Ducati 916 to streetfighter build (slowly)

[Johndicezx9]

Wow! :thumbup

 

[MikeGyver]

Remember, sand and fill, sand and fill. I had to perform surgery on this section since the foam was right at the surface and causing problems. Some paint to fill in the really light scratches and make it easier to see imperfections. Orange peel was polished out with 1000, 1500, then 2000 grit paper.

 

[MikeGyver]

I used Duplicolor paint since I’ve had previous experience with it. Buffed out nicely.

 

[MikeGyver]

Mold time. My wife hates it when I use our patio furniture so I wait until she is at work

I use non drying clay from the craft store to blend the tail into the glass and smooth it out the best I can. Then some home brew gel coat. I don’t remember what the stuff is called, but it is basically very fine glass powder which I mix into the epoxy to make it thicker. I let the first coat tack, then do another, then add the fiberglass. I added blue die for shits and giggles.

 

[MikeGyver]

Left it out in the sun for a few days to cure and flipped it over. The foam tail was obviously flimsy and didn’t survive being separated from the mold. Too bad, since I would have liked to hang it on the wall as a momento. The clay was a pain to remove from the mold. After some trial and error I figured out mineral spirits cuts right through it. Some paint transferred to the mold, but it came off with my fingernail.

 

[MikeGyver]

I made a quick final product of the tail to use for mock up purposes. Blue again, because it looks better than plain fiberglass. I’ve since reinforced it a little and will probably use it to get the bike on the street for the time being. Carbon version will be made later. The exhaust cans are loose at this point so ignore the crookedness.

 

[MikeGyver]

I think I ended up welding the cans at this angle. My welds look like hell, but again, they’ll do the job until I can make new cans and a new exhaust.

 

[SRAD600]

Love love love the 916, just about one of my all time favorites. Looking forward to the build.

 

[banyan]

looks like fun; subscribed!

 

[MikeGyver]

On to the more gooder stuff.

The neighbors were giving me funny looks while I was building my vacuum pump assembly thingie. For the final parts I’ll be using the vacuum infusion process to wet the carbon fiber with resin which is supposed to give the best carbon to resin ratio for the lightest weight, aside from using prepeg carbon in an autoclave. The carbon is laid into the part, flow mesh (green stuff) over the carbon, then peel ply which helps remove the flow mesh from the carbon, and then the vacuum bag material (redish stuff). The yellow stuff is sticky goo tape that seals everything. The resin is pulled from one side to the other with a vacuum pump and then held at max vacuum for 4-5 hours while the resin cures. I made my own degassing chamber to remove the bubbles from the resin. My wife asked if I’d see her missing cooking pot, NOPE! I used a rubber tire tube to seal against some scrap plastic from the plastic store. Not all resin can be used for this type of process. It has to be of thin consistency. You may be able to get away with normal stuff on smaller parts, but I have not tired it yet.

This was my first try. I decided to make a flat undertail piece and did some small scraps to test thickness.

 

[MikeGyver]

The clamp in the 2nd picture was to slow the resin flow, it was moving way too fast and caused some bubbles visible in the 3rd picture. I didn't have a way of clamping the hose really tight after it flowed out and air was sucked in. I now use cheap ball valves and shove a bunch of that yellow goo tape into the tube when done.

 

[MikeGyver]

Some links from my carbon research that may be useful to others.

http://www.bandofriders.net/forums/showthread.php?p=449250#post449250
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145975
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828372

This is where i buy my carbon fiber. Nice people, good quality, and very reasonable prices. http://sollercomposites.com/

 

[MikeGyver]

It turned out very nice. The peel ply was infused into the part and I couldn’t get it off. Lesson learned. I ended up infusing 2 more layers of carbon over it since it was too flimsy at 3 layers.

 

[MikeGyver]

Back to the airbox. You may see some subtle differences between the one I started working on above and this one. I made a mold of the one above and then pulled a carbon part from it which turned out horrible. I bought a new airbox and started over. Lesson learned, don’t rush. Sand fill, sand fill, primer.

 

[MikeGyver]

Flanged



Again with my home brew epoxy gel coat



Glassed and curing under a heat lamp

 

[MikeGyver]

Lesson not learned. Bad habit repeated, rushed. I didn’t put enough parting agent on the plug. I should have waxed it much more.





It can be fixed

 

[MikeGyver]

Laid the carbon on the mold. About 3 layers with a little extra around the edges. Roughly 3/4 of a yard of the 50" fabric which is about $28 in material.

I use a light mist of Super 77 to get it to conform to the curves.



The green flow mesh had always given me trouble. It moves around a lot when pulling the vacuum. I used fishing line as thread to "sew" it together.





This is the first time I used a brass ball valve for the epoxy inlet. My previous method of clamping and plugging the hose wasn't working at all regardless of what clamp or vise I used. There were still some very minor air leaks. I’m considering painting the back of the molds with latex paint going forward because I think some air might be getting pulled through the fiberglass.

 

[MikeGyver]

I pulled the vacuum bag off a few days later and let it sit out in the sun to cure more.


It popped right off the mold. There were some dry spots which has never happened before. I'm wondering if I may have used too much spray glue which blocked the epoxy flow. I wet out the dry areas right away to prevent any fraying.



The mesh and peel ply is a bitch to remove. I found the best way is to use pliers and twist/roll it off.

The part isn't perfect but it is very usable! I'll remake it at the end of I have extra supplies.





Some foam for the airbox seal



Probably need to double it up.

 

[MikeGyver]

Back to square one with the fuel tank. Stocker:

Stock is boring so I decided to weld, screw, and glue some stuff to give it a slightly different shape.

Added some plywood to the bottom to help round the weld lip. Adds a little to the airbox volume too!

 

[MikeGyver]

Remember that modeling clay from the tail flange? I pulled it out years later and it was pretty hard. On a whim I microwaved it for a few seconds and it came back to life!