My new Project: R65

[Crapaud]

I have the headlight brackets surplus to requirements. I also have some from a R80/7 which may also be of use to you. Drop me a pm for more details.

Eventually finished the foot rests after lots of cutting, filing and welding (and lots of swearing). I've got a lot better with the welding but it still needs a bit of finishing off to tidy it up afterwards.

Then realised that the brake pedal wouldn't fit with new pags. So more adjustments and eventually it came together. With the swingarm being extended by 100mm,the brake rod will also need to be replaced with a longer one.

Got the subframe completed and fitted the KTM rear mudguard. Still not 100% sure of this so may travel to the Dirt Bike Show next week and have a look at what is available.

Next major issue is the seat. I need something that is BMW compatable at the front but can fit on a narrow KTM subframe. Again this looks like a custom build one-off. I've spent many hours with bits of sheet metal and some foam and finally have something that should sort of match up to the BMW tank. There is a guy locally who can recover seats so I'll have to give it to him to finish it off.

Dropped the frame, footrests and swingarm down to the powder coaters. Decided on a nice navy blue colour that they had just used on some steel beams that were awaiting collection. I've learnt my lesson from previous powder coatings and this time made sure that all bolt holes and stearing stem were blanked off.

Will take a break from this for next week until frame etc is collected.

 

[Crapaud]

Good progress this week

Two important bits of progress this week

Firstly, I drove up to the Dirt Bike Show at Stoneleigh yesterday to get a few bits and pieces. Show is on until Sunday pm and well worth a visit.

Bought a new headlight unit as the little one I had purchased before was not road legal and I need bike to be road registered. Company called MD Racing were brilliant and can supply all plastics needed. Got a nice enduro headlamp with led sidelights that I might convert to indicators. Also got a decent front mudguard from them. Dropped my shock absorber into MH Racing and he is going to completely refurbish it and fit a much heavier duty spring to allow for the fact that the bike is heavier than a KTM and secondly that I am a fat bastard. He will allow for 100kg of me in all my racing gear and an extra 20kg for good measure.

This morning I drove down to the powder coaters and collected my frame, swingarm and my home made footrests. Wow, they have done a fantastic job and well worth the money. Done in a lovely navy blue.

I've spent many hours in my lovely workshop carefully starting to put it all back together. So far I'm only working on the front end but it is starting to look like a bike.











Next week, I might even offer up the engine to the frame but first I want to ensure that the engine is 100% cleaned up first. Remember bike is being built to race, not for show. I met the guys from Rally Raid Challenge at the show and promised them that I would be back racing with this bike next season.

 

[Crapaud]

Lots more progress.

Sorted out front end completely. Bought heavy duty tube which was an absolute bastard to fit. Found a brand new set of TKC 80 tyres in the correct sizes just lying about in my stock I think I might have originally bought them for my KTM 640 and not used them but they are perfect size for my Honda/BMW/KTM.

Fitted the Honda Nissan brakes and they work beautifully, this bike is going to have some seriously good brakes.

I have painted the fork lowers in white and fitted some blue fork gaiters to protect the forks.

Found a decent set of spot lights as I'll need extra lighting for doing Dawn to Dusk next year. I stripped them down and resprayed them in a matching blue to the headlight fairing. Made up light alloy mounting brackets for the spotlights and very pleased with the results.

Cleaned up engine and couldn't decide on whether to paint up rocker covers in black or blue. As I had two sets, I decided to do one set in each colour. Only problem was when I fitted them to consider which I preferred. I now have two blue ones both marked "L" for left and two black ones marked "R" for right. Don't know how they got mixed up but I love the blue colour (yes, it is special heat resistant paint) so I'll just have to repaint one of the black ones. When I went to bolt up the rocker covers I noticed that the central stud was missing on one side It must have come out when I originally removed the nut and of course I can't find it now. Another thing to add to the list of bits needed from James Sherlock.

Before I could refit the engine, I needed to remove the frame from my custom made jig it was held in. Luckily, I have a roof mounted pulley system so it was relatively easy to hoist it up and then place the rolling chassis on axle stands.

Finally after lots of huffing and puffing, I slotted the engine back in to the frame. I deliberately left the protective wrapping on from the powder coaters to stop any knocks and scratches as I moved it around.

Considered refitting the new extended drive shaft into the extended swinging arm but I appear to have also mislaid the circlip that holds it in place.

Still got many, many hours of work to get it done. I may have under estimated the amount of work (and money) that the entire project would consume but I love ever moment of it.

