7 minutes ago, br4nd0n said:

You might be able to just get the clevis replaced with an eyelet end. The higher end rear shocks usually allow for this and would be way cheaper.

Correct. That’s exactly what someone else on here did. I’m wondering what that bushing looks like. That way I could determine how to get a square cut. It’s not ideal, but it is an option. 
 

 

I took a look at the Robem site and I was definitely sent R7 adapter plates... Thank you for the catch br4nd0n.

As an alternative to my shock situation, I'm working on tracking down that eyelet end from OrientExpress. Their website has been down for maintenance since yesterday afternoon. I will check back tomorrow. For the time being, I have an email in to them to see if that part is still available.

I've been meaning to print some replacement fairing plugs. I popped these fresh off the printer last night. That reminds me - I need to get a tap set. I'm long overdue having not bought one.

19 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

I'm feeling kinda stupid right now. The Robem parts arrived today but I am a combination of confused and annoyed (with myself). The risers look nothing like what I have previously seen. The anodized finish is a nice surprise, but I can't for the life of me figure out how this bolts up. Regardless of whether I use the upper or lower set of mounting points on my Woodcraft rearsets, the holes do not line up. The higher mounting point is way off. The lower point is ever so slightly off. Surely I'm missing something small, right? See pictures below:

"Higher" Mounting Point

 

"Lower" mounting point. This picture is not taken at an angle by the way.

 

Fortunately I figured this out before disassembly, but I have a clevis-style shock in the form of a K-Tech Razor R. I need something with dual eyelets. The description on Matt's site clearly mentions this, but it didn't occur to me out of ignorance. I almost thought a shock was a shock as far as mounting is concerned. Lesson learned I guess. I'll have to do one of the following:

1. Return the linkage kit and get the "older" style elsewhere
2. Get an entirely different shock absorber (additional $$$ I wasn't expecting to spend) and try to recoup my costs by selling my KTech unit

Small edit - I know that this exists as an option as well 

 

You need R7 rearsets, the FZ mounting locations are different. I did the R7 side plates and needed to change to R7 rearsets.

See my post that you have linked above. I was able to replace the clevis on my Razor RR with an eyelet from Orient Express, it just needs to be narrowed 10mm. Maybe Orient Express can provide that service with the part.

Ed

56 minutes ago, Evill_Ed said:

You need R7 rearsets, the FZ mounting locations are different. I did the R7 side plates and needed to change to R7 rearsets.

See my post that you have linked above. I was able to replace the clevis on my Razor RR with an eyelet from Orient Express, it just needs to be narrowed 10mm. Maybe Orient Express can provide that service with the part.

Ed

Thanks for the confirmation Ed. I'm still leaning towards running the FZ rearsets because that's what I have. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If I went that route, I'd be nearly ~$700 into something that should have been a fraction of the cost. Robem advertises a 15 day return policy so I'm hoping to take full advantage of that. While I have you here, I have a few questions:

1. In a hypothetical scenario where I don't return these adapter plates, are the R7 feet ergos that much better to justify the added cost?
2. What tool did you use to cut your bushing down to size? I couldn't make out what I was seeing in the pictures in your thread.

20 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Thanks for the confirmation Ed. I'm still leaning towards running the FZ rearsets because that's what I have. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If I went that route, I'd be nearly ~$700 into something that should have been a fraction of the cost. Robem advertises a 15 day return policy so I'm hoping to take full advantage of that. While I have you here, I have a few questions:

1. In a hypothetical scenario where I don't return these adapter plates, are the R7 feet ergos that much better to justify the added cost?
2. What tool did you use to cut your bushing down to size? I couldn't make out what I was seeing in the pictures in your thread.

I know that the R7 side plates with Woodcraft R7 rearsets moved the foot position up and back compared to the stock side plates with Woodcraft FZ 07 rearsets. The R7 foot position is more comfortable to me on the track. 

I switched to the R7 side plates to use the R7 Frame Stiffening covers.

I cut the bushing in my lathe. This is a simple process. If you know a machinist or machine shop. Orient express may even be able to do it for a cost prior to shipping. 

 

Ed

You could always pick up a threaded rod end from a place like McMaster-Carr, Grainger, or Fastenal if you know the size you need.

6 hours ago, Evill_Ed said:

I know that the R7 side plates with Woodcraft R7 rearsets moved the foot position up and back compared to the stock side plates with Woodcraft FZ 07 rearsets. The R7 foot position is more comfortable to me on the track. 

