XB12R Rebuilding Story and Customization

[Thorivola]

did some more work on the last few bits and pieces today

first I got some VHT wrinkle coating for my rocker boxes and the engine mounts, here are some pics of that:

I think it looks pretty cool myself

and then I put some ceramic coating on my headers:

and a close-up:

I cured them in the oven in the kitchen, and can gladly report to you there is just a mild smell

no smoke or toxic fumes are produced when curing this ceramic spray-paint coat so you can feel free to try this yourself with little room for regret

I did make a mistake in handling and put a couple scratches through the ceramic coat before I cured it

I'll have to get another can and do touch-up and another coat when I put them on the motorcycle and just do a quick cure that way for the second layer

almost all of the pipe has an AWESOME ceramic coat on it now though, and it turned out really good for a rattle-can job

it's all in the prep work, right?

spent a couple hours sanding and used brake cleaner, then rubbing alcohol to clean the header surface

 

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

the engine looks great [up] and the headers look great too , you can rub them with coton or wool buffer pad/towel to get them shiny or at least not so dull on the headers , not sure if it would work after curing in oven though. [up]

 

[Thorivola]

got all the bottom end bearings pressed in today and the transmission goes in shortly

picks of our engine build table:

picture of the transmission in the cases

finally coming together, should have a complete engine this next weekend!

 

[wiznut]

Its looking good!

 

[sk8ace]

Awesome! Love all the nice detailed pictures! [up]

 

[browland]

Triscuits an important tool in any mechanical undertakings[up]

 

[Thorivola]

there was some string cheese and turkey sticks you can't see too

hopefully I get a gasket kit tomorrow and the crank/cams/oil pump/pistons/heads/rockers all go on

if that happens, I'll have a running bike this weekend.

 

[strmvt]

didnt get a 1450cc kit **** had it tore down already could have bored the case and installed those big ass jugs

 

[Thorivola]

I didn't want a 1450 kit... firstly I loved the bike as it was and secondly I had full access to all the race bike info and tuning from the Buell race team and their former manager

I had that motorcycle getting 63 mpg riding it fairly hard, it purred right until the crank gave out

also gave me wheelies through 3rd gear from shifts and then just revving hard, more torque is the last thing I'd want

not to mention, I don't know what kind of strange wear or how ridiculous the cost might be to get a 1450 kit, I'm sure much more extensive head-work than just porting would be required to make it run nice

much less cams, push rods, and exhaust optimization

I don't have the time to calibrate that either, just not worth it any way you see it in my opinion

 

[Thorivola]

the end of the rebuild is near...

some pictures of my recent events in the last couple hours

first thing we did tonight was get the transmission pressed in and make sure all the gears shift

then we rolled out the new crankshaft

this is Josh, he's the guy helping me and who owns the shop I'm working in (a very good personal friend of mine)

he is a mechanical engineer at Millennium Technologies LLC., he also races snow mobiles and has a really sick almost completely custom Yamaha

he was the Buell race support/international endurance race manager for 6 years and helped design the original XB engines

Josh also designed a huge portion of the entire powertrain in the XBRR project, he is thinking of buying XBRR VIN 2 from Erik Buell, I hope he does so I can check it out

close-up of M-T shirt

got the crank in the cases

sealed up the cases and stuck 'em together

then we got the lifters and cams in
notice the alignment markings on the cams, I took these pictures to help people in case they need a reference in the future
arrow goes to line, dot goes to dot

and this is how we left the cases for the evening:

here is a picture of our shop-made main-bearing press tool:

 

[dave_xb12r]

This is seriously impressive. I wish I had a Josh equivalent to help me out. Do you plan on powdercoating the frame as well?

 

[Thorivola]

No, I'm out of time and money

I was considering a black-wrinkle coated for the frame and swing-arm, but I think the graphite gray of the 12 series should look pretty good anyway

 

[browland]

I think the graphite gray of the 12 series should look pretty good anyway

Graphite gray is the best color imo

 

[upthemaiden]

Awesome project thread. Loved looking throught it. Can't believe how big the center of that crankshaft is!

 

[Thorivola]

giving an update,

I had the engine mounted up, but found out that you have to get the oil fitting on the front attached before you get the header pipes on

I also have two broken rear isolators now, so I have to either fix them (they are pressed together with a steel or aluminum tube) by replacing the cores or buy yet another one

so I haven't gotten much farther than the completed engine still in almost two weeks... this is really bumming me out and now that I've done so much shifting of the engine, I've scratched the powder coat on the cylinders badly

I'm quickly running out of time and patience, and what bothers me most is my engine shouldn't have failed with only 20k miles in the first damn place

 

[Thorivola]

I got the engine back in the frame and all the sensors are checking out, have it charging the battery now and I'll dig into it in the morning

here are some more pictures

Engine rotated down to get the header pipes stuck on:

clutch levers, one on left is my old one, one on right is basically brand new. see how much wear that thing has?

broke rear isolator pile

I pressed a set of good halves and a good base together then had it arc-welded in place, turned out really well and save me from spending any more money

I also tacked my throttle cable guides onto their bracket, I had one bend slightly and fall out so now that problem won't ever happen again

here's hoping I can get it to fire up tomorrow... I really want this rebuild to end

at least all the sensors and wiring are testing good and the fuel pump is working

 

[303xb]

[up]

gretaat build. i wish Josh was my buddy

 

[Thorivola]

we got it running and I rode it for about 20 miles today

it's getting dark and cold, and I'm exhausted from wrenching all weekend

I have videos and pictures I'll get later

FYI for anyone who wants a serious torque boost cheap, the XB9 pistons in an XB12 make it a monster

I don't need any gas to launch from a dead stop smoothly and it'll idle at like 750 rpms

I've also got a much throatier, barking response when I rev

I have the Buell factory race pipe and it has a mean sound in it now, absolutely love it

 

[303xb]

congrats on the re-build man. cant wait to see pics!

can i borrow josh for 2 weeks?[up]

 

[browland]

how much do the 9 pistons effect top end?