Will take some more photos of work in progress tomorrow. Spent entire day in workshop today from first thing this morning until SWMBO called me in this evening.

 

[Crapaud]

Steady progress today. Managed to get both engine mounting bolts/rods in very easily with the correct spacers in place including the one for the side stand on the front left. Original sidestand is going to be far too short but I've found a much longer GS one in yet another box of airhead bits.





Gearbox also went in smoothly without scratching the lovely blue frame coating.



Found stud for rocker cover so that is now sorted. And I've sorted out the correct L and R covers in blue.



Once the engine was in I realised that the front mudguard was fouling the front of the engine so needed to make up new mounting brackets. Used the same alloy "L" section as used for spotlights. Sprayed these up in matching blue. Bit cold in the workshop for spraying but had a heat gun on the whole time which seemed to have helped. I did consider moving everything into the house but decided SWMBO might not approve if I sprayed her nice kitchen in navy blue. One of our six cats wouldn't stay away whilst I was spraying so he now looks like an elderly blue rinse Tory supporter.



Refitted the footrests and gear change linkage was now too short. Managed to get footrests at right height and machined new linkage to get lever to correct level.

Had a bit of a tidy up of the remaining bits and think I have everything else I took off the original bike. Bits still needed to buy include:
1. Rear KTM mudguard in white (to replace the orange one that I "borrowed" from the 300 EXC).
2. Nuts for rear drive UJ joint.
3. Circlip and spacer for drive shaft.
4. Exhaust flanges as I cut off the originals.
5. Rear wheel rebuild
6. Small speedo/tacho
7. Get rear shock returned.
8. K&N air filters

Biggest task will probably be sorting out all the electrics. At least I have plenty of time to work through it all slowly.

 

[DrFarkoff]

8. K&N air filters

Is that wise if you intend off roading ??

The airbox arrangement whilst not as Kinky offers support to rear of the carbs and also prevents them sucking in liquid if you hit a river crossing badly?

Just an Idea

 

[Crapaud]

Is that wise if you intend off roading ??

The airbox arrangement whilst not as Kinky offers support to rear of the carbs and also prevents them sucking in liquid if you hit a river crossing badly?

Just an Idea

Fair comment. Nothing is cast in stone. One reason for K&Ns was simply that I was going to use the old airbox space for the battery as the original battery space has been partly taken up by the centrally mounted shock. I have an Odyssey battery which is smaller than standard but still need to find somewhere to locate it.

I welcome any constructive comments from anyone on here.

 

[Kenny]

I'm with ditching the K & N's if being used offroad/aggressively etc., they really would flap around and go AWOL !

 

[SeanW]

Fair comment. Nothing is cast in stone. One reason for K&Ns was simply that I was going to use the old airbox space for the battery as the original battery space has been partly taken up by the centrally mounted shock. I have an Odyssey battery which is smaller than standard but still need to find somewhere to locate it.

I welcome any constructive comments from anyone on here.

remove starter motor / fit kickstart 'box. put battery in space vacated by starter motor (with a bit of trimming of the sm cover). keeps weight central and saves you several kilos (it is an off road bike after all)

 

[DrFarkoff]

Back to points and an earlier gearbox! if you want that to work every time!

Besides Sid being of a certain shall we say "maturity" should not be left in a position where he's just stalled, (it can happen even to the best of us!)

Squashed his nads on his one off seat and is left with the indignity of maybe having to kick start the fecker whilst nursing swollen nads???

Sid, another suggestion if I may ???? Make sure extra nad protection is in place for such an occasion

remove starter motor / fit kickstart 'box. put battery in space vacated by starter motor (with a bit of trimming of the sm cover). keeps weight central and saves you several kilos (it is an off road bike after all)

Looking at the set up I thought You may be able to install the battery in the zone behind the shock but in front of the mudgaurd but I think yours has a fixed external reservoir? Maybe space the mudgaurd vertically down following the wheel line but giving you space for the battery

Can odyssey not be mounted flat? <- I really don;t know but the are an absorbed glass mat therefore angle of dangle should be immaterial?

 

[SeanW]

oh, does that mean you can only fit a kickstart box to a certain earlier vintage of engine?

or is it some R65-specific weirdness?

 

[DrFarkoff]

No But the earlier /5 and /6 models an old hand could get them started nearly every kick

I have never seen that level of success with the later bikes Production R 80 / 100 bikes

oh, does that mean you can only fit a kickstart box to a certain earlier vintage of engine?

or is it some R65-specific weirdness?

 

[Crapaud]

More good progress today.

Fitted LHS switchgear.