I switched to the R7 side plates to use the R7 Frame Stiffening covers.

I cut the bushing in my lathe. This is a simple process. If you know a machinist or machine shop. Orient express may even be able to do it for a cost prior to shipping. 

 

Ed

I managed to find your post here detailing just that. I'll leave that on the backburner as my nuclear option. It looks like the R7 rearsets use entirely different OE and Woodcraft hardware as well compared to the FZ. That ~$500 can be allocated towards my transmission, misc consumable hardware, etc.

34 minutes ago, br4nd0n said:

You could always pick up a threaded rod end from a place like McMaster-Carr, Grainger, or Fastenal if you know the size you need.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're implying that I can use my shock in its current form (clevis) with the Robem link via a threaded rod? Or were you referencing something else?

Today's Updates

Not much to share unfortunately. I'm pausing dropping the engine until I get this rearsets/suspension ordeal figured out. I'm giving myself a hard deadline of mid November to figure out the back and forth with these companies supplying me parts. If it doesn't seem like I've made much progress with the chassis leading up to that point, I'm bolting the rearsets and suspension back together and dropping the engine. That will be the most time consuming part - putting the engine back together carefully and slowly. A gentleman at OrientExpress got back to my email about building an eyelet so that is looking promising so far...

In other news, I'm finally clearing out and cleaning stock parts that I'll be putting up for sale on eBay. I have misc fasteners, OE body work and all that good stuff that I've tucked away in a bin forever ago. Ideally, I'd like to free some space up for track spares and recoup some of my build costs. If any of you have any interest in anything specific, let me know here or via DMs. I know I don't have enough posts here to list stuff in the classifieds section yet.

 

Generally, just a big thank you to all of you for your suggestions and the collective knowledge I've been able to pull from here. I wasn't expecting to build my bike over winter but it seems life had other plans.

It's the same thing you would be getting from Orient Express or wherever.

Examples:

EDIT: It seems like you have someone already helping you for Orient unless they try to rip you off.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/threaded-rod-ends/

https://www.grainger.com/search/power-transmission/spherical-rod-ends-fixed-rod-ends-yoke-ends/spherical-rod-ends/male-plain-spherical-rod-ends?searchQuery=eye+bolt&tv_optin=true&categoryIndex=4

Edited October 28, 2024Oct 28 by br4nd0n

On 10/28/2024 at 5:09 PM, br4nd0n said:

It's the same thing you would be getting from Orient Express or wherever.

Examples:

EDIT: It seems like you have someone already helping you for Orient unless they try to rip you off.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/threaded-rod-ends/

https://www.grainger.com/search/power-transmission/spherical-rod-ends-fixed-rod-ends-yoke-ends/spherical-rod-ends/male-plain-spherical-rod-ends?searchQuery=eye+bolt&tv_optin=true&categoryIndex=4

I've been doing some back and forth with Burch at Orient Express Racing and he was a pleasure to deal with. I don't have the fitting in my hand yet, but I'm confident it will bolt up without issue. I don't trust myself hobbling suspension stuff together. Burch is very familiar with the MT07/09 platform because they do a lot of business with these bikes. Shipped to my doorstep, I am looking at ~$78 and I will have the correct sized eyelet bushing (30mm) to boot.

If anyone reading this is looking to correct their geometry with a linkage, I hope this and @Evill_Ed post are helpful in the future.

 

Speaking of folks to give business to, I can 100% recommend Zoran. Dude's communication and turnaround times are top notch. I will be doing business with him in the future. I got my bored TBs back from him earlier this week:

Edited October 31, 2024Oct 31 by Ouroboros

 

Cool. Post pictures of what you receive, I am curious.

 

Ed

 

Cylinder head. Yeah, for most of you this is meaningless. But this ported head is for sale.

On 10/31/2024 at 3:20 PM, Evill_Ed said:

 

Cool. Post pictures of what you receive, I am curious.

 

Ed

 

Bolts right up to the Robem link no problemo. I haven't actually installed the eye into the shock housing, but I imagine it will fit. The bushing was my biggest concern.

7 hours ago, M. Hausknecht said:

Cylinder head. Yeah, for most of you this is meaningless. But this ported head is for sale.

