Build Your Own *l$%#y Custom

[Count Steer]

Weeksy kindly posts daily custom builds which generate a fair amount of interest - usually:
'Meh'
'The original was better'
'Waste of a good xyz'
'Shame about the hole/brown seat/exhaust/tyres....'
'For bearded hipsters/fat blokes in camo pants...'

So the 'Steer Foundation for Grumpy Bikers' has donated 4000 Soapy tenners for the lucky winner of 'Design Your Own Custom' to spend at the chop shop of your choice. Whatcha gonna build? (Includes 1 year free bike valet services at 'Sweeky Kleen OCD Bike Valet')

I like 'sleepers'. The sort of bike you all sneer at at the lights, just before it hoists one, leaves a black stripe down the road and disappears into the distance, so a K1000RR engine in a Deauville should do nicely. No paint job needed so it's all engine and suspenders work.

[weeksy]

It's an excellent question and for me https://www.bikeexif.com/custom-2017-ya ... -supermoto


Is the start of my project. But i'd be throwing on a set of KTM690R forks and yokes. Then i'm going in with an Ohlins/K-tech shock and a Brembo caliper to match up with the 690R forks.

Other than that, i'm pretty much golden with it. It fits what i want, need and like in bikes... if i've got a bigger budget, maybe a set of carbon wheels in there to get rid of some of the weight.

If i'm not building that.... then to be honest i'm going to see Max Hazan


I mean, look at it... it's awesome. According to the blurb, it's 45kg off the weight of a stock 950SM which puts it firmly into the 150 bracket.... Now we're REALLY talking.... a Supermoto with 100bhp and 150kg... mmmmm yes please.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It's sat in my garage currently, has cost more than £4000 so far, will probably never get finished, unreliable and not very nice to ride, I'll post pictures later, it had an outing to a show this year, first time it's moved in about 5 years.

There's two more lurking in the garage, one's not started, ones started reassembly.

They're all money pits, really think about what you're getting into before you start modifying bikes, it's addictive and expensive.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

IMG_29102021_173004_(2000_x_900_pixel).jpg (429.67 KiB) Viewed 502 times

From left to right FZ, waiting to be started, GSX-S, a bike that's reliable and nice to ride, Z1170, an expensive ornament, and just at the bottom you can see the tail of the YPVS

[weeksy]

I don't understand the desire for keeping bikes you don't like, won't finish and don't clearly actually even want ! It's a strange one to me what many of you do. Either own the bike, have it sorted and use it.. or... well, don't. Owning a 'project' for years and years without doing anything with it, seems madness to me.

[Count Steer]

It's an excellent question and for me https://www.bikeexif.com/custom-2017-ya ... -supermoto


Is the start of my project. But i'd be throwing on a set of KTM690R forks and yokes. Then i'm going in with an Ohlins/K-tech shock and a Brembo caliper to match up with the 690R forks.

Other than that, i'm pretty much golden with it. It fits what i want, need and like in bikes... if i've got a bigger budget, maybe a set of carbon wheels in there to get rid of some of the weight.

If i'm not building that.... then to be honest i'm going to see Max Hazan


I mean, look at it... it's awesome. According to the blurb, it's 45kg off the weight of a stock 950SM which puts it firmly into the 150 bracket.... Now we're REALLY talking.... a Supermoto with 100bhp and 150kg... mmmmm yes please.

I don't think there'll be much change out of those 4000 Soapy tenners for that Max Hazan bike.
Looking at his web site there are several jobs.

[weeksy]

I don't understand the desire for keeping bikes you don't like, won't finish and don't clearly actually even want ! It's a strange one to me what many of you do. Either own the bike, have it sorted and use it.. or... well, don't. Owning a 'project' for years and years without doing anything with it, seems madness to me.

Sometimes real life, lack of spare time, lack of funds (or better things to spend it on), working yourself into an early grave etc. gets in the way
Owner of several multi year 'projects'

Yes i get that... .but ... why keep them ? Unless they're active, i don't get it. Once you get past a couple of years without touch it, well is it really that important to you ?

[KungFooBob]

I'd like a Supermoto made from a 70/80's dirt bike.

I've seen some ace XT500's, but I don't think i'd be able to buy a standard XT for £4k.

https://classic-motorbikes.net/yamaha-x ... l-phase-4/

[Count Steer]

It's sat in my garage currently, has cost more than £4000 so far, will probably never get finished, unreliable and not very nice to ride, I'll post pictures later, it had an outing to a show this year, first time it's moved in about 5 years.

