Topic: CB550 Cafe Interceptor - Gentleman's Roadster

[Godffery]

 You gun'a make the tab up front wider this time?

[FunJimmy]

You gun'a make the tab up front wider this time?

Probably not. Shouldered bolt with rubber washers up front.
The carbon/Kevlar is a lot lighter and stronger than the aluminum.
Fatigue shouldn't be an issue.

[knowsnothing]

Fatigue shouldn't be an issue.

Famous last words    Looks fantastic, can't wait to see finished product.

[akabek]

Is it done yet?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Is it done yet?

There's always a comedian!

[RAFster122s]

Having worked with a Carbon Kevlar cloth I think you are a glutten for punishment. Be prepared to resharpen or replace any bits or  blades used to cut the kevlar. It is extremely hard to machine cut. Water jet can work well. You are almost forced to cut it and then CA glue and trim the bit closer to the cut  line.
It will make you want a good strong drink after working with it.
David

[FunJimmy]

Is it done yet?

No I think impatiens screwed things up. I tried to accelerate the cure with a secondary heat source and the piece came out with a bit of a twist. Being a perfectionist I'm leaning toward making a second but will continue cutting and shaping this one too.

[RAFster122s]

If you build a foam box to cover the mold, put a 60 watt light bulb in the top of the box a couple inches away from the foam and your mold. A dimmer on the bulb can reduce the light and heat.  Taking the temp to 85 to 100 will accelerate cure but, the full cure will not happen for probably a day...sometimes more. Contact your resin  maker to find out the higher heat temp needed and cure times. If they have a MSDS and tech sheet they can help provide the details you need. Some epoxies don't like high heat, but most all do not cure well if at all in low temps.

I presume you have an IR or thermocouple or other temp device that can measure the temp in the box.

[Retro Rocket]

If you build a foam box to cover the mold, put a 60 watt light bulb in the top of the box a couple inches away from the foam and your mold. A dimmer on the bulb can reduce the light and heat.  Taking the temp to 85 to 100 will accelerate cure but, the full cure will not happen for probably a day...sometimes more. Contact your resin  maker to find out the higher heat temp needed and cure times. If they have a MSDS and tech sheet they can help provide the details you need. Some epoxies don't like high heat, but most all do not cure well if at all in low temps.

I presume you have an IR or thermocouple or other temp device that can measure the temp in the box.

Whats wrong with letting it cure normally...? 

[RAFster122s]

Some epoxies will cure harder at high heat, thus the use of heat to help them cure. The slope soaring guys do it all the time. Check out some of the RCGroups slope builds if you want to see the composite beauties they build.  Some of the high end sailplane makers will use vacuum bagging techniques on composite layups and will use the hot box to help the cure.  Especially useful when building in cooler weather. 
Carbon and Kevlar composites are often cured with heat in an autoclave that is drawn down to a vacuum. It is the correct way to make thin sheets.  The autoclave is a high heat device...
Composite carbon sheet material and even fiberglass sheet material is often using this method.

The older method is pressing the material with lots of weight in a flat surface.  If molding curved surfaces like a wing they use the female cores for foam wings or they will have the mold in a vacuum bag.  Then there is the use of a bladder system of pressurized air when molding the seams for the halves of a part to have it pressurized to press the seam flat on the inside.

David - the_composite_novice

[Retro Rocket]

Some epoxies will cure harder at high heat, thus the use of heat to help them cure. The slope soaring guys do it all the time. Check out some of the RCGroups slope builds if you want to see the composite beauties they build.  Some of the high end sailplane makers will use vacuum bagging techniques on composite layups and will use the hot box to help the cure.  Especially useful when building in cooler weather. 
Carbon and Kevlar composites are often cured with heat in an autoclave that is drawn down to a vacuum. It is the correct way to make thin sheets.  The autoclave is a high heat device...
Composite carbon sheet material and even fiberglass sheet material is often using this method.

The older method is pressing the material with lots of weight in a flat surface.  If molding curved surfaces like a wing they use the female cores for foam wings or they will have the mold in a vacuum bag.  Then there is the use of a bladder system of pressurized air when molding the seams for the halves of a part to have it pressurized to press the seam flat on the inside.

David - the_composite_novice

Dave, I've worked with epoxies since the early 1980's  ,  No fancy approach is needed here, just lay it up and let it cure, with something like Jim is doing here, heat can cause deformation of the part being made, unless its supported all round, like bagging {although you don't use any more heat than the product allows with bagging} or A and B part molds, a slower cure {normal} is all that is required here, Jim was just being impatient....

