The Dunstall VTR---round 3
 

I am getting pretty close to having this thing rideable again (though no riding weather now...), so I figured I would post up the pics of what I have been doing to the bike. The first pics are from today, and the others are the project getting to this point.

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Right now I am waiting on petcocks to continue plumbing and bringing it back to life. I am really hoping to have lost some more weight in this evolution, but I did add some back with the nitrous setup. More pics in the next post.

Most of you know, it did look like this at the end of its last evolution:

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I decided on an alloy tank to fit with the seat base. I conceived all of this in cardboard:
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In the meantime, I cleaned up the top triple some, and also "lightened" my levers:

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I cut all the pieces out of 16 ga. aluminum, and taped them all together to check it out:

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Next, I reworked the exhaust. I removed the remaining stub for the old 2-2, and then cut out the restriction from the remaining pipe. I repainted the pipe to a ceramic look, and then installed a GP style shorty pipe. This is sure to be overly loud...but it fits the look.

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The old under tail was getting pretty rock chipped, and I didn't need all of the cut outs for the muffler stay anymore. I remade the undertail, and polished it. I also added more venting by the battery to release more heat, as when it was filled, it tended to get hot down there...

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_3452.jpg

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A friend of mine TIG'ed the tank, and in the meantime, I made a mini fairing, with nods to the racers of the '20s:

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I decided that nitrous fit with the overall look and theme of the bike. Since I am not really going to use it much, I opted for the 12 oz bottle, to allow for easy stashing. Here are some pics of the nitrous install:

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(I had to relocate my solenoids from the last pic, as they would not allow clearance for the tank. The new location is better anyway)

I also found some cool jet aircraft warning stickers to put on:

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At last I got the tank back, and after cutting and fitting everything to place, it looked like this:

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Which brings this post up to current, here:

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Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I have!:D

that is really amazing. very nice, thanks for posting the pics. I don't usually love the naked look people spin after a crash, but this is really nicely done and a lot of work and planning. Cool

Dude, that thing is Gnarly! you are gona get a ton of ??? once you get that thing on the road. nice job :thumbsup:

Very Impressive! I just dented my gas tank on Thanksgiving Day when it fell over in soft ground and hit a post on the Deck. That dent is driving me crazy. So I see there are options.

If you're replacing your tank and don't mind a little mechanical work look into a VFR tank installation- it'll get you some range over the stock one...

that's starting to look a bit 'steampunk'. :cool: are you going to do an ally front mudguard?

this would be REALLY cool if everything was symmetrical.

I love it and love the fairing. Great job! Can't wait to hear it fire up!

Probably a stupid question, but I've never let that stop me before:
Isn't it deafeningly loud minus any mufflers whatsoever?:confused:

Oh, the muffler is packed!
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...I suspect it will be pretty loud...:)

This started as kind of a cafe-fighter build, but kind of went wrong somewhere, and ended up running on its own! It should be pretty functional, but only for short periods of time. I have other bikes for long distance riding, so I decided to let my imagination run with this one.

Glad you all dig it!:D

Yep...it's loud:eek: Lots of work yet to do, but at least it runs again.

superhawk :: 100_3561.mp4 video by t71ford - Photobucket

Now if only the stupid snow would leave...

absolutely love the bike man, it just looks so raw.... i cant get over it! phenominal craftsmanship on the 1 off parts as well!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I LOVE the way it sounds, that 2 into 1 setup works. Thanks for the video. Do one on the road with the nitrous running when weather permits???

That is wild man!! Your work is such an inspiration to me.. I just love the way you think outside the square:):)

WAY loud but sooo beefy sounding! yeah!

Thanks for all the kind words! The VTR just has all the right "soul" for a project like this, so it is kind of developing on its own. Ear plugs are definitely on the agenda, though. In that video, I only revved it to 6000 RPM, so it does get louder yet! And, like was said, the ancillary noises like the primary whine and the fan really contribute as well.

Still thinking about sending the pipe out to get coated. The silver paint kind of sucks. And plenty of other little odds and ends. Looking into making a front fender out of Texalium fiberglass, to get that neo-look. It will be skeletonized as well.

Stay tuned, there is plenty more to see here, I hope!

Got some parts over the weekend! Here are the new Chinese grips from ebay. A pretty good deal, really. Everything that looks like aluminum is, and though the machining is not the best, it is good enough, I guess.

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And, since I had to take the endcap off the LH grip to get the bar end mirror in, I discovered that the cap is the same size as the ignition switch bezel, so I dressed that up as well:

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Here are a couple other shots I got of it while it was out today:

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Thanks for checking in, hopefully this thread stays entertaining!

So I bit the bullet, and sent the pipe out to be coated. After a couple of runs, the aluminum high temp paint fell off (in peels), and pretty much just sucked. I sent it to Performance Coatings in Auburn, Wa, and they did a really terrific job. It looks pretty close to the polished aluminum, and has some insulating benefits as well. Here are some pics of that:

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So I am nearly done now. I lined the tank with a Caswell lining, just to be on the safe side. I just have to do some dialing with the NO system, and make a new front fender, and it should be about there. Pretty stoked about the old girl, for sure. It brings out the little boy side of me, I think.:)

Sorry Dude this is a classic example of " just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be done! "

I couldn't disagree more...it looks like a gorgeous work of art and a very unique and cool bike...seat looks a little uncomfortable though lol

If I had to suggest a mod for this bike I would say switch over to one single radiator and enclose it in a fan shroud under the tail...kind of like a Benelli Tornado type thing...

