Topic: K1 Hot Rod the Rat Race, new/old stuff.

[Don R]

Did you ride past to show it off as soon as you fixed it?

My buddy did that with a Corvette he bought cheap from a dealer. Turned out the distributor was in 180° out after a intake manifold upgrade.
We went back to the dealership the next day and smoked the tires while leaving after waving to the salesman that thought he pulled one over us.

 I did better, I knew he still frequented the bike shop near his house for quad runner service, so I gave them the calendar with the bike of the month picture in it. I asked them to show it to him the next time he came in and the shop owner hung the calendar where they wouldn't forget.
  The shop owner assembled what is now my sandcast and a blue green diecast before he left for Vietnam. He found the diecast when he got home bought it and still owns it. By the VIN numbers and from what they can remember, we think my diecast is the third one sold there.

[Don R]

 It's got a jangley noise in it. Since winter is coming, I wanted to see if it could be easily cured. I was worried that the clearanced early cover was contacting the late model clutch, there aren't any apparent rub marks, but I polished up a late clutch cover and swapped it on with a CycleX metal core gasket. A quick test ride revealed the same sound, I think.
 It is going to be nearly 60*F so it's getting ridden more today. Items of concern are the internal chains. I'll remove the exhaust baffle to be sure the fiberglass packing is dry when the riding season is over.

[Don R]

 Recently the Rat Race was called a Cafe racer. For some reason, I felt insulted for the bike. It's more of an OG Hot Rod, has looked mostly like this since the 70's.
 But, I guess I can see it.

[newday777]

Recently the Rat Race was called a Cafe racer. For some reason, I felt insulted for the bike. It's more of an OG Hot Rod, has looked mostly like this since the 70's.
 But, I guess I can see it.

It was probably the hump on the Gulari seat.....

[Don R]

 Agreed. The guy liked it, I think drag bike not that other thing but I admit the resemblance.

 I got a new right control with an off/park/headlamp setting to go with my parking lamp so now I need a left with a high/low beam switch. I really prefer the Marchal headlight to this DSS unit, the park light reflects much better with the led in it. 
 I'm shopping for a left control with a locator pin, I can't make this thing clamp tightly enough to keep the levers equal and my mirror in adjustment. It even has a beer can shim in it.

[RAFster122s]

Double sided sandpaper instead of your beer can shim...
Carpet tape will adhere a couple sheets together easily. If it slips, then pull it...you don't need the clearance increased even more...

[Don R]

  Good plan. I did get to polish some of the Rat Race today and ordered a brake switch for the double disc brakes. 4into1 has some decent 35" one-piece brake lines not too expensive with the fittings.
  I find myself rebuilding parts for bikes that are for down the road someday. I'm assembling a front end for a K0 that I don't intend to ride but it's worth too much to let it rot.

[Don R]

 I got a ride in today, the clutch was dragging me at stop lights by the time I got home. I need to adjust the clutch lifter a bit more, it ran out of adjustment at the lever.
 My cam chain adjustment procedure needs re-checked and then tried again. The motor is still noisy. It may need to come back apart this winter.

[Don R]

   The gas tank is warmed by a light bulb and filled with Evaporust, I've been told it works better than if it's cold. The tank's not scaley but I want to get ahead of a little surface rust. The one I just did must have had an air bubble in it because ahead of the cap it's still rusty.
   A banjo type brake light switch is on the way as is a pair of direct M/C to caliper brake hoses. It's getting the dual drilled discs and F calipers. The single f brake that's on it goes to the drag bike. I need to weld the tabs on a modified speedo drive.

[Don R]

  I got the speedometer drive modified to fit, put the two discs on and got the front tire back on. The right caliper leg had a mud dauber nest in the bottom thread. I had to tap it and flush it. The silver center outlet calipers are on and the brake lines are mocked up. They are a couple inches longer than I need but I can route them to use up the length. I siphoned the fluid out of the M/C and left it draining.

[grcamna2]

   The gas tank is warmed by a light bulb and filled with Evaporust, I've been told it works better than if it's cold. The tank's not scaley but I want to get ahead of a little surface rust. The one I just did must have had an air bubble in it because ahead of the cap it's still rusty.
   A banjo type brake light switch is on the way as is a pair of direct M/C to caliper brake hoses. It's getting the dual drilled discs and F calipers. The single f brake that's on it goes to the drag bike. I need to weld the tabs on a modified speedo drive.

Don,how did your gas tank come out using the Evaporust with the bulb to warm it out in the cold ?

[Don R]

 There is a little staining on the metal but the rust came out well. I flushed with soapy water and then E85 (for the alcohol) and lastly coated with no alcohol gas and 2 stroke oil. For now, I left them oiled and will monitor their condition.
  On the more rusty ones I used vinegar first to make the Evaporust last longer. It does a decent job but floats the sticky rust which goes everywhere. It appears like it's worse but does clean off with soapy water and vigorous shaking. I think I had two gallons of cooking vinegar and two gallons of stronger cleaning vinegar. It's a lot cheaper than the Evaporust.
 After treating the tanks I also left the trouble light under the tanks with the cap open for a few hours to be sure they were dry.
  Much of that is likely overkill, I treated 4 tanks, two weren't bad but had a little top rust, I didn't use the vinegar on them.
  I did re-do the two nicer tanks, I noticed they still had rust ahead of the gas cap, there's a lip hangs down from the gas cap opening and it makes an air bubble that you can't get rid of. I put a cap on one and tilted it to allow the bubble to go to the rear so the Evaporust can contact the top front metal.

