Winter mods for an Alaskan Drifter

[JagLite]

Big plans for painting the tank, fenders, and side covers this weekend were frozen. 

The heater in the shop died.  Or is on life support. I think the fan motor is overheating and tripping an internal relay.
I could only get the shop up to 52 degrees so I worked on other projects.
I will spray the high build primer asap...

The other tank and seat are for my street tracker that is also getting a change of color.

Other good news is that the 2.25" flex tubing for the new exhaust is finally on its way north to Alaska.
When it arrives I will be able to work on putting all the pieces together.
I'm not keen on the looks of the big fat Borla muffler so if it doesn't sound really good I will be replacing it with a smaller diameter glass pack probably. That would be more fitting with the period I think. That's the reason to make it myself, i can change it myself.   

One interesting thing when I was taking the tank off the bike I discovered that when it had been painted green, they did it on the bike! The electrical connectors and a few wires and hoses had green overspray on them. That was quite some masking job they had to do on the entire bike to be able to paint the tank while installed. 

I guess the paint shop didn't want to try to find out how to remove the tank.
Or the previous owner probably. The fenders had been removed though.

[JagLite]

I will weld the flex to the pipe ends 
I will make a bolt on connection to the muffler so that I can change the muffler if I don't like it.
I don't like how big it is so if it doesn't sound good to me, I will make my own muffler that is about 3" diameter.
Hopefully once it is together and painted flat black it will look smaller and mostly disappear.

[greenbarn]

Looking good so far....   One question:  how will you fasten the flex tube to the hard pipe?

[CDNRatMan]

  following and waiting to see how it works out......

[JagLite]

I finally had some time to play with the Drifter today...

First I cut up the headers from another bike for the flanges

Trial fit:

Yep, fit great.
If this was a custom show bike I would be done   

But this is a bike to ride so more is needed.

The flex tube won't bend as tight a radius as I want so some thinking time is required...

On to the rear pipe for now

Need a "T" to join front and rear pipes so this part of the headers I cut might be the ticket:

Hmmm, maybe another piece of the donor pipe on the T might help?

Yeah, that might work.
Don't know if it is needed but if so I have it.

Now to make the hanger mounts for the muffler that match the original:

This piece of scrap square tube should work:

Close enough for me

Drill some holes:

Time to wind up the welder

Two bolts and two nuts are welded inside the tabs.
I used the stock hanger to locate the tabs

Ready to bolt on for a trial.

Unfortunately BORLA is in raised letters so I will need to wrap it with a thin aluminum heat shield spaced a bit off the muffler to cover that.

End of the afternoon:

So far things are progressing as hoped. 

Keep in mind that if all goes according to plan all of this will be hidden by the 2" flex tube that goes over the inner pipe.

Still to do list:
Buy the pipe wrap that will go around the inner flex tube, inside the outer flex tube.
Buy the exterior 2" flex tube that will actually be seen.
Decide how I want to make the muffler end caps with the 1 1/2" tube size to match the inner flex tube.
Buy some 1 1/2" straight tube for the muffler outlet pipe.

So far so good   

[CDNRatMan]

  We are to.......

[JagLite]

I took a look at the old exhaust pipes I have and found two possible candidates for the head pipe flanges.
Both are new stock take-offs from bikes that the buyer had the dealer switch out for an aftermarket system.
I bought a few of these when a dealer was moving to a new building and had a garage sale.

I am glad to get back to work on the Drifter   

[JagLite]

1965 Rickman Metisse MkIII with Triumph TR6C 650 engine   

Here is my build thread for the Rickman:
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/1965-rickman-metisse-mk-iii-scrambler.818140/

Sunday I finished the new oil cooler installation on my DR650 Street Tracker   

And the build thread for it:
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/dr650-street-tracker-build.857154/

[CDNRatMan]

The actual Roadhouse system does have the flex pipe going over solid pipe........they are just a slide over cover and in one set I saw it was cut out in the back to allow the heat out....

[JagLite]

Hi Dan,
Here is the link to my ride report:
http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=38628.0

I really like my shop you can tell.
It isn't fancy or well equipped compared to many, but it is the best I have ever had!

Interesting idea, putting the flex over the stock pipes as a heat shield.
Now that I have taken the stock system apart it does seem like that is possible.
I will try to remember to check that out.

