This will be the slowest build thread in history!!!

[Bandon]

Still waiting on some parts to arrive. So, I got bored and thought maybe I'd have a go at making a rear seat cowl. I'm fairly handy with glass and have done plenty of custom car stereo boxes/enclosures. So, what the heck, right?

I started by making a rough template/mold... Whatever, with some crappy foam from walmart.



Then, I sanded that down into the approximate size and shape I was looking for.



Then (and I didn't take any pictures of this) I covered the mold with blue painters tape and coated the entire surface with plenty of turtle wax. Only thing I had for a release agent. Before I go any further, let me just say that this is not my own idea. I got the idea from a video of a guy making a one off cafe seat. Ok, so, after coating all of the tape with wax, I laid down some resin, fiberglass on top of that, another layer of resin and so on. Three sheets of glass and it's pretty stiff. You can see that some of the tape is still stuck to the inside. This was after 2 sheets. Just checking the fit. You can see some air bubbles in the back part. I screwed that part up/ But before doing the third layer of glass, I pulled those two pieces apart a little, and filled the gap with some resin, mixed pretty hot. It filled in nicely.



Anyway, just thought I'd share. It's out in the garage with a layer of body filler on it. I'll probably let it sit til tomorrow before I start sanding. I'll post some more pics as it progresses.

[yamaha_george]

Bandon,
Now that kinda "what the heck , let me just try something " is something I love to see.

Is what you have done so far meant as a "final" item or as the mould for the real item ?

[Bandon]

I'm treating it as the final item. At least for now. I might make a vacuum form of it in the future, just in case there's ever a need for another, or if it turns out good enough and other people need/want one. But then, that would require me to make a vacuum former. Hmmmm.... I think I may make one anyway... Great idea, George!

[Bandon]

Sanding down to final (ish) shape and fit.

Still needs some work. I intentionally left the front about 1/8" short. Planning on making a little pad out of some heavy rubber/foam that i have. Hoping to have this little side project ready for paint before the rest of my stuff gets in this week. I'm really not waiting on much. Just a few things. Then, I have to convince myself to get out there and put it all back together.

[yamaha_george]

Bandon,
either in Gearheads & Guru's or may be on my useful stuff list on my site there is a novel vacuum set up (originally for Carbon fibre stuff) using polythene bags and an old but functioning fridge "motor".

I have used such a set up for "de-gassing" lay ups of C F & fibreglass body work.

What you have done looks good and will be fine working BUT it will be heavier than a"final" item layed up from a F'glass & Bondo "buck".
I can see that you are going to have some interesting stuff to show us all Keep up the innnovations.

[Bandon]

Awesome. Thanks for the input. I'll check that out. I've seen several simple designs using a shop-vac. I'm sure I'll eventually get around to building one for the purpose of one small thing and it'll sit in the corner until I need it again in 10 years. On the other hand, if I had one available, I'm sure I'd find things to use it for.

Don't get too excited about seeing any of my "innovations." My genius streak runs about 1/2" wide and maybe twice as long.

[nicrod]

RADICAL MAN!!!!!
I am going to do some similiar stuff!
your puttin in some mad work!
I feel like my build should have your title! ....

[Bandon]

Ugh. The more I dig into this thing, the more shocked I am that the previous owner didn't beef it and die. I caught a wild hair and decided to walk out to the garage and have a look at the front brake pads/calipers. There was barely anything left on the pads. One of them was worn considerably more on the rear of the pad. Which tells me (not that I know anything about brakes) that it was only getting pressure from the rear piston. With all the pads removed, I gave the lever a few squeezes. Only one out of four piston moved at all on the left caliper. None on the right moved at all. I gave it a few more pulls on the lever and only that one piston moved. Now, I'm no mechanic. But, I'm guessing that this isn't a good thing. So, add rebuilding calipers to the list.

[GreyImport]

Im sure a rebuild would be a good thing but have u compressed all the pistons equally into the calipers? .....are they actually stuck ?

Use something like this http://www.specfast.com.au/stronghand-u ... hroat.html with something across both pistons so they move equally.
Make sure the fluid isnt max in the master or it will spill out.
Have u bled them to see if fluid is flowing freely?

