Not another Yamaha Road Star

Hi everybody,

Being a fan of chopper/cruiser motorcycles, I got the Tamiya's Yamaha XV1600 kit a year ago and started the journey of building it. I am now at a stage where I can share something with you so decided to start this WIP thread.

From the start I decided that I won't build it box stock but will try to customize it slightly, mainly by making new wheels and brake disks, slamming the rear and cleaning some details. I am shooting for a hot rod look.

The wheels are already done, they need more polishing, but will do it in the end. They are turned on lathe in aluminum and probably you will see a minor resemblance to Harley's Fatboy rims :p I think they are suited to the bike pretty good.

Few photos of the bike:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/f55e43822c21b9e82139a64bf1c6d916.jpg

Solo seat, no pillion here :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/508f3d46f9f42eeaf7bcbc3249619e51.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/iPad052.jpg

Only one brake disk on the front end. Will make custom ones.

Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Interesting!

Nice start! I have always thought that the Yamaha kit could make a neat custom!

Indeed, the 1:1 Road Star customization is very popular among owners. The bike has a classic look and neat lines which makes it ideal candidate after HD.

Back to the kit, I want to slam the rear as low as possible, but in order to do so, the rear shock absorber and suspension arms have to be lengthen. The shock in the kit is mainly one piece so I decided to make a new one. I hacked the kit part with the plan to reuse some plastic sub-components. The rest are turned on the lathe from aluminum and stainless steel. The suspension arms and bushes are made in brass.

Here is how it looks currently. Planning to make a new spring as well. Any suggestion on what king of wire to use?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/ff7567297b12fa143f81c336bdcbfe2b.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/3d5e732a3224263adfb5ea13b86992f2.jpg

Hi everybody,

This update is all about the brake disks. The original bike has two disks upfront and due to their style, they cover too much of the wheels. Being true to the custom fashion, I decided to make new ones and use only one disk on each axle.

It took me two attempts to make them, since I broke a 0.6 mm drill and couldn't get it out, so I had to scrap the part and start again. The disks are turned on the lathe from aluminum bar and should attach to the wheel hubs with 0.5 mm micro bolts.

Below some photos of the process and final result.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1546.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/utzelu/media/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1546.jpg.html)

The bar was turned to final diameter and the whole pattern was started. After all wholes were drilled, the disk was cut-off the bar.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1561.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/utzelu/media/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1561.jpg.html)

Front disk is not yet attached with bolts.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1564.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/utzelu/media/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1564.jpg.html)

Rear wheel with the new disk.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1563.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/utzelu/media/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1563.jpg.html)

Current progress on the bike. Notice the rear is lowered considerably.

Hi everybody,

Last evening I was thinking about modifying the final drive and make it look more realistic. As you know, the kit part is molded as one piece, having together the drive pulleys and belt drive. It would be nice to have them as separate pieces. So I did a search on the web and found out that SDP makes miniature timing belts which should fit just fine: http://www.sdp-si.com/eStore/, part # A 6B18M145030. I think will order few of these to try them.

Do you have any other ideas for drive belts?

Have a look for scanner/printer spares, or find a junk one! They have miniature toothed drive belts...nice build BTW! :)

Hi all,

One smaller build update: the rear stop light. I decided not to use the stock part from the kit as it looks too "classic" and the light is just too big for the custom look I am aiming for. Instead, I used one of the blinkers which seems to clean the look of rear fender much better. The part in the kit is clear plastic and I used some Tamiya clear red paint to brush it from the inside. Fender was drilled for a tight fit.

What do you think of the look now? :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/f6875576f3f242571c578289e1702f6f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/b211f6c30bdccfacfbfbb0c79fe17e18.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/a56bcf647e23abedd85ed1a570ce06e1.jpg

I like the simplification! We have the same lathe and mill setup, very nice machining you've done, Watching with interest! Marco

Today's update is not about the progress on the bike build but about one of the tools I am making - a miniature tube bending device. I intend to make a custom exhaust pipe for the Yamaha and some other parts in the future. The pipes will be made from brass tubing and I would need a way of bending them. This tool should accommodate different tube diameters (3-4 mm) and bents radius.

