I could not wait till Sunday to start on the bike so disappeared into the garage as soon as I had eaten. as you can see its actually looking like a bike again and its about bloody time too!! The work Steve's engineers had done was perfect and the forks and top yoke slipped on with ease an I also fitted the clip ons and levers, I must admit the Brembo front master cylinder looks the dogs swingers! I positioned the AP Racing front caliper where I think it should be and was amazed to see that the holes on the caliper and the holes on the forks are in a line, so a simplistic support bracket is all that is needed

Here we go at last!!!

Right! just picked up the fork yokes from Steve and I must admit the engineers Steve uses are first rate and the work looks spot on. Just to reiterate I had to have the bottom fork yokes milled out from 41mm to 43mm to accommodate the R6 forks, the top yoke did not have enough meat on the clamps to mill out so I used the CBR600 top yoke and the engineers have fitted a small bush in the centre hole,(where the spindle goes through), as the original TZR spindle is narrower than the CBR, I also had the clamps for the "Vortex" clip ons milled out too as I purchased them before I decided to upgrade the forks.

With the itch to start the rebuild getting unbearable and the first race looking ever closer I started rebuilding the bike in the garage, so I have decided to pass on the offer of James lock up as most of the hard work has been completed. I have contacted James to inform him and have offered my services when he gets back to the UK. I also managed to move a lot of the contents of the garage, (CRAP!!!), into the garden shed for the duration of the rebuild so I have gained a lot of space around the bike bench.

Not much happening

I seem to have come to a stalemate in the rebuild! Steve still has the fork yokes that are being bored out to 43mm, and without them I have come to a halt. I have been trying to space out the rear wheel but have hit a snag with the rear caliper mounting bracket, it just doesn't want to line up! Hugh Freeman was kind enough to send me another rear TZ wheel but when I positioned it on the bike I found it was slightly buckled, I will find out how bad when I fit some newer bearings to see if it is uasable. He also sent me a selection of rear sprockets saying they were "well used"! well after inspection I think I can "use them well" !!!! a big thankyou to you Hugh.
James Bensley got in contact about the lock up and Im now waiting to hear the word from his brother Richie as to when I can get in there, soon I hope. This will give me a lot more room to get all around the bike, I also spoke to Ash today and have asked if he could give me a hand on a couple of things, just think a fresh pair of eyes on the subject will help. I put the original FZR wheels on ebay and was happy to see them reach my lowest price, just waiting to see the final bid, I also put the Mikuni carb on there too after a mishap in the garage! I was looking at the carb to sort out jet sizes and gaskets when I dropped the bloody thing on the floor! when I picked it up I noticed the outlet track was broken. The carb was originally a 38mm but had been bored out to 40mm weakening the track. I contacted Allens Performance who informed me that they cannot supply that part so I have put it on Ebay and will at least get some money back. I will use the Del Orto 42mm carb that came with the bike, Steve gave me a carb mounted choke and the service kit from Euro Carbs is only about £12.50, plus a selction of jets are about £4 each, I have used Del Orto's in the past and had no problem with them.

Fairing bracket & Scitsu in place

I had ordered a new racing fuel cap from Ebay and was eager to see it on the tank, as you can see I went with the black to keep it in the colour scheme. I also fitted the front firing bracket and Scitsu tachometre just hope the pick up wire is long enough to reach the HT lead.

Shock is fitted

Managed to get into the garage today and get on with fitting the rear shock, as I mentioned before the dia of the spring is larger than the original item but not by much. I will have to shave a nikky whisker off the swing arm plate so the spring does not impede when compressed. When I put the shock in place I marked where I had to grind it back to, the shock was then removed and I set about the task with a drill extension and a small grinding wheel. I had given this job about two hours in my head but when I started I realised that it was not such a hard job and within 30 minutes I was ready to try the shock for size.

When I fitted the shock I was pleased to see the spring was well clear of the swing arm plate where I had ground it back, the next job was to space out the top fitment of the shock. After measuring the shock, then the gap I knew how much spacing was needed, this was done by using thick stainless washers and then everything was bolted tight. I let the preload right off so I could emulate the movement of the shock, and after several mimicked movements I was happy that the spring was clear.

Just a quick update

Just thought I would let you know how things are progressing: I managed to get a Suzuki K6 6oo/750 rear shock that fits almost perfectly, just got to shave a nicky whisker off the swing arm plate for the wider spring and space out the top mount, but it looks great,(photos to follow).
I dropped off the fork yokes and clip on brackets to Steve who is having them taken out to 43mm from 41mm, the original top yoke does not have that much meat around where the fork passes through but steve will let me know. But Ash gave me a CBR 600 top yoke which is 43mm and is the same spread as the TZR, the only thing that will need to be altered is the center hole, its just a tad too big so if Steve bores it out a little more I can fit a top hat spacer, so either way the forks should be in the bike by next weekend, fingers crossed! I also picked up the TZ wheels when I was at Steve's, and as they are in pretty good condition I can save some cash by not haveing them powder coated, just need a good clean.

The wheels are turning, shame about the shock!!

When I got the bike it had Yamaha FZR400 wheels, but when I upgraded the forks it became apparent that I had to either use a thinner front spindle and use spacers in the forks, (this was due to the bearing size of the wheels and the dia of the R6 spindle), or obtain better wheels. When I spoke to Steve Ruth I mentioned about the wheels and he was sure that he could get a pair of old TZ wheels from the Late Geoff Sawyer's place, and sure enough he called me a few days ago to say he had 2 fronts and a rear. This means I will still have to use the FZR rear with the original sprocket carrier for wet tyres, and the TZ with the 5 cush rubbers for the slicks. The fronts would not be a problem as the bearing size will allow spacers to stay with the wheels for ease of changing.

I had taken the shock in to a reputable place in Bury St Edmunds for a service, this was a bout 5 weeks ago, so 2 weeks ago I called to see how things were going. I was informed that they were just about to get on it and would it be a week or so, however after a further 2 weeks wait I called again only this time they said that they could not get the shock apart to carry out the service. Now I had to make all the calls to them even though they had my number, and 5 weeks is not a good service in my books, needless to say I will be picking the shock up this week and will not be going back there again. I have put out a plea on the Supermono website www.supermono.co.uk for a replacement or after market one but funds are quickly fading, but Im sure there will be a savior one way or another.

The rebuild begins!!

James had not got back to me regarding the use of his lock up, but with the itch to get on with the rebuild getting progressively stronger I decided to start it today!

The first thing to do was to attach the seat subframe, I had drilled out the top holes so a larger and stronger bolt could be used. Then I fitted the swing arm, (less the shock), and I was very surprised how easy it went together. Next was the oil tank, (situated under the seat), then the rear wheel. I tried the seat for size but found the the front lugs need to be adjusted, but thats Mono's for you!

TZ250D seat unit

Also picked up the seat unit from Ray at LRM Fibreglass, Watton. It has been made with good quality fibreglass and I will be using LRM again to get a TZ250D/E fairing at the end of the month. The foot rests and levers arrived from Dennis Trollope Racing Spares yesterday so as soon as the hangers have beeen powder coated I can fit them.

AP Racing 6 pot caliper

Managed to see Mick James to pick up the AP Racing 6 pot caliper, Im glad I did not put the disc on the front wheel as I was under the impression it was a right hand mount, as you can see that is not the case!