'78 KZ1000 makeover

how about some detailed pic's of your new pencil holder ? did u like the outcome. how did u like the new resin ?
nice try anyways.

Josh, I got the resin from my local supplier since it was easier. I paid $10 more for it here than at US Composites, but shipping would have eaten that up, so I suppose it would have been a wash. The resins viscosity was closer to that of the epoxy I have been using, which made whetting out the cloth easier and faster than using polyester resin. Having it be catalyzed also lends some flexibility, since I can back off the catalyst for longer working time when its warm/hot outside. It was a dark green color out of the can, but turned a darker amber color about 5 minutes after mixing the catalyst in. I'm not a big fan of using either polyester or the vinylester resin on carbon cosmetic laminates because it's not water clear. It muddies up the three dimensional look the fabric naturally has. But for a boat refurbish? I would definitely use this over polyester or epoxy. Cheap as polyester but its thin and whets out cloth so much easier and faster with longer working time than epoxy. I'd definitly give it a try on your project Josh.

Mark, when I get home I'll wipe the new/unusable battery box down and snap a few more pics. The new resin worked very well, especially for what I was using it for. Ultimately, I got the vinylester resin for my fuel tank. Vinylester resin is reportedly much more resistant to the chemicals in the newer fuel blends than epoxy. So my plan is to laminate the top couple layers of the tank top with epoxy and let that cure. Then I will prep the inside by sanding it then completing the layup with the vinyester and the remainder of the reinforcement. The tank bottom I'll do entirely with the vinylester. Thats the plan anyway. But really, the tank is not at the top of my priority list as much as finishing up any fab work on the frame so I can get it painted.

Leon, I emailed that company for its US importer since they're in OZ. Maybe you know of a US supplier of the same kind of parts before I start poking around myself?

Thinking about my battery tray.....maybe I will make it out of Ti. What the hell. The stuff I have is thin so it won't get in the way and its super strong. Hmmmmmm :silly:

adam,

www.polyperformance.com/shop/Threaded-We...e-Adapter-p-349.html

how many are you looking for?

i could just spin you some up if you are not needing a bunch.

leon

I would only need 2 Leon, but I also need the clevis ends to go with them as well. The ones from the site you linked are limited in variety. Any other suppliers/vendors on the top of you head Leon?

Here you are Mark, my failed attempt at a carbon fiber battery box :sick: I gotta warn you though, its rough looking. No smooth molds or vacuum bags, just down and dirty wet layup over a block of styrofoam

thanks for the pics. they tell me what i thought i would see. i didnt think it would look too smooth, which it does not.
good enough for a bat box though.

Nope, not smooth at all. The best way to get it smooth without sanding is to wait until the last coat of resin tacks up, then add another coat to fill in the fabric weave. The problem is the resin is heavy. Another solution would have been heat shrink tape; wrap the block after the layup and turn a heat gun on it to compress the laminate. That would have smoothed things out.

sure many could make a case for all items being GP team finish... gonna be tight finish .....on your bike for sure .....but that item...to me...looks right...it looks right to me...couple nice finished mount holes nice .thing is one off nice...

porchev914 wrote: I would only need 2 Leon, but I also need the clevis ends to go with them as well. The ones from the site you linked are limited in variety. Any other suppliers/vendors on the top of you head Leon?

oh yer killin me adam !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :blink:

why cant we just machine up some custom tube adapters and clevis's?

are you going to use rod ends,and clevis's?
what size?
two tube adapters and custom machined clevis mounts?or how is your plan to use the clevis.

if we have been over this already,
just call me a dumba$$ and point me to the post .

leon

Sorry Leon, I forgot who I was talking to for a second. I would need 2 tubing caps, but I'll have to get you the tubing I.D. I would need 2 clevis pins. I'm guessing 7/16" shank and a 3/8" hole for the cross pin. As compact as possible.

I stopped by the paint supply store with one of my fork legs and told the counter guy "I want some paint to match this color". After 10 minutes of solid arguing with the guy (he refused to help me, and kept telling me he couldn't match the color. Despite my assurance that it only needed to be close) a woman that worked there walked up with some color panels for me to browse. I was able to find a suitable match, and I really hope it will look good on the bike with the silver engine and everything else predominately black.


I also picked up some etching primer while I was there. Now I have an incentive to finish the fab work, since once its done, a complete painted frame is only a couple days away from that

Good, painting is fun and then you can just start putting stuff together.

I wish I could post but due to a postal snafoo a lot of the parts I needed are on their way back to Z1E.

get me the dim's and we can get the tubing adapters and clevis's knocked out.

leon