[jbranson]

Don't ever build a bike for someone.

I've been putting in about six hours a day trying to finish the bike I'm building for Hiroshi. I quoted him about $3000-3500....turned out to be WAY more work that it should have been. My bike is untouched from last year so far except for parts I've scavenged off of it to finish Hiroshi's. Out of the quoted price comes about $2500 in parts. I've got about 120 hours into it....I'm screwed...at this point I just want to get paid for the parts and forget I ever saw the thing. I could have had a nice relaxing winter, slowly tweaking our bikes to the next stage...now I'll be lucky to make the first race.

Ever think about what would go into a turn key race bike? I have to be able to hand this thing to Hiroshi...he rolls it into tech and goes racing. Nothing unfinished, nothing half ass, nothing that breaks, falls off or leaks. Totally untested, I'll just have time to fire up the engine and run it down the road a few times. If I fire it up and it drops a valve, or hangs a ring, or has a bad crank bearing...I'm doubly screwed. I built an entirely new engine, fabricated intakes, entire exhaust system, rear sets, fairing mounts, seat, PVL system, cables, tach mount, belly pan, cylinder head and frame mods. Nothing is half ass, everything quick change, lock-wired, lock-nutted and adjusted to a Tee. Spare pegs, jet kit, plugs, seals, gaskets, trap-disks, special nuts and bolts, and an owners manual I typed up with part numbers, suppliers, instuctions.

Just wanted to bitch to someone for the stupid decision I made....Mary told me to say no...but it flattered my ego that someone wanted me to build them a bike so I said yes. Six months of my life gone for about $5/hr. I seriously wouldn't do it again for less than $6,000. And for that price you'd be way better off getting a nice RS125.

And the freakin bike could blow up in the first practice...and where does that leave me? Either $3000 in the hole, or minus a good friend.
JohnnyB

 

[UngaWunga]

quote:
Don't ever build a bike for someone.

Damn sorry... That's probably why he asked you to build one, because he knew you were an anal beatch. And I mean that in a good way.

Very few other bike builders would include a manual and extensive spares, especially for a vintage racebike.

 

[jbranson]

What really irks me is it's put together better than any of my own race bikes.
Think of the shame if it siezes and axle or something and throws him down, I won't be able to sleep for weeks.
JohnnyB

 

[joe c]

wanna build me a race bike??? seriously, i dont need you as a friend, and would love a new bike.

eh....thats what i have chris m for.


jc

 

[texmawby]

ehhhhmmm,

joe,

hate to burst your bubble, but i asked (begged) chris this weekend to work on your bike for you. he was pretty specific when he said that he isn't working on anyone's bike anymore unless they pay big money. perhaps you should consider felatio.

tex

p.s.- as the skulls say, blow me!

 

[joe c]

my entire post was a joke. and chris has offered to help but i think my repeated denial has finally worked. and even if he had time, i dont think i could afford him. now jb i hear is way cheap and turns out nothing but top quality pieces. i'll get my bike running well again. i just need the time to do it. im actually thinking about it all again. have a pile of cas comming in the next couple of weeks, so i think i might put it into my new motor.

waaa waaa....blah blah blah.

jc

 

[joe c]

oh yeah, jb, i think chris charges about 3000/3500 for a mildly tuned cb350 motor. carbs cam porting etc....just the motor. and frank had a hard time running it the first weekend out. turned out it had a fucked up valve or vave seat so compression was way down on one side. he didnt find out til showwing up at daytona with it. (which i think he barely made) and i know he did one for jack booth, but he ran some pretty serious supertrapps which just suffocated the thing. so you were way out there. and yeah, youre spot on with the worry about getting on it and going right off. then there is always the issue of a warrantee. if it blows a ring or something midway through the season.the cool thing is im sure its absolutely beautiful. so it'll be an eye catcher even just sitting still. maybe you can trick him into thinking that was 350000 yen.

jc

 

[jbranson]

Just got back from a machinist friends house who punched out some jugs to take bigger liners....he had no problem charging me the going shop rate...$240 bucks.

I made it pretty clear to Hiroshi already that I'm NOT his mechanic. He gets the bike, he runs it a practice and a race and it's his baby. These are 30+ year old machines...if it drops the head off an OEM Honda valve....well shit happens like that.

Luckily with most Hondas if it runs good the first few laps chances are it will run quite a while. Valves are touchy though...they were never meant to take the abuse we give them. A head can just drop off from a tiny factory flaw that would never be evident on a street bike. A seat can loosen up with no indication that there was anything at all wrong. It's a toss of the dice....I guess that's why people charge big money...they have to pay when the toss turns up snake eyes.
JohnnyB

 

[joe c]

yeah, and the more you go to hipo parts, the worse it gets. franks valves are ti. and they had some kind of distortion in them that fucked it all up. or the other way around. and this is the real reason chris wont build motors for anyone. it is a pain in the ass. especially when youre building a real race motor. waa waa waaaa.

jc

 

[jbranson]

Hiroshi's bike is fired up and running. Everything looks good so far. No smoke, no leaks, no bad noises.
Road testing in a day or so.
JohnnyB

 

[joe c]

hey put up a pic or movie of it will ya???


jc

 

[jbranson]

Took this pic a week ago, now the pipes are done, fairing mounts, fuel lines, catch tanks etc.
JohnnyB

 

[aaron]

Yetman frame? or cut stock frame?

Aaron
I for see another parts bike at the track.

 

[imslow]

those carbs are at quite an angle

 

[bfd]

Nice looking bike JohnnyB.
bfd

 

[jbranson]

Frame is modified stock.

The carbs are the Keihin PE24's...you can run them at a pretty good angle. More modern float design that the old school Keihins. Pretty consistant carbs...I set the idle air, idle screw and jets the same as my engine using the same carbs (main jet one size down on the this bike)...and the bike fired right up and runs well...just had to up the idle speed about half a turn.

Bill...got the clutch cable part...thanks a bunch.

JohnnyB

 

[texmawby]

johnny b,

sweet bike! i want one. i'm a little low on funds, but my credit is good.

how about a pic with the pipes!

tex

 

[jbranson]

I'll post one later tonight.

Pipes are sweet, best looking set I've made so far.

I really want to try a set of 2-1 high pipes sometime, flat tracker style. Not sure if my bender will do a tight enough radius, but it would look cool if I could do it. Equal length primaries are pain on high pipes. It would solve my belly pan issues though.

I'd also like to try a set of Stainless pipes but the materials are hard to find...even regular mild steel in 1.125" OD and 18ga are hard to find...so far I get it from "Headers by Ed" but it ends up about $5 a foot by the time I get it to my door. After waste it takes about 8 feet to do a set of pipes. 2-2 systems would be a freakin breeze after doing 2-1. Takes me as much time to make the collector as the rest of the system combined.
JohnnyB

 

[imslow]

And is that a stock Honda tach? Or temporary? I was wondering if you found a substitute for the Shitsu. I still have m ine, but after seeing what you did to yours last year I'd like a substitute for track days etc.
s

 

[jbranson]

Yep that's a stock Honda tach...I'm already into this bike for $2500 in parts....not going to add much trick stuff.

Here's another couple of pix showing the exhaust system.