Author Topic: Yamaha WR450F Amageza build (Read 18628 times)

darthvader · « **Reply #100 on:** December 09, 2013, 08:57:29 pm »

Yeah, I am over it, 13 it is, tomorrow.

BlueBull2007 · « **Reply #101 on:** December 11, 2013, 05:25:06 am »

Quote from: darthvader on December 09, 2013, 08:33:19 pm

I have tested a few things out after the race and the first was sprocket configuration. Now my bike topped empty, at 155km/h. The downside is that you get totally f-up on 160km/h+ sections, but the technical sections this is king! I bought a stock 14tooth sprocket and it is a total fu(c)kup, I am going back to 13 on the front. The bike just feels a tad lazy with the 14...

@audience : What do you run on your 450 on the back and front?

In my experience what you had on is the best combination. Maybe 14/48 is a little better but if I remember correctly gives the same result. 155km/hr
So while its frustrating being passed by guys doing 168 on their 690's at least you are still on a lighter bike and will catch them when the miss the turnoffs and the technical stuff. The 2012 450 RR gets up to about 163, and the 2014 450 RR with Efi can get up to 185 (it did on the Marroc). I think it will be while before we see that kind of tech on bikes for us mere mortals, maybe another couple of years.

You get what you pay for I suppose

A WR is a great, affordable bike for rallies, even though it is not as fast as 690, it is almost as fast as a factory KTM machine, and is lighter than both (at least until we saw next year's KTM). Anyway, 155 is pretty damn fast in a special stage! Chances of a serious high-speed crash are high, but it exponentially higher at greater speeds.

My 2c

BlueBull2007 · « **Reply #102 on:** December 11, 2013, 05:27:32 am »

I forgot to mention my ICO clocked a top speed of 162 on one stage in Brazil by tucking myself in behind the fairing to reduce drag. Dont remember if it was on a downhill, probably was.

cheesy · « **Reply #103 on:** December 15, 2013, 01:51:50 pm »

Thank you for posting this most informative project. This will surely inspire many more to consider the challenge. I admire your courage and skills to "go it alone" in the build of your machine. Congratulations on your achievement. Certainly one of the better posts.

BlueBull2007 · « **Reply #104 on:** December 15, 2013, 04:56:45 pm »

So Darth, what is next?

darthvader · « **Reply #105 on:** December 15, 2013, 05:13:42 pm »

Took the bike out on the dunes with the 14 sprocket and it is 100% certain that it doea not work as well as the 13. In the whoops and technical sections I could not find the right gear. On the tar the bike tops out at 165!

I think I am going to do the Namakwa rally next year. The only thing that I worry about is the roadbook of this race. On day three of the Amageza I totally trusted the roadbook and road the shit out of my bike; one mistake on that roadbook and I would have kakked hard

I am going to put my life into the hands of somebody with no rally-event experience and I hope he gets the roadbook right!

Orangeswifty · « **Reply #106 on:** December 16, 2013, 11:31:12 am »

I read your entire build from the first post bud

duly impressed!

I have contemplated doing same for the Namakwa with a 530 KTM but i don't have even a tenth of your technical knowledge and machining capabilities.
Well i suppose if you can't do it yourself you gotta pay someone to do it for you?
Very interesting read!
Very well done!

I came past you on an SE in the 2012 Amageza just after you had crashed with your Honda.
I felt as broken for you as you must have been yourself!
Well done on the 2013 achievement!

darthvader · « **Reply #107 on:** July 14, 2014, 10:22:58 am »

Got this done this weekend :

Side view :

darthvader · « **Reply #108 on:** July 14, 2014, 10:30:12 am »

So the next task is to reinforce the exhaust bracket. There are two extra holes which I can use to add another bracket, the existing one is quite shitty.

I am also fixing up my roadbook situation, I want to see if I can lower it about 50mm. That does unfortunately mean it would need to move forward with 40mm.

