Interesting Tech- Yoshimura Duplex Exhaust

Some time back before I was around, a company called Yoshimura R&D was "in bed" with Suzuki (and still is!).
They teamed up for various racing circuits around the world. From the AMA Superbike class to the 8 Hours of Suzuka.
Pictured below is the Suzuka bike:

Lots of innovations in these race winning models made it onto the street. Back in the day, you could buy a multitude of parts from Yoshimura which were close, if not direct, replicas of items used on the race bikes. Swing arms, exhausts, cam chain tensioners, specialty air boxes, foot pegs, number plates, the list goes on. If you had enough deep pockets, you too could have a nearly exact replica of the legendary bikes ridden by Kevin Schwantz and other greats.

One interesting bit of kit was Yoshimura's "Duplex" exhaust system. The header unit had these bizarre looking canisters on it, see below:

I offer you a quote direct from a Yoshimura catalog: .
                   "The purpose of the duplex canisters is to collect some of the exhaust gas not used under hard braking into a corner, which is then released from the duplex canisters when you get back on the throttle as you exit the corner. A special hand built collector speeds up exhaust to provide a smooth transition from low to mid to full throttle"

Did it work? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
For what it's worth, new Yoshimura exhausts for Suzuki GSX-R models do not have them. 

Coincidence or forgotten tech?

You decide.

Intro Pt. 5

Final one, I promise. 

I was cruising through Craigslist one day and found a 1996 Ninja ZX7R with no price for sale. Ad said "Went to work, came out and it wouldn't start" Hm. Perhaps hydrolocked? Worth a shot. Bike was in exceptional condition. Sadly someone lowered it but also put nice Nology Wires, deleted emissions and put a very nice Muzzy exhaust on it. So I figured for the price I paid with a title, I couldn't lose.
Some diagnostic work later and the prognoses was a valve broke and locked the motor up. Seller's story was obvious a total fabrication but that's neither here nor there.
Oh dear!

A few hours and bruises later, she roared to life.

I do have the left and right side fairings but the left one needs repair/replacement. And again, this paint job was only available in 1996.
The bike is for sale; $2,200 if you're interested. The replacement motor has just 9,000 miles on it!

Finally is what I picked up last night.
1986 Suzuki LT250R
This was a revolutionary ATV back in the day. It combined light weight aluminum materials with a simple design and a liquid cooled 2 stroke engine.
 They were very light, weighing in at just 293 pounds making it lighter than most ATC 3 wheelers of its day.

Though common place now, the LT250R came loaded with new features:
         2-wheel rear drive with a solid axle
        "A-Arm" front suspension
        Powerful lightweight engine
        Manual transmission and clutch
        Hydraulic disc brakes, two in front, one for the rear
        Chain drive
        (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_LT250R)




The early years like mine were equipped with 5 speed transmissions and a notoriously weak swing arm. The swing arm issue is remedied by upgrading to a newer swing arm. Which I will be doing as mine is cracked in a couple places.

Mine is slightly modified: FMF exhaust system and Nerf Bars.
My plan is to restore it and clean it up. I got it for WELL under market value. I was thinking of entering it in the local racing series. I'm sure it won't hold a candle to newer 4 stroke race ATVs but it sure would be fun!



 

Intro Pt. 4

Bored yet?

I rid myself of that foolish Harley and set out to find a first generation GSX-R that was all original. A tough task indeed. But as luck would have it, I found one down in RI for a reasonable price ($1,500). He sent me pics and lo and behold it was an all original red/black 1987 GSX-R1100. I got down there as soon as I could!
The seller owned the bike since he was 14 and rebuilt it from the ground up. It was mostly stock except a Muzzy slip on, Wiseco internals and K&N lunchbox filters. He told me the bike ran and he had some extra parts.
Well when I got down there, we couldn't get it to crank over. He knocked $400 off the price and we loaded it up with the extra parts (calipers, fuel tank, spare set of carburetors etc) and headed home.

The problem was a very simple one. The circuit breaker tripped! Reset it and the bike fired up. It was very loud on account of the Muzzy slip on so I've sourced an OEM Exhaust and a set of Skoal Bandit graphics. And it's sort of sat since then while I can find rare OEM parts and spares.

Shortly after I bought that, I found a VFR750 (RC36) for sale in Carver. Bit of advice: Don't EVER buy a bike at night. I got burned real bad on this one.
The VFR750 is a very nice bike, comfortable, V4 and a very aesthetically pleasing single sided swing arm. This one was not a nice bike. Sure it had a Fox Racing rear shock, Givi windscreen, Supertrapp exhaust and a Corbin seat. But it also had some horrendous body work. The previous owner went to town on it with a can of red spray paint, the battery was shot and the front brakes were locked. No wonder it sucked to ride home. The only thing that made it okay was the sound of the gear driven cams. They whine like a supercharger.

