Great job on the bike. Enjoyed reading your posts.  I agree this site is a huge sorce of info. I did the same triple clamp trick (saw it on an old triumph cafe racer years ago) & the Ryca lowering.  4" drop looks amazing but your right- the Ryca lowering meathod is a compromise. Clip ons above the clamp is a nice riding position though.  I like your adjustable fork caps but couldnt find that ebayer. Do u think any 38mm cap will thread on?  Hope to see photos of finished bike. My cafe project took a dramatic turn to a "functional" bobber. Not sure how to put up pics.  Thanks, Bob

Last night I did an "oil" change on my bike. I put oil in quotes as it was really a fuel change. No kidding, I drained over a gallon of fluid out of the crankcase - most of it fuel.

I changed the filter, added two quarts of Shell Rotella and fired her up. It started immediately and settled into a very nice idle. All of the poor running the previous day was a result of too much pressure in the crank case. A few tweaks to the carb and I was on the road.

I love this bike. The power delivery is acceptable and I really like the tall gearing. The riding position is good and the seat is hard (which is not too good). My forks communicate well as I can read every message from the front tire. The brakes suck - bad. That will be the next thing I attack on this bike. From what I have learned in the last 24 hours there are several possibilities to improve the brakes.

Did I mention that I love this bike? I do.

Sorry for the crappy photos.





I should probably get the sticker off the front tire

Rear Brake Light Switch
I hadn’t given enough thought to RYCA’s reuse of the cable and how it’s wrapped around the swingarm to dislike it, but when I saw how Gerry mounted his cable http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv55/lotus23bsr/Public%20Album/Ryca%20CS-1...
I was inspired to copy and improvise on his approach.

I made a bracket out of some scrap 0.125” 2.00 x 1.50 2024 angle that I had left over from my airplane. But after I hung my exhaust I realized that I couldn’t use it. I also had some scrap 0.60 4130 plate and that did the trick.



I noticed that Gerry used a cable from the foot lever to the spring on the switch. I can’t make cables…but I can cut and drill things. So I ordered an AN43B-4 Eye Bolt from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty and replaced the clevis pin with this part and a cotter pin. I then used a M5x100 stainless threaded rod to go between the foot pedal and switch spring. Simple and functional.



Decompression Lever
I’m not a big fan of RYCA’s foot actuated decompression lever. It just looks awkward and tacked-on. I resigned myself to using the simple hand lever and modifying the clutch safety in the wiring harness. Then I came across Dave’s handlebar mounted solution – and knew it was the right way to go. It has design elegance and it reminds me of the big singles I owned in my youth that also had a decompression hand lever (I loved kicking my GN400 to life). I began the process of identifying parts for modification and then one day these magic words appeared on the forum; “I’m thinking of building a few of my levers for sale”. Problem solved – solution in hand. Dave’s handlebar mount is OEM quality and it installed in just minutes.





Since I moved the ignition key to its own location and I was using Gerry's instrument panel, I didn't have any use for the RYCA tank cover other then to use it as...well...a tank cover. I contacted RYCA to see if they could sell a blank/uncut cover, but they don't sell 'em that way. So I asked Gerry to make me a duplicate of the key cover that he made for his bike. I filled the indicator lights with some M10 Button Screws to give the cover more of a fuel cap look. It's better than nothing.



Here's the pilots POV...

Looks good!  The bottom yoke used on top looks much better than I expected.

I suspect the weather is just about to change....and you can soon to the extended Road Test ad see how your fanny likes that tiny seat!  

Kenny G wrote on 03/19/15 at 22:36:15:


Member Gerry made it for me. Contact him to see if he can make more.

I think one of the most frustrating parts of building this bike (not the hardest) was deciding how to route the wires and cables. I got all but one done to my satisfaction - the clutch cable. No matter how I ran it, the 90 degree turn at the clutch lever just always seemed to be in the way. RYCA should offer shorter throttle and clutch cables. Seems to me they are missing an opportunity.



