September 2015 to Present
 |
Sept 2015 - I ran across a really good deal on a complete 2004 Yamaha R1 on Kijiji that I couldn't pass up. The seller was in the process of converting the bike for racing but ran out of funds. After I stripped out the motor and all the other bits I wanted, I sold the frame and wheels for almost half of what I paid for the bike. |
July 2016 - The nice thing about having the whole bike is at least I know I've got all the auxilliary stuff that you wouldn't get if you bought just an engine. Things like fuel pump, gauges, wiring harness, etc. |
 |
 |
August 2016 - Bought a sprocket from Princess Auto and had holes waterjet cut to lighten it up. The gear on the right is for electric reverse and was completely waterjet cut from a pice of steel plate. The accuracy of waterjet cutting is good enough for occasional use when reversing so I didn't have to have the teeth machined. |
| September 2016 - Rear end consistes of a Torsen diff, sprocket, gear, starter motor for reverse and custom waterjet cut plates for mounting. I have to figure out some way of enclosing the diff to keep dirt out and oil in. |  |
 |
September 2016 - Here is the complete rear end installed in the frame. |
| October 2016 - Got the engine mounted in the chassis. Centreline of drive sprocket is the same height as the centreline of the rear axle. It looks like the throttle bodies will just fit under the bodywork. |  |
 |
November 2016 - I originally mounted the rad back beside the engine thinking it would minimize the water hose lengths but eventually decided that air flow would be too restricted at the back. Here is the rad mounted in the "traditional" location. |
| November 2016 - Bought all the stainless tubing for the exhaust system. I think I'll have the headers professionally made. My welding isn't anywhere near pretty enough. Unfortunately, my shop is somewhat snowed in at the moment and I can't get the car out. I hope I can get it done by the end of February. |  |
 |
Many months later - The wiring was by far the most challenging job. Half the wires were too short and the other half were too long. Fortunately, it all came together with only two small mistakes that were easily found and fixed. |
| Custom aluminum gas tank that holds about 5 gallons. Had to cut a hole in the rear body panel for the carbs to stick out. |  |
 |
I took out the driver's seat and installed a low profile racing seat. (It's actually a Porsche 914 seat same as the others but with the upholstery stripped off.) Also got a set of Hancook C71 tires on 15" rims. These tires are REALLY sticky. |
| This is a picture of the interior. You can see the stripped down driver's seat. |  |
 |
You can't see them in this picture but there is a 5 point harness for the driver besides the regular seat belt. |
| Some rewiring was necessary to tie the chassis wiring to the engine harness. |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
July 2019 - Car is finally finished. I managed to get the registration changed from electric to gas. (I think I'm the first person every to convert an electric vehicle to gasoline.) I've only driven it for 10 miles or so and I have to say that it is incredibly fast and nimble. Definitely more suited for the track rather than the street. Alternate exhaust for the track.
|
Previous Page ----- The End