Luckily I was able to get out of it for what I paid for it. Phew!

Next up is a 1993 ZX7L. This was on Craigslist for $300 a couple towns over. It had one side fairing and no tail useable tail fairings. It was very beat down; it sat behind a guy's house for 5 years and was last titled in 2005!
When I got her:

Yikes! I had my work cut out for me. I replaced the carburetors; whoever "cleaned" the old ones managed to file down ALL the needles and seats! I then removed the stupid Kleen Air emission system these had and the bike runs flawlessly.
Unfortunately spending so much time outside, various rubber components are slowly failing. So far I've done the clutch system, petcock, fuel lines, tires and forks. A labor of love.
Current state:

Body panels are exceptionally difficult to locate in original colors, this exact paint scheme with ram air was only used for one year!

I am on the hunt for a set of PM Chicanes, Fox/Ohlins rear shock and a Corbin seat for it.

While fixing this, I bought two more bikes: 1988 FZR750 & 1990 ZX6d Ninja.

I spotted the FZR on Craigslist in Maine and knew I had to have it; it is one just two hundred made for AMA Homologation rules in the Superbike Class. It was in good condition and I gave a very good price for it. The downside is finding parts is difficult. It needs the left tail fairing which is specific to the 1988 model as far as paint and graphic scheme goes. But the good news is that FZR1000 panels will work, it's just a matter of repainting them.
I think once I get it running I will post it for sale.

The second one is a 1990 ZX6d Ninja. I bought it because it has PM Chicane wheels with good Metzler tires. The previous owner painted it. But then didn't wait for the paint to dry and the clear coat ruined the yellow base coat.  I've cleaned the carburetors and put a factory exhaust on it. It's for sale for $1,000 if you're interested ;)

Intro Pt. 3

I've had a lot of bikes, can you tell?

After I unloaded the Kan-O-Tunas, I picked up a 1985 Kawasaki ZX600A Ninja. This was the first year ZX600 in the states. World Superbike legend Scott Russll (Mr. Daytona) started on one of these back in 1986 and won his first race!

Unfortunately I didn't save any pics of it but it was beat up; this type:

 It had so little compression that I could put it in first gear and push it as if it was in neutral. So an engine swap was in order.
I found a guy north of Boston selling a parts bike for just $200. I dragged it home with a friend in his Jeep Cherokee. It fit quite nicely I must say.
After we put the motor in, we towed it behind a car at 2:00AM to get it to fire. It wouldn't.
I brought the carbs to a local bike shop to get them cleaned. Didn't make a difference.
Had an ADD (you know, that made up disease from the 90s that doctors over prescribe for?) moment and sold them to a 16 year old kid who was gonna make one into his first bike.

After I sold those and the FZR I decided I had to have a first generation GSX-R "Slabside" to keep my 2nd generation GSX-R "Slingshot" company.
I promptly found one and bought it.

The previous owner bought it and rode it for a few years then parked it in his garage because he had a child. I could never get it to run right after cleaning the carburetors multiple times and even buying another set. There was something wrong with the fuel tank petcock I think. It really wasn't worth putting the money into from a collector stand point as the fairings weren't all original colors which is what people look for. So I sold it to find one in OE colors.

Surfing Craigslist one day I came across an ad saying "1994 CBR900RR- $1000" Having read RareSportBikesForSale.com religiously for the last year or so I knew that these were relatively rare bikes and had a big following. They were designed by Tabao Baba and just like the Suzuki GSX-R did back in 1986, the CBR900RR Fireblade broke new ground for sport bikes.
The 900RR was just 4 pounds heavier than Honda's own CBR600F2 and had 294 more cubic centimeters of displacement. If you remember a few posts back, I owned a CBR600F2
The night I picked it up:

The previous owner was riding it until he bought a house and just left it behind his parent's house in Yarmouth. There was surface corrosion everywhere. But it had all the fairings and a title with it so it was a good deal. Very nice Yoshimura exhaust too. Though I wish it had the OE exhaust and rear turn signals (I have a personal vendetta against flush mounts). 

In typical Honda fashion, the voltage regulator went out. On a ride to the Cape. So I took the opportunity to get some Chinese food at 11:30PM while I waited for a ride with a friend.

I wish I didn't sell this one and I always will. It was super comfortable, handled superbly and had endless power. 

The upside is I made a pretty penny on it when I sold it. But I'd still rather have it. 

