Project #1 from Sportbike. Motorcycle frame modifications

[sportbike]

Well, I finally decided to modify my frame on my race bike. These modifications are fairly typical in the Prostreet class. My frame was previously all stock.

This is the project I intended to work on last year at this time when I actually purchased the welder. I discussed this effort with Oleg when buying the machine. Things came up as they often due and got slightly delayed.




Stock Frame with front Cross Bar and ram air tube mounts intact



Hacking away. Seems odd to REMOVE cross members on a bike that has over 400 hp and is drag raced....I think I am the only bike out there that still had them in.


Won't be needing these anymore


Much Cleaner in the front. Easier access to the top of the engine when installed in the bike as well as easier use of teh ram air holes for passing turbo up-pipes and wiring through.


Closeout welded in for the front cross bar. This was a bit difficult to weld with it being a casting. Even after grinding, brushing, wiping, and using alot of EP to go over the area prior to welding, it still was pulling smut on occasion. Weld turned out ok, could have been better, but certainly could have been worse. The slightly crooked mounting holes previously added in for the fuel pressure regulator was intentional. Needed it to be skewed to make the lines clear the ram air tube mounts. I guess now I could weld them up and make them straight since the tube mounts are gone...


this and the next picture are pass-thrus added to a cross member in the rear. This will be used for fuel lines and possibly for hoses for a liquid to air charge cooler in the future. Getting close to the factory welds makes it tough to weld. The material thickness gets very thick acting as a heat sink and pulling out all of the heat. On top of that, the factory welds are extremely dirty and difficult to get a clean puddle.


This is the other side. It looks like very easy access, but it is actually quite tight. Using a WP26 torch didn't help matters much either. Once again, there is a pretty significant thickness transition near the edges of this that made it difficult to keep the puddle flowing.

I had some more in-process pictures of the pass-thrus , but I don't know what happened to the...vanished into cell pone heaven I suppose.

All of these welds were done with 3/32" 4043 filler. Probably should have used 5356 or similar on the cast part in the front, but the weld itself really isn't structural.

All done with straight argon, about 7lph, with a #7 gas lens cup, 3/32 2% lan tungsten. Between 95-120 amps. Had the balance at about 30-40% to try to combat some of the dirty areas. I also went over them lightly at almost max EP to try to clean them first.

[sportbike]

Anyone who would like to follow the progress of the bike, as well as my buddy Calvin's Nitrous bike can check it out on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Collin...23176064459895


I will try to keep the build of each of the bikes (My Turbo and Calvin's Nitrous bike) updated on there as well as our progress throughout the year.

I'm hoping to get into the 7.80 range @ 188mph or so. Calvin should be in the 8.teens at 175-ish

John

[jp2code]

Faster than my Sportster! :clap:

[sportbike]

This is what will eventually go through the ports. Hoses, wiring, whatever else I need...