forever to build our e-commerce site
& a bloody fortune,
best just emailing, texting, ringing or pm me for details, even if its just for pic of our work
tony

hey tony
question can just about anything be replicated in carbon proving you have a part to be copied?
is carbon a good or bad idea for a petrol tank
cheers miffa

hi mate
just about anything can be made in carbon, the original is the easiest way to make a mould but we can
make a master out of foam, paper mache etc just takes longer therefore costs more
petrol tanks are not road legal as far as my MOT bloke says as they could split on impact (i think they are as strong if not stronger than metal if made properly)
the other problem is unleaded fuel contains additives that attack & break down the resin(some epoxy resins are better than others at resisting this)you can get a coating that will protest the internals.
however we are working on a range of cafe racer tank cover in carbon or fiberglass which will fit over a standard tank or a purpose made tank
tony

carbon moto wrote:

hi mate
just about anything can be made in carbon, the original is the easiest way to make a mould but we can
make a master out of foam, paper mache etc just takes longer therefore costs more
petrol tanks are not road legal as far as my MOT bloke says as they could split on impact (i think they are as strong if not stronger than metal if made properly)
the other problem is unleaded fuel contains additives that attack & break down the resin(some epoxy resins are better than others at resisting this)you can get a coating that will protest the internals.
however we are working on a range of cafe racer tank cover in carbon or fiberglass which will fit over a standard tank or a purpose made tank
tony

I'd REALLY take issue with your MOT tester Tony, the only check an MOT tester can make is does your tank hold fuel and is it corroded? Unless it is specifically legislated against an MOT tester is not at liberty to fail a componenet because of what 'might happen'.

Unity Equipe sell a complete range of fibre glass tanks http://www.unityequipe.com/CATALOGUEPDF%20Sep-2010.pdf (see page 2) which I'm sure they would not do if they wouldn't pass MOT!

As for petrol eating resin, UK petrol is actually very low in Ethanol which is the major corrosive, but even so you can get tank sealer which forms a liner and protects against the corrosive elements in petrol.

The sky is the limit when working with fibre so don't limit yourselves to tank covers!

will be talking to george today(my mot tester).

will ask him.

Ooops!

Direct quote from the Historic Vehicle Society newsletter No.6 dated 12th December 2010:

Fibreglass fuel tanks
Motorcyclist using fibreglass fuel tanks face special problems. We first needed to know the legal position on the use of these tanks:

"Motorcycles used on the road must comply with Regulation 39 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. This requires that fuel tanks fitted to vehicles first used on or after 1 July 1973 and used to contain petroleum spirit are made of metal. However for a two-wheeled motorcycle first used on or after 1 February 1993 this requirement does not apply.

Instead of complying with the above the vehicle may comply with the requirements of EC directive 70/221 insofar as they relate to fuel tanks or EE Regulation 34 or 34.01. However both of these apply to passenger cars so it is unlikely many, if any, motorcycles are approved to these.

Therefore a two-wheeled motorcycle first used between 1 July 1973 and 31 January 1993 must be fitted with a metal fuel tank if it runs on petroleum spirit.

All new mass produced motorcycles must comply with the European Directive 2002/24/EC which requires fuel tanks to meet Chapter 6 of 97/24/EC. This sets out a range of specific tests for tanks made of materials other than metal including permeability, shock test, mechanical strength, resistance to fuel and fire resistance.

Amateur build motorcycles must meet motorcycle single vehicle approval. No material specifications are given. The tank will be checked to ensure it is secure, does not leak, does not foul moving parts is not positioned near a heat source such that a leak will cause a fire hazard, is not subject to a corrosive environment likely to cause premature failure and is suitable by design to adequately carry out the function for which it is fitted. Additionally the filler cap will be checked for presence, security and that it incorporates an adequate sealing arrangement."

I think the last paragraph says it all, I doubt Carbon Moto will be building tanks for manufacturers, so the term 'Amatuer build' applies.

now that Pauliexjr has cleared this matter up (i will quote you if i get pulled by the police!!!)
i will be making a full carbon tank, i have found a few epoxy resins that are quite resistant to unleaded petrol & will be using a tank sealant as a precaution.
i have the rickman tank cover which i will mould from, i also kept the base from the gs550 so can make moulds from both & bond them together
will keep you updated on this - wont be for a few weeks yet though as i want to get the frame finished , welded & painted
tony

this week i have managed to-
1 get the shock in & mounts tack welded, have made it so i can adjust the ride hight with shims if needed,
2 also get the bracing done around the swinging arm spindle & from the headstock to the new cross member at the front of the frame
3 get the rear wheel central in the frame & the new lower frame cross member is ready to be fitted when i remove the engine (again)
next week will hopefully get all the engine mounts mad & engine fitted properly
4 forget my camera so will take photos & post them monday
tony

Tony, I love item 4, I went all the way to the NEC last year (just on 300 miles from home), dragged the camera out, 2 pics into the day and the battery warning light came on.

That's when I realised the spare batteries were still sitting on the kitchen work top at home, where I had carefully placed them the night before in case of such an incidence.

Old age huh.....now where did I leave my slippers?....Nurse?.....Nurse?

pauliexjr wrote:

Tony, I love item 4, I went all the way to the NEC last year (just on 300 miles from home), dragged the camera out, 2 pics into the day and the battery warning light came on.

That's when I realised the spare batteries were still sitting on the kitchen work top at home, where I had carefully placed them the night before in case of such an incidence.

Old age huh.....now where did I leave my slippers?....Nurse?.....Nurse?

yep i know that feeling, memory going ,eye sight going but not yet suffering from incontinence but im sure that will coming soon!!
& to buy them at the nec (if they had any) would probably cost more than your petrol home, if the food & drinks are anything to go by!!
tony

More pics please.

not much happened here as im very busy actually working
my mate took the frame last week to weld up properly will put pictures on when it returns
have now got an early blade 16" wheel in the front to match the rear
with speedo drive,
will hopefully make spacers up to centralise it & caliper mounting brackets in the next few days
tony

carbon moto wrote:

not much happened here as im very busy actually working
my mate took the frame last week to weld up properly will put pictures on when it returns
have now got an early blade 16" wheel in the front to match the rear
with speedo drive,
will hopefully make spacers up to centralise it & caliper mounting brackets in the next few days
tony

looks good mate i am just building gsxr1100 into one of the norton frames we make

Good luck with the DTT voting, let hope one of our own win it eh, especially a Cafe rather than a bog standard bike, even if it is a minter.