Landstrom's Foundry Other Interests

Landstrom's Foundry Other Interests and Stuff

Projects

My Café Project Bike

I've a number of projects around the shop that aren't foundry related. One of them is a bike known as the Turd. I became the ninth owner of the Turd after acquiring the bike from my younger brother who gave it to me. Because this bike has been owned by so many different people living in and around the Twin City area, the bike has become somewhat infamous in that region.

The Turd started out life as an 1986 Yamaha SRX600 and was used as a street bike. Somewhere in its history the bike was stripped down for racing in the ultra-light class and later, somebody else built up the engine by adding hotter cams and a 13:1 compression piston. Eventually the bike became uncompetitive in club racing and the lights where put back on by the sixth owner. The seventh owner rode it as a city hooligan bike but still took it out on the race track from time to time. Eventually my brother became the eighth owner and used the bike for wheelie practice and city shenanigans before passing the bike off to me.

The Turd became a project of mine one night when I was replacing the Turd's clutch while remembering the bike's racing and hooligan history. Then and there I decided that I should café the bike out by adding a Dunstall race fairing up front and making my own boat tail fairing in the rear.

When I got the bike, it needed a new clutch from too much wheelie practice. I decided to café the bike out. I took off the seat and layed down some plastic wrap so I could fiberglass a seat pan. Man, I hate working with fiberglass.

The stuff stinks. After breathing fumes from the fiberglass resin, I contemplated what to do next. It took time for the fumes to stop effecting me.

Once my mind cleared, I began cutting foam to glue together to make a foam block to shape. After shaping the foam with a rasp for a while, I checked the profile view to make sure I had what I wanted. Eventually I had the shape I wanted.

And it was time for more fiberglass. — Joy. —

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When I got the bike, it needed a new clutch from too much wheelie practice. I decided to café the bike out.		I took off the seat and layed down some plastic wrap so I could fiberglass a seat pan.		Man, I hate working with fiberglass.

The stuff stinks.		After breathing fumes from the fiberglass resin, I contemplated what to do next.		It took time for the fumes to stop effecting me.

Once my mind cleared, I began cutting foam to glue together to make a foam block to shape.		After shaping the foam with a rasp for a while, I checked the profile view to make sure I had what I wanted.		Eventually I had the shape I wanted.

And it was time for more fiberglass.	—	Joy.	—