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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 11, 2008 11:05:33 GMT -5
Hi,
I -Charlie- (phoebe and isis are/were our greyhounds, hence the phoebeisis handle) just signed up. I'm been kinda away from motorcycles-broke, busy, usual story-for the last couple of years.
I have just one SR500 now-a 1980 (bought new in May 1980) with a heavily modified 1978 motor in it. I like the 78's more-they have more flywheel effect,so the vibes are less. Owned maybe 12 different SR500's over the years and one XT500-(1980).
The chassis is dead stock-except for the SV650 front caliper rotor(dropped 2 lbs,all rotor), and the wire wheels(probably just 2 lbs lighter total), and the 520 chain alloy rear sprocket-almost 2 lbs again mostly the rear Sprocket specialist sprocket.
The motor I had the good sense to have the bare bones racing owner assemble(Jay Wright was/is his name my memory says, but could be wrong-nice guy, perfect work). It is modified(usual stuff) except for the stock connecting rod. Intake track raised and second spark plug by the french guy at VD Classics- nice guy-Krautergershine(sic) France(odd German sounding name).The stock setup requires the mixture to make a 70 degree turn to get in the CC.This intake setup requires a 55 degree turn. To fit the carb in I did have to grind the frame"a little" and the carb-36 VM pumper flat slide Mikuni required a little grinding also.I can only fit a foam type filter no room -frame etc.
Runs hard, but I put the stock exhaust back on because old ears hear crummy, but are annoyed by noise- unfortunate bit of irony.Still runs well, but has nothing over 5000 RPMs- before it pulled very hard to 7000 rpms.Never had the stomach to over rev it. Bare Bones owner suggested it was a bad idea. I don't race, so I took his advice.
I did all the mods about 10 years ago.
I'm 3 miles outside-due West- of New Orleans in River Ridge louisiana
Thanks,
Charlie
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Post by bigshingle on Oct 11, 2008 13:33:54 GMT -5
Welcome (and thanks again for your thoughts on left over washers.) You can bet everyone here would like photos — of your bikes, the extra frames you have, or anything else (within G-man's proper limits, of course.) Read G-man's posts on how to attach a photo at the top of each section. (You go out to a photo repository on line. I use TinyPic, but there are others. They upload your photo and give you a link. You copy the link and add it to your message here.) Try it and if it doesn't work someone will jump in and help. tinypic.com/ |
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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 12, 2008 11:38:37 GMT -5
Bigshingle,
Thanks for the welcome.Today I happened to be going into one of my SR500 cat litter storage container containers. The size and color of one of your washers look like the Belville washer-except the Belville is concave/convex-so it isn't it.
I'm really curious which washers they are.The clutch washers-are about the right size,and no corrosion possible, but you checked that,so no way.
Let us when you figure it out.
Thanks,
Charlie
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Post by StewRoss on Oct 16, 2008 6:01:28 GMT -5
Hi Charlie,
Welcome to the site...the SRs are certainly gaining in popularity all around the World!
SR ;D
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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 17, 2008 10:12:30 GMT -5
StewRoss,
Thanks for the welcome.
I think I have a Brit Bike magazine- Motorcycle Mechanics maybe?? that has one of your SR500's featured? It is OLD- MAYBE 10 years or more? Was that you? I'm going from a 57 yo memory,so I might be wrong.
Charlie
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Post by sjef on Oct 17, 2008 15:28:04 GMT -5
Hallo Charlie,
you and your knowledge are very welcome on this forum .
hope all your problems after the hurricane has been solved in the mean time.
best regards sjef
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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 17, 2008 16:29:06 GMT -5
sjef,
Thanks for the welcome. I remember you from-Thumper forum maybe? You were racing SR500's in Europe maybe. You folks had a much much more extensive aftermarket than we-USA- do/did. I had to send my SR500 head to VD Classics to have the intake port raised and the second plug installed. Luckily the Euro was worth just $.83 then -. I had a lot more $$ than sense then.
Katrina-Aug 2005- was a bad one. NOLA metro area is slowly recovering. The recession is going to make it tougher to get our Federal government to build Category 5 hurricane protection. It will cost many billions to get protection from a 35 foot storm surge. Obama will be elected-generally good for NOLA- but the $$ will still be tough-impossible maybe- to get.
On the bright side, the SR500 is running great- still a one kick starter! I'm riding more to save $$$.
Thanks,
Charlie
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Post by sjef on Oct 18, 2008 4:21:26 GMT -5
Hallo Charlie ,
good to hear things get better slowly
you are right, i was from the thumper forum. no racing though,
just tuning. luckily the parts supplie changed the good way. parts can now be ordered from japan through vanem and cycomoto just got the kedo import for the usa .
the recession will be a though cookie for obama (when elected)
but not only for him i guess we al suffer on that one
regards sjef
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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 18, 2008 8:09:38 GMT -5
sjef,
Obama , if the polls are correct , is expected to win by a lot. Of course , he will have his hands full with the economy and the two wars. He'll age quite a bit in the next 4 years!
