Build update

[hortoncode3]

I love to see all the activity here, some of it far beyond where I would dare to go but still a few ideas I'll capture and use..the de-chromed headlight ring for example. I will get around to paint mine Olive but still hung up on the whole paint matching issue..no one around here has been successful so far! (It is Vermont, perhaps I need expert help from a more urban area)  Love the mesh screen over the headlight too. Bar end mirrors..that's next if I ever find a catalog that definitively states it'll fit a G-5...!

[wokka]

Does that Power Commander allow you to eliminate the rev-limiter function of the ECU?
Is it programmable to do that, or just over-rideable? Or neither?

we didn't get that far in ace, the rpm spike put an end to the run before we even really began

I've been trying to keep out of this thread, but your swing arm
is going to do some serious harm to your body. It is just too thin to have any bending strength even it were solid steel. If you leave the shocks mounted at the ends of the swing arm. The worst force you have on them is twisting when you are in a turn. but even that will cause metal fatigue and you would have a good chance of the arms breaking at the pivot.
If you had left the stock shock on in the original mid mounted position, the arms most likely would have broken right behind the shocks. You need some vertical stiffeners on them to beef them up. That's why most modern swing arms are rectangular tubing at exceed 2" high or more. With the length you have extended you swing arm, you have added an incredible amount bending and twisting force to those small tubes.
I don't know how you are planning to mount a monoshock. But I would recommend you mount it like the Vincents and old Yamaha Scramblers of the 70s with a triangulated section that makes the swing arm look like a hard tail. That design would give you a massive increase in bending and twisting strength.
Don't wanna try to tell you how to built your bike, but don't wanna see you hurt yourself unnecessarily.
Bare

I appreciate the concern Bare, I am a member of quite a few other forums and I am one of the first to jump on something I don't feel is safe or right.

The longer shocks mounted at the axle vs the stockers halfway down the arm took most of the vertical/bending forces out of play, I was concerned about the chance of the swingarm twisting so asked  a supplier to put it through a structural analysis and it came up well within limits. (the rails on the swingarm are currently 36mm round bar)

The monoshock is a totally separate beast, and I'm going through a few different configurations.
The triangulated setup you are talking about was my first choice, but chain clearance is proving an issue, the swingarm rails would have to have 2 bends to get around the chain, and I would much prefer to keep the whole thing as straight as possible.

The current preferred option is borrowed from the atv world and will use a 0.160 wall 32mm DOM tube as the main axle arm, and then a full length underslung triangulation in 24mm DOM that will be boxed to the main arm, this will make the highest stress point in the swing arm (the lower shock mount) 80mm tall and the minimum height at the pivot tube and axle plates 56mm. The pivot tube will also be gusseted to the arms as will the lower shock mount.

None of this will go through until I have the calcs back, and who knows, maybe I will have to bin the whole idea. But I'm a glass half full kinda guy

[barenekd]

Bar end mirrors..that's next if I ever find a catalog that definitively states it'll fit a G-5...!

The Napoleon mirrors will definitely fit a G5 with the stock bars. You just remove the rubber mirrors mounts and stick the bolt through the bar end weights (do not try to use bar end mirrors without them, the vibration is terrible) and screw them into the existing threads in the bars.
I would suggest one get slightly longer bolts to do this with, though. The bolts that come with the mirrors only are long enough to engage 4 or 5 threads. If you ant to change bars, you can to back to the mirror factories original rubber mounting, but, again, get a bolt long enough to allow you to use the weights.
Bare

[hortoncode3]

Thanks for the info! Now, any suggestions on painting chrome?

[wokka]

A brillo pad and lots of elbow grease

[Desi Bike]

Maybe acid etching? You need to break though the shiney top layer. A light sanding won't cut it. Once you get a chip or scratch it will peel.

[AgentX]

Keep the twin shocks!

They look great.  Just moden and edgy enough while still reminiscent of the classic lines.

[AgentX]

Bump--what's been happening with the bike lately??

[wokka]

Currently sitting in Qatar customs, hoping to pick it up before christmas

There's a few threads floating about alluding to whats going to happen next

[Ducati Scotty]

Wokka, did you ever get enough seat time to determine the long term comfort of the tractor seat?  It's cold enough in my part of the world that I now have to admit I'm off the road for a while so I'm starting on my winter projects.  Tractor seat is on the list if it's comfy for long rides.

Oh, and you've got me thinking about getting a second fender and plate mount for summer time.  Just strip it down to the essentials when the weather is warm and the sun is shining.

Scott

[wokka]

Wokka, did you ever get enough seat time to determine the long term comfort of the tractor seat?  It's cold enough in my part of the world that I now have to admit I'm off the road for a while so I'm starting on my winter projects.  Tractor seat is on the list if it's comfy for long rides.

Oh, and you've got me thinking about getting a second fender and plate mount for summer time.  Just strip it down to the essentials when the weather is warm and the sun is shining.

Scott

Scotty,

I have had about 13000 km on the seat, including over 1000km on a weekend and it is quite comfortable, but its too big for the direction I am taking with the bike now.
One thing to look for is the guage of the pan, I found mine to bend at the back over time, which was a real pain. The welds for the mounting studs also failed after about 6000km and had to be redone.

Progress has been slow, as I am waiting for insurance to come through for some cosmetic damage that happened on the ship over here. But I have test fit a lot of the brass parts I bought in india. Some of them required a bit of clearancing with a dremel to fit.

I wasnt happy with the varying patina that different parts had, so I hit them all with a brillo pad, then gave them a vinegar vapor bath (with a vinegar wash to give the process a kick start)

Came out ok I reckon

Before:


After:

[ace.cafe]

We are working on a programmable ECU which might work out for you, so you could keep the EFI and have it do what you want it to.
I should have it in my hands very soon.

[Ducati Scotty]

Many thanks for the update!  I'm planning on getting one of those for my bike.  I does look a bit big but I'm really after something super comfy.  Thanks for the note on the bending and broken mounts.  I'm guessing I shouldn't go for the cheapest one out there after hearing that.

Scott