Thank you for detailing everything in your DM and these pictures. I'll be buying some parts off of you for sure. I have some more questions about how I want everything bundled together but we'll handle that over DMs.

Latest Updates

Boys and girls, we have dropped the engine 🙌 🎉

 

Between having the engine out of the frame and my suspension situation sorted, I am pretty stoked at this point. When I went to remove my chain and sprockets, my front sprocket nut was on finger tight with several millimeters of threads showing. I am super thankful I didn't cause damage to my bike or have an incident on the track. I'll be removing the sprocket cover as most folks do with these builds and make a point to examine that more frequently moving forward.

Now begins to the fun part of clearing and organizing my bench for an engine teardown. For those of you that have built this bike, I will leave you with a front facing image that initially had me baffled and mildly concerned. I've crashed this bike twice and I had a mini panic attack seeing my frame in this shape. I'm under the impression that it is designed this way and I did not tweak my frame in my crashes. Can you guys confirm?

The axle one should be straight and level while the bottom one should be angled up on the right side to accommodate the exhaust. It's a strange asymmetrical design, but that's how it is.

Front fairing mount:

On 11/2/2024 at 11:10 PM, br4nd0n said:

The axle one should be straight and level while the bottom one should be angled up on the right side to accommodate the exhaust. It's a strange asymmetrical design, but that's how it is.

Thanks for confirming. Now that I have the bike apart a bit more, I see how it all works. The mount at the swingarm is canted sideways a bit too. It's a visually wacky design but I am in no position to question the engineering behind it.

I didn't forget about your previous request by the way. I'm not disassembling the front end until I can get my hands on some offset triples. I hate undoing and redoing work.

8 minutes ago, M. Hausknecht said:

Front fairing mount:

Thank you for the picture. I'll probably pick it up as a spare, hoping I don't have to use it.

 

More progress made - mostly in the way of cleaning and reassembling some things. I've lost track of my priorities but I can cross a few things off the list, some of which I've mentioned in previous posts:

• Pull the engine
• Paint the fairing stay
• Remove swingarm
  • Service swingarm bearings
  • Clean bushings
  • Regrease and reassemble
• Install rearset risers and link

Matt is seemingly impossible to reach these days. I've called, left voicemails, and emailed him. Nothing. I hate that I have to go down this path, but it looks like I'll have to adapt what I have on hand. Fortunately, the R7 frame is identical (where it counts) and this bolts up with the provided hardware. I've purchased stock R7 footrest assemblies from eBay to use as a donor with the end goal of assembling R7 Woodcraft rearsets. I'm likely sounding like a broken record at this point, but this was a completely unexpected expense that I hope won't set me back too far in other areas of my build.

I should have taken more pictures since the write up for lubricating swingarm pivots/suspension appears to have broken images. I'll add it to the to-do list for the future if someone doesn't beat me to the punch. To anyone reading this that's never serviced their suspension linkage:

1. Absolutely do it. I had an alarming lack of grease in the bearing on one side of the pivot. Meanwhile, the other side still had plenty. With regular servicing, I don't see why these bearings couldn't last for a very, very long time. Remember that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Do it at the end of the riding season regardless of whether or not you ride on the street, regularly do TDs or race. 
2. It's so easy to do. If you can remove your rear wheel yourself then you have the mechanical ability to service your swingarm and links without a problem. I probably spent more time cleaning my swingarm in comparison to the time it took me to get it removed from my frame. The disassembly process is very intuitive and I barely glanced at my service manual. Jack stands and rearsets will make your job a lot easier. If your bearings are shot because you neglected them, installing new ones may be a bit of a different story... You'll need the proper drivers, pullers, or DIY something yourself.

I am working on figuring out what my next steps are. I seem to have not deviated too much from my original goals and I feel ahead of schedule so far 🤞 While the weather is still mild, I'm thinking I'll

1. Get the engine cleaned. Otherwise, it's prepped for disassembly. 
2. Lay some glass on my damaged bodywork. Sand. Rinse and repeat as necessary. Maybe get a coat of primer on if I have the time and proper weather conditions.

Misc photo dump below:

The painting jig I made

First coat of primer (and first time rattle canning metal)

The end result. ~4 coats of "matte" black rustoleum paint on top of the primer. No clear coat. I'm still undecided on painting the clamp since it's aluminum. This was moreso a practical move rather than aesthetics focused. But hey, two birds and one stone kinda deal I guess? I just don't want this rusting next time I have a rainy TD/race weekend.