[deadeyedan]

WOW WHERE I COME FROM THAT IS A HOUSE. HAPPY I AM ONLY 73 AND STILL HAVE TIME TO WORK ON ONE. WELL AT LEAST I FINALLY GOT THE BEER FRIDGE IN THE SHED WITH THE BIKE.  APPRECIATE THE PICS. IS IT NOT PRACTICAL TO HAVE FLEX PIPE OVER EX.PIPES AS HEAT SHIELDS I HAVE  THE SAME JACK AND I AM STEALING YOUR IDEA   THANK YOU  HOPE YOU HAVE PICS. OF YOUR TRIP TO SHARE      DANNY

[CDNRatMan]

   what no pictures of the Rickman...why what did we do to upset you that you talk about it and then do not post any pictures......now we have to just sit here and think about it....how mean you are.......

[JagLite]

I'm glad you like it!
I certainly like the Drifter more than I expected.
It was really the only cruiser style bike I ever liked and the only one I even considered buying.
When this one listed on Ebay I decided to put in the minimum bid ($3,000) and if I was the only one to bid, great, if someone else bid on it that was fine too.
But maybe everyone else was smarter than me and knew that a bike in Florida would have corrosion and rust problems...   

But riding it up from California to Alaska helped me to really like riding it.
I wasn't sure if I would keep it before riding it, now I don't see selling it anytime soon. 

Nothing new on the Drifter yet, I have been spending my limited shop time doing the final assembly of the Triumph engine for my Rickman.
And finally tonight I put the engine in the frame for good!

I hate to have an engine apart long since I can lose parts like nobody else.

Now I can get back to the exhaust system puzzle for the Drifter 

Stay tuned for more pictures next week.   
(I hope) 

[bambam0099]

Really enjoying this thread!

[JagLite]

New muffler arrived and so did the pipe bender.

First, here is a backside view of the front cylinder stock head pipe showing the distance the large diameter tube runs before reducing down.

Considering that both the front and rear cylinder head pipes reduce down just before going into the under bike muffler I am pretty sure it is not for performance (increasing torque at lower rpm) but is just for packaging into the muffler body.

Here is the new muffler, a Borla XR1 straight through design with the inner perforated core the same size as the inlet and outlet pipes.

I will be using reducers to match the pipes in and out to the muffler body.
The large I.D. of the muffler means that I can run overlap pipes inside if straight through proves to be too loud.

My pipe bender is just the cheap ($180 is cheap?) hydraulic pipe bender.

Nope, not a mandrel bender but it will have to do for my use.
It is another great deal on Amazon for those of us outside the lower 48.
This puppy weighs 88 lbs, and would have cost at least $280 to get it shipped up.
But on Amazon Prime, I only had to pay $27.00 for shipping! And it arrived in 3 days.   

Hmmmm, I wonder if they sell lathes? Mills?   

Now to remove the tank and rear fender to prep for paint.
And to measure for exhaust header flanges I will need to start the new pipes at the head.

This afternoon I drive out to the powder paint shop to pick up the newly painted hubs for another bike project.
I have 3 wheels to build now. Never done that before but I am looking forward to it.
How hard can it be after all? It ain't rocket surgery   

[JagLite]

Start looking for that farm now   

We decided to start looking with no rush factor.
My wife did get very frustrated when I wasn't interested in one place after another that she liked.
She said that I would never find what I wanted at a price we could afford.
About a year later one came on the market that I did like so we jumped on it.

We needed place to park the 36' motorhome, two (now three) utility trailers, at least five cars, a fenced yard for the dogs but not a lot of land to maintain. We had that at our hillside house and it took too much time keeping it presentable.
I really enjoyed being out in the sticks, but the rich people were building all around us and soon we wouldn't have been "out of town" just out in an expensive area.
I liked the quiet and privacy out there and wanted something like that in town.
This house is at the end of a dead end circle in an older established neighborhood so we have no drive by traffic and we are both happy with how private it feels here and yet I am only 3 miles from work and can come home for lunch if I want.

After buying this place we put the hill house on the market and sold it for what we wanted.
That way we could pay this place off and still had $30k or so left over.
We did spend a year remodeling this place and are still working on projects inside and out but we plan to stay here for the duration so it is no hurry to finish them.

