Project X
Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 6:20 pm
Having just finished my first Kettle restoration, I became more and more intrigued by the motor and how tune-able it potentially was.
So here is the cunning plan!
1. Tune a kettle to a high street/track level of tune so it is still be rideable to the pub (just).
2. Add a few sexy engine bits like a dry clutch and 6 speed.
3. Make it stop and handle.
Pretty simple goal over a pint?
So I acquired barrels, a head and a set of trashed (sacrificial) casings (I knew this might be a grinder-fest!).
This post will start with the chassis development thus far and then move into the motor and cosmetics as it progresses.
I can't promise how long this will take, but I would like to not be retired when it is complete!
So which basic chassis and look?
I have always liked 'suspended engines' like the Honda VFR800 and want a single sided swinging arm look, but this is a quantum shift in Kettle mounting! Sounds like a challenge, so as someone wise once said on this forum, "why? because I can!"
Having bought some VFR casings, arm and main frame, the fun began.
The VFR has three engine mounts and the swinging arm is through the rear of the engine.
I started with the arm as this was the real unknown.
First I took all the vital statistics to make sure I could get close to them when I finished the 'Frankenbike'.
Suspension angle, arm angle, rake angle etc. All recorded.
The VFR also uses a fancy lower suspension mount casting so the whole thing had to be assembled and dimension taken down.
Plan A was to try to get the swinging arm mount inside the engine casings like the VFR. Out with the grinder!
By removing the kick start assembly, I had a nice location for an arm axle shaft. This was duly machined and fitted (more about how I was going to start it later).
Well it kinda worked and made a lovely short wheel base but the more I got the position close to having the primary and rear drives line up the more the centre of the line bike went west and the more grinding I did, which just meant more welding later to create a sump again!
Plan B
Forget mounting the arm axle inside the motor.
I decided to use the upper and lower rear engine mounts and make a combined suspension lower mount and rear engine mount. Hopefully the two mounts with a third on the rear of the barrels should be enough support (more of the rest of the mountings later).
The pic is still a prototype but I made two 'boomerang' mounts bolted through the Kettle engine mounts (now solidly bushed). The lower of the two also locates the lower suspension mount (still a proto - metal to be removed yet for weight reduction) block.
Big plus with this is I dont have to hack the cases nearly as much!
So here is the cunning plan!
1. Tune a kettle to a high street/track level of tune so it is still be rideable to the pub (just).
2. Add a few sexy engine bits like a dry clutch and 6 speed.
3. Make it stop and handle.
Pretty simple goal over a pint?
So I acquired barrels, a head and a set of trashed (sacrificial) casings (I knew this might be a grinder-fest!).
This post will start with the chassis development thus far and then move into the motor and cosmetics as it progresses.
I can't promise how long this will take, but I would like to not be retired when it is complete!
So which basic chassis and look?
I have always liked 'suspended engines' like the Honda VFR800 and want a single sided swinging arm look, but this is a quantum shift in Kettle mounting! Sounds like a challenge, so as someone wise once said on this forum, "why? because I can!"
Having bought some VFR casings, arm and main frame, the fun began.
The VFR has three engine mounts and the swinging arm is through the rear of the engine.
I started with the arm as this was the real unknown.
First I took all the vital statistics to make sure I could get close to them when I finished the 'Frankenbike'.
Suspension angle, arm angle, rake angle etc. All recorded.
The VFR also uses a fancy lower suspension mount casting so the whole thing had to be assembled and dimension taken down.
Plan A was to try to get the swinging arm mount inside the engine casings like the VFR. Out with the grinder!
By removing the kick start assembly, I had a nice location for an arm axle shaft. This was duly machined and fitted (more about how I was going to start it later).
Well it kinda worked and made a lovely short wheel base but the more I got the position close to having the primary and rear drives line up the more the centre of the line bike went west and the more grinding I did, which just meant more welding later to create a sump again!
Plan B
Forget mounting the arm axle inside the motor.
I decided to use the upper and lower rear engine mounts and make a combined suspension lower mount and rear engine mount. Hopefully the two mounts with a third on the rear of the barrels should be enough support (more of the rest of the mountings later).
The pic is still a prototype but I made two 'boomerang' mounts bolted through the Kettle engine mounts (now solidly bushed). The lower of the two also locates the lower suspension mount (still a proto - metal to be removed yet for weight reduction) block.
Big plus with this is I dont have to hack the cases nearly as much!