I think it looks awesome.

I would love to build/trasform my bike into a Vicent/Egli/honda/superhawk/caferacer/thing one day. I think sometime ago, someone had an idea of using Honda Superhawk or RC51 engines to make a re-birthed Vincent. My guess is it's only a matter of time before some does.

Ok here is an old link http://www.bikeexif.com/vincent-black-shadow

Anyways cool bike.

I appreciate the opinions and props, fellas! I don't hold it against anybody to not like this thing--since I didn't build it for them.

It was built off the plan in my mind to be light, agile, raw, and very, very mechanical. I think I hit most of those marks. Heck, I've even had people tell me that it is unsafe. They obviously don't recognize a virtually stock running gear. The only engine mod is the nitrous and de-pairing. It is a stock bike with no fairings, a race seat, and an alloy tank and fairing.

I rode it today (@17 degrees F), and it is pretty awesome. It's attitude shows up in every aspect, and it draws the reactions it is supposed to. One guy even told me "It's way too loud, but, shoot, it looks like it's supposed to be too loud!".

It ain't a track bike VTR by any stretch, and I don't try to claim it is. Like was said, it is so much art. But this art can walk the walk--it's not just show. So love it or hate it, I'm taking it hunting in the next Zombie Apocolypse!:D

AMEN

:congrats:

Weighed the bike today on two refrigerant scales, to see the changes:

393 Pounds

Front weight: 195 (49.6%)
Rear weight: 198 (50.4%)

For reference, the prior revision weights are here:

416#
Front: 200 (48.1%)
Rear: 216 (51.9%)

I don't have stock ratios for a VTR, but the dry and wet weights are as follows:

dry: 423#
wet: 448#


I'm not sure total capacity of the tank yet, but this was full. I have to drain some fuel down to reseal a petcock, and I will try to remember to measure what comes out to get an idea of actual dry weight.

Not bad distribution, and not bad for all the weight I added back on with the NO and fairing. SO stoked about these results!

Is your last name DeLorean?

Took this think out and rode it up to speed yesterday. Thing sounds awesome and handles awesome. I got my friend to take some better pics than I could ever do, as well.

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And a few action shots, for scale reference

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It was nice to get out yesterday, since we have snow today...:(

This bike is weird to me cause I don't like anything that you've done to it, but I still like it for some reason. :thumbsup:

Thanks for that man! I admire your build a lot, and appreciate that you have been following along. Thanks again for the kind words!

That bike is psycho! We need that thing out on the streets of San Francisco!

Could you imagine an army of raw aluminum, shorty exhaust, sharp edged v-twins weaving through san fran?

I love it. I am not usually a fan of the SH getting the cafe treatment. One suggestion is maybe polishing the ends of the radiators. Since you polished all the other aluminum. Great job!

Great suggestion on the radiators!

I am now contemplating a single sided swinger conversion, but I have to save up some money again, first...:mad:

If I remember right, most accessible SSSA's are a little heavier than the standard ones... One option is an SP2 swingarm- they're way lighter, handle better, and even have more bracing and a more raw look like the rest of your bike.

Just looking at it an SSSA is too pretty on your build (all opinion of course!)

And if you're looking for things to polish, I've always been a fan of the rim stripe ;)

love it. what does it look like without that white front wheel fender? think it deserves a matching polished AL look and might look good simply going bare; could possibly do with a higher end paint or fab something up pretty easy im sure. congrats on a job well done.
i second the radiator polishing and the rim stripe

7: Thanks for the tip on the swinger weights, I did not know all that. I will have to do some searching around for the SP-2 swinger, since I agree the braced look would match nicely!

Rocker: I have in the works to build a Texalium fiberglass front fender, I just haven't gotten to it yet...This fender (in white pearl, I might add:)) is leftovers from the first generation rebuild I did last year--to match the then painted tank. Rest assured, it will be coming off! Thanks for the props!!

Finally got weather good enough to test the NO system out on the bike. It is set up currently with a +18 wet shot.

It raised RPM at WOT in 6th by about 250-300 engine RPM--pushing close to redline. It was incredibly smooth, and the bike planed out and ran like a champ on-gas. My speedo reads the front wheel and is dead accurate to 100 mph, and I have pretty good confidence in it. I reached an indicated 146.5 before I had to turn out because of the road. I was pushing a wind of about 10-15 mph, and given better conditions, I think I can easily break the 150 mark with change to spare. I figure all in all, this is not bad for 5000' above sea level. I did play around with just using it on acceleration, and notice much improved acceleration performance. Of course this is part weight loss, but back to back comparos with and without gas showed a marked improvement.

I have a few more changes to make and then will try to get dyno numbers to verify the nitrous boost.

At any rate, I figured I would post up the preliminary findings. Though a lot of fun, it pretty much what I expected in terms of the performance. It is certainly not the engine-blowing curse reported to be, but it is certainly something that has to be used properly.

Cheers!

Ohh, a switch for the N2O, I thought it was an arming switch for a GAU-8 install.

Awesome build by the way.