RS-XV550 DEBUT AT BARBER

Sorry for the delay on putting up any new posts.. I have been very very busy on getting the RS-XV ready for Barber..... I came back from Barber last monday a very happy man.. The bike was everything I could hope for and more!! The morning started out wet.. I decided to hold off until the track dried.. The first session after lunch was the maiden voyage.. It was truly AWESOME!! I knew there would be some bugs to sort out...(there always is)... But the only main set back was a broken shift lever on my 3rd session.. So for building a motorcycle, and that being the only set back, I was very happy! The handeling on her is amazing.. She will go anywhere with a simple thought and little input on the bars.. The power is very impressive as well.. I will be working on some video footage that I should be able to get on the blog very soon..
Thanks!

Well to start off with....... she is almost completed!!!! The only main thing she is missing is a coat of crafty paint. The feeling was pretty amazing for her first spin around the old block..... She sounds awesome,, a little loud but awesome.. She weighs nothing.... And the power is pretty sweet!! I will be taking her to the Ducshop to have a custom map made in the next week or two..
We should be hitting a track soon to really see what she is all about!! Enjoy!

239 POUNDS!!!!!!!

Well to start off with, Im very excited to say we reached our weight goal!!! We were shooting for the 250 lb mark.. We hit 239 lbs!!! Now this figure is completely dry, but Ed and I are both really stoked about it! Other exciting news is that Matt with Ohlins USA came through with the support on the rear shock.... After some careful planning with the construction of the shock, we finally got it mounted on today. Im sure this shock is going to do an amazing job! The wiring harness is basically completed... Had to create a bracket to hold the ecu, voltage regulator, and relays up towords the front of the frame... I was actually dredding the wiring harness part of the project, but Im pretty excited the way it has turned out.

PICS OF THE TAIL

Just wanted to get some pics of the tail with exhaust... Feeling pretty good about her!!

EXHAUST!!

The front and rear exhaust pipes are DONE!! Im pretty excited about the way they turned out. I did not get any pics of the rear cylinder, because I forgot the exhaust gaskets.. I will get some as soon as they installed..

I have some really cool news! We picked up our first sponsor for the RS-XV project! Josh from Speedcell Technologies graciously hooked us up with one of their killer light weight superbike batteries... These things are pretty amazing! It is a "truly" maintenance free battery that weighs around 1 pound!!! Standard bike batteries tend to weigh around 7 to 8 pounds..That's a pretty amazing amount of weight savings that this guy is going to provide! And what I mean by "maitenance free" is that the battery will not die from sitting on a shelf or in the bike with no activity!! It is nothing like a conventional motorcycle battery.. Really impressive!
As for the bike, we have gotten the headers nearly completed... The rear cylinder was a little tricky to complete, but I do think they turned out really well... Next in line is to create the exhaust pipes.. Should be pretty fun!

The RS-XV's sweet little powerplant has been refreshed!! It was really a joy to complete.. These engines are so cool on the inside! Definitely a "race bred" engine....Its amazing something this small can pack so much punch.... Whooo, getting exited just thinking about it...
Next in line for the project is creating the exhaust. Should be fun... I am starting to see a faint light at the end of the tunnel!! Raymond has finished the carbon tank cover. Man,,, it is really light! Under a pound and a half! I will get pics of it on the next post.. Oh, I finally realized how to add a counter to the blog.. I wish I was able to do it when I first created this blog...

Alot has been done since the last post... To start off with, the fuel cell is done. Had to modify it for clearance of the rear header pipe... Looks like it will do a good job. .. Second off, the radiator has been mounted. . We could not use the stock rs250 radiator due to clearance issues with the front header.. We decided to go with a radiator off of an older yzf450.. New upper and lower tabs were made to support the new radiator.. I will have to modify the inlet and outlet pipes...... The bodywork is now positioned where it is going be.. I created a front fairing stay that also supports the front dash.. The arms on the fairing stay are changable in case they get bent (for some odd reason)..

A lot of work has been completed since the last post.. To start off with, the oil tank and its mounts have been completed. . The fuel cell and its mounts have been completed as well... Both the oil tank and fuel cell are both rubber mounted.. The RS125 bodywork also showed up last week from Sharkskinz.. It looks like it will be a little tricky to mount since it is for a RS125, but it will definitely be a good choice for this project.

oil tankers part 2

Sorry for the delay in between posts... Between the holidays and busting my rear, I haven't had much time to sit in front of the computer..... As for the progress, we have been moving slowly but surely.. The art of tig welding is definitely challenging. I have been told that I'm biting into a pretty large project for my first experience with it. But, it still puts a smile on my face every time I grab a hold of the torch. The oil tank is nearly completed. Just need to create bungs for the oil inlet and outlet.. Also need to add a port for the breather line as well..We pressure tested it yesterday. It looks like it will do a good job. Im pretty satisfied the way it is turning out.....
We have decided to use the new aprilia RS125 bodywork for the RS-XV.. It will definitely give our project an updated look compared to the original RS250 body..
Next in line will be the fuel cell... I already have my pattern cut out.. Should start welding on her by the end of this week..