One last pic with my riding buddy: 

 

To mourn the sale of the 900, I bought another CBR. This time it was a 1987 CBR600F1 Hurricane. It was for sale in VT for $700. The pics showed an extremely clean motorcycle and the ad said it had 40,000 miles. I figured it was worth a look. Loaded up a co-workers VW Passat TDI and trailer and headed to VT. 

For being 25 years old, the bike was extremely well kept. The owner rode it Florida a few times which sort of explained the mileage. I promptly paid for the bike and headed home. 

The paint scheme screamed 'MERICA but I didn't care. It was a classic bike in great shape at an even better price. I even got it featured by the guys are RareSportBikesForSale.com! I ended up selling to a friend in New Hampshire who displayed it in his showroom for a while before passing it on to a large dealer in the north east. 

After the sale of this I made a bad decision. It was made in America and powered by an obnoxious V-Twin based in the '30s. It was cheap enough and I knew I could flip it. 

The feller was selling it because he wanted a new chassis for his Jeep. He rode it for a while and parked it. New camshaft and some other work. It wouldn't idle unless revved. Thankfully someone got rid of the junky OEM Harley carburetor and put a nice S&S carburetor on it. 

Once I got it home I printed out the S&S settings sheet for the carburetor. While adjusting the idle with the bike running I noticed that the idle screw was spinning! Apparently it had fallen out and no one put the spring back in to dampen the vibrations. Found a spring that fit and it ran flawlessly.

Shortly after this I realized what a terrible mistake I had made by buying this and sold it to a friend for what I had into it. He rode it for a few months and refinished the bodywork. 

Introduction Part 2.

If you've read this far, congrats!

The next bike is what really got me into the old sportbikes.
I was at work one day surfing the net and came across a simple ad in Western Mass titled "1988 GSX-R750- $250"
I had no idea they made GSX-Rs so long ago. 
The ad was posted minutes before I saw it so I sent him an email with my phone number. He called me shortly after and I agreed to purchase it.
I then went to check the ad to see if there was any further information and it was gone. Uh oh I thought he sold it! I called him back and he said he deleted the ad because I wanted it. First and last time a seller has ever been that kind.
That weekend, I borrowed my co-worker's VW Passat TDI Wagon and trailer and drove 2.5 hours each way to retrieve the bike. The seller bought it as his first bike and it scared him so he parked it.
  It was stock except for the Yoshimura exhaust (I'd like to find the OEM Dual exhaust set up for it), Lockhart smoked windscreen and Ken Sean mirrors.
After I got it home I signed up on Gixxer.com's forum. It was there I started to realize just what I had bought and the cult following they had as well as the impact on the market they created back in 1986.
I also realized I had to find more and collect them. These images are shortly after reassembly:

When I picked it up all the fairings were off it and the carbs were gummed up. I cleaned the carbs out and replaced the needles and it fired right up. I rode it for a season and then managed to blow the clutch and flywheel.
I found a replacement motor and on a Saturday night me and a friend drove out to upstate New York to pick it up in my VW Beetle. The following weekend, we swapped the engine and it was back on the road.

Another day of cruising through Craigslist I came across a 1990 Yamaha FZR600 for $300 with a title. Seller just needed it gone because he bought a new R6.

 

This one over heated and didn't charge the battery. I think the 90s were a really bad time for Japanese electronic manufacturers, especially ones that made voltage regulators.
The fairings were in okay shape. Far from perfect but presentable.
I did the same thing I did on the CBR with a GSX-R voltage regulator. I flushed the coolant a few times and replaced the thermostat and cap. The problem never fully went away. It probably had a bad head gasket.
Then came the hunt for parts. I managed to find some guy in CT who lived in his parent's basement trying to sell the remains of an FZR600 he used to race back in the 90s. The seller is definitely the most interesting man I've met in all my dealings. He raced the bike then had to sell it when he got locked up (not sure why, didn't ask) then bought it back when he got out. He then got in trouble with the law again and had to sell parts off it like the race wheels and front brakes.
It had a powder coated frame, rebuilt, revalved and powder coated forks with Progressive Springs for a 160 pound rider, Airtech fairing kit (main reason I was interested), a pair of solo cowls, JMC braced swing arm, Performance Machine rear caliper as well as loads and loads of spares.
Picking up these parts had to be done in two trips with my little VW Beetle. First trip was the frame, forks and swing arm as well as all the spares placed neatly in the trunk space.
Second trip was for the cosmetics.
I installed the fairing kit onto mine and kept all the spares just in case. Eventually I got tired of dealing with the stupid cooling system and sold the bike.
The guy I sold it to rode it home on my tag and registration promising he would mail me the plate back. He didn't. But I kept the two major components to the swing arm to make it functional: the adjusters. I canceled the plate. Ultimately he ended up with a piece of tin with some numbers written on it and a really expensive and shiny paperweight.

