project bargain basement.

well stripped the paint from the front 5 spoke wheel today - nitromores is awesome - then after priming it resprayed it black.

think i best leave the spraying to someone else. its not bad as long as you dont look too close.

for a set of wheels to be used its fine but if someone wanted them just for bling then it would need tidying up a little, though most of the dodgy spots are going to be hidden behind the disc anyway.

luckily the 3 spokers paint work is not too bad, the front doesnt need anything and the rear just a touch up.

to make sure the bearing and brake mounting surfaces where free of paint i carefully smeared on a film of grease. once the paint dried off a little it came straight off the surfaces leaving them spot on. Damn sight easier and quicker than masking tape.

update;
went out this morning and the paint job isn't half as bad as i thought last night. given it a final coat this morning and its looking good.

just need to get the tyres turned so they're rotating in the right direction and wheels balanced which i'll do tomorrow and hopefully first test ride on sunday.



did have a bit of a panic when i fitted up the rear. fitted new pads and they were binding ever so slightly, fitted the enduro rear and it's doing the same so not to worried i'll just take it real easy first time out so the pads wear in.



got a supermoto front fender coming as well.

whilst typing this im watching practice for the isle of man tt 2009, having now driven around the circuit it makes me realise how mad some of these riders must be.

SUPERMOTO BABY! YEAH!



just want to knock up a catch tank and have a supermoto fender coming.

the brake binding i felt was actually a high point on the rear caliper carrier that was rubbing on the disc, caused i think, by a stone getting in there and denting a lip making the high point, 30 seconds with the grinder and all is well.

first 3 mile spin up the road in pouring rain was good.

front braking is now a 1 finger job.

the gearing is 14 / 40 as that's all i got lying around at the moment and the engine felt very relaxed cruising around.

did a practice start and noticed that the acceleration has gone a bit, obvious really considering the gearing.

Summary;

well the aim was to get 1 set of supermoto wheels and Tyre's on the bike for Ł150. in the end i had 2 sets, 1 with Tyre's for, Ł317.
Had i not bought the 5 spokes to start with,had them machined and spacers made then the cost for just the 3 spokes and Tyre's would have been about Ł200 which is a figure i'm happy with.

things i learnt;

keep things simple IE the front axle i bought the axle and fitting kit oem from ktm dealer for the same price and alot less hassle as making a set up myself

measure, measure then measure again - did that all the time and haven't had any problems.

eBay - don't bid on multiple things - luckily i lost and was able to buy the wheels i wanted.
check the prices for new from a dealer before buying - old 20mm ktm axles are being sold for the same price as a brand new one from a ktm dealer! luckily i checked before bidding. Guess which i went with?

make sure what you think is the problem really is - the rear brake binding i put down to fitting the brand new pads. when i checked again cos i wasn't happy it was the caliper carrier rubbing.

all in all a very easy fit.

Anyone want to buy a set of SM tyres with Bridgestone tyres (4mm tread left) choice of either 5 or 3 spoke?

i dont intend going too mad on it as i aint got the leathers anymore or crash bobbins fitted, grinding bits of the bike off on the tarmac doesn't appeal to me, but i didnt intend to break my wrist either did I.

how far off road can i take bridgestone BT90's ( and i didnt even fall off)



i did take a picture of the track leading up too this point but it was out of focus so not worth putting up, but its about 1/4 mile of 2 track with 5 stream crossing the exits of which were up hill over rock.





the view going home



riding off road was a bit like driving on ice in that you can still accelerate quite well but its the stopping and changing direction that will cause problems.

other than than getting back into leaning with the bike into corners and counter steering took a little while to get used to and i might get myself some leathers :shock: as even with my knee pads etc i just felt a little vulnerable sticking it into corners in my off road gear.

well i dug out my daryll beattie replica shoei road helmet today and went for a spin up the local dingle ( canyon, ravine).

mmm found myself getting a little bit too fast. :evil:

The road bike helmet just cocoons your head and dampens all the wind noise that you get with the mx helmet, thus you go faster.

didnt find myself getting into any trouble, and my road riding is coming back, but when i got home i thought about the run and how the corner speeds where creeping up and then starting to wonder, as much fun as it is, if i better slow down abit.

oh well i just got to remember that the throttle works both ways.

what added to the fun a little was that i had the exhaust headers off the other day and didn't re silicone them when i replaced them so the bike was popping on deceleration and was echoing off the rock in places. :twisted:

i've also twiddled the suspension a little and jacked up the rear and this has made a world of difference to the handling.

only thing is i got to change it all back every Wednesday night, as its weekly practice at the local MX track.:cry:

:idea: if i can extend the garage and get another bike that looks exactly like mine i could have 1 set up SM and 1 enduro without wifey knowing i got 2 bikes :evil:

or maybe not.