Wiring is SO much nicer than on the old pre 1980 /7 series.

RHS was a bit more involved.


The original throttle assembly also contained the front brake lever etc whereas the Honda Nissin brakes has a different master cylinder. Might need to fit a new throttle assembly and then a separate starter motor switch. I'll have a look around a breakers to see what might be suitable.

I decided that the comments above about K&Ns were right so I refitted the airbox followed by the carbs, throttle cables and choke cables.




Next, the electrics!



Laid the wiring loom along the top frame and easily plugged in the obvious connections. At this point I wished I had taken more photos when I stripped it all down. I simply can't remember exactly where each relay etc should be fastened to the frame.

Does anyone have any photos of R65 wiring under the tank?

Finally, thought about battery mounting. I don't think Odyssey can be mounted on its side and I don't fancy spending lots of money on a lithium so I decided to find somewhere else.

As suggested above, I think there will be room in the space behind the shock absorber within the KTM subframe. On the KTM the space is used for a massive foam airfilter so I think I should be able to fix up some battery mount in the space.

 

[digga]

Sid
Do you like mushrooms by any chance?

 

[Crapaud]

Sid
Do you like mushrooms by any chance?

You'll have to explain that one to me???

I've tried to think of all the mushroom related jokes but drawn a blank.

1. Yes, I can be a bit of a fun guy / fungi

2. Not mush room for a battery in there?

3. Or something to do with being in the dark and fed on manure? Yes, my workshop is in a mess and it is a bit dark in there?

Give up. Do tell.

 

[Rob Farmer]

It's probably the psychedelic colour scheme Sid. On par with Johnny "fancy pants" boxers off road trousers

Not a criticism at all as your still bribing it together

 

[Packer]

If river crossings and deep water are part of the projected riding I'd extend that air inlet right up to the headstock. A tidal wave up the front of the engine and channeled under the saddle tank won't be too conducive to sustained engine life.

Could you fit two small batteries instead of one big one? Low down either side of the shocker? 2 x 6 volts in series or 2 x 12 volts in parallel?

 

[Crapaud]

Kevan, I agree about the air intake. I have something like that on my 1100GS to cope with deep water fording so I'll fix up a couple of pipes to prevent a bow wave flooding the intakes.

Not a lot of visual progress today as I spent most of the time simply cleaning up the wiring loom so that I could better identify exactly what colours the wires were supposed to be. The Haynes manual never seems to be 100% correct but it's close enough between the early and later models R65. I tied on little tags to various wires so that I'll know what they connect to. Sorted most of the big bits and fitted the coils and HT leads. Tidied up the throttle and choke cables and adjusted the slack.


Refitted the spot lights as I wasn't happy with my first attempt. That is happening a lot as I keep finding better and neater ways of doing things.



Fitted the RHS exhaust as rose clamp is OK on that side. Mocked up where the silencers will go.





I want them to be at the same angle as the rear subframe to make it visually correct. Not sure if I'll be able to hide them under the KTM rear panels but might be able to if I fit enough heat protection between silencers and plastic panel.

As always, all constructive comments from fellow Tossers very much appreciated. That is part of the reason for posting on here, so that you lot can take the p!ss and tell me where I'm going wrong.

No more work now until Monday as SWMBO has just come home. I can play in the workshop all week whilst she is out at work but must devote the weekends to her. She wants to buy a bigger horse so she is cutting me a lot of slack these days to spend time and money on the bike.

 

[Roger Chatterton]

Hi Sid as far as I understand matters(?!) you
Can fit an Odyssey flat on its side - they are
designed for marine and aircraft use and to
fit in difficult spaces. Check their website though
as I could be wrong.
Also, what might be if interest- I have just finished
fitting a Boyer Bransden electronic ignition
to my 100'GS PD, to suit the twin plugging and
Dynatek coils. Well worth considering.
Dynatek coils are an improvement if nothing else!
Not sure about the blue rocker covers though,
but I just don't have your excellent colour awareness ;-) !!

 

[DrFarkoff]

Sid may I suggest refitting the swingarm before making any fixings of the cans ??


Looking good though

 

[MickDB1]

Just to add a bit Sid
Would it be possible to fit a "box" onto the standard air filter housing that would accommodate
1 the odyssey on its side
and also have the "box" have cut into the top or sides -
A higher air intake/snorkel do dah thats less likely to scoop water as the standard 2 tubed or K&N option
( you could use the K&N filters in end of yer snorkel set-up at a more suitable height/position)
Just maybe giving you more headaches - but someone once said all ideas are gooduns till proven otherwise later
Mick