Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o 00 0'> .-4 The front brake was switched to a position behind Interp8I't's Betor fork leg after photos were taken. More detail work: Greer sealed the ill-fitting inner fender panel with carefully trimmed inner tube. I ordered one through Knight with the track aluminum silencer that weighs one half that of the steel silencer. For the carb, I could have used the stock 38 Mikuni, but I ordered SUDCO's 38 Mikuni Powerjet unit. It has a mainjet feature which allows you to jet the mainjet lean for those hard, throttle drives off the corners, When you hit the straightaway and tuck in. the powerjet kicks in at about % throttle and safely richens up the jetting so that you don't come sliding across the finish line before the seized· up bike does. SUDCO also sells an update kit to upgrade your stock Kawasaki Mikuni to Powerjet specs. * Other stuff Rocky Cycle Accessories handles near· Iy everything else you will want or need to finjsh the bike. Using one supplier makes the building process much. much easier. Except Buffalo Plates. They'll silk· screen your number on four fiberglass plates. Assembly procedures 10 MATERIALS: I know this sounds like a scavenger hunt, but get the fol· lowing materials to do a first class race prep job on your mail order dirt tracker. A fistful of 6" plastic zip ties. 3' closed cell foam, I" 1.0. x %" wall (air conditioning shop). I tube blue Loctite . 1 tube 3M Super Weatherstrip Ceo ment (black). I' 0/,," 1.0. plastic fuel line. I small roll Teflon tape. 1 roll stainless safety wire. (0.032" Dia.) 1 qt. fuel tank slushing compound (tank sealant). 1 old automobile inner tube. 1 old bicycle inner tube (20 x 2.125"). I pt. DOT brake fluid. FRAME: Chase all threaded lugs to clean threads. Requires \4·20, \4·28, 0/,0.18 and %·16 taps. Insert tapered bearing outer races into headstock. No smashing or pummelling allowed. Be sure to bottom them in bore. ENGINE: Knock out removable swingarm spacer sleeves at rear of engine. Install engine loosely in frame using Knight front motor mounts, SWINGARM: Grease needle bear· ings and bolt. Insert inner races care· fully to prevent damage to the neoprene seal lips. These seals are important to the life of the swingarm and the habitu· ally good handling of the bike. They keep out race track dirt and 50~ spray wash caustic soap which lubricates like pre·mix without oil. Double check the seal lips for proper seal. Two Knight black coated spacers sandwich each inner race. Install swingarm bolt with internal lockwasher under each nut. Loctite the nut. A drop will do. Tighten the nut. checking that all swingarm side play is eliminated. Up . and down movement must be free! People have cursed shocks because of a bound·up swingarm. Triple check. SHOCKS: Install the Fox Shox in the inverted position. Make sure the gas valves are pointing up and rear· ward, or you will hear an expensive hiss. Secure with %·16 bolts and lock· nuts from the Knight frame hardware kit. Fox provides an informative book on overhaul procedures. By the way, bleeding off nitrogen won't net you any improvement in handling. Leave it alone; don't tune it except for spring rates. Knight's frame has three shock posi· tions. Position #1, vertical, is for slippery tracks and gives more bite. Position #2, slight cantilever, is for tacky tracks and gives a better balance between bite and keeping the front end on the ground. Position #3, lay· down, is for tracks which should have been advertised as rough scrambles, but the promoter didn't know the dif· ference between TTs and obstacle courses. This last shock position requires the rear axle adjusted to the rearmost position. That's where you want it on a rough track though. If you use another brand of 13" shock, remove the spring, bolt it on and stroke the suspension with the wheel in place. Check tire clearance in all three shock positions. Finding nega· tive clearance following a TT jump is unhealthy. FRONT FORKS: Knight provides unshielded headstock bearings. I sub· stituted shielded inner cones. You can buy them at any bearing house, and they do wonders for a maintenance·free season. The part number is L 44643LA. Betor made the triple clamp stem marginally short. The thicker shielded cones in effect make it shorter. You will have to remove about ~" of alum· inurn from the upper triple clamp stem nut machined surface. Machine shop time? Only if you want to. I rented a belt sander and coarse belt for $5. Just use care in keeping the surface flat and parallel to the stem bore. Frequent· ly check, using the steam and nut. Modify for 5-6 thread engagement. Use Loctite on the stem nut. Don't Loctite any other triple clamp hardware. Insert the forks in the triple clamps, raising the forks two inches. I installed the brake caliper tabs forward but, theoretically, with the caliper behind the slider, the tabs would be in com· pression a nd stronger, not to mention reduced pendulum effect on the steered mass (less speed wobble effect). Either way, the forks are aligned properly when the front axle will slide through both axle bosses without your having to raise either fork slider. WHEELS: I installed a 4.00 x 19" Pirelli on the Kosman front wheel. Inflate to 18 psi. Install the Kosman wheel/brake disc on the front forks. There are two different