I finished up the exhaust pipe yesterday - obtained more leg clearance from the muffler by adding a 3" piece in the middle of the pipe and then subtracting an inch off the end. Rewelded the tab holding the pipe and muffler together, made a new bracket to support the rear of the muffler, removed the bosses for the heat shield from the muffler, and then painted the pipe. I might need a heat shield that will slip under the seat and then bend down to keep the heat away from the seat and the battery. Even though it would be rather unsightly, I could always wrap the muffler with something like a fire blanket like welders use or the standard wrap used for headers. If my fanny overheats, I'll take some corrective action, otherwise, it's done.
Next up is mounting the rear fender. That's only a matter of drilling a few holes, so that won't take long. When I get that done I'll pull everything apart so I can move the footpeg location. That's going to be a bit of a pain but I'm not going to be happy with it otherwise. I wanted the pegs farther back than stock but moving them forward and outward will solve a couple of issues. The pegs will still be a bit rearward of the stuck location, so it should be a good compromise.
I still need to do something about the rear wheel. I've got a couple of options but neither one appeals to me. I'd like to have an aluminum rim first of all, and getting the proper sprockets is going to be a little tricky - the engine uses a 428 chain and the wheels I have available use 530 chain. While that's not totally unworkable, it might be worth my while to keep looking for a third option. Surly dropped off a wheel from a motocross bike that would be ideal but there's no backing plate/brake. While I've got the bike apart to move the pegs I can finish weld most of the frame. That'll keep me busy for a bit.
No comments:
Post a Comment