Thanks,
Charlie
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Post by solo2racr on Oct 18, 2008 10:23:54 GMT -5
Katrina-Aug 2005- was a bad one. NOLA metro area is slowly recovering. The recession is going to make it tougher to get our Federal government to build Category 5 hurricane protection. It will cost many billions to get protection from a 35 foot storm surge. Obama will be elected-generally good for NOLA- but the $$ will still be tough-impossible maybe- to get. I don't know. It may be quicker than you think. Obama is wanting to do more public works projects like FDR did. You may get those levees soon than later. |
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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 18, 2008 11:52:26 GMT -5
solo2racr,
I certainly would love to see us-NOLA metro- get Cat 5 protection levees. Unfortunately much of the country has their own infrastructure problems, and they-rest of country -sees us a freeloading fools who live below sea level. They don't understand what an inportant port we are. Ports are always in danger from the very thing that makes them necessary-the river or the sea that they "sit" on. A port could be constructed farther upriver, of course, but then the river would have to be dredged even farther upriver.
We also produce HUGE amounts of natural gas/petro etc. We are also the port that intakes much of the foreign petro products. We also ship HUGE quantities of grain overseas. We are the port for our farmers to make a bit of a dent in our trade inbalance.
We have HUGE problems of course. Many poorly educated people with close to zero job skills. Unfortunately many of those folks weren't brought up on the American dream since for many generations it wasn't there. Folks in other states think we-NOLA- need to get over our pregnant dogin' and get to work.
A WPA type levee program would suit us just fine, but I don't see Obama having the $$ to do it- or the political will. He -Obama- will lose Louisiana in the election, and we have a Rep GOV. He-Obama- won't owe us anything. He is a politician,so I'm not optimistic.We-Louisiana- will be waaaay at the bottom of the list.
Well, maybe I'm too pessimistic, but many many states need infrastructure $$, and we aren't a "well liked" state. Katrinians got blamed for Houstons crime wave.
I hope you are right!
Thanks,
Charlie
PS- We -NOLA and many other big cities and the USA in general - are now paying the bill for slavery and Jim Crow laws. It will take several generations to sort it out,I think.Just a tiny percent of USA citizens owned slaves , but everyone has to pay-some a lot ,some a little. There isn't any fairness to it- just life I guess.
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Post by solo2racr on Oct 18, 2008 13:16:49 GMT -5
Thank you for making my point. With New Orleans as an important port for the rest of the country and the city still in shambles from Katrina with people needing work, what better place for a civic works project.
While it is true that other parts of the country have infrastructure problems as well, they would seem to be more localized than yours. The same reasons for many TVA projects through the thirties would seem to apply to New Orleans/Gulf coast as well.
The bad thing about southern states is that they are still holding onto the old Republican adage of "less government". The problem with this is that it is old thinking. The Rep. now are about as much gov. as the Dem. are. The difference is one works for the wealthy where as the other doesn't as much.
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Post by StewRoss on Oct 18, 2008 16:41:49 GMT -5
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Post by phoebeisis on Oct 24, 2008 14:14:25 GMT -5
SR- Yes,I sure did have some work done on it. I had waaaaay more $$ than sense then .
The headwork was actually extremely cheap considering what they did.
The had to grind/or burn away the top while welding in the bottom. They also managed to plumb in a second plug.
In ~1996 os so it was "just" $650 USA( with a new intake valve and bronze guides installed)he intake and exhaust tracks.The porting would have been a little more than clean up, and would have maybe increased flow 5% at best since the SR500's intake is so poor because of the angle. The Euro was worth just $.83 back then. Now, I think VD Classics charges about $1800 USA for the same thing.
A Japanese company-Daytona-(I think) offers an entirely new head-purpose built/cast for optimal flow. I've never seen one(except in pictures) or heard of anyone having one. I suspect it is only bought by the most fanatic Japanese customers. They are the most crazed Yamaha 500 owners/modifiers. It was about 4x the cost of the fancy porting-$2300 USA in 1996-guess it is $5000 now.
I love my SR500, but I really don't get much from the head anymore since I reverted to stock exhaust. The noise from the supertrapp annoys me now. In time maybe I'll try to fit a high volume muffler on the Supertrapp headpipe. I have a huge titanium muffler it is from from a Hyabusa or a 1000 cc Yamaha sport bike.It is much more volume than the supertrapp, and slightly more vol than the stock muffler. The tuning will be wrong of course, but maybe I'll get lucky. I've even considered putting two stock mufflers in parallel, but the extra "box" would make that too bulky.
Charlie
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Post by StewRoss on Oct 24, 2008 16:34:19 GMT -5
Hi Charlie, Yes I am building an almost no expense spared SR cafe racer here as well...slowly at the moment. Especially with the value of our dollar plummetting down lately! I have held a couple of those Daytona heads and barrels about two years back now. They are no longer made as far as I know. About $2,500 Aus at that time (as it was valued at about 100yen to $1 Aus then)...sigh... The only way you'll know if the muffler works is to try it out. Depends where you want the power... SR  |
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