Building an ST1300 from the ground up.

[Mandrake]

Booger welds and back filling.

 

[Bigmak96]

Cool!!!

 

[Mandrake]

After sitting here for about 15 minutes and listening to some Testament while taking in the lines, I'm going to have to say that nope, I'm not feeling the mid pipes. I'll build the other side tomorrow so I can hear what it sounds like (video will follow), but I'm going to redo them so they're a bit more like the Moriwakis on my RC51:

 

[kperham]

Good call!

 

[STumped]

Booger welds and back filling.

Looking Good!!!

 

[Mandrake]

I'm sorry I didn't get video, but I finally had a chance to fire it up this evening with the Moto Maggots on there. The only way I can describe the way it sounded was that if a middle finger could make a sound, it would sound like this bike.

I really, really can't wait to get it on the road. I'm on the home stretch.

 

[Mandrake]

Well, I hate to leave you all with a cliffhanger, but here goes...

I have decided to take a break from motorcycles. I'm not giving up on them and I'm not selling anything off, or anything like that. I'm just burned out on the time and money I spend on them. They're no longer fun to me, so why do it? I know this is a phase that will pass, but as to how long that will take is anyone's guess.

I just wanted to put that out there to quell any "update?" posts that should pop up in the coming months. You guys have been great, and quite a few of you have been a big help with answering questions I've had. See you guys soon.

 

[Bigmak96]

Thanks for having us along to this point. Enjoy your break and don't forget us when the juice flows again.

 

[Mandrake]

Well, I felt guilty about telling you all how awesome it sounds and promising video, and then ditching out, so here's a quick video. I filled it with coolant, burped the system, ran it 'till the fans came on and shut off, and then took this video. If you have the ability to listen through good speakers with a sub, you'll get to hear exactly what it sounds like in person. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Obkk5OEcc

So there you have it, how it will sit until my interest is rekindled. In the mean time, I'll be over working on another project of mine...

 

[Bruski]

Well, I felt guilty about telling you all how awesome it sounds and promising video, and then ditching out, so here's a quick video. I filled it with coolant, burped the system, ran it 'till the fans came on and shut off, and then took this video. If you have the ability to listen through good speakers with a sub, you'll get to hear exactly what it sounds like in person. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Obkk5OEcc

So there you have it, how it will sit until my interest is rekindled. In the mean time, I'll be over working on another project of mine...

I'm ADD so I can understand moving on to another project but you will leave a number of us salivating to see the final ST project. Until then good luck with your new interest.

 

[Bigmak96]

Thanks,,that does sound sweet. Almost drowns out the Jetson car sound at idle.

 

[Mandrake]

I'm ADD so I can understand moving on to another project but you will leave a number of us salivating to see the final ST project. Until then good luck with your new interest.

It's not a fit of ADD; I genuinely need a break from motorcycles for a while. However, I still need something else to occupy my time and mind. I've had the Caddy sitting around for a while, so that'll fill the void 'till I return to bikes. A disc brake conversion kit is on the way and some new tires will get it back on the road.

 

[Mandrake]

Well, I sat down and finally put a dollar sign in front of this project. The economics are interesting, and I'm kind of wishing I didn't do this. You'll see why in a minute.

$5,542.06 in parts
$2,000.00ish in paint and powdercoat (yet to be done)
-----------------------------------------------------------
$7,542.06

A bit more than I was thinking in my head when this ball started rolling, but for a one- off original bike that's the first of its kind? Peanuts.

Here's where it gets crazy... factoring in my time...

$22,750.00 in labor (about 350 hours @ $65/hr)
+$7,542.06 in parts/ paint
------------------
$30,292.06

No way would I ever get close to that out of it, so there's only one thing to do, and that's ride the hell out of it. The rear spring is going to get sorted out on Monday, and once that shows up, it's go time.

 

[BakerBoy]

Yeah, but how much trouble could you have gotten into if you hadn't spent those 350 hours in the garage?! Therefore, this is a cheap bike!!

 

[Mandrake]

Oh, and in the mean time, the Caddy got a much- needed front disc conversion, new tires, and all the electromotive parts had the old grease and lube removed and were regreased/ relubed... in case anyone was wondering what all happened to that in the past few weeks.

 

[Mandrake]

Yeah, but how much trouble could you have gotten into if you hadn't spent those 350 hours in the garage?! Therefore, this is a cheap bike!!

I keep myself on a pretty short leash, so it's really hard to say. :-D

 

[Mandrake]

Holy crap, you guys. This thing is just slapstick hilarious. It's so light and tossable and begs to be leaned over. I was expecting something akin to an SV1000 or Monster S2R, but what I got was surprisingly more supermoto than standard bike. It has just silly torque all over the place, in any gear, any speed, and any RPM- even down to 1500 RPM. 5th gear passes at 40 MPH? No problem! Drop it to second and whack the throttle open if you want to look at the clouds.


Around town, it's as light as a 600, and partial throttle shifts at around 4000 RPM make it bark like the anti-lag on a rally car. Below 4000 RPM, there is no engine vibration at all. I was putting up Ogden Canyon at 40 MPH in 5th gear at about 2000 RPM, and it felt like an electric bike. Above 4K, it starts to get a bit buzzy, but still not as bad as an inline.


Did I mention the torque? It's everywhere all up in your face, going through your phone and texting all your riding buddies asking, "'sup with your tiny engine, bro?!?"


It does need a steering stabilizer. The slight reduction in rake compared to stock combined with over eager inputs on the wide bars (so much leverage!), has it shaking once in a while. It never felt unstable, but I did begin to roll off at about 117 MPH.


You guys were telling me early on that my legs would be roasting from the engine being out in the open and the headers being exposed, but my legs actually felt cooler on this than my RC51. Go figure.


At first, I kept downshifting and looking for 6th, but as I got used to the torque (have I mentioned it's meaty like Chef Boyardee?) and the power delivery, I began shifting less. 4th and 5th gear are all you need for anything above 40 MPH. It's just silly.


I didn't push it too hard through the turns because the rear suspension is stock and made for way more weight than this thing is packing, but it really likes to turn. The front end felt planted and pretty solid at all phases of riding, and the brakes are what you'd expect from a GSXR600. I could feel the front and rear fighting each other, though. A softer rear spring is waiting for me at a local shop.


There is more work to be done. It's rideable, but there are lots of details yet to be polished. This winter, it'll get taken all back apart for paint and powder coat. In the 75-ish miles I rode it today, it exceeded my expectations by a significant margin. The suspension needs to be sorted, mainly, and I think a Bazzaz could help further smooth things out. Otherwise, this thing is so ridiculous.


:-D

 

[SupraSabre]

Congrats on getting it on the road! It's been a long build, but looking pretty good for it stripped down like that.

 

[ST_Jim]

Look good!

Too bad Honda doesn't build a model like this!

 

[BakerBoy]

LOL, you're liking the torque?

Looking good! Are you going to wrap the pipes in fabric, or keep them au naturale?