650 SS Dommi Racer build

Caferider said:
I dont think "too cheap to make right and left handed pistons" is fair, why not make a piston that works on either side?
After all is said and done even with the extra machining Im still happy with the old hap Jones Piston and I'm still ahead of a what new set of 650 pistons from italy would cost.

It is fair.

Whoever puts the pistons in their engine will end up with less compression than the stock 600 piston would give, so they are not true replacement pistons. With the extra valve pockets they may not even give any higher compression than a standard 650 flat-top, and may even give less power because of the odd surface for the flame front to travel over. With the larger surface area exposed they will absorb more heat, and I already mentioned the extra sharp edges they have.

They were probably pounded out on a cnc tape machine in Japan and they did not want to spend the time to make two tapes and two setups on the production run.

And as far as being ahead what a new set of pistons from Italy would cost, that will only be true if the budget pistons give the same power and don't seize, distort with heat and run like crap.
 
Well I have been making some progress and new parts are still coming in. I am still waiting on tank strap kit w/ toggle, swing-arm rebuild kit, and seat to come in from Clubman racing, along with assorted hardware. I still haven't gotten to tyres mounted or the TLS stiffening kit installed, but should have then done next week. Finished the first round of sanding and polishing on the tanks,more will come later after the mockup is complete.

650 SS Dommi Racer build



Been doing some serious contemplation on the electrical system components and layout. The Lucas K2f Mag has good fire and new pickups are on order, stater is shot so Im going with a Sparks 3 phase HO Unit, I'm just looking for the best price on the Sparkx along with a HID headlight kit. A small AGM battery is on order and I have mocked up the Battery box to go behind the gearbox, it just need to be welded up along with the oil tank table. I built a Dummy Bar to mount the choke lever and dip switch out of 7/8" SS tube and a bracket for the light switch.

650 SS Dommi Racer build
 
Rohan said:
Gorgeous alloy tank - someone has put in a few polishing hours.

Thanks

I probably have 10 hours on both tanks and only half way there. I progressively got it up to 400 grit wet dry starting with 220 grit and will take it up to 1200 grit before the next polishing it will be about an other 10 hours labor before I'm happy with it.
 
Jeandr said:
Greg, you are crazy... in a good way :wink: That is going to be a sweet looking ride.

Jean


Thanks Jean,

Its only my labor so its fine, and it is free. I couldn't afford to pay for it, but I don't mind charging for my time either. :D I sure hope it turns out as nice as my vision.
 
Caferider said:
Rohan said:
Gorgeous alloy tank - someone has put in a few polishing hours.

Thanks

I probably have 10 hours on both tanks and only half way there. I progressively got it up to 400 grit wet dry starting with 220 grit and will take it up to 1200 grit before the next polishing it will be about an other 10 hours labor before I'm happy with it.


Why not take it to someone who has the proper equipment for polishing, who will be able to do the work for you?
 
Carbonfibre said:
Why not take it to someone who has the proper equipment for polishing, who will be able to do the work for you?


Trust me I have all the equipment needed, from a 1 inch DA sander to an 8 inch 3/4hp buffer, respirator and a Tyvek suit :wink:
 
Polishing spindles based on low power bench grinders work quite well on small parts, but simply dont have the power for something like a tank! To obtain a pretty good final finish on a tank would take about an hour using the proper equipment..........ideally using a 5hp spindle, but also possible with a 3hp, but taking a little longer to do.
 
An hour sounds extremely optimistic, even with 100 hp...

All the complex curves and nooks and crannies would take a while each - without ripping it to shreds or buckling it from too much pressure. Better to do it properly, than rush it and destroy it...
 
Carbonfibre said:
Polishing spindles based on low power bench grinders work quite well on small parts, but simply dont have the power for something like a tank! To obtain a pretty good final finish on a tank would take about an hour using the proper equipment..........ideally using a 5hp spindle, but also possible with a 3hp, but taking a little longer to do.

What's the problems here :?: Greg does it because he likes doing it, not because he HAS to, so what is it takes 10 hours :roll:

Jean
 
Polishing is like any other activity “there is more than one way to skin a cat” in that yes you could use a large 5 hp Baldor machine with a 12 inch pad and whip it out in an hour or so. Just like paint and body work, the paint is only as good as the body work and no mater how shiny and smooth the paint is if the body is not straight or has waves no one notices how nice the paint is.

Cutting and polishing are two different processes that can be both completed on the buffer but with two completely different techniques. I use the tools I have to produce a straight wave free platform for the polishing process to build from, sure I could use a big buffer to do the majority of my cutting in a shorter time at the risk of waves orange peel, burnt edges and warps, not to mention with such a large piece and powerful machine it is very possible to loose control of the piece and have it thrown across the shop, the damage is not to bad with a small heavy cast alloy piece and it is usually more dangerous to the shop and its inhabitants as it turns into a flying projectile with mass and speed, but with a light and thin piece as a petrol tank it could be catastrophic. I choose to use a method that reduces the risk of damage to the piece while producing a straighter smoother base to do final cutting and coloring on the buffer at the cost of a few more hours of elbow grease.

I have a friend that does some polishing work for me from time to time when I need the help, he has a big machine with a 12 inch pad and likes to go straight to the wheel with a piece with out any prep other than cleaning. He has consistently returned pieces with a high degree of shine that have noticeable waves and un defined edges from excessive cutting to remove a deep scratch. One day I had two Triumph primary covers in with just about the same condition that needed to be finished in a short amount of time so I called him to do one of them. We both started at the same time and with in a few hours he was finished and i was just starting to do the final coloring on my piece. He brought the piece back and believe it or not his pice had much better color and shine than mine but didn't look half as good as mine with all the waves in his part. I gave him my part to finish coloring and I straightened out the waves in his part and gave it back to him to color. After it was all over we ended up with more time in his part and they both looked great.

