DS1000SS Nekkid Roadster Build

[Howie]

I was really enjoying watching this bike come together.

Hope you can post the finished bike.

Perhaps he was just giving credit where credit was due.

Me too. 

[kopfjäger]

.

[Nekkid Tim]

Me too.  

I'll continue to post my progress.  I'll be more circumspect about my comments in the future.  It wasn't my intention to offend anyone at all, and I certainly regret coming across as antagonistic to fellow forum members.

I sent the following private message to Wzed regarding his issues with this thread:

"Hey Dave,

   sorry I came across as so antagonistic and offensive.  I really do like Donnie and he really has been a good resource for me over several decades.  I'm really sorry that you and others have had such a bad time with him and that it left such hard feelings.  

   I'll refrain from mentioning sources and resources [except in the most general sense, i.e "had someone else do it" or "contracted it out"] in the future, since everyone has different experiences and opinions about different resource providers.

Regards,

Tim"

He did not respond.  I do notice that he has no problems posting name brands and suppliers in his own posts.

[oldndumb]

Me too. 

Me too, too. 

[Nekkid Tim]

I think it's going to be a lot of work to get this bike down to my target wet weight.  My track bike version weighs 337 pounds with two gallons of fuel on board (on a certified race scale) and that's without headlight, turn signals, mirrors, horn, rear fender, taillight, handlebar switchgear, etc, and with a full race exhaust system with titanium mufflers.

So I ordered a bunch of the same titanium and lightweight parts that I installed on my track bike; including titanium engine mount bolts and a lightweight front axle.

I'm not sure where else I can save weight on this bike; but at this point I'm content to wait until I get it together and weigh it, to see how close I am to 360 pounds.

Alternatively I could lose the 20~25 pounds that I need to lose, but how much fun would that be?

UPDATE May 2016:  The bike weighs under 345 pounds, ready to go except for gas.  Much better than I had dared to hope!

[ducpainter]

You'll be faster if you lose the load you're carrying.

[Nekkid Tim]

You'll be faster if you lose the load you're carrying.

Yes, but that applies more to the track bike than to this street bike; I'm already sketchy when it comes to how fast I can go on the street!!!!

[Nekkid Tim]

520 chain conversion kit arrived yesterday.  Decided to go with a 15/43 combination, because I'll probably never have this bike over 100mph and I want it to have the front wheel in the air at every opportunity.   

[fragile_this_side_up]

Nice. I hope to see this bike in person, because, well, i'm close enough.

[Nekkid Tim]

I hope to finally get a chance to do some more work on the bike this weekend.  I have to work Saturday morning, but hope to install the front wheel & brakes, the front fender, the seat/tail unit and rear fender, the chain and sprockets, and ....  hope to install these goodies that arrived yesterday:


(I apologize in advance for the prominence of the brand name on the packaging; I wasn't ready to take them out of the packages yet, and the name is displayed on both sides of each bag.)

Untitled by s4rsrider, on Flickr

Titanium engine mount bolts with nuts and washers, lightweight aluminum front axle, Ti brake caliper mounting bolts, front axle pinch bolts, clutch cover bolts, rear brake linkage, gearshift pivot bolt, sidestand pivot bolt, rear brake pivot, front axle nut, and rear sprocket nuts.  The brake rotor retaining bolts are on back order.

Doesn't really save all that much weight, but they make the bike seem better/nicer/cooler to me, and that's really the point of building a special, anyway, isn't it?

[MotoPsycho]

A pound is a pound is a pound. It all matters. If it turns or reciprocates then it has value.

[Nekkid Tim]

Progress is being made.   Not much for photos, though.  The  old steel front axle was a very reluctant fit within the bearings of the oem front wheel; worse when inserted through the forks.   No obvious signs of damage, but I suspect that this particular axle came from one of my AMA Moto-ST endurance racing bikes, and as such, was subjected to quick-change wheel/tire swaps, and might be subtly distorted as a result.  Never mid, the light alloy TPO front axle arrived, and it slipped into the bearings and the front fork with no issues.   So the front wheel is back on the bike, and the bike is off the front stand.  I also loosely installed the handlebar controls and the new 749/999 radial master cylinders on the bars.  Sitting (carefully) on the bike, I can already tell that I won't be using the Flanders Superbike bend handlebar; additional rise and pullback is required for the seating position I want.   I picked up a used GT1000 handlebar last night from a local Ducati owner, but it is almost EXACTLY the same bend as the Flanders bar, and not nearly as pretty; so that is not the answer.

I took my S4Rs out for one last ride in the configuration that I modified to fit me......

Most of the work, however, has been in getting the S4Rs ready to sell, and by extension, retrieving a number of special parts from it that will be installed on the project.  Specifically, a Shift-Tech carbon fiber Monster headlight bucket, a pair of carbon fiber headlight support ears (duplicates of the late model monster parts; don't recall the manufacturer), and the longer clutch and brake braided stainless steel lines that I had custom made for the Monster when I originally changed out the handlebars and risers ... a million years ago; it seems.   With help from a friend, I re-installed the oem Monster right handlebar switchgear (I'll be re-using the European-spec switch assembly that permits selecting  headlight "on/city/off" on the project bike), headlight, headlight support brackets, bar risers, handlebar, and clutch and brake lines.   Sounds like a small, easy task, but fiddly and time-consuming, really.   I took the day off work to get it done, and it took almost the entire day.   Still need to re-fill and bleed the brakes and clutch.

Next up will be reinstalling the oem rider footpeg/controls, rear fender, beer tray, side covers, chain guard and counter shaft sprocket cover, then taking the bike to a franchised Ducati dealer for a full service, before listing it for sale.

I really want to find the right handlebars for the project bike; I'm looking at everything from Flanders flat track bars to vintage British (Triumph and Norton, early 1970's) bends, to 1979-1983 Honda and Kawasaki and Suzuki oem bends.   I think I'm overdosing on center width, rise, pullback, and overall width measurements!

Tim

[stopintime]

Did you study the 3 or 4 Rizoma options?

[Nekkid Tim]

Did you study the 3 or 4 Rizoma options?

For 7/8" bars?   I thought they were all the larger diameter bars?

[stopintime]

They have one 22mm model and it's 23 degrees sweep angle (compared to stock tapered bars, at 18)

(download their catalog to see the measurements)