length spacers. Get 'em right, pard ... I installed a Carlisle 4.00 x 19" on the Kosman rear·wheel. Start with 22 psi. Install the Kosman rear wheel/brake disc/sprocket in the swingarm, mount· ing the caliper bracket but not tightening it yet. (Do that after you've bled the brakes.) Engage each Heim joint about 50% in the torque arm. The caliper will now clear the shock in its laydown position. Loctite the jam nuts. Insert the Allen bolts with the locknuts outside, toward you. That'll keep 'em in plain sight so you can check their integrity as the season progresses. HANDLEBARS: Bolt on your favorite dirt track bend and make be· lieve for a few minutes. Now get back to work. BRAKES: Install the Grimeca rear wheel master cylinder. Use Loctite. Install the Kosman braided steel hose using Teflon tape at both ends. Zip tie •the hose to the top of the torque arm. Route it inside the frame, looping out to the master cylinder. Study the photos. FOOTPEGS: Install both Knight footpegs. Loctite them. Install the brake pedal, and attach the Kosman brake linkage. CHAIN IDLER: Don't just sit there;put it on with Loctite. CHAIN: Cut chain to length and install for correct full arc tension. For each sprocket combination, cut a length of chain to allow front and rear axle adjustment. Make a list of lengths corresponding to sprocket size and axle position. Put it in your race notebook. Don't have a race notebook? Make one. Loctite it. Safety wjring around the center of the master link linkplate and keeper will ensure that your master links stay in place and your transmission cases remain as-cast. Cut off the rear boss of the plastic countershaft sprocket cover to clear \he swingarm grease fitting. Install it with Kawasaki's screws. Install the Kawasaki protective roller on the shift shaft and position the shift lever. Loctite the bolt. HANDLEBAR CONTROLS: Install Rocky's Magura clutch lever. InstallKnight's/Kosman's/Grimeca, etc. front brake master cylinder. Tighten it only after you have installed Rocky's Magura flat pull mOtocross throttle assembly. On your mark, install. Now you can tighten the master cylinder. Add the grips. Knight likes the Ourys, I like the Maguras. Hey, who's ridin' this thing anyways? Add the Rocky kill bUllon. Solder a male connection to the wire and plug it into the black/white COl coil lead when you install it. Install Knight'S Kosman. braided steel brake hose using Teflon tape at both ends. Be sure you route it so that it won't hang up on the fork stop when in a full lock slide, or on the upper fork tube when the forks go from compressed to extended. If either of these conditions occur, the rider will get very redfaced and use 'bad words. After he comes to. Tuck it in tight so that it can't be snagged during one of those friendly wheel to metal duels. If the hose is secured with zip ties, they will break during an altercation, saving the hose, and perhaps the night. CABLES: Route the Kawasaki clutch cable according to the pictures. Use zip ties. Again, keep it clear of the fork stop. Route the Rocky throttle cable down the center of the gas tank tunnel. I had to exchange the threaded elbow carb top for a straight threaded adjuster top from SUDCO. Kawasaki's pleated throule top cable dust cover worked on the combination. That was the only cable-related mod necessary. Make sure the throttle cable works. Work the throttle and look at the slide for full off and full on compliance. Do it! SHOCK BOXES: Install the ignition coil on the front under-tank mounts using the small flat washers' Knight thoughtfully provided to ensure a good electrical ground. Stringing a wire from the mounting screw to the engine stator will erase any question of a Lucas-like condition (no spark). Install the COl box on the aft under-tank mount. It does not ground to the frame. Plug the COl and the Stator assembly and the coil connections together in a spaghettilike fashion and secure them to the frame tubes with zip ties. Ro";te the stator wire harness behind the front downtube to protect it from rocks. At the bottom, loop it away from the hot exhaust pipe flange and ... yep, zip tie it. EXHAUST: Genin' serious. Mount the Knight supplied Bill's Pipe using the springs and the rubber biscuit sup. plied for the job, INNER FENDER PANEL: It doesn't fit well. Punch four zip tie holes on the bosses with a heated screwdriver. Trim for swingarm, chain and shock mount clearance. Gaps remain at the top and bottom of the air cleaner area. I cut pieces of car inner tube, using the natural contours to match the fender panel contour and glued it together with Super weatherstrip cement after washing off all mold release with lacquer thinner. The job will be as neat as you are. Mount the panel with zip ties. GAS TANK & SEAT: Trial mount tank bolt, angling it rearward. Drill bolt hole in tank to %" dia. for crash proofing and installation ease. Trial mount tank. Turn fork full lock and locate tank rearward for clearance, Note: Triple clamp will have to be trimmed on corners too. Gain a minimum of \4" clearance to make it crash proof. Grind reliefs of \4" between each lower rear corner of the tank skin and frame tube for mounting clearance and crash proofing. Trial fit petcocks and trim tank skirt as required to obtain clearance. Use a

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