My 950 Refresh or Mission Creep...

[MortimerSickle]

Originally Posted by sakurama

...
I suspect that the magical cleaning powers of UPS transport somehow fixed them.
...

[nomad guy]

The JPS F1 car was my favorite Matchbox toy almost 40 years ago

[sakurama]

Originally Posted by nomad guy

The JPS F1 car was my favorite Matchbox toy almost 40 years ago

Word!

[sakurama]

So back in Portland I got an invite to go to the Vertigo Cycles shop party and Deckle FP2 homecoming. If you haven't seen any of Sean's bikes check out his sig link above - Sean builds some of the most amazing handmade titanium bikes you'll likely ever see and he is a relentless perfectionist. Looking at his prepped parts was an eyeopening experience. Part of the party fun was everyone getting a chance to weld some tube miters in steel or titanium.

Here's Sean tacking up some miters.



Sean has a 990 and stumbled onto my thread and we've exchanged a few emails about welding and the party was a great opportunity to get some hands on tips. I managed to be the last to leave after some really valuable tips and, I think it's safe to say, Sean's help nudged me into the next level.

Perhaps it's boring or perhaps it's useful but sometimes these threads are like online diaries to me that I can refer back to from anywhere so that's why I like to include things like these shots of my coupons from my Friday welding class. Sean and I talked about pulsing and that was my goal for this practice session.

Here's two of my flat coupons. I was using a Lincoln Invertec V205 (the equivalent to my Miller Dynasty 200DX) and these scrawls mean I had the machine set at 60 amps, 2hz pulse, 60% cycle, 10 amp background with a 1/16" red tungsten and gas at 20cfs with a #7 cup. Sounds like another language right? It did to me too a few months ago.



Anyway, it's a good weld save for the end there. Heat is a little inconsistent but compared to where I was a month ago - no question. Here's where it evolved to. Changes are a 3/32" red tungsten, 1.5hz, 50% cycle with 70 peak and 20 background amps feeding .035 308 rod and using a gas lens. It doesn't look quite as good as I was experimenting with torch angle and fusing.



But, those settings also got me here:



And while I argued against doing this exhaust with fusion only because I wanted to learn to feed rod better Sean convinced me that I should really consider doing it that way. Here's my fusion weld on my test tubing.



And here's a "U" bend that I cut and rewelded 5 times to mimic my exhaust and test my fusion.



It is far and away the right way to do this and the quality I'm getting is really surprising me. This was a big jump for me - I'm ready to build this damn thing.

Thanks Sean!

Gregor

[viola-tor]

Originally Posted by sakurama

My uncle is a machine shop owner and can build anything, and he got his start as a welder and soon became a "master." I don't know much about it myself, but I know enough from watching him to know that those are BEAUTIFUL welds. You are on it bro.

Carry on.

[adiablolex]

I'm nowhere near your skill level with the rod feeding either and was getting a bit frustrated as I can weld almost any other way in any position pretty decent.
When I tried fusion on pipe the results where much better as well, found it easier to control the heat and overall much cleaner stitching.

These look amazing man, I think you have an exhaust to put together now

[VertigoCycles]

looking good, Gregor! A few more weeks and you'll be riding it...right? It was great to meet you and have you over, come again anytime.

[Flanny]

FUCKING A!

I leave this thread for a couple'a weeks, and not only has it progressed massively, but I also got burned like three times in the process!

I realy hate missing a good insult.

Hey Gregor - maybe I can save you all of the pain and suffering of trying to get your bike to be as cool as mine, and just sell it to you outright...Sure would be easier...

Dude - black is totally the way to go. Very sliming on the bike, as it is on any (okay - most ) women.

Also - you're welding is stellar. I can see a Ducati monster exhaust in your future for Flannywife's 696...

So - is it going to be ready to ride at the Roaming Rally?

[sakurama]

Flanny, I'm disappointed. This entire thread, and my bike for the most part, is simply a vehicle to deliver insults to you. If you don't follow it my work is for naught.

Yeah, I struggled with the paint. I didn't want to do black but mostly because you and Deadly did it. In the end I decided that you're not the king of me - I should do what's right, what's best for the bike. Besides, your bike is the best looking 950 out there - I will admit it. Enjoy that for the next few weeks sucker!

I don't think I'll make the rally. It's only two weeks away and while I'm very close to done I don't yet have a booking in NYC to justify the trip back to finish it. I'd also be a bit nervous to finish it and then immediately ride it into the jaws of it's previous death exactly one year later. You know me, this bike is destined to be a trailer queen. I'll mostly trailer it to Daytona once or twice a year to ride main street. "Live to Trailer! Trailer to Live!"

While I have the paint done and the carbs are back there's a lot of details to work out. Like we say around the shop: 90% done, 90% to go! The last bit should be really fun as the new wheels are coming in, the bodywork is painted, carbs are ready to be installed, tires are ordered. Details will slow it down but a good three long days of work will probably get it pretty close. I'll want to spend a few days riding it around NYC to work out the bugs since I have a reputation for riding bikes off the lift and onto a big trip and then spending the next 1000 miles replacing lost bolts. Bad habit.

Speaking of copying you... I need to replace that rear fender. I'm not going to put panniers on this bike again. Not until I make my own and I like the way they look and fit. Besides, my new exhaust won't work with the bags I have now. I should sell them to help offset the cost.

G

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by sakurama

... I should sell them to help offset the cost.