The only way around this was to order a custom cable. On Dave's suggestion I ordered a cable kit from Venhill that was about 6 inches shorter then the OEM cable. The length is perfect and the run is nice and straight. The throttle cable was also too long, but I just wrapped it around the backside of the carb. The photo below was taken before everything was sorted out. I have no idea what the wire running under the choke knob is. Maybe the neutral wire? I don't know, its not there now. But you can see how the throttle cable comes around from the side. This didn't create any friction in its operation. Other methods I tried did.



I also fitted my side covers today. Rather then goop them up with SEM, hold 'em place and pray for the best, I used a few clecos to drill them in place. With two locating holes I was able to bond the cover to the metal support without worry that they would move.



Here's a few shots in better light...

In this one you can see the temporary clutch cable installation.

The brakes on this bike are inadequate. I have a few different brake solutions inbound.

Some time ago Dave modified an SV650 caliper for use on his bike. One thing led to another and he didn't install it. It was sent to Verslagen for testing, but he didn't install it either. This caliper is meant to ride on the OEM 260mm rotor. It is a two piston design and has larger pads to dissipate heat. What isn't known is if the master is properly sized to apply enough clamping force. Further, I don't know how the extension of the mounting bracket will effect how much the caliper flexes.

This week I ordered a RYCAShawn BBK (Big Brake Kit). This kit uses the OEM master, but it operates a four piston caliper from an R1/R6 - squeezing a 320mm rotor. This is a major upgrade and probably overkill - but I like overkill.

Anyway, here's the plan for all three braking systems. I have a long driveway, over 1/4 mile long. The pavement is in excellent condition and is a perfect place for brake testing. I will place two cones on either side of the driveway. I will also layout a 100' tape measure that I have. I will accelerate to 40 mph and apply a strong braking force at the cones. I will conduct each test three times and average the result.

First I'll test the OEM system (as it is already on the bike) and establish a baseline. Then I will install Dave's SV Caliper as it should be a simple swap-out. Finally I will install my final solution, the BBK. While I know that the BBK will easily crush this test, it will be interesting to see how a simple caliper swap effects braking. It will also be interesting to see what 1/2 of a sportbike brake system (there are two front rotors on the R1/R6) will do to this 310 pound bike.

I went to ride my bike yesterday afternoon and couldn't get it started. The battery was strong (well, at least during the first 20 attempts) and I could smell fuel, so that pointed to a spark issue. My concern was that I may have pinched/cut/damaged something during assembly so I removed the side covers, seat and tank. The side covers took about 20 minutes to remove. There is just no room to maneuver between the airfilter, rectifier and side cover. Anyway, everything checked out fine and it turns out it was just a very dead sparkplug.

Tank back on, seat screwed down, side covers...in place...screws in...oops...it fell on the floor...back in place...can't seem to start it...no room to turn...oops back on the floor........

30 minutes later I had the side covers back on. What a crappy design. Really Crappy. REAL CRAP!

So today during lunch I went through the cafe builders section to see what others have done. Both Gerry and Gyrobob complained about, and developed simple solutions to this. So after some thought, so did I.

Here's my how-to to make the sidecovers easy (E A S Y) to install and uninstall. If you are a new RYCA builder and happen to be reading this, just do this.

Step 1. Buy Hardware. I purchased 6-32x1/2 SS screws, 6-32 SS Wing Nuts and #6 SS Lock Washers. Total investment ~$6

Step 2. Thread a screw and lock washer from the inside of the battery box towards the outside. The photo shows two washers to "shorten" the protrusion on the other side of the box. But I think it's too short. Next opportunity I'll remove a washer.





Step 3 (Optional). Drill a 7/16" hole in the lower bracket.



Step 4. Install side covers. Time now about 2 minutes per cover.



I kept the thumb screws in the bottom, that is the reason for the 7/16" hole in the lower bracket. This allowed me to easily locate the lower fastener and slip it into place and then get it almost tight (tight enough to keep it in place, yet loose enough to move from side-to-side). With this done, I simply placed the upper slot on the 6-32 screw and installed the wing nut. Once tightened I was then tightened the thumb screw.

It would work just as well with four studs and four wing nuts, but I wanted to try this method.