Far too many people sell their house and then pick the best of what is available at that time to choose from.

On Drifter news, my new Borla muffler showed up today and UPS will deliver my pipe bender tomorrow so I can get started on the new exhaust system...   

[DC]

It only took me 60 years to get my own little shop.
Actually, I did have a one car garage/shop for the past 15 years in the house we built.
We sold it and bought this old place, it was built in '75 as a starter (cheap) house.
So it is opposite our custom home with the best of everything we could afford.

But this one is one level instead of three, has a level driveway instead of a steep, curving, long driveway that took me three hours to plow every time it snowed, is in town instead of half an hour drive... and best of all, it is paid off. (Yay!)

I'm at the same point in life, where I should be downsizing.  Get a smaller, cheaper place, get rid of a mortgage, go with everything on one floor, etc.  I'm looking to have more land though and get away from neighbors.  I'm just looking for a small farm set up where I can keep all kinds of utility trailers, and construction/farm equipment (I'll buy and sell) outside and no one can complain about the look of the place.  I'm in an HOA setting in a regular neighborhood with sky high school taxes.  It's time for a change.

[CDNRatMan]

  eh! guess your right  eh!

[JagLite]

There is rust like that everywhere unfortunately.
Ah, well, anyone buying a bike that lived in Florida should expect that, eh?

[CDNRatMan]

  see some work needs to be done on the inside of the front rotor...........

[JagLite]

Here is the head pipe showing the reduced diameter

And here is the piece of flex tubing

It is very thin steel, galvanized, and very light.
Life span before rust through will be much shorter than a good heavy duty steel pipe.

My new wheel truing/balancing stand being inspected by Bobby

He approves

[CDNRatMan]

  remember pictures of your work are greatly enjoyed by all.....

[JagLite]

Thanks guys, I like my shop even though it is a long term work in progress to get it where I want it to be eventually.
With white painted walls, cabinet doors, less clutter with a place for everything and everything in its place. Someday...

It only took me 60 years to get my own little shop.
Actually, I did have a one car garage/shop for the past 15 years in the house we built.
We sold it and bought this old place, it was built in '75 as a starter (cheap) house.
So it is opposite our custom home with the best of everything we could afford.

But this one is one level instead of three, has a level driveway instead of a steep, curving, long driveway that took me three hours to plow every time it snowed, is in town instead of half an hour drive... and best of all, it is paid off. (Yay!)

Robyn has a sewing room, I have a man cave, we have a guest room, and I have my shop.

It makes coming home from work looking forward to an hour or two playing with my projects really nice.

Tonight I had two boxes delivered, one is the wheel truing stand and the other is the flex tube for the Drifter's new exhaust system.

Interesting stock exhaust design...
The headpipe is 1.625" for about 8" and then it cuts down to 1.375" heading to the muffler under the swingarm. I am used to stepped pipes on exhausts but I don't remember ever seeing one that stepped DOWN in size.

I'm sure they had a reason, even if it wasn't for performance, packaging perhaps?

The general thinking (as I understand it) to increase torque at low rpm is to use a smaller headpipe diameter.
To add more power higher a larger pipe diameter is used.
And for a good all around power range a smaller diameter headpipe is used for a certain length and then the pipe diameter increases for less back pressure as the rpm increases.

I'm using 1.5" flex for the curves, and the same size for the straight tube.
The muffler has 2.5" inlet and exit so I will be using reducers to match up.

The plan is to make it double wall with 1.5" tubing wrapped with exhaust heat wrap all inside 2.25" flex and straight tube. The pipe wrap will cut down on heat transfer and keep the inner and outer pipes from rattling together. That's the plan so far, I will find out if it is successful or a failure. I'm using a Borla muffler.

That's the fun part of projects, thinking it is a good idea, before the reality shoots it down in flames.
Sometimes. Usually I am very happy with how a project comes out.
Sure I would do it differently next time, but I can always come up with a better way to do things...
After I've done it.

Life is a learning experience, eh?

[bambam0099]

Bam et me help you get over that envious feeling really fast, how much would the taxes be on a shop like that in your back yard in NY state........

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you really know how to touch a nerve!!!!   :-)

[CDNRatMan]

  Bam let me help you get over that envious feeling really fast, how much would the taxes be on a shop like that in your back yard in NY state........