Project SUNMASTER 14: Completed

It's been one and a half years in the making, with up and downs and lots of newly gained experiences, but it's finally done. You've probably seen some of the work I've done here on the blog but I've been careful not to give too much away.

Last week she had an appointment with the guys @ FAT pictures, who shot some great photos at an abandoned car dealer.

People are quick to label everything out of the ordinary as café racers these days, but my bike is definitely not one. My inspiration comes from the racing bikes of the 60’s and 70’s, where every part had the specific objective to make the bike go faster. My goal was to create a bike with simple, timeless lines and with an eye for the essential.

The first thing you notice are the sensual curves of the one-off custom made aluminium fairing, made by the same supplier who also crafted the brushed aluminium tank and the seat cowl. The leather seat was made by the guys at The Sports, one of Thailand’s best customizers. The tank strap, the plexiglass fender under the seat and the tank badge on the other hand, are my own work.

The frame has been powder coated….3 times! “The first shop I’ve sent the frame to, managed to do an awful job, twice! It was only when I found Cog’n’Roll, a powder coating shop in Bangkok, that it turned out the way I had envisioned it. I think this satin dark bronze color looks great and matches the dark brown leather parts on the bike.

The engine was stripped down, cleaned and rebuilt and while the internals haven’t been touched, lots of goodies have been added on the outside. It now inhales through an open Keihin FCR39 carburetor and exhales through a powerful sounding megaphone muffler. Several engine add-ons like an oil cooler and bigger sized cooling fins ensure the proper cooling in Thailand’s hot weather.

A special mention should go to Nose at Paknam 2 Wheels, the only guy I trust to work on my SR. He got me out of an electrical nightmare and I’m forever grateful for that.

Sunmaster 14 doesn’t just look the part, it runs on quality parts as a racing bike should: Akront rims, Ohlins rear shocks and WP progressive springs at the front, Over rear sets, as well as a lightweight aluminium swingarm. 

This is my first custom job from the ground up. It has been a challenge at times and a great learning experience. I must say, I’m very happy with the final result.
Next week it will go to Siam Discovery, a very big shopping centre in Bangkok, to be shown as part of an exhibition called "Art on the move". Fitting, very fitting.

A detail shot of the seat cowl and the real leather upholstering done by The Sports.
The Yamaha aluminium badge was something I had laying around and wanted to incorporate it.

A freely breathing FCR39 makes a lot of difference!

All lines flowing the way they should

The leather tank strap I made

The proud owner :-)

The Plexiglas fender I made

The brass badge I made 2 days before the shooting. It looks better from a distance, believe me.

Sunmaster 14: seat cowl ready

It took a while, but it is finally finished. Designed by me and built by my aluminium parts supplier, it now got a custom made leather seat made by famous Thai custom builders "The Sports".

They did a great job with this brown leather seat with diamond stitching and a classy "Yamaha" aluminium tag.

Sunmaster 14: rims, rearsets and FCR39

Has it ever happened to you that you were close to finishing a bike, and a friend comes along and says something along the line "Looks great, but it would look even better with bla bla bla". It happens to me a lot. Thanks to those friends I'm back in front of the PC, searching, comparing and buying that mystical part that will make my bike stand out from the masses.

My latest acquisitions are a set of lightweight Akront  rims. In truth, they are not that much lighter than the OEM rims, but they look sooo much better.

Next, I got some nice Peyton Place rearsets for a very good price by bidding on a Yahoo Japan auction. They are substantially higher and set back than the SR500 foot pegs. In addition, I won't have to fold the right foot peg anymore when kickstarting my bike.

Finally (finally, really?), another crowning jewel....a Keihin FCR39 carburetor. Probably the most popular and highest performing carburetor an SR can wish for. This I got from Krishan at Trojan Cycles in Japan.

So, what is left to do?
The carb still needs to be tuned. The brushed aluminium seat cowl is nearly finished. The guys at The Sports are covering it with genuine leather. It took them 3 months due to their very busy schedule, but as with everything else they do, I'm sure it will be perfect and well worth the wait.

The final design on the fairing is something that gives me considerable headaches. I must have drawn a dozen variations, but none satisfy me completely. Actually....If you're an artist or graphic designer and feel like you can contribute to this build, feel free to contact me! :-)

Project Sunmaster 14 - Fairing Mock-up

Slowly but surely I'm getting there.
Today I did a quick mock-up with the full aluminium fairing on my Yamaha SR400 to see how it will look. It was the very first time I took the fairing out of the box and put it on the bike. Installation was very easy. I've done it by myself in about 20 minutes. Granted, I didn't use all the brackets and screws, but that will only take another 10-15 minutes.

What's next?
Sorting out the electrical connections in the headlight, turning lights and stop light, and then we should be almost there.

The seat is at the upholstering shop, the very capable The Sports Custom in Bangkok, to cover the seat in genuine leather. Here I just used a Type 1 alu seat cowl I had in stock.

Project Sunmaster 14 - Wheels are on

I had a few busy days working on my project bike. I've got a few small accomplishments and a couple of big satisfactions to report. 

Mounted this new kickstart lever. I had to take the linkage of the old lever and transfer it to the new one, which was very easy to do.

Next came installing a mini switch from "The Sports Custom". To do that, I had to cut out 2 holes for the switches and drill a smaller hole to hold the switch body in place. This job took quite some time and was a good reminder to always have the right tool for the right job. In this case, it was my indispensible Dremel. Thank you Dremel. I love you!

Here you can see my new aluminium oil cooler. A beautiful piece! It's made by one of my suppliers and this is the very first one I got. It will be available in the shop soon...if I can find some time between the wrenching...

Now the side stand. Easy job one would think. Not if you're a muppet like me and didn't take detailed pictures of bloody everything when disassembling. I couldn't find any picture or reference online either. Finally, after 3 hours, perseverance prevailed and I got it mounted. But what a waste of time and energy....uff

Next were the wheels. The front got on quite easily, but the back tyre was another story. Without help it would have basically been impossible to lift the back of the frame, hold it balanced and at the same time slide the axle through the hub. My only chance was to lift it with a rope, so that's what I did.

Flying like a butterfly, stinging like a bee....or something like that. It might not look professional but fact is, mounting the rear wheel became sooo much easier.

It's all in the details...

Finally, Project Sunmaster 14 is rolling!!

Update on my Project SR: Sunmaster 14

An update has been long due. After the setbacks with powder coating the frame I finally got back on track and managed to get some work done.
The frame and front forks came back looking great. The forks were not assembled though, so that was the perfect excuse for me to order a pair of progressive springs from Webike in Japan.

I really love the new frame color!

Type 1 aluminium swingarm. It's a work of art, but I will change it to a more classic looking Type 2 swingarm today.

Only the best for my baby: a set of Ohlins!

Put the engine in by myself. First mask the frame with some paper tape or similar to avoid scratches. Next, lean over the engine and lift, inserting it through the right side of the frame. If you have a willing friend around, maybe better...

I installed the upper and lower steering bearings and this nice compression release setup that fits in the spindle mount and will considerably clean up the controls on the clip ons. (A detailed HOW-TO will follow soon).

Next, I started on something I really wasn't looking forward to: the electrics.

To clean up the ugly cable mess I used a battery tray that fits nicely under the seat. This way I can get rid of the big battery box.(Again, a more detailed HOW-TO will follow soon).

Still trying to find the best location for all the electric bits and pieces.

And here's the Type 2 aluminium swingarm. 

Which one do you like better? (A HOW-TO on how to install a swingarm soon on this blog!)