R7 plates mounted and linkage installed. Everything moves freely and smoothly. I need to torque it all to spec.

Quote

I hate that I have to go down this path, but it looks like I'll have to adapt what I have on hand. Fortunately, the R7 frame is identical (where it counts) and this bolts up with the provided hardware. I've purchased stock R7 footrest assemblies from eBay to use as a donor with the end goal of assembling R7 Woodcraft rearsets. I'm likely sounding like a broken record at this point, but this was a completely unexpected expense that I hope won't set me back too far in other areas of my build.

I might be interested in the older Woodcraft rearsets, which could help recoup some money.

5 hours ago, br4nd0n said:

I might be interested in the older Woodcraft rearsets, which could help recoup some money.

That would be very much appreciated. DMing you now

Full disclosure - I vaguely have an idea of what I'm doing when it comes to working with fiberglass and painting. I am very much still learning and I do NOT claim to be a professional. Now that disclaimer is out of the way, I'd like to share some findings/experiments that I've been doing with some bodywork.

I inherited a really rough lower that is in need of some TLC. It has an extreme case of orange peel, damaged mounting holes and a fair bit of crash damage (hidden under duct tape and sponsor decals). I figured I'd practice on this one before I work on my current set of bodywork. If I take my time and put forth some effort, I can't imagine I'd have a worse result compared to what I started with.

#121 seems vaguely familiar. Was (is?) this number ran in MotoA?

It's interesting seeing everyone's takes on how to work around header clearance issues. If you have Yosh headers (maybe other mfg headers), they absolutely will make contact with your lower. The person who fabbed this up seems to have taken the approach of:

1. Cut the existing contact points out of the lower
2. Form a fiberglass bubble
3. Fit the bubble to the lower using a combination of an adhesive and rivets

I don't think the execution was all that bad. At the end of the day, it seems functional and that's what most people seem to care about when racing bikes unless you have a ton of $$$ or time to throw at a bike.

After removing the decals and giving the lower a good wipe down, I began to sand with a "fine" (gray) pad. It was my first time using one of these and I wasn't sure if there was any nuance in the technique and what it was actually capable of. I got it damp, and went to work. The main takeaway - this seems to be a great finishing pad for your final coats of paint/clear to even everything out. It doesn't seem to be as nearly aggressive as sandpaper is. As I previously mentioned, this bike had a ton of orange peel. Pictures don't do it justice. It looked far worse in person. The fine pad managed to remove the orange peel and give it a dull, almost matte like appearance. Here's a picture below for reference to compare and contrast. Compare the bubble to the remaining parts of the lower.

 

I'm going to give the surrounding areas a good sand with 80 and do some glass repairs today. I'm conflicted on what I want to do with this bubble. If any of you have thoughts, please comment below.

As it turns out, this is my 25th post 🎉 I'm going to create a thread in the classified section of this site and link it here below in an edit later.

 

EDIT: Classified post is up!

 

Edited November 11, 2024Nov 11 by Ouroboros

When I made the "bubble" to clear my Yosh exhaust, I cut out a portion of the lower and made the bubble out of fiberglass cloth, glassing it in place. I used some bubble-wrap to make a mold (not ideal, looks a bit lumpy).

An orbital sander with a variety of sandpaper grits is the quickest option for the sanding you're doing. Next would be a sanding block with a few grit options. Sanding pads are ok for light sanding. Between racing (and crashing) fiberglass-bodied motorcycles and cars, I've repaired a lot of fiberglass. I prefer cloth over mat; it is lighter and more flexible, especially when adding the correct amount of resin. I have three different weights of cloth, and a roll of Kevlar cloth when I want higher abrasion resistance. I prefer epoxy resin over the stuff that comes in kits (polyester resin). Epoxy resin is stronger and more flexible, and it costs more. I've bought most of my stuff from these guys: https://www.fibreglast.com/ but there are other good suppliers out there as well.

On 11/12/2024 at 8:18 AM, M. Hausknecht said:

When I made the "bubble" to clear my Yosh exhaust, I cut out a portion of the lower and made the bubble out of fiberglass cloth, glassing it in place. I used some bubble-wrap to make a mold (not ideal, looks a bit lumpy).

