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| With engine in place |
I finally received the phone call i had been awaiting from Sooty to say he had completed the alterations to my frame and swing arm and they were ready to collect. Being a Saturday I was able to jump in the car and drive over to Emberton to collect my parts. I pulled up outside the workshop to see my frame, swing arm and shocks were loosely assembled outside, As I inspected the lines of the frame and quality of workmanship I knew faith in Sooty had been justified.
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The extended swing arm and GS500 rear wheel soon
followed the motor. |
The curve of the frame rails was just as I'd specified and this combined with the extended swing arm gave the look I was after whilst ensuring a comfortable ride.
Back in my small garage I soon had the engine in the frame and the frame tethered to my bike lift. The swing arm was slotted into place and some old shocks I'm using for mock up connected it to the frame. I'm using a Suzuki GS500 rear wheel and, much to my surprise this is a perfect fit for the Yamaha swing arm.
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| Tank mounted on the frame. |
Next, I mounted the tank, although at this stage it is only secured at the neck gusset. I've still to fabricate the lower back bone mounts.
Although the Suzuki Bandit yokes will need some machining before final build to achieve a perfect fit they fit well enough to throw on the front end so I can see how the bike sits.
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| Low profile tyre looks odd but will be changed. |
Much to my delight the bike sits as required with engine level to ensure there are no oil supply problems. I will need to change the front tyre in the future as this low profile example doesn't suit the look I'm after. I need something with much more sidewall depth like the BT45 on the rear. Again, something that can be changed as the build progresses.
The front headlamp and bars will need to be changed also. The high mounted lamp makes the front end look too long and lightweight for my taste. I'm thinking of a more traditional seven inch unit mounted between the upper and lower yokes to add a little beef to the front of the bike but we'll see.
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| Outside in daylight for the first time. |
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| Looking like a bike but still a million things to do. |
