revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Sometimes in life we get to spend time in the company of, and see them working, folks are at the very top of their game.

This is Martin Linethan of F1 Metal Fabrications in Staveley, Chesterfield...





..and watching him this afternoon, work for 4 hours to recover the rear section of the tank, was truly pleasurable.

He managed to reform and stretch the panels so that 2 of the 3 problem areas, which I had thought needed extra panels welding in, were sorted without the need for extra welding...







The one area that needed a new panel welding in was done with no problems and the whole rear section was tacked together...





..and offered up to the back of the rest of the tank....





A fantastic result.

Brilliant. A craftsman for sure.

This better work after all this effort !!!!

weeksy wrote: Fri May 22, 2020 7:57 am This better work after all this effort !!!!

It won't work after all this effort. But it will after a lot more effort.

Once the tank is finished it's on to the air box. Once I finish making the plug from the original air box, plus loads of filler, I had planned on handing it over to a composite company to get moulds made and then a carbon fibre one made. Not going to be cheap. I was considering having a go at making the moulds myself but didn't think I'd have the time what with everything that needs doing.

However I've been wondering about getting the plug 3D scanned - I know someone who does this, converting the scan point model into a CAD file and then getting it 3D printed. There are carbon reinforced plastics for 3D printers that are heat resistant so the temperatures above the engine shouldn't be a problem, I think the limiting factor will be the size of the print bed. But there's no issue with it being printed in sections and bonded together afterwards.

Air box plug finished...







Just needs a coat of grey primer and then it's going to be sent down to Essex so that a mate can 3D scan it.

He'll email me a mesh file of the scan, which I can import into Solidedge CAD and then produce a full CAD model.

Got the contact details of someone who's a friend of a friend who works at a 3D printing company, so going to have a chat with him about the printing process.

This thread is a joy to follow, please keep going.

Gimlet wrote: Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:58 pm Always fancied this for my Streetfighter.

It looks like two snakes making baby snakes.

What kind of brain can make a simple container for petrol that complicated ?

No work on the tank this week, Martin and I weren't able to get clear diary time simultaneously. Normal service resumes next week.

Air box plug is now in Essex being scanned. Spoken at length to contact at 3D printing place, turns out they've printed airbox's for BTCC and other motorsport applications and there won't be an issue with printing mine. Result.

These bad boys have arrived....



So I'm going to book the engine in at Cornerspeed as soon as he's got a slot available.

Not much skirt on those pistons, they must slap a bit?

KungFooBob wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 1:03 pm Not much skirt on those pistons, they must slap a bit?

There's plenty of skirt, you have to appreciate they're 104mm diameter!

If you want to scare yourself look for a photo of the pistons that were fitted to the V twin Panigales....

KungFooBob wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 1:03 pm Not much skirt on those pistons, they must slap a bit?

Did somebody mention Essex ?

millemille wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 1:02 pm These bad boys have arrived....

You need to tell them their CNC has gone wrong, they've only sent half a piston. But don't fret it will make a great pad to put under your sidestand.

Nothing wrong with a short skirt......

More tank work...







Back end is now fitting like a dream and tacked in place..





But now the whole tank is together many of the panels in the rear section that are tacked in need to be cut out so that we can work inside the tank to get the breather pipes and the pillion seat support structure fabricated and welded in.

Then the whole thing can be fully welded and checked for leaks...

Apologies for the lack of updates, me and Martin have been busy with our day jobs.

We got an afternoon in on the tank last week, so all the mounting bosses and other gubbins are all welded in and we spent a lot of time tweaking the overall shape of the tank to make it as close to a perfect fit on the bike as we could...

If you look up the phrase "down the rabbit hole", there's a picture of this bike

Still, as long as you're having fun.

Bike's been stripped down, exactly as per the factory manual, so the engine can got to Nelly....

Errrrm

Still lovin' your work.
There was a Mk1 Multi down at the italian ride in day at Sammy Millers on Sunday. Everyone who commented on it said the Mk1 gets better looking with Age. It was an 1100s so had the thicker bars and the Ohlins each end.
I loved my old 1000DS but now when I see them I think, "there's only one on the planet with an ethanol proof tank"!