Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

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RickNC30
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Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by RickNC30 »

I posted a few pictures at the start of this build - it`s had to be done in an odd hour here and there `cos I`ve been so busy but it`s finally pretty much finished...

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My general aim was to make a light, functional, updated version of the KR1 - brief specs below...

Frame - KR1 with KR1S swingarm, ZXR400H yokes on taper roller bearings, frame and yokes powder coated, swingarm stripped and anodised. GSX-R1000 handlebars, modified FXCNC footrest kit.

Suspension - Nitron R2 rear shock with BDK jackup links, ZX-6R forks with modified springs & damping.

Brakes - ZX-6R 4-pad Tokico radial front calipers, stock KR1 rear, GSX-R1000 front master cylinder, NC30 rear, EBC HH pads and HEL braided lines all round. Wavy discs.

Wheels - Suzuki VJ22 17" rear, Hornet front, Bridgestone S20 tyres.

Engine - Cases vapour blasted then rebuilt with new crank, pistons, clutch etc. Barrels mildly ported, F3 KIPS valves, lightened flywheel.

Carbs - 34mm powerjets with modified airbox and Pipercross filter.

Exhaust - JL stainless expansion chambers, rear flanges reshaped to take Tyga alloy mufflers.

Cooling - YFZ450 radiator on custom brackets, slightly modified Samco KR1 hose kit.

Ignition - Ignitech programmable CDI.

Bodywork - Race GRP seat & fairing, stock steel tank. ZX-10R front mudguard. Seat pads reupholstered in `mock suede` vinyl. Colour scheme based on one of Toni Mang`s old GP bikes.

Lights/instruments - TZR125 headlight behind moulded polycarbonate fairing window, stock rear light, pattern stock replica front indicators, universal rears on custom bracket, Koso temperature gauge and analogue/digital speedo/tach unit.

Rick
Last edited by RickNC30 on Sat Aug 29, 2020 12:13 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Garry
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Garry »

You've put a lot of effort in to that. Should be very happy. Looks great. :P
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Binetta Steve
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Binetta Steve »

Thats a unique bike that you have built. It clearly embodies the best that you feel for the job.

Great result , looking fwd to a video or ride review.

Steve
RickNC30
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by RickNC30 »

You may yet see a professional review - Jim Moore from Practical Sportsbikes saw the bike half built when he was here on a V-4 related visit and said they might like to do some kind of a piece on it...
Last edited by RickNC30 on Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Frunobulax
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Frunobulax »

Congratulations, it's a very nice build you made there! Should be a hell of a bike to ride. :!:
RickNC30
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by RickNC30 »

Thanks for all the positive comments...

I had half intended to post a build thread - I never actually got around to it but I do have plenty of pictures so I could put a kind of `edited highlights` on here if anyone is interested.
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Garry
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Garry »

I am - Site is pretty quiet these days.
Gerrit
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Gerrit »

I'm interested too!
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Frunobulax
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Frunobulax »

Indeed, me too of course. Rebuilt pics can't hurt when we are at this level 8)
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500bernie
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by 500bernie »

Photos appreciated 😍
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Binetta Steve
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Binetta Steve »

Everyone loves photos of a rebuild thread 8) :shock: :lol: 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
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500bernie
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by 500bernie »

Well done Rick,
They don't need to be an "anorak" nut and bolt back to standard rebuild to be s great bike.
I was expecting the NC30 forks conversion, but the modern upgrade looks great.
I would love to see some of the "work in progress photos" and definitely an onboard video.
Cheers
Bernie 8)
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RickNC30
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by RickNC30 »

Thanks, Bernie -

Sorry I haven`t been back to this but life is busy and editing/uploading all those photos will take time...

I sorted out MoT, insurance and tax a couple of weeks ago so I have been able to give the KR a couple of shake down runs now. The first ride was pretty good for the maiden voyage of a new build but showed up a few areas in need of attention.

The riding position is good and comfortable so that handlebar/footrest combination works well but the steering felt a little slow, verging on slight understeer (this despite the back end being higher than stock with the BDK linkage) so I have knocked around 8mm off the front ride height which has brought it to just on the quick side of neutral and now it turns in and holds a line much better.

The KRs famous twitchy front end on bumpy roads was well in evidence on that first ride. I had left everything on middle settings after I rebuilt the forks so I have now reduced the compression damping by 3 or 4 clicks to try and stop it kicking off the bumps and fitted a steering damper - happily I had an Ohlins side mount one in my `that`ll come in useful one day` stash so it was a cost-free fix.