I was lucky to found the CAD plans on the internet and I only had to adjust the dimensions and simplify it a bit by removing parts I won't need. Here is the 3D CAD model of the tool.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4_F8QB4NV0Q/VH95ce_uAdI/AAAAAAAABtc/-Swyrq-1MoA/w958-h741-no/Miniature%2BTube%2BBender%2B4%2Bx%2B6.png

And some photos of some of its constituent parts already made:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tBZh8gxySLg/VBBDRT3WaYI/AAAAAAAABow/FrUCaXEYJgE/w640-h480-no/blogger-image--360170641.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ABfs9wa-btM/VBBDSDHGDPI/AAAAAAAABo4/kCNeAgyrox4/w640-h480-no/blogger-image-1402864039.jpg

And here is just a sneak peek of the custom bike I am designing currently in 1:12 scale. Hopefully I will manage to make the model someday.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yQGSna3q-JE/VH99JftuAQI/AAAAAAAABt4/BpUH5oKJb2M/w958-h719-no/Chopper66.png

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-06Os6Lkoo7o/VH99JheI39I/AAAAAAAABuA/ShjuPStkawY/w958-h719-no/Chopper68.png

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RLq-UiS6WrA/VH99KgXeinI/AAAAAAAABuI/KD_UKbcSHN8/w958-h719-no/Chopper69.png

Great work! I saw your design earlier. I am bending some tubing now, but need to flare (widen) it at the exit end... AFTER bending it in a curve. Any ideas?
Watching with interest! Marco

I know that on 1:1 scale flaring is done with specific devices, but I guess on 1:12 scale you need some cone shaped tip (e.g. from a scriber) and a way to hold the tube tight.

I would be interested to know how do you bend tubing.

I have a small tubing bender, it is a simple 1"piece of hexagonal brass bar stock, with a groove turned into it matching the diameter of the tubing to bend. It has a small hole drilled for a pin that holds the tubing at the end. I plan to just make one on the lathe (30 minutes) for my TZ250M exhaust tube exits.
It is not adjustable for radius, or different tubing sizes like yours is...

I would be very interested in the plans or cad file for the tube bender.

looking great so far.

Do you have some pictures working on the rimms? How many parts are there to make one of these?

I didn't take pictures of the WIP for the rims but I can show you the CAD plans. There are three parts: the rim is one piece, then separate parts for the left side hub and right side hub. All three parts are glued together with epoxy.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gRMisNHdV3E/VIYIkrPk8EI/AAAAAAAABuk/QqIiKNwm-d0/w958-h623-no/Rear%2BWheel.png

Hi everybody,

Last evening I was thinking about modifying the final drive and make it look more realistic. As you know, the kit part is molded as one piece, having together the drive pulleys and belt drive. It would be nice to have them as separate pieces. So I did a search on the web and found out that SDP makes miniature timing belts which should fit just fine: http://www.sdp-si.com/eStore/, part # A 6B18M145030. I think will order few of these to try them.

Do you have any other ideas for drive belts?

Did you order some of those belts? I have a chopper build where I would very much like to find something like that to use for a primary drive.

Other ideas I've found is to use a folded piece of masking tape with small strips of styrene as teeth and then paint the whole shabang black. Tedious work to get those strips placed in a strict pattern though...

/Joel

Hi Joel,

No, I haven't got the belts yet. There was an issue with the post and they had to send them again, internationally. So it will take some time until they arrive. Will post on this thread once I get them.

Hi Joel,

No, I haven't got the belts yet. There was an issue with the post and they had to send them again, internationally. So it will take some time until they arrive. Will post on this thread once I get them.

I'm also interested how they'll look. :iceslolan

Hi all,

I received the belts and they fit perfectly with the kit parts. The belts are 3 mm wide with 1 mm pitch. Some photos to give you an idea how it looks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/15-4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/15-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/15-3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/15-1.jpg

Perfect, then I'll order some too. Just have to meassure the length accurately. Or perhaps order open ended belts and glue them in place.

How much did they charge you for postage?