An orbital sander with a variety of sandpaper grits is the quickest option for the sanding you're doing. Next would be a sanding block with a few grit options. Sanding pads are ok for light sanding. Between racing (and crashing) fiberglass-bodied motorcycles and cars, I've repaired a lot of fiberglass. I prefer cloth over mat; it is lighter and more flexible, especially when adding the correct amount of resin. I have three different weights of cloth, and a roll of Kevlar cloth when I want higher abrasion resistance. I prefer epoxy resin over the stuff that comes in kits (polyester resin). Epoxy resin is stronger and more flexible, and it costs more. I've bought most of my stuff from these guys: https://www.fibreglast.com/ but there are other good suppliers out there as well.

I ended up using hard foam insulation for my current fairing set earlier this summer. It didn't turn out pretty, but it was functional enough for my first race earlier this year at VMD to be "watertight" per WERA's rules. I would definitely use foam again. Please note that this looks hideous, but I managed to clean it up a lot better than what you see here. These are the only pictures that I have handy:

I was told that West System stuff is good and I've been utilizing that so far along with cloth rather than mat. I don't know any better, but I've went in the direction that people unanimously have said is good online. I find that your observations about cloth are true. I can't imagine working with mat. I will look into the kevlar as well. As far as sandpaper is concerned, I have some 80, 120, 150, and 400 sitting around if memory serves correct.

 

In other news, I've heard that my contract work will be ending after this year wraps up. I'm bummed, but this reinforces my decision to be cautious with my finances and not buy the Kramer. I'm grateful that I don't have that burden hanging above my head for the moment. The build may have to go on pause for a bit until I can get everything sorted.

Quote

The build may have to go on pause for a bit until I can get everything sorted.

Would that also put the measurements on hold?

16 hours ago, br4nd0n said:

Would that also put the measurements on hold?

Direct and to the point.

Drop the measurements you want below and I'll see what I can do this weekend. Reference pictures will help.

Quote

Direct and to the point.

Sorry if I came off as a being curt.

I'm looking for the distance between the upper and lower lips in the frame that the bearing races sit on. I'm trying to see if a stem I currently have from another motorcycle will work or if I'm going to have to make a custom one. You can either measure from the frame or you can try to measure from the stem. I'd preferably like it in metric like mm or cm, but I'll take what I can get.

Below are some examples.

On 11/15/2024 at 11:58 AM, br4nd0n said:

Sorry if I came off as a being curt.

I'm looking for the distance between the upper and lower lips in the frame that the bearing races sit on. I'm trying to see if a stem I currently have from another motorcycle will work or if I'm going to have to make a custom one. You can either measure from the frame or you can try to measure from the stem. I'd preferably like it in metric like mm or cm, but I'll take what I can get.

Below are some examples.

From race to race (where the taper is) I measured 163mm. I confirmed this at the stem and inside the head tube. I hope that answers your question.

For those of you coming from a search engine or using the search bar here on the forum, you will be happy to know that you don't have to purchase a C spanner/wrench tool if you have your OEM tool kit. To my surprise, the C spanner that you use to adjust preload in the stock shock fits the "castle" fitting to access your steering head bearings. It's not beautiful and high quality, but it'll get the job done with ease. This may be a redundant piece of trivia that's already documented here on the forum.

 

I can also vouch for the ladder trick for those times when you don't have you engine in the frame to support the front end of the bike. It seems sketchy, but it's pretty solid with two jackstands underneath the lowest part of the frame.

 

My bearings and races seem to be in wonderful shape despite having a fair bit of neglect from two previous owners, some minor track incidents, nearly 15k on the odometer, and many track days under it. There's no shortage of grease at either end though it does look contaminated. In theory, these will be replaced with the cartridge style when I get my hands on the adjustable Robem triples. If anyone would like to sell me theirs, shoot your shot. There's no indication of when Matt will have them back in stock. I regret not buying them ages ago. 

 

 

I may have been a bit dramatic in my previous posts. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last that I lose my job. The many joys of working in technology.

The bike has been paid for many moons ago and I don't make a habit of spending more than I make. The build will continue, albeit at a slower pace. I should have a small order from Partzilla arriving within the coming week(s). I considered canceling it after hearing the news, but it's not an expensive haul. In the interim, I can still clean things up and inspect them. One of my fork legs is disassembled waiting for said parts and I will get to the other soon. I'll take this as a good opportunity to clean up the mess I've made and organize parts.

 

Edited November 17, 2024Nov 17 by Ouroboros

Thanks! 👍