Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Not long now, mate.

It was an exciting day yesterday. Firstly I ordered and paid for the Moto Martin fairing from a retailer in France. The money for this purpose was donated to the cause by a KSRC member (he knows who he is) and I am more grateful than I can say for his generosity.

Secondly, I took the completed chassis to Sydney to Kent's workshop so that he can complete the complex task of fitting seat/tank/fairing bracketry. I've driven thousands of miles with valuable stuff in my trailer but I don't think I have ever been as nervous as I was taking the bike from Wollongong to Sydney.

When we arrived at the factory it became like a media event! People came streaming out, some armed with cameras, to inspect the bike and take photos, seriously. I guess Kent must have told them we were coming. Kent was like a kid with a new toy. He hasn't seen the bike for 16 years and, when he did see it last, it was as my first set of tear-down pictures depicted.



He pulled out the glasswork and dummied it up on the frame to see what it looked like and it looked wonderful.





As we walked around and looked at it, the gleam in Kent's eyes became palpable. Here was his creation of 30 years ago, coming to life again before his eyes. Then he started looking more closely. "Mmm, some of those bolts look a bit manky, I think we'll replace them with polished ones...." etc, etc, etc. It seems that, despite our combined INTENTIONS that the bike be as it was in 1981, neither of us have been able to resist the temptation, and temptation it IS, to make it look prettier and better finished than it was back then. As we left, my brother, who'd come along to help me with the lifting and maneuvering, said, "You know he's going to go nusto, don't you?" I think he may be right.

The thing that became even more apparent to me as we walked around the bike, was how futuristic the design is, given that its roots go back to sports bikes that Kent sketched on little scraps of paper while he was in high school in the 70's. I have seen these signed and dated sketches and I can tell you that this man anticipated the styling of the modern sports bike by about 30 years, AT LEAST. The "hunched forward", "Fairing hanging over the front tyre" look of the current GSXR-1000 Suzuki, is foreshadowed by his work all those years ago. I hope to be able to scan many of his sketches and publish them. I believe the motorcycling world will be stunned when they see that the modern sports bike styling was born way back then.

So the bike, on the trailer, is now in Sydney and I have an empty garage. Not quite empty as I now have all of Kent's fibreglass molds in case I want to make any more seat and tank units. Mmmm, anybody want to build a Shadowfax replica? I must admit, it will be funny to go out to the garage and see an empty space where the bike was, but it is an indication of just how close to finishing this project we are.

fmd, this is fantastic!

but after doing quite a number of major rebuild on my time (cars mainly, but did a rz350 about 115 years ago) once the space re-emerges in the shed, the pull to fill it become waaay to strong

dickfaber wrote:fmd, this is fantastic!

but after doing quite a number of major rebuild on my time (cars mainly, but did a rz350 about 115 years ago) once the space re-emerges in the shed, the pull to fill it become waaay to strong

I blush to say it, but, you're right. I'm already scouring ebay for my next restoration project!

fezzick wrote:....I blush to say it, but, you're right. I'm already scouring ebay for my next restoration project!....

Phil was asking me about a new project this morning !! Lets get this one knocked over first mate .

Good to catch up with you today - now Phil has some spare wheels that he can take to Kent, to allow the chassis to be wheeled around the workshop as required. No update on the motor from my end as yet, I was hoping that the repaired head would have been back before Xmas but it is still some time away - hopefully not more than a couple of weeks. So I haven't started on putting the motor back together, but have been able to get some of the old parts we are re-using (pistons etc) - cleaned up to the max. They almost look like new - still need to source some new wrist-pin C clips before the top end goes back together as well.

Looks at this stage to me, as though the motor will be completed around the end of January, which should fit in well with the wheels finally being ready, and the paintwork on Kent's new bodywork also being completed.

Thanks to everyone who has donated time or money or parts to this project - it has been really appreciated by Phil and myself, as he said to me this morning - this bike was originally built as a sort-of 'community' build - and 30+ years later history is repeating itself !

History is a good thing, and should be out there...ridden not hidden.

Oh, it will be ridden, don't worry about that. I'm not going to go through all of this just to see it tucked up in a garage.

I reckon Gos might do it justice!!!

Gos is only one of a long line of people who want a gallop on it!

You'll have to have a contributors track day Phil... PMSL

Strika wrote:.....I reckon Gos might do it justice!!! .....

Amen to that brother !!

fezzick wrote:......Gos is only one of a long line of people who want a gallop on it!......

Yes indeed, and the queue starts right behind me !

kawadave wrote:You'll have to have a contributors track day Phil... PMSL

Already planned, mate, my wife and I actually discussed that quite some time ago. Seems entirely fitting, I'd have to say.

OK, how's this? Thanks to Gos I have a temporary set of wheels so that Kent can roll the bike around the workshop and also so that he can "eyeball" the lineup of the all the glass bits. Delivered them and fitted them this morning. What do you reckon? I know the front is cast rather than wire, but....









Kent said, "Gee, it looks small."

Oh, and someone in the factory has a keen sense of humour!

I just want to see it at the Barry Sheene meeting, that would be a fitting unvailing of this project.

It's been quiet, but that's the nature of this type of job (or so they tell me). BUT, tomorrow it all comes alive again. The bike has been at Kent's workshop having all the brackets and bits and bobs associated with fitting the tank and seat made up and attached. I pick it up tomorrow morning and we'll truck straight through to Gos's to have the engine fitted and take the glasswork to Redback's for painting. It's getting exciting again.