Assuming it WAS finished, what would have been done to it?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't understand the desire for keeping bikes you don't like, won't finish and don't clearly actually even want ! It's a strange one to me what many of you do. Either own the bike, have it sorted and use it.. or... well, don't. Owning a 'project' for years and years without doing anything with it, seems madness to me.

Everyone is different, sometimes you just want to own something because you can.
The Suzuki is for riding
The Kawasaki is for fiddling with and is a bit of a show pony
The FZ will become a track bike, it's worth about £750 and I don't need £750, so all the heavy road stuff will get taken off, and it will be ready to rock.
The YPVS is also a track bike and just needs putting back together.

The two bikes I wanted to race in the 80s were a YPVS and an FZ750, I couldn't afford to then, but now I can, I wanted a big Z in 1985, but couldn't afford to run one, now I can.

[Count Steer]

I'd like a Supermoto made from a 70/80's dirt bike.

I've seen some ace XT500's, but I don't think i'd be able to buy a standard XT for £4k.

https://classic-motorbikes.net/yamaha-x ... l-phase-4/

Err...it's £4000*10....we're talking customs here not 6 titanium bolts.

[KungFooBob]

£40k... I'd buy a Panigale and heavily customise it with a works sticker kit.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It's sat in my garage currently, has cost more than £4000 so far, will probably never get finished, unreliable and not very nice to ride, I'll post pictures later, it had an outing to a show this year, first time it's moved in about 5 years.

Assuming it WAS finished, what would have been done to it?

All it now needs is one of the fuel tanks sorting (one has a small leak, the other one has been lined but the lining is coming away) and a new set of cam bearing shells, so not much, it runs and is rideable as it is, it might get some track outings this year as I've sorted the ground clearance issue with some 50mm fork extensions, these will also resolve the tea trolley steering caused by too short forks, it now has the same geometry as the KZ1000S1 works bikes, but with 43mm forks rather than the 38mm forks they had.

I'll put a set of cam bearings in it when the weather gets a bit better, they're only about £100 for a full set and it takes about 3 hours to do.

The biggest problem with it is finding time and somewhere to test modifications, the road isn't the place for race bike testing, and testing a bike at a trackday is also a recipe for disaster as you tend to be a mobile hazard.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Just looked at Cam Bearing prices, they've gone up since I last looked, now £192 for all 16

Relax, found a set for £100, all's well in the Z world

This thread has made me buy a set, so that's a job that'll be done when it's a bit warmer, excellent.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I totally get owning an H1, I had a KH500 and it was horrible compared with a 350LC, no quicker, poor handling and very vibey, but it was a lot of fun, a modified one would be a great thing to own, nice wide spoked supermoto wheels, a set of spannies and a nice paint job, it'd be great, but still shit to ride compared with a modern bike.

[Cousin Jack]

I like the CS approach, and I like the Deauville too. A150 bhp Deauville, with brakes and suspension to match would make an awesome tourer, and might surprise a few at the traffic lights GP.

[The Spin Doctor]

I'd have one of these...

CB500RS.JPG (95.24 KiB) Viewed 399 times

A CB500RS - a real street sleeper.

Take one CB250RS single, and replace the lump with the XL or FT500 motor. I was always tempted, quite a few got built.

[Bigjawa]

I'd have one of these...

CB500RS.JPG

A CB500RS - a real street sleeper.

Take one CB250RS single, and replace the lump with the XL or FT500 motor. I was always tempted, quite a few got built.

From what I remember of the brief time I had the lend of one, the FT500 wasn't much faster

I'd like something like a CRF450 motor in an old NS125R.

[demographic]

I don't understand the desire for keeping bikes you don't like, won't finish and don't clearly actually even want ! It's a strange one to me what many of you do. Either own the bike, have it sorted and use it.. or... well, don't. Owning a 'project' for years and years without doing anything with it, seems madness to me.

Sometimes life just gets in the way but you basically have something you want and they are getting on for silly money. Sell it and you'll never afford another. Sometimes playing the long game with trick parts is good also although that can be a double edged sword.

I pretty much have the bikes I want, one could do with a complete rebuild with a lot of seriously trick bits I own now and they've taken a long time to come round to my hands.
Some of this kind of depends if you consider a paintjob to be the changes you want or if it's much more dunnit.

Can't see em losing value though so its no biggie.

[G.P]

What Bigjawa said, but the CB250RS was an ace little bike - the KTM390 is similar in how agile it is, but the Honda is classier. so even a KTM lump might do the trick?