my quest to become a winged hammer

[riversbikes]

After being inspired by XTR Pepo's Bandit 600, I kept my eye out on a similar bike for a cheap price -- in Canada there appears to be less and less interest in older bikes, so I was hoping to find one for a steal.  As always, I also kept looking at the list of provincial salvage items for sale, and sure enough, in the fall of 2016 a 1996 Bandit 1200 with only 12,000 came up for auction.  I duly drove the 250km to Winnipeg to check it out, and drove home $700 poorer, with this in tow.  Let the cutting commence!

 

 

[riversbikes]

First step was checking to see if the bike ran -- it did, poorly with the usual leaking petcocks and flooded float bowls.  With that assurance I started hacking up the frame, and tacking on a new rear subframe using 4130 tubing.  The rear subframe with pillion provisions was understandably heavy!

[riversbikes]

I had set myself on buying Ducati F1 fairings, as they seemed to have the right look I was going for.  After fitting and some trimming, the final shapes were determined.  Based on feedback and the width of the cylinders I cut back the upper fairing considerably.  I now had to find a dot-legal headlight solution which still had the "endurance" feel to it.

[riversbikes]

The end result was a small, 4.5" single offset light, with high and low beams.  In the meantime, I had acquired a black widow header and GPR slip on to mimic the "thin" mufflers of the yoshimura bikes of the 80s.  I rebuilt the 4-pots, added some stainless lines I had lying around (in green!), and worked on a rearset solution that didn't jack my legs up too far.  While I wanted the twin headlight setup, there is no way it would be deemed legal for street use.

 

[riversbikes]

I then tore the entire bike apart to finish weld the frame and then send it off to get powdercoated.  I got bobbin mounts properly tig-welded onto the swingarm and started the rebuild when it all came back.  In the interim I rebuilt the stock forks with racetech internals.

[riversbikes]

I then sent the fairings off to paint -- nothing too fancy at this stage.  I had also bought a pingel petcock and rebuilt the carbs with a Holeshot stage II kit as I was ditching the airbox.  The bike was starting to come together nicely!

[riversbikes]

Once deemed "legal" by the government, the tuning started.  What a nightmare!  After firing right up the first time, I spent the summer of 2017 chasing a ridiculously rich condition, using the Holeshot kit and settings.  Plugs turned black, the bike ran poorly at all rev ranges, and black smoke billowed out of the rear.  I tried every needle setting on the stock and provided needle, I went from 110 all the way up to 150 on the mains, with no joy.  I had a lovely looking bike, but it ran like a pig.

[riversbikes]

I gave up in the fall and vowed to fix it right -- so I bought a set of RS36 carbs and waited the long Canadian winter to mount them.  Inside, I set them to the recommended settings, including fuel screw, float, and main jet.... and waited.  And trolled Eblag... and found a Fox triple adjust shock for a GSXR that would work!  And a set of GSXR1100 forks in great shape...

[riversbikes]

What was I doing???  Well, after reading about the CMR racing bikes (built in Canada) racing at the Phillip Island Classic, I wrote the guy to inquire.  Frames aren't cheap, as you can imaging, but it made me lust after a vintage superbike.  I would stand no chance in the SBK class at my local club, but it would be fun rolling up to the line on a bike this old, and I would embarrass some of the riders....

[riversbikes]

So step 1 is pressing the bandit stem into the say what now!? bottom triple, and visualizing what the finished result might look like.  At least the bike now runs 100% better with the carbs.  I still need to do some final tuning, and I do realize I might have to learn to use the carbs slightly differently due to their design and nature.  

[riversbikes]

I'm liking the look of this Harris-framed endurance racer from France... although a cheaper option would be to use the bodywork I have, fill in the headlight holes, and go from there.  My goal is to have the bike on track by next spring, if not sooner.  I'm still racing my supertwin EX650 this season.  So why negate all the work I've done to make the bike street legal?  Well, I've already got a street triple 675 for the road, the ex650 racer, and an xt600 cafe bike as well.  Insuring bikes is very expensive, particularly in my province, and we don't have any multi-bike policies available.  I can always return the ex650 to street duty and sell it or the triumph when the time comes...  I'll keep you all updated on this step of my journey!

[wraith]

Nice job 

[Blubber]

Cool project 

[IceKat]

Love that frame kit 

[CockneyRick]

That original Yosh/Bandit pic was always on my "next project" plan. Would be the 1st & only time i'd be using bandit bits that's for sure!

