Mr Kay's MT

[Mr Kay]

I've always been hesitant to put up photos of my beast as I keep saying to myself that I'll post them when I've done the next modification. I've decided that the best thing to do will be to start a thread and generally keep it updated as and when I do bits and bobs.

Here's the bike in 2004 as it was when I bought it:




It was fairly standard other than a bodged on silencer that I seem to recall the previous owner said was from a car. He was using it for long distance trials like the Lands End but had decided to switch to a rigid framed Norton for more of a challenge

I rode it for a few months then when the MOT expired I decided to give it a birthday.









And finally nearly ready for an MOT this time last year:


In the meantime I had bought MT Wallet's 500 and had started tinkering with it...

This bike is now dismantled and in long term storage having served admirably as a test bed for many of the mods that would come to my other bike.

Not wanting to trash the expensively painted silver bodywork off road, the tatty bodywork from MT Wallet's bike went on the weekend after the MOT and the silver stuff was carefully boxed up and packed away in the loft (where it remains )



I also used a cut down 350 rear mudguard and Acerbis enduro taillight.

The next big update came when I dug out the 350 LH fork slider I had and randomly bought a Husqvarna front brake setup on eBay. Together with the KTM wheel I had bought for the other bike, all I needed to do was fabricate a simple bracket to adapt the caliper to fork leg taking into account the larger disc (260mm as opposed to 230mm). I had long since gone to an electronic speedo so I didn't need to accommodate a mechanical drive. Somewhere along the way the motor got a 670 cam.



Here's the bike after yet another days abuse, now with a Polisport enduro headlight sprayed with trusty Krylon:



I decided it was time to get the Supermoto wheels I'd been planning for ages. I bought a Husaberg hub (same critical dimensions as the KTM item) on eBay and laced it to a 17" rim I had kicking about. I also bought a new rear wheel with a 17" rim laced to a brand new hub. I've decided against going to a 350 rear wheel setup as I'm a big fan of the 500's QD arrangement and whilst the standard front drum is awful, the rear drum is perfectly serviceable.



By this time Uttoxeter was quickly approaching and the bike needed to look tip top so it was time for a bit of a strip down:



I tidied up some of the bodywork and give it all a nice coat of Krylon, repolished the exhaust (despite being stainless it very quickly looks a mess after green laning) and gave everything a good clean.





After a good summer of green laning I was starting to get frustrated with the limited rear suspension travel and ground clearance. It was time to fit the CCM swinging arm. I had mounts welded on (unfortunately I had to farm the work out as I haven't yet been able to justify the £1500 for a good AC/DC TIG set that'll do Aluminium ) and then began the painful and labourious process of fitting the thing. Just because they share the same engine and ancestry, don't ever think that transplants like this are easy. The journals needed sleeving internally to accommodate the MT's smaller swinging arm spindle, spacers needed to be made to centre the arm, spacers needed to be made to centre the wheel, a new brake torque arm and brake rod needed to be made and don't get me started on the side stand. After the seams on the tatty fuel tank started to weep I fitted an Acerbis plastic tank from a 350. Its capacity is about the same despite looking bigger but it is shorter at the front, allowing FAR greater steering lock. A 350 reg/rec is also just visible underneath the headlight - the original cooked itself under the seat.



Originally I had only used the LH fork slider from a 350, the rest of the forks were 500 items. I did a spot of measuring and found that the damper rods in 350 forks were 60mm ish longer than 500 ones so swapped some legs around to raise the front end. The rear shocks are also 350 units as they are 30mm ish longer. These mods together with the significantly longer CCM swinging arm raise ground clearance from the stock 8.6" to nearer 12" . The rear end has significantly more travel (haven't measured it yet though) and the greater distance between the rider's backside and the rear wheel spindle make rear wheel slides seem far more predictable and controllable. The little light on the bars is a spotlight with a 100w bulb that turns night into day off road.

This brings us to last weekend and with an MOT due this Friday it was time to bring the bike somewhere back in line with the law. I was fed up with the original loom that I had made, it wasn't a great job and could be done far more tidily. This has now been replaced and all works nicely. The taillight has been replaced with an LED unit as the lens of the last one got left behind on the last rideout I did. The speedo my Father made suffered at the hands of the dying reg/rec so has gone back to him for repair. It will go on my Husaberg as the MT is now fitted with an Acewell (The Acewell I fitted to my Guzzi has been fantastic and Lowuk highly recommended the one on his MT so I knew it would be safe ground). After Simon wittered on incessantly about how ugly the Polisport headlight was, I came round to the idea of fitting a 350 unit as there is more room for wiring (never underestimate the amount of room wiring takes up!) and the headlight is better suited to our night time green laning jaunts. I also think it's far better proportioned to the bike with the longer swinging arm and was starting to worry that the bike wasn't easily identifiable as an MT. I attempted to fit the 560 barrel I had won on eBay but discovered that the spigot is about 2mm too large for the crankcase mouth . Oh well, back to the drawing board with that one. I also made a sidestand which was an utter **** of a job owing to the position of the mount on the CCM arm (doesn't look much different but, believe me, it is!)
So here the bike is, taken this evening:





Current Spec is as follows...
Motor:
Standard 500 but with nicasil barrel and 670 cam.
All oil hoses are Goodridge stainless steel braided.
Full stainless exhaust system (CCM headers, homemade centre section, homemade stubs, modified KTM can).
Dellorto PHF34 carb
K&N panel filter modified to fit standard airbox.
Stainless steel sprocket cover.
350 Kickstart.