[Don R]

 It may not stop any better and it's heavier but dang, it looks good.
 I made a right-side rotor fender to match a left once, I'm trying to remember how I did it. I know it took two, to cut up for the parts.
 This was the best use of my hand vacuum pump yet. I wonder if wrapping some Teflon tape over the bleeder threads would help suck the internal air out of the calipers without pulling air through the threads?
  When I used the pump before, it didn't work. I found plugged brake lines twice and another time a plugged-up caliper. 

[seanbarney41]

That front end is looking great, Don...dual drilled discs on Lester wheels are a great combo that should be fun to ride too!

[dragracer]

Bike looks good.  Glad you were able to put some moles on it inspite of the fuel issues. The good thing is you were nevercstranded because you knew how to fix, or bandaid the problems.

Sounds like this will be a fun ride for you when its sorted out completely.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor. You're making me want to start tinkering around with the F1 street bike  project i bought a few years ago

[Don R]

 Thanks guys, for a long time I was pulling all of the non stock parts off of bikes until I ended up with a large collection of stuff. Then I bought out the drag race hoard and got this bike a really cool frame and a bunch of RC engineering stuff with it.
 
 The next bike will be a real hoot. Raked neck and extended swingarm with a big turbo motor. The front brake off of the Rat Race and an extremely drilled rotor went on it tonight. The frame has a mod to allow the head to come off with the three frame rails intact. Like a Hondamatic.

 I've taken bikes to the drag strip a few times but when I do, we always end up going rounds with the dragster and I get busy with the weather station and data. The KZ refused to start all day once, I think it was afraid. Or maybe it was me. L0L!

[Don R]

 Here is the next one. I want to go to CycleX soon.

[PeWe]

About your dual brake front end.
It look really good and it will act as stopping power.
My K6 with dual brakes work fine  in higher speeds as well.
It has cheap DSS pads, EBC sinter pads must be even better.

Not only legal speeds as stock.
My K2 with single brake got better stopping "power" with EBC sinter pads, orange painted.

The K6 has got dog leg levers I look forward to test.
Bought them for easier handle of the stiff clutch springs, harder  Barnett CB500 springs. Barnett CB750 springs not enough, slips.

Brake lever got a very nice feel closer to the handlebar grip. I guess I can brake harder now.

[Don R]

  Thanks for the info Per, I sanded the best two sets of stock pads that I had. I tried some cheap Kevlar pads and am not a fan.
  When I sorted the stuff I got from Steve Egli there were some Magura levers, I made two sets, one chrome and one aluminum. I refer to his modified drag bike frame as the "other Egli" frame, he had a great welder/fab guy. Last year he told me he bumped into him, the guy also made an awesome 750 engine stand.

[Don R]

 In light of the chain noise not adjusting out, I'm considering splitting the cases and replacing the chains. This thing came to me with no cam chain guide. I ran it that way for a few miles before realizing it had a problem. The top end got freshened, but I stopped too soon.
 The other possibility is using a new in box Wiseco 836 kit that I got cheap off ebay and just build one of the spare engines under the bench. I have a 10,000 miler that came out of a wrecked frame, it had 10 documented oil changes before it sat in a barn with no carbs and became a mouse house. The bottom end is clean though. The head from the 1124 engine is good to go with an Engle cam.

[Don R]

 I'm still doing both engines, the chains in this one and the new motor for the raked frame.

 I'm planning to pull the cam, then the bottom case, pull the crank up and remove at least two rod caps, slide the chains over the crank and re-assemble.
 Good plan for primary chains bad plan for cam chain, looks like I'm using a cam chain master link. 

[Don R]

 Today I cleaned the oil pan and measured the primary chains, the chains are near the wear limit but not quite to 70mm. The pan gasket stayed on the motor so that's an additional mm. The pan contained a little metal, some aluminum and a bit of steel but nothing that I could recognize.
  There was plastic from a previously failed cam chain guide and more of the stuff I vacuumed out of the head  from the valve cover being loose in the barn before I got it. A helicoil had been placed in the case for the shifter stud so that could account for part of it.
  I'm calling it good for another season while I build a better bottom end to go under this head.

[Don R]

 I rolled it out, was going to ride but remembered I had cleaned the tank and didn't put fuel back in it, just evaporust spray to protect it until spring. It sure looked cool sitting there.

[grcamna2]

I rolled it out, was going to ride but remembered I had cleaned the tank and didn't put fuel back in it, just evaporust spray to protect it until spring. It sure looked cool sitting there.

Does look good 
Don,is that a rectangular tool kit box underneath the right rear turn signal ?

[seanbarney41]

Don, I love that bike!  You want me to nominate it for bike of the month?