[cregnybaa]

23 hours ago, riversbikes said:

I'm liking the look of this Harris-framed endurance racer from France... although a cheaper option would be to use the bodywork I have, fill in the headlight holes, and go from there.  My goal is to have the bike on track by next spring, if not sooner.  I'm still racing my supertwin EX650 this season.  So why negate all the work I've done to make the bike street legal?  Well, I've already got a street triple 675 for the road, the ex650 racer, and an xt600 cafe bike as well.  Insuring bikes is very expensive, particularly in my province, and we don't have any multi-bike policies available.  I can always return the ex650 to street duty and sell it or the triumph when the time comes...  I'll keep you all updated on this step of my journey!

What happened to the hindle pipe?.

[nlovien]

friend has a CMR RS1000 replica frame - very nice   you spent wisely 

[riversbikes]

5 hours ago, nlovien said:

friend has a CMR RS1000 replica frame - very nice   you spent wisely 

Ooops -- I think I have people confused -- I did not buy a CMR frame.  I do buy a lotto ticket weekly in order to do so, but I am working with my Bandit frame, modified as above, with the upgraded suspension pieces.

 

[riversbikes]

Pulled the trigger on the fairings.  Of course wanted the right "look", but didn't want to break the bank.  In Canada right now our dollar is a bit deflated against foreign currencies.  A few years ago, we were actually more valuable than the US dollar... but not now.  So when considering ordering from the 'states, you have to factor in the exchange, shipping (and on fairings that can be huge), and duties.  When the supplier ships via UPS, that company also tacks a 30% surcharge/handling fee onto all transactions.  To avoid this, I do have a place in northern North Dakota where I have gotten things shipped to, but that entails a 3 hour round trip drive, fuel, time, and I still have to pay customs duties of course.  

A viable option is ordering from Europe.  Economies of scale is that often individual pieces are priced at 50% of what is available in the US, and sometimes when it is all calculated out, it is cheaper to order across the pond.  Oftentimes the variety is great from overseas as well.  Hence, I found Bardney Racing online.  A few reviews were mixed, but I've never had race bodywork ever fit "perfect".  Some work with the dremel and or sandpaper is always required.  And for every negative review, there were several positive ones.  After using an online calculator program (xe.com), it worked out that I could get an early slingshot upper and two sidepanels, shipped to me in Canada for over $100 cheaper than the next option, Airtech.  And I didn't have to drive 3 hours to pick them up in North Dakota!

According to the owners, the moulds were made from modified stock panels, so you can actually see the "suzuki" graphics in the finished product, as well as graphics lines.  I'll sand out the logos, but leave in the lines (perhaps), as that will help mark vinyl or 2-tone paint lines when I get to that point.

I hope to find a used 750 slingshot (88-89) upper fairing stay, and a windscreen (zero gravity still has some new old stock online) to suit.  

So not identical to the Force endurance racer above, but more period correct, if you ask me.

 

[riversbikes]

Well that was easy -- new All Balls steering stem bearing kit.  Leave the triple over night in the freezer, and warm the bearing in the oven for 20 mins at 200C.  Bearing went on with very little aggro.  

 

[IceKat]

I had a set of lowers with the same graphics in the glass, must have come from the same source. They sanded out easily though 

[riversbikes]

That's what I've been told, IceKat... they even advertise that on their website... as a full disclosure sort of announcement!

 

[riversbikes]

A pretty happy camper.  Tried both the 132.5 and 135 mains, and the 135 seem very good.  Set the accelerator pump, and the bike pulls nice and strong throughout the rev range.  I've got it geared pretty high, so I run out of road and also excuses speed wise on the highway, so I have to roll off.  I might try something even richer, as it still feels a bit lean at WOT.  As always, all bikes are unique -- I'm still trying to chase down a dyno operator within reasonable distance for help, but most are harley FI guys, and don't seem to want to bother.  I'm still running one of the baffles in the GPR exhaust as well, so once that is removed I may have to do more fine tuning, but I want to do that at the track.  We've got no noise restrictions at the local club circuit!

 

[riversbikes]

Some more progress, in the electrical department.  The ignition key delete.  Attached are pics of how you can make this work for your bandit.  Note resister between the black/white and orange/yellow wires.  I had a 100ohm/2w lying around from my last racebike build.  The brown and grey are ignored, and the orange and red wired into a simple handlebar rocker switch.  I've also included a picture of the bike stripped of the street bodywork and lights... next step is to get that GSXR1100 front end mounted!

[riversbikes]

USD forks on, dug through my tickle trunk of leftover bits -- found some ZX7R clip ons that will do for now, a radial master from a zx10R, and a Brembo radial front lever, which I don't think will work as the bore size might be too small...