MSerfozo
Registered
I think the Bandit is too much of an old school bike to use the fenders designed to work with the USD forks. I might try the Bandit fender if I can fab a decent mount but the fenderless look is growing on me.
New here. No Hayabusa, just 'busa parts on my Bandit
- Thread starter MSerfozo
- Start date
I think the Bandit is too much of an old school bike to use the fenders designed to work with the USD forks. I might try the Bandit fender if I can fab a decent mount but the fenderless look is growing on me.
MSerfozo
Registered
Here's my latest iteration of the fork guards. I still need to polish the edges and round the corners but I think I'm going to go with these for a while.
I wanted to get the guards closer to the fork so I modified my wood form to create a flat spot in the curve where the upper bolt goes through to the boss on the fork. I figured this would allow me to move the guard about 3/4" closer to the fork leg.
In case anybody cares or is interested in creating parts from plastic sheet, here's what I learned: Lexan (polycarbonate) has a very narrow range of temperature where it can be shaped which makes it hard to work with. Plexiglass, Plaskolite, etc. (acrylic) will become pliable over a range of about 60[sup]o[/sup] - 70[sup]o[/sup]F which makes it much easier to work with at home. I tried about 6 different times to make these out of Lexan because of its impact resistance, but finally switched to Plexiglass and got decent results the first time. Lexan only gave me about 10 seconds of work time after heating before it stiffened up too much to bend, Plexiglass stayed pliable for more like 30 seconds and was easier to get it to "flow" into the boss area.
Anyway, I think these look a lot better than the black ones and I'm going to leave them clear but I may give them a light sand blast for a "frosted" look if they scratch too easily. Comments welcome...
I wanted to get the guards closer to the fork so I modified my wood form to create a flat spot in the curve where the upper bolt goes through to the boss on the fork. I figured this would allow me to move the guard about 3/4" closer to the fork leg.
In case anybody cares or is interested in creating parts from plastic sheet, here's what I learned: Lexan (polycarbonate) has a very narrow range of temperature where it can be shaped which makes it hard to work with. Plexiglass, Plaskolite, etc. (acrylic) will become pliable over a range of about 60[sup]o[/sup] - 70[sup]o[/sup]F which makes it much easier to work with at home. I tried about 6 different times to make these out of Lexan because of its impact resistance, but finally switched to Plexiglass and got decent results the first time. Lexan only gave me about 10 seconds of work time after heating before it stiffened up too much to bend, Plexiglass stayed pliable for more like 30 seconds and was easier to get it to "flow" into the boss area.
Anyway, I think these look a lot better than the black ones and I'm going to leave them clear but I may give them a light sand blast for a "frosted" look if they scratch too easily. Comments welcome...
hayabuser
Registered
I wonder if a B-King fender would work on the Hayabusa forks?
PS: You're not alone... check out the "Post your ride here: thread, page 28, 3rd post down on http://www.suzukib-king.org/forum. You may need an account to view but I've linked the poster's picture of his Busa-equipped Bandit.
PS: You're not alone... check out the "Post your ride here: thread, page 28, 3rd post down on http://www.suzukib-king.org/forum. You may need an account to view but I've linked the poster's picture of his Busa-equipped Bandit.
MSerfozo
Registered
Somebody PMed me to ask about my fork conversion and I can't figure out how to insert a photo into a PM conversation so I'm going to resurrect this thread to answer his questions.
First, I started with a pair of fork spacers to lift the front. I never had any trouble with the tire hitting the oil cooler, but I lost too much clearance under the pegs and was dragging my toes. These don't look like much, but they fit the top of the forks very snugly and clamped into the top triple clamp perfectly. The setscrews really weren't necessary and I just tightened them lightly with a drop of blue Loctite to keep them from falling out.
First, I started with a pair of fork spacers to lift the front. I never had any trouble with the tire hitting the oil cooler, but I lost too much clearance under the pegs and was dragging my toes. These don't look like much, but they fit the top of the forks very snugly and clamped into the top triple clamp perfectly. The setscrews really weren't necessary and I just tightened them lightly with a drop of blue Loctite to keep them from falling out.
MSerfozo
Registered
I ran like that for a couple of years but decided I wanted a more finished look. I had heard that machinists in England were making custom aluminum parts for streetfighters and that the British pound was weak vs the US dollar so I had a custom top triple clamp made (Brits call it a yoke). I kept the cost down by not opting for mirror polish and keeping the design simple. I can't remember what this cost me but it seems like it was under $200 with shipping.
MSerfozo
Registered
A couple years ago, I got crazy and ordered some Galespeed racing wheels. Galespeed (from WeBike in Japan) were the only aftermarket wheels I could find that could be bought individually - B12 rear, Busa front.
With shipping, they were about $2k. Front is a couple pounds lighter and the rear saves almost 8 lbs without the cush drive.
With shipping, they were about $2k. Front is a couple pounds lighter and the rear saves almost 8 lbs without the cush drive.
