New Helmet and Refinished Rad

The helmet from my Nexx sponsorship arrived the other day.  As advertised, it fits well, appears to be pretty quiet, and is incredibly light.  Looks pretty sharp as well!  I was able to get 2 other shields, a clear and a light smoke one as well.

ECE 22-05 and Dot approved.

Side profile.

Tri-composite shell -- a mix of fibreglass, kevlar, and carbon fibre.

Stopped by CycleBoyz to pick up the R6 rad.  Looks good.  Did a pressure check in the tub (yes I cleaned it afterwards) and no leaks, based on as much pressure I could load the rad with after plugging the spigots.

Mig-welded, I think.  This spigot is the lower on on the RHS as you sit on the bike.  A bit more filler rod was required, as a 3/4" outlet was going into a whole where a 1" used to be.

Once mounted, this will make sense -- I had to "hook" the coolant flow around one of the frame tubes.  You can see where the old spigot used to live.  Once it dries out, I will get it painted with some radiator paint I had left over from the supermono project.

In engine news, Scotty from Transcanada had the correct flywheel puller I needed to finish disassembling the engine.  He lent it to me for the weekend, and the engine is now apart, in a few boxes.  Time to start saving my pennies for the soup-up work!

Engine Work

Awhile back I got a deal on a second ex650 engine.  I plan to balance and blueprint it, as well as do some other mods to increase power.

A couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday had it to this stage.  Just waiting to borrow (hopefully) an alternator puller prior to splitting the cases.

The pistons were pretty loaded with carbon -- I've already begun to clean them at this stage.

Apparently soaking them in simple green works wonders.  The piston skirts are in very good shape, so I will definitely be reusing these.

Vortex Kit and a Racetech Press Release

Here is the new Vortex V3 lever for the zx6rr... a nice, adjustable, and shorter option for sportbike riders.  Feels quite comfortable, and due to the lever length, less likely to get broken in a crash.  I also got two new 520 chains through my sponsorship agreement.
I have also dropped off the R6 rad and fittings for Cycleboyz to sort out for me.  Pics as soon as it is returned.





The following is a press release from Racetech:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SIX12/Race Tech at Mini O's

If you are an amateur motocrosser with aspiring goals to reach the next level, Thanksgiving to you means a lot more than just turkey and pumpkin pie; it signifies the annual stop to Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainsville, FL for the Mini O's. Race Tech is excited to be a part of this event for 2012 and to support our rapidly growing grass roots support team of amateur riders.

Providing support, setting up your bike, and doing repair and installation all week long will be Florida Race Tech Center SIX12 Suspension. Ronnie Monk from SIX12 is very familiar with the Florida terrain and will have the Race Tech booth setup helping riders transition their setups from Supercross early in the week to the Motocross portion at the end of the week.

Race Tech Center, SIX12 Suspension, will have technicians on-site offering free bike setups to all competitors. SIX12 will also be selling and installing Gold Valves, rebuilds, oil changes, seals, and more to keep your bike dialed at the event.

"The Mini O's is an extremely prestigious event. It's the one race during the year that tests riders on both Supercross and Motocross tracks, and along with different challenges for the riders; bike setup is also different for each condition. We are excited to have Ronnie at SIX12 with his vast knowledge of the Southeast terrain and racing scene on hand to help support all the Race Tech riders and scout new talent for the 2013 season. If you are at the event and have a question, stop by the Race Tech booth and let Ronnie help point you in the right direction. It is our goal to help you reach your goals!" said Race Tech's Director of Marketing Chris Riesenberg.

To set up an appointment ahead of time for the SIX12/Race Tech staff to dial in your suspension, please contact Ronnie Monk.

Ronnie Monk

Another New Sponsor

Things have been a bit quiet on the bike building front (at least with the ex650 -- check out my xs650 school project here:  http://www.tcskidscafe.blogspot.ca/).  The ram air intake from KMR Kawasaki appears to be a bust for my application.  However, I can now properly fit the radiator -- just looking for an excuse to stop by cycleboyz to 'splain what I want done.  I am sure they can modify the R6 rad the way I need it; I've already test-fitted the radiator and am sure it will work.  I did however hear from Nexx Helmets... and they sent me a sponsorship contract that certainly looks good at my end.  Nexx helmets are still relatively new to the North American market, but they have gained a decent foothold in Europe.  They came highly rated by British Bike Magazine MCN:

MCN reviewed the Nexx XR1R Carbon in July 2011, with writer Dan Aspel concluding that it was ‘The Best Road Helmet I’ve Worn’. In addition to being one of the lightest motorcycle helmets available, weighing just 1200g, Dan commented that the XR1R Carbon has one of the widest viewing ports he’s seen on any helmet, has fantastic venting and has low noise levels. 

Their USA website can be found here:  http://www.nexx-usa.com/  As always, my sponsor links will include them on the RHS of this page.  I plan on getting the "Cafe Racer" XR1R, in red.

The other supertwin news is that I am developing my own full-length bellypan that mimic the more aerodynamic shape seen on moto3 machines.  It will be a long process, starting out with a cardboard form, but it is coming along.  Hopefully it turns out OK, but I forsee a lot of sanding in my future!