VTR1000.ORG

Varastorm wrote:Good call on the thread bar Mac, should do until I get some oem ones.

Thing is though it needs number 13 "adjusting bolt 20x48" to hold the bolt in the correct place.

I just never thought about the bolts, adjusters & spacers when I was asking about the frame pissed off to say the least.

I've crossed referenced the parts on https://www.bike-parts-honda.com/pieces ... ADERO.html & no other bikes shares, the castle nuts seem quite common though.

All on hold now though, the piggy banks empty & its ffffreeezzzzing out there.

Tony did use it on his Storm, you'd have to ask him about how he did the adjusters on that one...

As said I will have a rake tomorrow & see what I have, I let you know what I have, cover the postage & donation to the biscuit fund will cover it...

The adjuster merelyvtakes up the slack and stops the frame being squeezed in when you tighten the nut and bolt.
The reason it adjusts is so that you have clearance enough to drop the engine out or put it in.
A spacer or group of washers to act as shims is fine.
I used 14mm threaded bar in stainless, worked fine for years.
Just for the main one though, you need the correct bolts where they actually thread into the engine.

Franks been raking & come up with...



The long one is the bottom/rear all the way through...

Then you have the to mid position bolts, one is longer then the other & is the right hand side one.

There are 2 of the lefthand ones as both are a bit grobby so you can pick the best after a bit of a clean up.

Unfortunatly I do not have the castle nuts or adjuster bits...There were some but I must of sold them on at some point...

Let me know what you need/want out of that lot & I'll get them off to you.

Cover the postage & make a donation to the biscuit fund if you want to...

Got both castle nuts, used, and one new adjuster, I think.

Big thanks for helping out guys, I might need those parts.

Please don't think I'm ungrateful, but over the last week I have contacted everyone on eBay who's broken a Varadero. Even people in Germany.

Some of them came back with a straight NO! But some have been very helpful & I've managed to get a few bolts'n spacers.

Last night & today I've been messaging a guy who has what looks like close to a full set for an early Varadero, which I'd prefer. The VTR bolts would do for a mock-up but I'd need the correct ones for the final assembly.

So I'm not saying no to the offers, just waiting to see what's in the box he's sending me.



Thanks again Mac, Frank & Tony

Bloody messer...

MacV2 wrote:Bloody messer...

Well, at least it's giving you a chance to go through all them parts bins and see what's what and what's where (what-what).

Mind you, being a well established VTR UK based parts supplier (second only to Dave Silver IMHO), you and yer storeman should be on the ball, and have it all sorted, labeled and booked into stock on the computer saying exactly what shelf it's on....

But oooooh no. It's piled up, strewn everywhere, buried, hidden, lost, separated and mislaid. I say hand Frank his P45 and advertise for a new position (post it on the web).

It is suprisingly ordered I'll have you know.

It's not like theres enough of it to bother putting in on a computer based bin location type spread sheet tho...

Give it a week or two & I'll hopefully be placing an order for odd nut's bolts Mac, if that's ok?

The main problem is that it'll be built from 100% sourced parts, as opposed to a whole bike which is then converted. There are some bits required from a Varadero, VTR & from a Cbr. I am trying my best to keep it all Honda if I can though.

It's still up in the air, but this is what I've built in my head so far.

Front end.

1/ Spoked is the ideal way to go, but that's another big job.. This is what I have in the shed.
front, I have 19" 3 spoke Vara, Cbr 17" 5 spoke or 17"Vtr 3 spoke.
Rear, I have 4"x17" 3 spoke Vara, 5.5"x17" 5 spoke or Vtr 3 spoke.
I could get an Cbr F3 5 spoke narrow rear if needed, but will have to see.

2/ Varadero 43mm yokes with clamps for conventional handle bars. I have a couple of sets of wide Renthal bars in the shed, but I think I'll have to go old fashioned tracker for the look.

3/ Std 43mm Varadero forks will be going on temporarily & slid through the yokes to get the correct height. I also have a set of hybrid CR stanchioned/Varadero lowers (4" extended) in the shed. I did put them on the bike once instant Easy Rider Chopper look But hopefully a set of 43mm Cbr 600 f4 forks/calipers fitted with cut/shortened Varadero heavy springs.

4/ I know they're not meant to have them, but I'll have to have front brakes. I have a few sets of discs & a spare Yamaha R1 master. Also thinking of a Varadero clutch lever with incorporated choke lever, no mirrors.

5/ Day time mot, no front light or indicators. Only a oem engine on/off & start button. Not sure about a horn yet.

Chassis.

1/ Varadero main frame, cut top rails away & replace with spine & various bits of box section to keep it looking standard. The tank & seat position will dictate the height of the main frame.

2/ Not too sure of the rear frame yet, the easy way is use a Std Vtr swingarm/linkage/shock & exhaust. I really fancy going the short wheelbase route though. If I do I'll have to fabricate the rear subframe to cope with twin shocks & fabricate a swingarm similar to a Harley swingarm. This can be done later as it won't dictate how the bodywork fits, that's done by the headstock to rear cylinder head clearance line. I am reluctant to cut the existing subframe off just yet because I'll be using it as a guide/jig for the new rear frame.

3/ This is my idea for a short wheelbase swingarm, machine mild steel rings that replicate what the swingarm bearings sit in. Purchase some box section the same internal size as Cbr f3 swingarm. Then mill two slots in the box section so I can use the Cbr f3 wheel adjusters. Lugs for the shocks & bracket for the caliper will be worked out when the parts are sourced.

4/ The exhaust will be a 2 to 1 effort, more than likely std Vtr to begin with cut at the join & link pipe to a single silencer or twin megaphone thing.

All that's left to do is live into it

Nice weather's arrived so I setup a temp bench from pallets & set about cutting the frame.

Here's a few pictures of the chopping. I used Lidl cutting discs, wafer thin brilliance

First cuts.





Then the tubes were next.





Removed the unwanted welds from the frame tidied the ones that might get used for lining up supports.

Skipped the build photo's as it was dark, hence the backward front wheel.

Here's a loose idea of the direction I want to go.

Everything is balancing so it could all change

The remains of the rear subframe will go eventually, it's only there for supporting the seat & to aid alignment.

Coming along there sir. Looking forward to seeing this done.
I wish I had the skill and time to do something like this.

Loving it as above i wish i had the skill to do such things..

Cheers guys, I'm in a better mood now.

In between fiddling with the bike I was also fixing the boiler.

We've had no heating since Friday night & it's been below freezing outside

Boiler fixed = happy family = time to play with the bike again

One thing I have noticed is the steel that the frame is made out of is ordinary steel. The tubing is heavy walled, but the rectangular section is just normal box section.

I was looking at buying a length cds (cold drawn seamless steel) square or rectangular section. But looking at the tubing that's been removed it's going to be a lot cheaper to do