Chassis:
Stainless steel sump guard.
CCM aluminium swinging arm with mounts welded on for twin shocks.
MT350 shocks (longer than 500 units).
MT350 forks.
KTM front wheel and 260mm wavey disc and Maxxis Maxcross IT tyre
Standard back wheel with Maxxis Maxcross IT tyre
Brembo caliper and master cylinder.
17" Supermoto wheels that slot straight in - Rear was built on brand new 500 hub, front is built on Husaberg hub.
Renthal enduro bars.
Reinforced hand guards.
Centre stand replaced with stainless steel chain tensioner.

Electrical:
New wiring loom
MT350 headlight.
LED taillight.
Acewell speedo

Bodywork:
Chopped down 350 rear mudguard.
Rare genuine MT Acerbis plastic tank.
Standard front mudguard and short supermoto mudguard.


It's been a busy year for the beast, who knows what it'll look like on its next MOT! current plans are re-lacing the rear supermoto wheel onto a massive 4 1/2" wide rim, maybe a new exhaust system and possibly a special build kick start only 604 motor if a donor motor comes up at the right price. I'd also like to have some rear shock springs wound based on the new geometry and my weight as I think the yellow ones are too stiff to take full advantage of the longer arm.

[Bunker]

a good read, Im constantly staggered by the engineering you do to your MT. I think you need a bit more practice though, maybe a random task would help, lets say....oh anything would do,...I challenge you to make a set of handlebar risers....(ahem, not for me tho of course, ermm)

[MT350rider]

thats a cracking looking bike mate, some fine mods there.

[arceye]

Blimey, that's fantastic.

[Mr Kay]

Thanks guys.

It passed its MOT with flying colours on Friday so we'll be out to play on the SSD rideout this Sunday.

[Frenchbob]

That's why I joined up: to look at stuff like this and learn, and be inspired: awesome!

[Mr Kay]

Frenchbob - That's a nice pair of Guzzis there. We'll be down in the Limousin later this year but we'll be on my Super Tenere as the Le Mans isn't ideal for a pillion.

Latest photos:

Supermoto trim:


And ready for the mud:


And a gratuitous group shot:

[GreenRotax]

I`ve been coming back to this post of yours so many times I should just bookmark it
Recently my reasons have been to see how you have done certain things, the main being the side stand, as I have the same issue
I have the same swing-arm and had to chop of the centre stand mounting plate (never liked it anyway ) as it gets in the way.
Will need to fix a mount with rubber for the stand to go against when up.
The main issue is the side sands mounting point not allowing enough room for it to lock in a forward position, but it looks as if I removed a wedge/section it could fit Is that the case or as you imply the job is a lot more involved
I`m also considering changing the shape, losing some of the bends.
Your help/support will understandably be much appreciated.
All the best

[Mr Kay]

I`ve been coming back to this post of yours so many times I should just bookmark it
Recently my reasons have been to see how you have done certain things, the main being the side stand, as I have the same issue
I have the same swing-arm and had to chop of the centre stand mounting plate (never liked it anyway ) as it gets in the way.
Will need to fix a mount with rubber for the stand to go against when up.
The main issue is the side sands mounting point not allowing enough room for it to lock in a forward position, but it looks as if I removed a wedge/section it could fit Is that the case or as you imply the job is a lot more involved
I`m also considering changing the shape, losing some of the bends.
Your help/support will understandably be much appreciated.
All the best

Glad it helps . Feel free to give me a shout if you need detailed photos or advice.
I managed to make the stand work without actually modifying the frame although it was a huge pain in the balls. If you're careful with the angles, you can make it miss the centrestand brackets and lock forward at the right point. It's difficult to see (the bikes are all chained together in the workshop so I had to squeeze the camera in between them) but the stand doesn't touch the frame at all.



I made the stand itself out of a length of 1/2" bore steel pipe and it swivels on a brass bush. The really awkard bit was the top spring mount as the is hidden behind the frame sideplate. I made a stainless bracket that is secured at the original spring mount and the pivot bolt, this holds a relocated spring mount (it took a couple of goes, when I summon up the mental energy I'll dismantle it and grind off the weld residue from the first attempt...). The stand doesn't need a stop rubber, it just stops in the right place alongside the arm. To make sure it folds up firmly the spring is under slightly more tension than standard. Again, when I'm feeling brave, I'll have the lot apart to give it a coat of paint. In the meantime I've got a substantial oil leak that's stopping going too rusty





If I remember correctly you're monoshocking your bike. The angle of the swinging arm at rest will have a bearing on how well you can make the stand fit. I would advise against going much steeper than mine as even with longer 350 forks, the head angle is steep enough to make it unstable at speed, especially with a 17" front wheel. Shutting the throttle hard at 90 really upsets it! Also the seat is very high, I can get one tiptoe on the ground at once so you'd need a step ladder if you fitted longer forks to bring the head angle back in line.

[GreenRotax]

Your a real star
Let alone replying so quickly, but supplying such a detailed response
Thank you, as I said it is very much appreciated.
I have the original 500 swing arm stand and a brand new one from a CCM. Its the 500 one I will use as the bushes fit well (with a little encouragement).
I`m going to have some pic`s posted later with the help of Morpheus so you can see visually the general layout. May get some more images with the supermoto wheels at a later date.
All the best