[FunJimmy]

Some epoxies will cure harder at high heat, thus the use of heat to help them cure. The slope soaring guys do it all the time. Check out some of the RCGroups slope builds if you want to see the composite beauties they build.  Some of the high end sailplane makers will use vacuum bagging techniques on composite layups and will use the hot box to help the cure.  Especially useful when building in cooler weather. 
Carbon and Kevlar composites are often cured with heat in an autoclave that is drawn down to a vacuum. It is the correct way to make thin sheets.  The autoclave is a high heat device...
Composite carbon sheet material and even fiberglass sheet material is often using this method.

The older method is pressing the material with lots of weight in a flat surface.  If molding curved surfaces like a wing they use the female cores for foam wings or they will have the mold in a vacuum bag.  Then there is the use of a bladder system of pressurized air when molding the seams for the halves of a part to have it pressurized to press the seam flat on the inside.

David - the_composite_novice

Nice summary of advanced composite techniques, David but Mick's right. Jim was just being impatient. Anxious to see how it would turn out. Nothing special about polyester resin either.

[riverfever]

I don't know about you but I always know I'm in the zone when I start referring to myself in the third person. 

[FunJimmy]

I don't know about you but I always know I'm in the zone when I start referring to myself in the third person. 

Merely having an out of body experience.

[FunJimmy]

Great experience making this (prototype) carbon/Kevlar chain guard. The laminate consists of 2 layers of standard weave carbon followed by 2 layers of Kevlar and a final (inside) layer of carbon. The total thickness measures 0.055" (1.4mm) and feels very rigid. Cutting and shaping was pretty easy using a Dremel tool and a bunch of cutoff wheels, sanding drums and a bench mounted belt sander.

[riverfever]

Sooo nice looking Jimmy. 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Trick looking piece, Jim.  So when are you pulling the trigger on a 650 engine??

[FunJimmy]

Trick looking piece, Jim.  So when are you pulling the trigger on a 650 engine??

Are you kidding Don?
I don't wanna mess up the collector value.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Trick looking piece, Jim.  So when are you pulling the trigger on a 650 engine??

Are you kidding Don?

Completely, yes!

[JMS28411 I'm no Spring Chicken]

Awesome Project, a really Great looking Bike

[FunJimmy]

First ride of the season and I've gotta say the bike LOVES the Hindle 4-2-1 exhaust! My God does it ever make a difference over the previous 4-1 Kerker/Cone megaphone system. The bikes idles better, pulls better and sounds better. What more could I hope for?

[Trad]

Just Awesome!

[CBGhia]

First ride of the season and I've gotta say the bike LOVES the Hindle 4-2-1 exhaust! My God does it ever make a difference over the previous 4-1 Kerker/Cone megaphone system. The bikes idles better, pulls better and sounds better. What more could I hope for?

You're making me want to pony up for one.

[Syscrush]

It's OK to admit that you broke that guard yourself in a rage over all of the people making their own knock-offs.

Excellent work as always.  Did you use polyester resin or epoxy?  I'm not an expert on the specific resin you used, but there are definitely some epoxies that require not just time but time at temperature to cure properly.  I learned this when I made some fiberglass parts that appeared to be finish cured.  I had removed them from the mold, trimmed and fit them, handling them plenty with no indication that anything was not right.  When I was washing them in preparation for paint, I used hot water and they collapsed in my hands.  I still remember the shock and the sick feeling in my stomach.

For that resin, it needed a specific time at a specific temperature to properly cure.  I think it needed 4 hours at 60C.  And it had to be 4 hours continuous - doing 2 hours now and 2 hours later would not work.

For you or anyone else making parts like this, get clarification from the resin manufacturer about curing.


I haven't done much business with Ripple Rock, but I have been in Kemp's kitchen and helped him clean some malware off his computer.  Super nice guy.  And Hindle is an amazing company - I put a Hindle muffler on the end of my Gary Wolf header because of my fondness for the company at least as much as my fondness for the muffler itself.  I've seen those SOHC4 headers hanging in the showroom of my local bike shop and thought they looked great - but polished up they look just fantastic.


Amazing work as always.  You are one of a few builders who make me look at and think about every piece, wire, and fastener on my bike.  There's a guy on the CBX forum who calls me Dr. Detail, and I'm like "you have no idea."    Builds like this are why I'm changing my rear master cylinder to something that looks better, why I went with all A/N fittings for my oil cooler and t-stat, applying anti-reflective coating to my gauge glass, and going to an Al throttle tube with roller bearings.  etc. etc. etc.  Plus of course the blatant rip-off of your chainguard design.


You might like to check out the build threads from Smoker on Custom Fighters.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Jim,
If that photo is a fair indicator, you have some gorgeous scenery to compliment your rides!