GSX 400E -83 chopper

[Hoosier Daddy]

Whoa wait a minute, a Swede in the states ey? ...

Nah... Google translator. I use it to sometimes to greet members from other countries to make them feel at home

I will have an equal pipe on every pillar to make them stronger ...
Should this be ok? Do you think I need gussets inside the 4 outer corners?

One or the other should be fine, really see no need for both. Triangulated bracing in either form will add lots of strength.

[Flyboy]

Wow, you really are putting a lot of thought into your build, with that attention to detail, it has to turn out to be awesome.
Watching with interest.

[MotoX]

Nah... Google translator. I use it to sometimes to greet members from other countries to make them feel at home

Well I tell you it worked like a charm :P Thank you for that!

One or the other should be fine, really see no need for both. Triangulated bracing in either form will add lots of strength.

Yeah I suppose that should be true. Triangulated bracing can sometimes take up alot of room though Alot of the jiggs you see in shops where the reproduce bike frames I feel you normaly just see them built out of U-frames. Does that mean that the pillars on my jigg could actually just be built out of square tubing like the bottom plate and then forget about the gussets or the triangulated stuff? Or would that be to risky?

[MotoX]

Wow, you really are putting a lot of thought into your build, with that attention to detail, it has to turn out to be awesome.
Watching with interest.

Hehe the question is if my follow through can keep up with my preperation Let us hope so for the bikes sake though xD

Actually the reason for my detailing on the jigg is that once I cut that frame in half I realy want it to get back together again without shifting the axles, if I lose those after it is cut up there is no way back again

[MotoX]

I did some changes to the frame in the 3D program to illustrate the thought of getting rid of the tube-pillars and go with square as pillars aswell. It feels like it should be quite strong anyways right? If people can go with U-frames then square tubes should be just as strong, or am I thinking the wrong way here?

Also, do you guys think the rear pillar holding the rear axle should be strong enough to withstand twisting from when I weld, or should I reinforce this pillar in any way to keep it from twisting around it's own axle?

[Hoosier Daddy]

Tack it in various spots to hold it in position before the final welding.

[MotoX]

A long time since something happened here! Yesterday and today I got some time of work (have been working 21 days straight so the time for the garage have been rather limited to say the least). I finaly got the weld up and running and got all the parts for the jigg measured and cut correctly. These are what I have to play with.


After welding the bottom frame together (and using the frame as training, 7 years since I welded that 4 months 2 hours/week :P ) and welding on the front and rear axle tower I could mount the bike. It sits now in level above the floor and wont move a millimeter so the jigg came out real sturdy!


I first wanted to drill holes and run the axle pipes through the square pipes, but when I investigated the cost of the drillbits I found that the drillbits I needed would run me up to about 150$ I instead carved out half circles out of the square tubes and laid the axle pipes in there to weld it up. This feels sturdy enough so I'll probably do the same with the engine mounts.


The holes that are there in the picture is from a cone drillbit I tried using, turns out those cone drillbits doesn't work very well in 3mm iron :P

[psyguy]

I see you're not leaving anything to chance... it looks very well thought through

[MotoX]

Hehe yeah Psy since this is my first build I build everything in the computer before I make it IRL, nice way of doing it in the sence that I am well prepared when I start (I take measurements directly out of the schematics in the computer), the dull part I guess is that level of surprise those improv-builders get. But with some experience, extra tools and spare parts lying around in the future I might do the same thing one day

[psyguy]

nice way of doing it in the sence that I am well prepared when I start

yeah... that's how I usually START my projects....


... but then the impatience gets the better of me and I tend to get:

that level of surprise those improv-builders get

[MotoX]

yeah... that's how I usually START my projects....


... but then the impatience gets the better of me and I tend to get:

Haha yeah, when I get the experience you guys have AND when the metal gets cheaper in Sweden, I will be glad to take the same approach!

[MotoX]

Took the opportunity to add what this little project costs in the first post, will update it as I go...

[MotoX]

The point of no return has been reached! At 19:12 local time today my old frame died and will leave place to a newly built frame further down the road. I know this upsets some of you with a bike like the one I started out on, but I will do my best to redeem this horrible act by building something nice out of it!



The jigg is doing its work as the frame didn't budge when the subframe got removed.



Here we see big heap of metal that should get replaced by a few pipes, should make the bike alot lighter!



To keep the exact geometry of the bike I welded the tensioners directly to the jigg. Shouldn't be that hard to just cut them lose when the frame is rebuilt.





Started to get rid of excess metal on the tensioners, will have to fill in the gaps on these later to get the right shape against the new frame.

[psyguy]

looking good !

are you planning to extend the frame?

[MotoX]

looking good !

are you planning to extend the frame?

No I'll give that one a pass. Since it is a 400 I like the short look better, otherwise there will be alot of uneeded space in between the rear tire and the engine.