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Post by chrisg on Jul 3, 2022 22:18:38 GMT 1
Thats looking fantastic. Credit to what you've done.
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Post by botty on Jul 8, 2022 22:22:33 GMT 1
C’mon chaps. Let’s have some updates..
Itching to see what else you’ve done..
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jul 9, 2022 8:40:05 GMT 1
C’mon chaps. Let’s have some updates.. Itching to see what else you’ve done.. I'm currently working away, back at the end of next week so we'll be back on it then. Cooling is the next thing to sort but we've got a plan for that and the 2 into 1 exhaust needs a bit of re-jigging but I reckon she'll be ready for a shakedown run by the end of July, just need to find somewhere to take her for that! Dave posts videos about it on his You Tube channel which can be seen here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUQ8xNUrKQxlDThuG1tZinw/videos
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Post by botty on Jul 16, 2022 18:31:13 GMT 1
C’mon chaps. Let’s have some updates.. Itching to see what else you’ve done.. I'm currently working away, back at the end of next week so we'll be back on it then. Cooling is the next thing to sort but we've got a plan for that and the 2 into 1 exhaust needs a bit of re-jigging but I reckon she'll be ready for a shakedown run by the end of July, just need to find somewhere to take her for that! Dave posts videos about it on his You Tube channel which can be seen here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUQ8xNUrKQxlDThuG1tZinw/videosGood watch. Enjoyed that👍👍
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jul 18, 2022 18:06:32 GMT 1
Significant progress was made over the weekend in the cooling department. It's been a bit of a head scratcher as we've virtually no room between the front wheel and engine cradle for a radiator so we had to explore side mounted a'la KTM. I have spare KTM200 radiators from my enduro racing days and although one fitted to give us cooling while the 2 into 1 exhaust was being rigged up, it was immediately apparent that they were going to be far too long. A bit of research via ebay found rads from a KTM65 would be a far more suitable option and give us the chance of getting more towards a permanent solution. They arrived (from China of course) in 8 days and are really pretty nicely made for saying the price, including delivery, was a smidge under £94, I reckon that's very good value for money. So we now needed to plumb them up so it was off to Screwfix to buy a range of household plumbing bits, mainly 15mm stuff and we soon worked out how to get it sorted, we didn;t know how good it would all work but you've just got to go with it and see how it works out. The result actually seems to be very promising and the rads shed heat quite well even in the heat of yesterday where I thin it was 32 degrees ambient temperature. Here's Daves video of the days efforts:
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Post by urbantangleweed on Aug 16, 2022 7:26:48 GMT 1
Morning all.
Well, due to various other commitments, the MT350 hasn't made much progress recently but yesterday we set to again. Some things are still slaved in (particularly the oil pump supply and coolant header tanks) and although the Wickes household plumbing for the radiators works fine and is effective, we have a cunning plan to revise this for something a bit more aesthetically pleasing, but for now, it does the job. Yesterday was spent entirely on making up the outer mounting plates to carry the two cooling fans and shaping the inner ones. The fans are likely overkill, but I like how they look and think they add a bit of muscularity to the look of the thing and who knows, if we're going to get more episodes of hotter weather over the coming years, they might well have been a useful addition.
Regarding the 2 stroke oil supply, we hope to fit a tank under the seat for this in the space originally occupied by the ABS pump, it will have a reduced capacity from the Yamaha item but at around 1 litre it should cover three tanks of fuel and anyway, we don't anticipate the finished bike will be a pan-European touring machine...... The oil pump we had turned out to be not very well, so we swapped it for one I keep as a spare and the one we removed has gone off to Arrow to work his magic.
The coolant header tank is a bit of a challenge. We are exploring the possibilities of concealing an original YPVS one within the right hand side pod. These pods serve no real purpose on the MT125 other than as a styling exercise but time will tell if it's going to be possible. If all else fails, we'll abandon it and run the bike until the coolant reaches maximum expansion and spits out what it doesn't want at operating temperature. The only concern with this is that it dumps about 10% of the capacity it contains at cold once fully warm, but off-road 2 stroke KTM's always operated in this way and it was fine for them.
Next thing to do is fit the inline temperature switch housing into the hose which joins the two rads at the top. I've already built the loom for this using wiring and a relay purloined from the MT125 loom and the fans will switch on automatically at 85°C.
We bought OEM radiator louvres from our local KTM dealer and they fitted the Chinese version KTM85 radiators perfectly. The bonus was that they were under £22 for the pair. Some KTM stuff is extremely well priced, versions of the louvres from the likes of Polisport or Acerbis are a few quid more than OEM!