If there is time, I am going to try and make a lexan screen for the whole tower. I have spoken to some of the other competitors this weekend about the bike's water situation. I do not really want to carry it in a PVC pipe, but push comes to shove, that will be my last resort. I am going to try and model a tank from polystyrene and integrate it with the bashplate.

SteveD · « **Reply #109 on:** July 14, 2014, 11:25:22 am »

What you also need to do is find and eliminate whatever it was that caused your GPS to stop logging on Day 1 last year. High priority task!

darthvader · « **Reply #110 on:** July 14, 2014, 11:27:50 am »

I will look into that

N[]vA · « **Reply #111 on:** July 14, 2014, 03:34:42 pm »

sigh now I wanna race again >.<

she is looking great dude

BlueBull2007 · « **Reply #112 on:** July 15, 2014, 02:49:58 pm »

I agree. That seat is awesome.

bonova · « **Reply #113 on:** July 15, 2014, 09:33:16 pm »

Looking great bud! Need to still sort my seat and water too... Problem is that my seat has a big petrol cap inset for the rear tank and I dunno if it can be made to look nice with a new cover and foam. hahahaha. I'm getting a new better bashplate as mine took a beating last year, and gonna get a water tank built into it. Did you get that cap repeater of yours sorted?

ruger1 · « **Reply #114 on:** July 15, 2014, 09:49:39 pm »

Your bike is looking awesome.

Who done your seat for you, looks great, would like to get my seat to look as cool and comfy as that. I just bought a 2013 husquvarna TE511 for the amageza adventure and the seat is not comfy so would like to upgrade

darthvader · « **Reply #115 on:** July 16, 2014, 09:01:37 pm »

Quote from: ruger1 on July 15, 2014, 09:49:39 pm

Your bike is looking awesome.

Who done your seat for you, looks great, would like to get my seat to look as cool and comfy as that. I just bought a 2013 husquvarna TE511 for the amageza adventure and the seat is not comfy so would like to upgrade

Eric from Nithrone. Be sure to mention my name as reference! I want to show commitment. He is probably the only guy in the Western Cape that can design a build a quality seat like this.

His service is impeccable! We had 47 messages back and forth, not one phone call!!! I sent him pictures; he said : "Cool! Thanks! Easy!" and I picked up my seat from him at Zone 7 five days later.

darthvader · « **Reply #116 on:** July 16, 2014, 09:07:12 pm »

Actually, his service is so good that I do not want to take advantage of it! Quality vendor and person.

ruger1 · « **Reply #117 on:** July 17, 2014, 10:41:00 am »

Thanks, I will give him a call

darthvader · « **Reply #118 on:** July 20, 2014, 10:43:41 pm »

OK, so, 3mm polycarbonate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate) ... guess what that is going to be used for! and then good old HDPE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_polyethylene) ... I just call it "strong as f_ck!"

A good fuel tap from DesertLizard(Chris) - not sure if I am going to use it, but it will go into my backpack and, plus, fuel filters!

300ZAR for a tube of medium(semi viscose - rubbery) Loctite! Crazy price!

Two super cool spotlights - got them in 2013 at R700 a piece and I believe they are going for R900 bucks now. I am not really sure how I am going to manage them in my current configuration, but we'll see how it pans out. I might have to build some cooling/heat friendly area, cause the HDPE is strong as f_ck but it hates heat! These spots generates tonnes of heat! Saying that, in the Amageza I do not think I will run them for more than 90 minutes at a time. *shrug*

darthvader · « **Reply #119 on:** July 20, 2014, 10:51:19 pm »

O, I forgot, 3mm poly, 8mm HDPE, 25MM HDPE. Rebuilding my tower completely. I am going to move the roadbook down and forward, more or less to the middle of the front wheel. I hit my (head)helmet a "kak hou" on the road book in the Richtersveld on day three! Still don't really know what happened, but it could have been avoided. There is just way too little room for moving with the tower that high and over/close to the handle bars.

Ideally you want your head in the exact position the roadbook is, in attacking position. My roadbook/nav tower as it is at the moment is directly under my chin, which is totally wrong.