OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Honda => Topic started by: Marc.com on April 12, 2009, 07:06:41 pm
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been busy in the shed ;D
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/IMG_4675.jpg)
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/IMG_4673.jpg)
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Shed. :o That's somewhat of an understatement! ;D
Looks good, not knowing what a KSI is, :-[ .......what size motor is that?
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wow grouse shed i wonder if anyone would have a set of dg heads and pipes to suit my rd250 big looking shed is it the only room of the house and do you have those little cars that Austin Powers managed to get stuck sideways ;D
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KSI = Knobby shop international ;)
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=7097.0
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=984.0
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yeah the shed is good, had some spare forks and shocks so gave a 250XL a birthday. Not sure about the Harley tank, sort of does the job./
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OMG, no let me re-phrase that, OMFG! You and those farm bikes, Marc. ;D I can think of better uses for a pair of Fox air shocks.
Cheers,
K
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mate with all that quality suspension this thing is going to handle like its on rails. The grunt of an XL250 combined with the legendary handling of an early YZ.... what the hell were KSI thinking about in the first place.
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Marty rode it so must bee good
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/KSIHonda.jpg)
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That bike is coming up in VMX soon, plus a couple of other bling numbers from the UK.
Ken
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cool, I have been looking for a test through the old VMX library and can only find a brief article on a bike in Sweden grouped together with a couple of Husky hybrids.
Arizona Mike had the last one for sale for 10K US or then there abouts, I decided to go DIY due to having a surplus XL250. Mine will have a better looking seat.
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And you reckon I model things from "down on the farm" ;D ;D
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you can still buy those flip up monza tank caps if you want them. I think the Harley tank has to go though but what else could you use that looks better ???
if you want those yellow ovals with the fox head logo email this place, they got them www.suzuki-pe.co.uk
they also have JT ones and the M-Robert ones like on Georges Jobes 79 RH250 will be available shortly.
http://www.vintageworksbikes.com/sitebuilder/images/rh5-890x597.jpg
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perhaps a 78 cr 250 tank something steel with a bit of size that tank thats on would look alright but there is a bit of a void there looks like it will look good regardless of tank thanks Michael. :)
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i know just the tank, what about a MR250 tank? they have a similar bulbous look about them.
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arent early cr and mr 250 74 the same they do look good those but even a good old yamaha tank mx yz 250 or dt360 etc etc
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I have a sneaking suspicion that the KSI guys used Lyta brand alloy tanks ( called Hi Point in the USA) but they may have been a special order just for those bikes. The son of the KSI guy has frequented this forum in the past so he may have the clues. Unless you want the bike to look as close to a KSI as possible, I reckon the Sportster tank looks pretty good, not my taste perhaps but it doesn't look out of place.
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ive seen NOS Hi-Point tanks on ebay before too.
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Marc,the tanks are still available. Check out Faber Frames web site in the UK. The owner has gone into partnership with one of the original crew and are building the frames again under licence. First batch are due out in the next couple of weeks. Send them a huge pile of cash and they'll send you a real one ;D Nice looking bike though. It will be interesting to see how it goes.
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First batch are due out in the next couple of weeks. Send them a huge pile of cash and they'll send you a real one ;D Nice looking bike though. It will be interesting to see how it goes.
The Faber site has been announcing the KSI frames for about 3 years now. My frame cost $100 so I will stay with that.
The Lyta/Hi Point tank has the same problem as the frame kit, they seem to go for $$$$. However the XLR (follow on to XLS) before they had safety seat looks like a 78/79 CR250 tank and just picked up NOS one for $80.... its that good its a crime to repaint it. The Harley tank was just me messing with some old parts. So good call on the 78 tank Micahel.
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So Faber look like they have had the KSI kit arriving any time now since 2001 ;D
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I must admit I smile every time I see their web site. However !!!!! They do have a first run of at least 3 frames that are built and are being finished off as I post this. All the original tooling was lost in a fire some years ago. All of this was hand made by us and I'm not surprised it's taken as long as it has. I wouldn't like the bill for making that lot again. Even things like formers for bending the tubes for the engine cradle were hand made so that we could get the swing arm mount as close to the gearbox sprocket as possible. Thats why I guess they were so expensive and hard to find now.
PS watch out for that top shock mount. Looks a little fragile to me ;D ;D ;D
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PS watch out for that top shock mount. Looks a little fragile to me ;D ;D ;D
Yeah I was reading the earlier versions of the KSI frame had cracking problems at the mount. I will box in this area with an outer mount like the KSI frame. Give me another weekend or two and she should be much closer. I am lucky i have aircraft welder on my staff, I just tack it up and say "here weld this".
I am interested the story goes they made two frames for the later 4 valve motor.
