Another trick DR400

[firko]

Guess it's a compliment to be able to tell Firko something VMX he didn't already know...

Thanks for the nice words Martin but the older I get, the less I know. I should have figured the John Banks/CCM connection but it never occured to me.....or if it had I'd forgotten .

[Marc.com]

I just don't get it ..... why they didn't go the extra distance to make an airbox The pods may have work well, but the bike looks unfinished in my eyes.

Fully agree most specials fall down in the carb, airbox and side cover department. Is it the point where people start to lose interest?. Even the attempt on my Cheney is woeful, just flat bit of foam on alloy plate.

Anyways GMC does a good one to fit the HL frame.

[Marc.com]

this is the Cheney JBR effort, guess you have to stuff a battery in there some place. But you have to love my coil bracket 

[ola_martin]

The Curtis have a special airbox originally, a bit like the GMC HL one only bigger, but no sidecovers.
I think the Ccm/jbr have fiberglass boxes also.

I swapped the whole points/condenser plate on mine for a XT500 one, wich is the same, and it worked perfect 

[ola_martin]

Your coilbracket is great, I'm gonna copy it on my Cheney XT

[firko]

so is the JBR Honda based on the Curtis Honda  

this is the Cheney JBR effort,

Now I'm confused, am I now correct in thinking that there are two distinctly different JBR frames? The Cheney BSA powered product and the CCM built Honda jobby? I think I get it now . Maybe, sort of.

[steve234]

I just don't get it ..... why they didn't go the extra distance to make an airbox The pods may have work well, but the bike looks unfinished in my eyes.

Fully agree most specials fall down in the carb, airbox and side cover department. Is it the point where people start to lose interest?. Even the attempt on my Cheney is woeful, just flat bit of foam on alloy plate.

Anyways GMC does a good one to fit the HL frame.

I had the opportunity to buy one of these frames a few years ago....wish I did now!

[firko]

                                                              

The above photo is of the Kenny Roberts KR framed TT that I covered for VMX in issue #44.
                                                              

[firko]

I realise that we've moved a little from DR400 Suzukis but I couldn't let this framefest go by without posting an example of one of my beloved Hindalls, this one the late Bob Neilson's bike that had been Harry Hindalls personal ride. Sure the suspension and geometry might be tad primitive compared to C&J, JBR et al but remember that it was built in 1975.
                                                       
                                                       

[steve234]

                                                             

The above photo is of the Kenny Roberts KR framed TT that I covered for VMX in issue #44.
                                                              

I know! What was I thinking 

[Marc.com]

Now I'm confused, am I now correct in thinking that there are two distinctly different JBR frames? The Cheney BSA powered product and the CCM built Honda jobby? I think I get it now . Maybe, sort of.

Not the least bit confusing, Cheney built a BSA frame for John Banks and called it the John Banks Replica, so my bike is stamped JBR 75, then John Banks had CCM supply frames for the Honda powered John Banks Replicas and we are a bit like the HL situation, will the real JBR please stand up.

I think the Kenny Roberts TT500 is totally cool for those with a trick framed TT500 fetish..... looks kinda cool and has KR name value, but engineering looks a bit of train wreck with the large diameter front down tube and carb hanging like the nose of the Concorde

[bazza]

Marc the KR one looks like it was built in dunedin at the railway yards.

[John Orchard]

Sorry to get even further off-track, were there any trick frame combo's for the 4-valve TT600 engine?  Now that would excite me a little more  :-)

[ola_martin]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but,

First John rode for BSA.

Then early 70's he rode for Cheney, with BSA engines, wich in 1973 resulted in this: Cheney John Banks Replica (JBR)


Then went to CCM in 1974.

Then made his own bike, with help from racecarbuilders Merlin, with XL350 based engine, the Merlin John Banks Motorcycles (JBM)


Then got the XL500 (600cc) factory Honda engine, and put it in a late 70's (mabe-80?) CCM, the JBR.

[ola_martin]

this is the Cheney JBR effort, guess you have to stuff a battery in there some place. But you have to love my coil bracket 

Marc, I have a different opinion on your bike.....

The Cheney John Banks Replica wich came in 1973 had the swingarmpivot behind the frametube, as the blue and orange bike in the picture above...

The Cheney Bengt Aaberg replica wich came in 1974 had the swingarmpivot in center of the frametubes, but the swing formed as a fork, going on both sides of the frametube.


Your frame is very different to those bikes.

Yours is like my 75/76 Cheney Yamaha, wich is the very first version.


So yours must be one of the very last BSA's, with earlyest possible model beeing 1975.

My opinion anyway..