The biggest conundrum was always going to be the exhaust situation. We decided early on that GP Style pipes where both exit on the right hand side is where we wanted to be, and the plan was for Dave at Mutts Nuts to sort this out for us. However, he's currently extremely busy so we started to scout out different options. While doing this, I came across a post on Facebook where Mick Abbey had built a bespoke set of pipes in the style we wanted and they looked really good. Mick of course has a rich history with 2 strokes and after having a chat with him about it, he's hopefully going to do the pipes for us during September.
Here's Daves video on yesterdays endeavours:
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Post by urbantangleweed on Aug 30, 2022 7:37:52 GMT 1
Made some further progress on this during the last week and it's getting to the point where almost everything is resolved. The 2 stroke oil supply is done, the thermo switch for the fans is installed, the loom is now final, has been further tidied up, and is now wrapped. Next thing is to try and locate the coolant header tank in the R/H side pod, but if that works out, she's rideable! Once that's done, she's ready for her date with Mick Abbey to get her new exhausts made. I'll post a few photos below.
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Post by urbantangleweed on Aug 30, 2022 7:41:43 GMT 1
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Post by lcmarky on Aug 30, 2022 13:26:06 GMT 1
Neat build - sticky tyres and cadwell park would be on my list of places to ride it!
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Post by urbantangleweed on Aug 30, 2022 16:51:24 GMT 1
Sorted the coolant header tank today, it fits (kind of....) in the R/H side pod.
There's a link to Dave's video he did this afternoon below but essentially everything is in place, fitted and working. Much of it will be improved (mainly aesthetically) over the Winter, but for now, she's technically running and riding and ready for her date with Mick Abbey to work his wonders on a set of pipes.
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Post by urbantangleweed on Sept 1, 2022 18:57:14 GMT 1
MAJOR UPDATE!
So, after around 16 weeks since buying the MT125 as a basis for the MT350 concept, she became road legal and we managed to give her a little shakedown test. I have to say, it went better than could be expected. She rides really well, handling is solid and precise, the brakes are well up to the job, and even with the homemade 2 into 1 pipe, she goes really well! Next step is get her up to Mick Abbey to have some bespoke pipes made. We reckon she'll weigh in at about 145Kgs and if we get 50BHP, that's about 330BHP per tonne. That's Jaguar F Type 5 Litre V8 territory......
Here's a link to a video snippet of me on a flyby........
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Post by urbantangleweed on Sept 7, 2022 11:23:02 GMT 1
Well that's it, she's gone to Mick for her new pipes to be made. Just for fun he put it on the dyno just to see what the power was with the 2 into 1 on that we put together. The answer? 27.48. After the rides I'd had I estimated 25-30 BHP and it turned out to be pretty much bang in the middle of that. Micks pipes should add 20-30 BHP once they're done 🤞🏻
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Post by urbantangleweed on Oct 9, 2022 6:52:23 GMT 1
Had a great day yesterday up at Mick Abbeys to see what he'd come up with regarding pipes for the MT, and I can only say we were absolutely blown away with what he'd done. The bloke's nothing short of a genius. It was a bit of a challenge for him to keep the downpipes tight in to the frame like we'd asked him to in order to provide maximum clearance for the front wheel and to try and work round the fairly cumbersome MT sidestand bracket as we really wanted to retain that rather than welding a YPVS lug onto the frame to take a sidestand where it normally is on the 350. There was also the rear suspension linkage to get round and we wanted GP style pipes that exited on the right hand side in order to make use of the original MT exhaust hanger. All I can say is, the man delivered, and in spades! We spent most of yesterday with him getting it set up on his dyno and he obviously wasn't going to let us leave until he was happy he'd got it as good as it could be. When it went to him with the 2 into 1 that we'd mackled up simply to be able to run and ride the bike (a job it actually did brilliantly and also sounded really good) he put the bike on the dyno and it was making 27.48bhp with 22.77ft-lbs of torque. Obviously the 2 into 1 was strangling it just as expected, but even with that, it was fun to ride, but when we left him yesterday, those numbers were at 57.50bhp and 30.5lb-ft, up 109% and 34% respectively. Decent numbers for a bog standard engine still on 64mm bore. Mick would've like to have seen the torque figure up at 31 or 32 but it wouldn't get there which he thinks is because to get the pipes to fit, he had to shorten the design by 70mm, but hybrids are always about compromise, much of what's there was never intended to live together, you have to work with it all to get the best result possible. We are of course very happy with those numbers, and it sounds great, kind of Allspeedy but a bit screamier at the top end and actually make a very civilised noise for a 2 stroke, oh, and we think it looks incredible!