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Marc could you post a pick with the 78 tank i reckon it will look the goods what colour is it anything with fox shox and simmons should look good not to keen on four strokes but if any its honda xl250 and yamaha tt and xt 500 my mate had a museum quality 82 honda xl250 it was a good looking bike for a four stroke got burnt in the fires though with a heap more bikes which is a shame i stacked it only slightly no damage at all because i let it fall on me dont let your little brother get in front of you on a minitrail in muddy conditions and dont ride in muddy conditions on trials front or rear or both tyre's :)
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There you go. Not the best quality. There was a kit made by a guy called Chris Ventris that allowed the later motor to be fitted. He also ran a company here making cabels and supplying us called venhill engineering. I believe only a couple of these were made and I don't know if they survived. It would be interesting to see the article about the KSI frames cracking as I have never known this to happen. Are you sure it wasn't one of those $100 copies that are flooding the market ;)
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http://www.oldrice.com/Knobby_Shop_450_Cycle_Guide_June_79.jpg
I think the Mk2 involved a more triangular brace on the outside of the shock, but I mean I never seen one in the flesh.
Anyway I took some license with the original design, I figured the shocks being closed together would give them less leverage on the outer tubes of the frame and apply their force directly to the main frame back bone.
Included detachable rear sub frame, so airbox, carb etc, don't have to have enough space around them to get them on and off. Also lets me use CR seat (skinny bike is a fast bike)
I think the original KSI had hideous seat, looks like they half hitched one off a Cheney (I have Cheney JBR also) ;D
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Marc, It's not that easy to see but there is a shaft that the shocks slide on to. This is one piece and it passes through the top tube and is brazed either side of it, We then braze a plate over that. Its again brazed to the seat rail and engine cradle down tube.
By having a bolt on sub frame you will loose some of the strength but as you say, bringing the shocks closer together will help. As for the seat, it is a bit on the large size. Then again most of these went to the states and you have to cater for the "fuller figure" over there ;D
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another angle
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And one JBR with Mr Banks himself. I used to love looking after his bikes when he rode for Cheney. He now runs a chain of car dealerships in the UK.
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Hey thanks for the help.
what i have done is braced the inner mounts back to the backbone of the frame and then triangulated the outer mounts on the outer frame rails.
I have Cheney frame that is stamped JBR75, any thoughts when it was produced and for whom.
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i have posted a JBR article here
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=7274.0
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fire in the hole, $100 motor purrs like a kitten, frame is sorted, just snuck carb between the shocks, airbox, forget it...stay tuned.
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Love this project, I have XL350 I have been thinking of doing the same, keep it coming.
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glad your enjoying it, just have some small things to do, like attach the rear sub frame and I will post another photo or three. I added a couple of braces to the swingarm and snail cam chain adjustors to make it looks more like the KSI. Heres the real deal
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/18148133106_0_ALB.jpg)
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Yeh, I love it too. Talk about making a silk purse from a sow!
I look forward to more pics too. And a report on how it rides.
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Talk about making a silk purse from a sow!
yeah I know some people like but the standard XL never got my pulse racing.
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/rieko0280-img600x450-1240748778p9bl.jpg)
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Marc.....You've reminded me that I know where there's a very rusty grey tank XL500S buried in Jasmine vines behind my mates garden shed. It's been there since the mid 80's when it was parked there by its sheep shearer owner when the kickstarter shaft broke. He made the tragic mistake of asking my mate to fix it and then moving back to NZ a week later with the boys in blue hot on his tail. Somehow I don't think he'll come back for it so I might as well drag it out of the weeds over the weekend and see if it's salvagable. If it's OK it could possibly become a Klub Kevlar group project bike. Dungers like this make great core units for hot rod VMX racers.
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I am quietly optomistic about the end result ;) looks nothing like an XL any more.
Same as usual budget bike build, good engine and frame cast me about $200 but the small parts add up like hell. Bought 4mm oversize piston kit and race cam.
I tell you if disappearing with the cops on your tail were an Olympic event mate. ;D
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bit more work on it
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/MARCBIKE001.jpg)
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:)Good pictures of a MK2 here http://www.oldrice.com/THEKSITHUMPER.html
Looks like a new posting for the XL page.
Will I picked up a rolling 1980 XR250 frame this weekend for $70, already have the fox shox's, looks like it will take the 350 motor without to much work, the sister project begins in Kiwi land,
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wow another one, good for you, if you need any help let me know.
mine is almost done I have to mount the rear sub frame, do the splash guard and exhaust, exhaust is CRF250 so it will have twin mufflers. Then the sub frame and swingarm are off to NZ on holiday to the electro platers..... building bikes in japan means doing things off shore or yourself if you don't want to break the bank.
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Thanks for the offer of help I may well need it, what model swingarm did you use? Any closeups of the frame mounting would be good if you have them.
Swing arm & forks will be the delay for me, is that a CR250/500 back wheel?
Cheers
Tony
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Hi Tony,
back wheel is CR250, selected because it was available and had decent gold rim. Once the shock mounts are fuully welded I will post a photo/
Swingarm is IT400, for forks I would just grab 78 CR forks and do some sticker engineering. ;D