needs more sanding down and polishing, maybe laquering if my polishing doesnt give me that extra glossy look

bracket made for the can too while waiting for the resin to cure.

Shock arrived for christmas!

Just got my new shock! look at this marvelous piece of engineering, photo doesn't do it justice. CNC machined beauty.

seat unit.....carbon skinning!

While the weather is too cold in the shed I've taken the seat unit which was a glass fibre copy of a suzuki tlr1000r seat/bum. Big beast, long and fat. So I previously cut about 3cm section down the length of it. For sizing up its been held with tape. Then my decision to not to get a zx10 seat made me cut part of the back off as in the previous photos. Now the time has come to join the halves and start laying the carbon skin over it. I bought a kit from carbontech/easy composites. I watched there video tutorials on youtube. Its more difficult than it seams! Once the carbon fibre cloth is cut it can easily start pulling apart. mix the resin and hardener(2:1) ratio then your committed to get on with it. joining the halves to a day to prep and set. Next day roughen the main surface, apply the base and hardener leave for 3 hours to go tacky...then try anc cut the cloth to the size/shapes...then lay over and press forminng it around corners. Its tricky, once it grabs that it there no point in trying to pull it off and re-arranging. 3 sections applied and then resin applied to the top surface gently.......leave for 24hours......so tomorrow well see....next to rough it down, then apply 2 more coats, then rub down with fine wet/dry paper...and laquer or polish. Pictures show first layer of resin.

sunday tinkering

While its reasonably warm today I made a bracket to hold one of my TLR micron carbon cans onto the now ex-remus pipework. With some jiggery pokery I've managed tack it on. Looks quite neat. If my maths is correct the length of pipe should still keep it in its optimum power range...... Good book tuning for speed! Have to make a silencer bracket later but that bit is easy. The TLR cans were probably for me a complete waste of money. Micron seemed to withdraw this particular model carbon can. I probably know the answer to that. On standard pipes the right hand side took most of the exhaust pulses. So much so I could watch the rubber seal holding the carbon tube expand and contract......pulsating......before long the seals blew. If you notice the carbon can is reversed and upside down as this use to be on the lfet side of the TLR The other had a big clip around the ends to stop it blowing. Atleast half of the £500 cans have come back into use!!!!

Having looked at seat units and the ridiculous cost of them for a lump of fibreglass, at Kempton park bike jumble today someone wanted £110 for this tiny unit, I was going to offer 40 quid max as it was used. So back in the damp shed I marked the TLR duck seat and used the hack saw to re shape it smaller. Quite happy now with that. Just to skin it with a carbon fibre kit that I'd got from 'easy composites' (uk). I'm going to cut the top fiaring down a little where there is a black tape line. I'm only doing a little at a time, bloody freezing the the shed.

Seat height a little wrong!

After much thought I've lowered the seat frame down, It was too high and uncomfortable on the wrists. I have since lowered it a touch. I don't like the rear seat now so this will be junked for a more streamlined, possibly zx10 version.