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Those small tweaks have pretty much sorted the chassis - I deliberately headed for the bumpy, bendy `B` roads on today`s test ride and it handled them with absolute ease. The KR frame/swingarm is sound to begin with and the addition of modern suspension, brakes and grippy radial tyres has worked like a dream. Am I sounding too enthusiastic? It really works! I came back grinning like a fool...

The engine sounds tight and crisp with no mechanical issues - I had initially set the carbs up on the safe (rich) side but it seems I had slightly overdone it as it was almost 4-stroking in the midrange on a neutral throttle, though the top end pulled nice and cleanly. I have now dropped the needles a notch which has improved matters and while I was in there I swapped out the over-strong slide springs that the PWK34s came with for a softer pair to give my right wrist an easier time (those muscles aren`t quite so toned as they were when I was a teenager...).

I`ve got some dyno time booked next week to get the fuelling dead right - not sure quite how much improvement to expect from that. At the moment it runs acceptably up to the KIPS transition point then really takes off in earnest. Maybe that`s all I should expect, it`s only a 250 after all and its natural peakiness is likely to be enhanced by the big carbs and race pipes so I probably need to adjust my (4-sroke V-4) frame of reference and relearn the art of playing Michael Flatley on the gear pedal (Revverdance...?).

The other problem area has been the instruments - you may have spotted in the picture that the speedo/revcounter unit is actually a Chinese Koso ripoff and though most of the functions work well, the speedo performance is very flaky. Those units cost under £30 so it was worth a try but rather than compromise a nice build I have just blown the thick end of £250 on some genuine Koso gear, a 16000rpm white face tach/temp gauge and a separate digital speedo & warning light unit. It`s another bracket and wiring loom to make but I think it`s worth the time and expense.

Image

Rick
RickNC30
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by RickNC30 »

This is turning into more of a blog than a build thread (I will get to that) but here`s the latest update...

Firstly the issues with the instruments - as well as the wildly inaccurate speedo, the indicator warning lights were also coming and going (no, not the way they`re meant to...) after a week`s use, but here I will take back my earlier criticism of the Chinese Koso replica dash - turns out the speedo problem was just a faulty wheel sensor and the warning light issue down to a bad flasher unit. Everything now works absolutely fine so those clocks will be staying for the time being.

This last weekend was a busy one for the KR with dyno time booked for Friday and the guys from Practical Sportsbikes coming over to do a road test feature on Monday - imagine my delight at coming back from a ride on Wednesday to find coolant from the header tank all over the rear of the bike because it had blown a head gasket...

This was actually quite fortuitous as taking the head off revealed a bit of detonation damage to one piston -

Image

I had been running stock KR1 ignition timing which i thought was tame enough but evidently not, so having replaced the dead piston we put everything back together with a new head gasket and backed the timing off by four degrees in the interests of mechanical safety.

The dyno tests showed near perfect mid range fuelling but a little bit of weakness at the top end - I was away over the weekend with no time to rejet it (that`s today`s job) but dyno man deemed it safe enough for road riding so Monday`s test was still on. We didn`t do any flat out, full power runs but saw 56bhp at 9,500 with the curve still rising so it looks promising.

I`ll be back to the dyno in two weeks time for a half day set up session - I will post the results here.

The other thing I have done this week is weighed the bike - results/comparisons for dry weight, kerb weight and front/rear distribution are -

KR-1 - 123kg dry, 146kg wet, weight (%) 48F/52R
KR-1S - 131kg dry, 154kg wet, weight (%) 50F/50R
My KR - 114kg dry, 137kg wet, weight (%) 51F/49R

Monday gave us 30 degrees, sunshine and dry roads and the bike was bedded in enough not to require careful treatment so Jim Moore and I spent a good chunk of the afternoon hooning around the local bendy `B` roads (me on my NC30) where he could enjoy the KR to the full in its natural habitat - Jim`s assessment plus plenty of high quality pics will be in Practical Sportsbikes some time in the New Year...

Rick
Last edited by RickNC30 on Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Gerrit
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Re: Spare time KR1 project finally finished...

Post by Gerrit »

114 kg dry is pretty good, taking into account it still has all the road gear. Your bike still has the sidestand, kickstarter, mirrors, lights, aluminium wheels etc so I should be able to get my project well below 110 kg dry.
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