TImes are slow and I’m working on my own bike so I don’t mine protecting my investment with a little more man hours and elbow grease, not to mention that I cant afford to replace this tank if I damage it trying to just knock it out in a few hours.
 
Got a big box in this afternoon from Clubman Racing it seems like I have been waiting for a month for it but it hasn't even been a week now. Swing arm bushing kit, Seat, tank strap, but mostly SS mounting hardware, for sometime I have needed the Magneto bolts to finish timing chain and bolt the engine covers up and then it will go into the mock-up so I can work on the head steady.

Lots of cutting and welding to do next week mounting the tank strap toggle and seat brackets, finish the work on the oil tank table and battery box.

I had an old Commando SS rear fender I was thinking of using and so I put the seat on to see how it looked. Here is a quick look at the progress.

650 SS Dommi Racer build
 
I had the Excell rims true to about .020 but every time I tried to get them better they just got worse, well to say the least it was very aggravating, so I called for reinforcements to help out. A buddy of mine was getting ready to go racing at Barber but wasn't sure when he could get to do final truing on them. So I was working on the mounting brackets for the seat this afternoon and I got a call from him saying that he had just finished them for me. I was so excited I had to run and pick them up, he said that the were a bear but that they were better than .010 true. Here they are on the frame waiting for me to grind down the end of the spokes and mount the tyres, that will be tomorrow for sure.

650 SS Dommi Racer build
 
lOOKING GOOD. Very shiny. What room are you working on the bike in, hardwood floors drywall and wood trim? I think we all need a picture of the garage ma hal.
 
bwolfie said:
lOOKING GOOD. Very shiny. What room are you working on the bike in, hardwood floors drywall and wood trim? I think we all need a picture of the garage ma hal.


Thanks Brian,

Well I had an issue with a roof on my 12 X 12 shop it started with a leak in the roof, and as I was checking it out and fell through. The rot had taken out one corner and half of two walls too, so I did a major remodel, added an other 200sqf, there is a 6 X 16 space behind the pocket door. it was mostly discounted stuff or salvage materials from Habitat for Humanity. I got the flooring for much cheaper than vinyl and the drywall was cheaper than paneling. I did it as cheap as possible :) It took several months but the added space was worth it, except that it knocked me out of any thought of working on motorcycles while I was doing the construction.

The rims are finished now and I hope to get the tyres mounted and the timing chain installed and the engine in the frame tomorrow. I have to have all the mockup finished this weekend so I can get the welding done next week, then disassemble and powder coat.

Its been a long time coming, but its starting to look like a motorcycle, so stay tuned.
 
Caferider said:
Polishing is like any other activity “there is more than one way to skin a cat” in that yes you could use a large 5 hp Baldor machine with a 12 inch pad and whip it out in an hour or so. Just like paint and body work, the paint is only as good as the body work and no mater how shiny and smooth the paint is if the body is not straight or has waves no one notices how nice the paint is.

Cutting and polishing are two different processes that can be both completed on the buffer but with two completely different techniques. I use the tools I have to produce a straight wave free platform for the polishing process to build from, sure I could use a big buffer to do the majority of my cutting in a shorter time at the risk of waves orange peel, burnt edges and warps, not to mention with such a large piece and powerful machine it is very possible to loose control of the piece and have it thrown across the shop, the damage is not to bad with a small heavy cast alloy piece and it is usually more dangerous to the shop and its inhabitants as it turns into a flying projectile with mass and speed, but with a light and thin piece as a petrol tank it could be catastrophic. I choose to use a method that reduces the risk of damage to the piece while producing a straighter smoother base to do final cutting and coloring on the buffer at the cost of a few more hours of elbow grease.

I have a friend that does some polishing work for me from time to time when I need the help, he has a big machine with a 12 inch pad and likes to go straight to the wheel with a piece with out any prep other than cleaning. He has consistently returned pieces with a high degree of shine that have noticeable waves and un defined edges from excessive cutting to remove a deep scratch. One day I had two Triumph primary covers in with just about the same condition that needed to be finished in a short amount of time so I called him to do one of them. We both started at the same time and with in a few hours he was finished and i was just starting to do the final coloring on my piece. He brought the piece back and believe it or not his pice had much better color and shine than mine but didn't look half as good as mine with all the waves in his part. I gave him my part to finish coloring and I straightened out the waves in his part and gave it back to him to color. After it was all over we ended up with more time in his part and they both looked great.

TImes are slow and I’m working on my own bike so I don’t mine protecting my investment with a little more man hours and elbow grease, not to mention that I cant afford to replace this tank if I damage it trying to just knock it out in a few hours.


If your friend is unable to use a spindle properly, then thats not the fault of the machine. The easy way to remove scratches is to use an orbital sander with a fine disc, to get rid of them before using the spindle.
 
Baby got new shoes. boy how they grow. I had to trim off the forward chain guard mounts from the swing arm to get 120 /80 18 to fit all the way.

650 SS Dommi Racer build


I trimmed the fender and modified a Lucas 679 tail light from a 67 T120. Finished the mounting brackets for the seat and fender and will have it all welded up on monday along with the battery box. I still have to finish the mounting brackets for the tank strap and hope to be close to completion by monday also.
 
looks real good - from a real world perspective the polished alloy tanks are a BITCH to keep up with - they scratch with anything (zipper on a jacket, etc) since they are so soft. I did each of mine for about a year (i have had 2 alloy tanks on cafe's) and ended up just painting them as they are a a pain

they do look impressive though

unless of course its a trailer queen then you'll be OK
650 SS Dommi Racer build

650 SS Dommi Racer build

650 SS Dommi Racer build
 
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