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Post by urbantangleweed on Oct 9, 2022 6:54:41 GMT 1
Looking good! 🙂
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Post by Chewie01 on Oct 9, 2022 13:27:18 GMT 1
I've just watched the video. It's looking good and sounding good, although I would've gone louder. At this rate you'll have it done in time for winter Doh!
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Post by urbantangleweed on Oct 9, 2022 14:53:32 GMT 1
I've just watched the video. It's looking good and sounding good, although I would've gone louder. At this rate you'll have it done in time for winter Doh! I too love to hear loud 2 strokes, I just don't like riding them, the constant swarm of angry Hornets giving chase gets on my nerves! Yes, it will be done for Winter, we're just not sure which year yet
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Post by urbantangleweed on Oct 12, 2022 17:22:27 GMT 1
Well, today we took the MT350 out for her first shakedown since Mick Abbey did all his wonderful work and I have to say, it's incredible! She pulls like a train and the sound she makes now is just fantastic! The thing is now, we have all the pieces of the puzzle, some will be re-jigged, some altered slightly and some changed completely, but by the time Spring comes next year, she will have been honed and polished and fit to greet the World. Here's how she sounds now on a fairly identical flyby video to the one posted on September the 1st.....
....and for direct comparison if you can't be bothered to scroll up a bit, this is how she sounded with the 2 into 1 exhaust fitted.......
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 17, 2023 20:38:39 GMT 1
Well, it's been a while since the MT350 project moved forward, but plans have been afoot, parts sourced and things have been happening behind the scenes. Today, even though it was baltic out there, we managed to brave it for a couple of hours to get the revised front end in. Something similar is on the cards for the rear end, but that sill have to wait for another day! I'll post some photos of the new look below.....
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 17, 2023 20:53:11 GMT 1
Before and after.....
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Post by zig on Jan 17, 2023 21:06:11 GMT 1
Before and after..... loving the gold wheels David ZiG
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 18, 2023 16:48:17 GMT 1
Managed an hour in the freezing cold to pop the gold back wheel in, mainly to check if the chain would fit as this has a 1 tooth larger rear sprocket on to give it a little more zing, and of course it doesn't! So, a two link longer chain will be required. Thought Id take the opportunity for a photo of it though, really pleased with how the gold wheels are looking, the swingarm will be replaced with one that's been polished to within an inch of its life by Harry at Briteworx which should brighten up the rear end a fair bit.
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 18, 2023 16:49:27 GMT 1
Double gold....
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Post by Robbieben on Jan 18, 2023 16:59:16 GMT 1
Double gold.... Looking Grand Lovely job
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Post by steeley on Jan 18, 2023 18:46:05 GMT 1
Nice .
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Post by sidney81 on Jan 18, 2023 22:00:55 GMT 1
Cool 😎😎
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 25, 2023 17:41:59 GMT 1
Today was a fairly big day on the MT350, the back end was stripped out and the blingarm that Harry Overton at Briteworx polished up for us went in. We also installed the new Hagon shock together with a suspension linkage that I bought a couple of weeks ago which had been stripped, re-painted and re-assembled ready to fit. The swingarm bearings were past their best, so these were replaced too. The idea behind having the forks re-anodised silver was that they would work far better with the blingarm than the black as they were, and I have to say, I think it works well. Anyway, there's lots more to do before she's going to be ready to meet the public, but today was a fairly big step along the way.
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 25, 2023 17:45:04 GMT 1
After todays efforts, this is how she looks:
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Post by Tobyjugs on Jan 26, 2023 22:55:04 GMT 1
Today was a fairly big day on the MT350, the back end was stripped out and the blingarm that Harry Overton at Briteworx polished up for us went in. We also installed the new Hagon shock together with a suspension linkage that I bought a couple of weeks ago which had been stripped, re-painted and re-assembled ready to fit. The swingarm bearings were past their best, so these were replaced too. The idea behind having the forks re-anodised silver was that they would work far better with the blingarm than the black as they were, and I have to say, I think it works well. Anyway, there's lots more to do before she's going to be ready to meet the public, but today was a fairly big step along the way. I like your philosophy a real working bike properly finished and sorted before going public.
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Post by shaunthe2nd on Jan 27, 2023 12:24:15 GMT 1
That's a really good read. Looks great. We'll done.
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Post by urbantangleweed on Jan 28, 2023 9:28:00 GMT 1
I love how the look of the MT350 is progressing, but one thing that niggles me is the small space to the rear of the cylinder head where the balance pipe fits, it just always looks a bit empty to me. So in order to rectify that, I got a boost bottle from Nigel at NK Racing and yesterday afternoon, spent a couple of hours rubbing some "bling" into it. I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out and might pop it on today to see if it does the trick.....
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