G

[Flanny]

Originally Posted by sakurama

Flanny, I'm disappointed. This entire thread, and my bike for the most part, is simply a vehicle to deliver insults to you. If you don't follow it my work is for naught.

Yeah, I struggled with the paint. I didn't want to do black but mostly because you and Deadly did it. In the end I decided that you're not the king of me - I should do what's right, what's best for the bike. Besides, your bike is the best looking 950 out there - I will admit it. Enjoy that for the next few weeks sucker!

I don't think I'll make the rally. It's only two weeks away and while I'm very close to done I don't yet have a booking in NYC to justify the trip back to finish it. I'd also be a bit nervous to finish it and then immediately ride it into the jaws of it's previous death exactly one year later. You know me, this bike is destined to be a trailer queen. I'll mostly trailer it to Daytona once or twice a year to ride main street. "Live to Trailer! Trailer to Live!"

While I have the paint done and the carbs are back there's a lot of details to work out. Like we say around the shop: 90% done, 90% to go! The last bit should be really fun as the new wheels are coming in, the bodywork is painted, carbs are ready to be installed, tires are ordered. Details will slow it down but a good three long days of work will probably get it pretty close. I'll want to spend a few days riding it around NYC to work out the bugs since I have a reputation for riding bikes off the lift and onto a big trip and then spending the next 1000 miles replacing lost bolts. Bad habit.

Speaking of copying you... I need to replace that rear fender. I'm not going to put panniers on this bike again. Not until I make my own and I like the way they look and fit. Besides, my new exhaust won't work with the bags I have now. I should sell them to help offset the cost.

G

Dude - there is so much material in that post, I don't even know where to begin...

Look, you have to just accept that mine will always be the best looking 950 out there. It's just that simple. Firstly because my classy black wheels will still be cool long after your gross-teenager-attention-seeking-"look-at-me"-i've-got-powder-coated-orange wheels become the equivalent of early 90's pastel graphics; secondly because my brake pedal is not polished like a GSX-R squid frame from 2002; thirdly because you know deep down inside that zen-and-understated-elegance just can't be achieved in frantic-binge-all-nighter shop sessions and lastly, lastly - but mostly - my 950 will always stay cool looking because my 950 is too damn cool looking to even wheel out of my shop for a minute to see the light of day, lest I need to tear the engine apart again, or to make just one more über-coolio mod before the next big adventure (okay, on that front, you may have me beat).

Are you shitting me about the rally??? It's fate dude! Don't you see what's happening here man? It's a true test of your skills and abilities; of everything you have learned and gone through in this past year! The move out west, the welding, the new mill, the Sudco fiasco, your gender re-assignment surgery - it's all converging onto this very moment in time! You HAVE to come back to the Roaming Rally on the "Phoenix"; arisen from the ashes of lubrication purgatory to reclaim victory over the event of your very undoing! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to come back and show what you're truly made of! For you and your mighty steel companion to avenge yourseves, to laugh at oil-stained water crossings, to spit in the face of trail-side emergency oil changes, to fart in the general direction of KTM base-gasket suppliers! This is your DESTINY!!! Of course you'd still get your butt handed to you on the trail by the dude riding the cool-looking 950 again, but hey, at least your bike would get some glory for being there in one piece and not leaking oil all over our pristine Canadian wilderness. Shit! I know! Maybe you could get that italian friend of yours to ride your bike for you...he was pretty fast....(just sayin'...).


Call Baja designs and ask for the "Just like uncle Flanny fender" and be done with it....I think the part number is 56O.BEC.OOL.LIK.EFLAN.NY-BK.




















Hijack off...couldn't resist throwing a few back out there. Bike will be stellar bud, can't wait to see it and you again at the rally. (Serious - you should see if Gino will ride it for you though....He is pretty fast)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[limeymike]

[jonnykilo]

Originally Posted by Flanny

Dude - there is so much material in that post, I don't even know where to begin...

Call Baja designs and ask for the "Just like uncle Flanny fender" and be done with it....I think the part number is 56O.BEC.OOL.LIK.EFLAN.NY-BK.

Nice hijack dude. However, instead of constructing such posts, maybe you should focus on updating the Flanny media site in your tag line to something more current than some silly 2010 home movies.

:)

[sakurama]

Oh, that's rich Flanster. I have tears in my eyes.

But seriously. Your right about the brake lever. I'm going to fix that. I've felt bad about that for two years but I was living in BedStuy then and there's only so many chromed KLR's and slammed Busa's you can wheelie past before it rubs off on you. Now I live in Portland so I'm going to fabricate a rear brake lever from hemp and put a bird on it.

Besides, I know how important my brakes are to you. Me using them is the only way you keep up. Ouch!

Well I did just get booked in NYC next week so I'm going to work through the following weekend and see what I get done but don't count on seeing me there. Don't not count on it either. Just don't count, it's better that way. And easier.

Man, do I need to get my stuff lined up. Goal is to have the bike running on the 4th...

of June...

this June...



Gregor

[Flanny]

Originally Posted by jonnykilo

Nice hijack dude. However, instead of constructing such posts, maybe you should focus on updating the Flanny media site in your tag line to something more current than some silly 2010 home movies.

:)

Yeah - you're right about my blog. I really needed a good story to update it with. I finally have one... I'll update it with an accounting of my exploits entertaining some beautiful ladies while their husbands were travelling in bike trips to NYC....