It is unlikely that you will find the right length but the belt can be glued with super glue. Shipping was $10.

Perfect, then I'll order some too. Just have to meassure the length accurately. Or perhaps order open ended belts and glue them in place.

How much did they charge you for postage?

Great, did you order some for the primary as well? In case you did, what width did you choose?

Unfortunately I didn't. I forgot. However, I won't need it for the Yamaha build, so I still have time to think about the primary for the next build.


Great, did you order some for the primary as well? In case you did, what width did you choose?

Hi all,

I received the belts and they fit perfectly with the kit parts. The belts are 3 mm wide with 1 mm pitch. Some photos to give you an idea how it looks.




Nice,

I have to order these for sure.

Ketje

Great, did you order some for the primary as well? In case you did, what width did you choose?

I was thinking about using belts for primary on my other project. The issue is, since the belt is usually exposed, how to glue it to size without showing it?

I was thinking about using belts for primary on my other project. The issue is, since the belt is usually exposed, how to glue it to size without showing it?

If there is no cover what so ever I would glue it below one of the pulleys.

Hi all,

Today, I got my motivation back and did some more work on the bike. I have managed to machine the primary drive pulley. It was not necessary but I wanted to do it anyway. I had to grind a special grooving lathe tool for this job, but since I am planning to do more custom bikes in the future, I will use it more than once.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0444.jpg

Unlike the kit part, which is supposed to be painted and glued, the machined part will be secured with a micro bolt and nut. So next job is to machine a 2 mm bolt with nut.

Some photos of the pulley and fit:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0458.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0460.jpg

Thanks for watching

Looking good !!

Great job!

This weekend I spent some time to make the micro-bolt and nut that will attach the drive pulley to the gear box case. The kit design requires that the pulley backing plate is glued to the middle drive case and the pulley should be glued to the backing plate.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0482.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0484.jpg


Since the whole belt pulleys assemble is molded as one piece, this would be fine. However, since I am making them as separate parts, I had to find another way to attach the pulley. So I machined a 2mm bolt and nut and lightly modified the kit piece to allow for space for the bolt's head.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0478.jpg


The pin on mid-drive case was sanded away to make space for the bolt.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0496.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0494.jpg


Rear side of the backing plate. Note the bolt's head is not hexagonal as it is not necessary. So I saved some machining time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0495.jpg


And the pulley bolted to the engine case. The bolt will be cut shorter to allow for the cover.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_0492.jpg

Thanks for watching.

Really nice!

HAve been following since the beginning of the thread and I am really qurious to see where this one is going.
Nice job to this point man!

Thanks for watching and supporting this build. Unfortunately, due to a motorcycle accident I have one hand broken, so the build has been temporary on hold for the last 6 weeks. Hopefully will be able to resume it in few weeks.

HAve been following since the beginning of the thread and I am really qurious to see where this one is going.
Nice job to this point man!

Thanks for watching and supporting this build. Unfortunately, due to a motorcycle accident I have one hand broken, so the build has been temporary on hold for the last 6 weeks. Hopefully will be able to resume it in few weeks.


Hope you will be fine soon. Good luck with the recovery.

Hi everybody,

I am back to the build after a long break. These days I managed to machine the new final drive belt pulley. It turned out really nice IMO.

This is how it started, from a bar of 6061 aluminum

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1629.jpg

During machining

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1632.jpg

The pulley is composed of two parts in order to make it easier to machine. They are a press fit helped with a bit of epoxy glue

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/39B1F0B5-2AC7-472B-90E0-2FECC13902F5.jpg

Side by side with the original kit part

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/E6EE8122-07A5-4523-90F4-135AF764DACD.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1646.jpg

The rear side is slightly recessed for a close fit on the wheel hub

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1645.jpg

The primary-finally drive assembly. Belt will be cut to length and super glued close to the primary pulley, where it will be hidden

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1650.jpg

Finally a general view of the bike

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/utzelu/Yamaha%20XVS1600/IMG_1649.jpg

Next on my to do list is the rear suspension and then new handlebars (something like beach bars).

Thanks for watching,
DanP

Nice to see you back on track.