|
|
Post by marlon on Jul 27, 2008 7:11:49 GMT -5
Hey Fellas!
Suspension mods almost done, only some braided lines and better pads to come which hopefully should improve the braking quality of the SR considerably.
So... now I can start to try and squeeze some extra ponies out of the bike. Ideally, I'd love to simply swap things out and make her a 500, as God intended her to be, but i'm not sure.
First of all, where is the best place to get the gasket/crank/piston and all that stuff? I'd rather go with new items then replace an almost-new 400 piston. And would the swap be within the reach of a mechanical novice such as myself? Armed only with a coffee table, workshop manual and a case of beer?
The other option, which I've noticed Deus seem to do quite a bit, is to swap over the carb with something like a kehlin?
Cost Vs benefit... what's the best option?
|
|
|
|
Post by solo2racr on Jul 27, 2008 10:49:43 GMT -5
Cost VS. Benefit - 1st Lose weight
- 2nd Increase Displacement
- 3rd Carb,Cam,Exhaust
Losing weight not only gives less work for the engine but, also helps handling. An increase in displacement helps with HP & torque across the whole rev range. Carb, cams,& exhausts tend to help only from the midrange up. Sometimes at the sacrifice of low end power. |
|
|
|
Post by strick on Jul 27, 2008 14:25:02 GMT -5
1st - how are you going to use the bike? The EASIEST way to make a car or motorcycle quicker is gearing. I just changed the gearing on my SR (511cc) to one tooth smaller(15t) front sprocket. I want the bike to be QUICK, and easier to wheelie, I know at age 49 I should leave the rubber firmly on the ground. My bike will never see the freeway. I use mine as a commuter to zip around town.
So - consider gearing, and then increase cc (there is no replacement for displacement!)
|
|
|
|
Post by marlon on Jul 27, 2008 20:06:46 GMT -5
Well, i'm glad I think I've fulfilled a few of the requirements so far!
The bike already has a good muffler on it, as well as K&N's. It's got a 520 chain, and the gearing has changed a bit as well. I've taken off anything that's excessive, but I should probably lose some weight first of all.
I do find it funny speaking to blokes who weigh 140kg about losing some weight off the bike.
So that leaves CC's! What are the wiseco pistons like from thumperstuff? I suppose I'll have to get a crank and some gaskets too. What do y'all think - will it be within my reach as a mechanical novice?
The other option is to bin the bike and get a speed triple. That's on the cards again!
|
|
|
|
Post by fenz on Jul 27, 2008 21:59:20 GMT -5
Serco in QLD do Wiesco pistons for pretty much every thing.
|
|
|
|
Post by solo2racr on Jul 27, 2008 23:15:31 GMT -5
I do find it funny speaking to blokes who weigh 140kg about losing some weight off the bike. HEY!! I'm only 185lbs (84kgs) ;D |
|
|
|
Post by marlon on Jul 27, 2008 23:43:55 GMT -5
Hey Solo! I wasn't talking about you mate! Just a guy i met the other day on a 929 who had replaced everything with carbon fibre. He walking out of the bike shop and the dude was massive. He could hung a turd and lost more weight than the $6000 carbon rims would have saved him.
|
|
|
|
Post by strick on Jul 28, 2008 0:41:30 GMT -5
HEY!! I'm only 185lbs (84kgs) ;D Hey, and I'm only 86kg! I know you may not want to hear this, but after years of restoring classics and falling in love with certain bikes, be careful dumping a bunch of $$ into a bike. If you are doing it as a project or hobby --> great, but you can probably buy EXACTLY what you are looking for for less $$ than you can build it. |
|
|
|
Post by solo2racr on Jul 28, 2008 0:55:30 GMT -5
Hey Solo! I wasn't talking about you mate! Didn't really figure you were. That's why the big grin ;D Speaking of getting to much $$$ into a bike, what kind of price do you think I could get out of mine? What you can't see in the pics is the Carrillo rod, 540 Wiseco, head porting, 275 lbs (125kgs). I did keep a full list of what has been done and what parts are from what other bikes.   |
|
|
|
Post by mattb on Jul 28, 2008 1:08:33 GMT -5
I see that somebody didn't like being dragged off by my 30yr old stocker?! ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by milkman on Jul 28, 2008 1:56:24 GMT -5
Mate, if you were going to sell the bike for a Speed Triple you should have done that a month ago, before you added Ohlins, swingarm, steering dampner, etc etc
Then knowing you (and most blokes on here), you'll want to the triple a bit different etc, and start buying street triple bits - like the sweet Arrow 3 into 1 exhaust system that weighs next to nothing...which they have a Scrambler version too...hmmm....where was I???
Oh yeah - you dont really want to sell it!
BUT if you're about to pull a motor apart in your lounge room, it may be along time before you can sell it again! (says the man who has an SR in bits hiding under his terrace balcony and in boxes in his bedroom)
Boring option.....why not belt the 400 until it needs a refresh and then up the cc's?
|
|
|
|
Post by marlon on Jul 28, 2008 5:21:50 GMT -5
Matt. That was a low moment for me - I demand a rematch!
Strick - never a truer word has been spoken. I did the sums on what I've spent on my bike, and I think i could almost afford a ducati sportclassic or Triumph thruxton. So I figure I'll go ride a triumph street triple, just about the only modern production bike that really holds any interest for me.
But my hobbies have always been about pouring money into what others consider flogging a dead horse. The best example, for those of you who are firearms inclined was my old target rifle. It was a Lee Enfield No4 Mk2 with a remington bull barrel rechambered in .223. It could group three rounds, with ex US military ammunition under your fingernail at three hundred meters sitting. Stupidly accurate rifle. For those of you who aren't shooters... smile politely.
Milkman, you're spot on! I think she deserves another chance. And you're spot on about the trumpy. I don't think i could have standard one - a new exhaust and bellypan/flyscreen would be a must. That's $3000 on top of the standard price... bugger...
And milky, if you keep talking sense about upgrading the SR when I need it, you need to give yourself an uppercut.
So, nobody has said whether or not I could swap the piston etc over myself... opinions?
|
|
|
|
Post by StewRoss on Jul 28, 2008 5:30:26 GMT -5
Of course you could Marlon! Shalom, SR  |
|
|
|
Post by milkman on Jul 28, 2008 5:34:29 GMT -5
I think i'm trying to convince myself as much as you mate! There's little hope for me convicing you is there! - the man who was lamenting one painfully placed piercing when i met him - then went and paid for six or seven more (is there a "flogging a dead horse" joke in there?  ) |
|
|
|
Post by marlon on Jul 28, 2008 6:07:05 GMT -5
Stew, you say of course I could to anything! But this is coming from a bloke who could scratch build a Zepplin in his backyard if he had the room  ) So, an increase in displacement is what it looks like it'll be. Are wiseco pistons much chop? And what else will i need? Thinking out loud, I think it'd need a new crank and gaskets. Hang on... another thought. Isn't the piston size the same for a SR400 and 500? So it'd just be the crank I'd need... right? And the flywheel would be the same? New carb at the same time perhaps? |
|
)
)