After I got rid of the FZR, I learned that I don't like Suzuki Katanas- the hard way. Again, searching Craigslist I came across an ad for a 1989 Suzuki Katana. Seemed nice enough, black with a blue seat and wheels. Looked sporty.

 The tank lock was stuck so with some WD-40 and a screw driver, I got the tank opened and nearly passed out from the extremely potent smell of varnish.
I pulled the carbs off and they were just totally shot. Missing floats, stuck needles, stripped jets. The list went on. The bike also didn't have a title so it wasn't worth dumping the money into it.
I found another one being sold as a parts bike, it was an '88 with a title. I gave $250 for it.

  

Previous owner rode it til wife told him to stop riding for their kid's sake. So he parked it the summer before. It came with a spare set of wheels and all the fairings. I tinkered with it on and off a few times and could just never get it run right so I sold the pair for $750 to a guy who rode a Ducati and was going to fix them both up for his girlfriend. 

Introduction

Not really sure what to write in here. If you're reading this thanks I guess.
I made this blog to sort of chronicle my adventures of owning and fixing 1980s motorcycles.

It started with a 1989 Suzuki GS500e that I paid a measly $250 for.
The day I brought it home in January:

The tires were absolute junk but I didn't care. I rode the hell out of it for a season. Bought a Vance & Hines exhaust and broke a stud in the head and parked it while I acquired other bikes.

My parents went to Texas to move my sister into college. I took this time to pick up two bikes:
1990 Kawasaki EX500

1986 Yamaha FZ600

The owner of the EX500 was unloading it because it didn't start at the start of the season so he went and bought a new bike. I gave him $400. Brought it home. The next day on lunch break I drained the fuel from the carbs and it fired up! With the GS500 down, I decided to register it and ride it for a bit. At the end of the season I put it up for $1,000 and that same day a feller came down and bought it from me for $950. Not bad. 

Ah, the FZ600. Time has forgotten this bike I think. It was Yamaha's first attempt at a "race replica" or what are now incorrectly dubbed as "street bikes." The FZ was a fully faired replacement for the aging FJ600. With a 599cc DOHC air cooled inline 4 powerplant mated to a 6 speed pumping out 68BHP and weighing in at just 440lbs, it earned praise from almost all publications of the day with quick steering and effortless handling. It was down 20 pounds from the previous FJ600 and 33 pounds less than the Ninja 600 (which I later owned).

  I paid $250 for it, smoked like a freight train upon start-up and didn't charge. But it did have a nice set of Airtech Streamlining fiberglass body work and a super rare Cobra F1R slip on.
 After the fact I sold it I realized just how rare it was. Been looking for one ever since.

So now I had 3 bikes. Is that enough? Hell no!
The girl I was dating at the time worked in Boston at a laundromat. I picked her up one night to have a date in the city and I noticed a CBR sitting behind the place, directly under the exhaust duct! At this point, I had not owned a "modern" sport bike so it fascinated me.

I inquired as to who owned it and she said the alcoholic who ran the computer system. I asked if she knew if it was for sale and she asked the guy. He said "Yea, $1,000." I shrugged it off because that was too much for a bike that's been laid up for 3 years behind a laundromat.
One day he texted her and said "$400, need it gone" so I said "$300 cash tonight" and he agreed and paid him when I picked her up from work that night.
The next day me and a friend went and picked it up.

The tank was dented, it had no windscreen and the left fairing was cracked. But it had a nice D&D Exhaust system!
I put some fresh fuel in it and cranked it a bit and it roared to life. A used condom wrapper spit out of the exhaust which was a pleasant surprise.
The previous owner confessed to me it needed the stator replaced as it did not charge the battery.
Upon further research and testing, I found that 90s Hondas are notorious for bad voltage regulators. I tested the coil windings and all of them put out the required 40V so it was just a bad regulator. Score one for me.
Sourced an early 2000s Suzuki GSX-R regulator as it has a wider base and large heatsink fins which makes it ideal for any conventional 5 wire 12 volt charging system.

While replacing the regulator, I found there was lint EVERYWHERE. Which contributed to it's surprisingly clean and rust free condition for being subjected to Boston weather for a few years.
The plus side to this was when the bike was running and the exhaust got hot, it smelt like fresh laundry.
Ultimately I sourced a used set of OE Yellow fairings for the bike and sold it to a friend for what I had into it.