[Camala_Pillion]

Ugh. The more I dig into this thing, the more shocked I am that the previous owner didn't beef it and die.{SNIP} Only one out of four piston moved at all on the left caliper. None on the right moved at all. I gave it a few more pulls on the lever and only that one piston moved. Now, I'm no mechanic. But, I'm guessing that this isn't a good thing. So, add rebuilding calipers to the list.

Bandon,
welcome to the wonderful world of second hand vehicles!!

I will say it here so others may know that some place on this site is a piece Y-G wrote (and others have added to I,m sure ) about what you MUST do, to check a bike before you trust throwing a leg over it and riding it.

I would add that some where Y-G also said that when you first get the bike BUY a hard covered notepad add the bikes details to the fly leaf THEN change every bit of fluid on the bike with quantities and weight (of oil) & PUT THE DATE and the "alledged " mileage from the clock!

Now you have a base line to work from PLUS you know that it is all i place (having received a bike with no tranny oil ! I kid you not.!!! Good job Y-G taught me to be thorough

OK so now you know ..........................

[Bandon]

Oh, I know. The reason I say I'm surprised that the guy isn't dead is because I know the way he rides. I had confidence that the bike would carry me along fine at 15-20 mph in my neighborhood while I worked out a few things. But, there's no way in hell I would have taken it for any kind of "spirited" ride. Yes, I can see the flawed logic in this. I understand that a malfunction/failure at any speed can cause serious injury or damage. But hey, at least I sport the gear, even at 20 mph.

Good news is, I've identified everything that needs work and I'm well on my way to getting it all sorted. I never really thought of keeping a running tab of what's been done and when. Being in the military, you'd think something like that would be second nature to me. We document EVERYTHING. I'm definitely going to do that. Thanks for the tip.

[Bandon]

Im sure a rebuild would be a good thing but have u compressed all the pistons equally into the calipers? .....are they actually stuck ?

Use something like this http://www.specfast.com.au/stronghand-u ... hroat.html with something across both pistons so they move equally.
Make sure the fluid isnt max in the master or it will spill out.
Have u bled them to see if fluid is flowing freely?

I haven't really gotten too far into them. Just noticed that they aren't moving. I'll give this a go and see what's what. But, it's relatively cheap to rebuild the calipers. And going off of the research I've done, it doesn't seem to be all that daunting of a task either. Plus, they need a SERIOUS cleaning. They've got years of road crud on them along with a very poor paint job that's mostly chipped off.

[Bandon]

Im sure a rebuild would be a good thing but have u compressed all the pistons equally into the calipers? .....are they actually stuck ?

Use something like this http://www.specfast.com.au/stronghand-u ... hroat.html with something across both pistons so they move equally.
Make sure the fluid isnt max in the master or it will spill out.
Have u bled them to see if fluid is flowing freely?

I haven't really gotten too far into them. Just noticed that they aren't moving. I'll give this a go and see what's what. But, it's relatively cheap to rebuild the calipers. And going off of the research I've done, it doesn't seem to be all that daunting of a task either. Plus, they need a SERIOUS cleaning. They've got years of road crud on them along with a very poor paint job that's mostly chipped off.

Holy crap! Never mind. I just saw what a rebuild kit costs. Double that, and I might as well get some used Blue Dots. Hopefully I won't need to do either. For all I know, they just need to be serviced and bled. Could be nothing but air in there. But if that's the case, the fluid had to get out one way or another, right? I'll dig into them here in a little while and report back my findings.

[nicrod]

so those blue dots bolt on to the 600 forks directly??
damn I might as well just snag some ofthose too!

[Bandon]

so those blue dots bolt on to the 600 forks directly??
damn I might as well just snag some of those too!

To my understanding, if you've got '90 and up forks, yes. But, check on that first with someone who knows their a-hole from their elbow. Cause I sure don't.

Good news is, I did as suggested above and the pistons seem to move somewhat freely. Obviously there was some pressure behind them. But they went back in smoothly. When I looked in the res, there was no fluid. Imagine that. They probably haven't been serviced in years. So, as soon as i get some pads, I'll top it off and bleed the system. Should be good to go.

I'd really like to get some new rotors. But a nice set would cost me as much as the whole bike did. Well, maybe not. But pretty darn close. I guess manufacturers know that brakes are perhaps the single most important safety feature of any motor vehicle and as a result feel obliged to let that reflect in the astronomical prices. Or, maybe I'm just a tight wad.