The first thing to do was to check the temperature of the acid salts solution.  Although the kit’s instructions do not specify a temperature I still checked to see what a “room temperature” was.

Acid Salts Pickling Solution At Room Temperature

My first plating subject was my front wheel spindle.  As most of it is hidden in the wheel hub and forks it would not matter if I made a mess of it.

The first stage of plating is to ensure that the item is throughly cleaned.  I had already cleaned the spindle in my parts washer to remove the worst of the grease but to take it to the next level of cleanliness it needed a dip in the acid bath.

First Half Of The Spindle In The Acid Bath

Straight away I could see the acid working away on any impurities on the spindle.

Acid Working Away On Spindle

The instructions state that the item should be left in the acid salts for between 1 and 4 minutes, so to be safe I left the spindle in for 1 minute to start with.

The left-hand side of the spindle shows the result of a 1 minute dip in the acid salts solution.

Result After 1 Minute In Acid Salts

I could see that it had some effect but could do more so I put it back in for another 3 minutes (total of 4 minutes in all).

After 4 minutes in the acid salts bath the spindle had turned into a more uniform dull grey colour

Close Up Of Spindle After 4 Minutes

The other half of the spindle was then left in the acid salts bath for 4 minutes.

Other Half Of The Spindle In The Acid Bath

The result was a dull/matt grey finish all over the spindle.

Spindle Nut Post Acid Salts Bath

Whole Spindle Post Acid Salts Bath

Before starting the plating I had to check that the electrolyte had cooled to between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.  It wasn’t quite there but close enough to carry on.

Checking That The Electrolyte Had Cooled Sufficiently

The item for plating needs to be suspended from the negatively charged copper tank bar with copper wire.

Spindle Attached To Copper Bar

The spindle had to be plated in 2 halves as it was too long to fit in the bath length-ways. The plating current was set according to the instructions (minimum current) and left to plate for 30 minutes.  After a few minutes you can see something reacting on the surface of the item being plated.

First Half Of The Spindle Plating

After 30 minutes the spindle was rinsed in cold water and could be admired.

First Half Plated

In the close up photo below, you can see where I had not degreased the thread properly but other than that the finish is great.

First Half Plating Close Up

The other half of the spindle was then plated for 30 minutes.  You can see a tide mark on the spindle where the two halves meet.  This does not matter as this will not be seen and it is just a test piece.

There was also an improvement of the finish on the second half of the spindle.  This is because the instructions recommend a flat plate test piece is used for the very first plating to remove any impurities from the electrolyte.  I guess this happened with the first half of the spindle.

Both Halves Plated

I was very happy with the results with the exception of the spindle bolt head.  Where I had not completed cleaned the head it had left a few black areas where it had not been plated.

Bolt Head Not Completely Plated

Also, where the spindle had rested on the bottom of the tank it had not plated properly so it is clear that the plating item should be suspended in the electrolyte.

Having learnt my lesson about proper cleaning and preparation I cracked out the Dremel with a fine sanding wheel and cleaned up the bolt head.  It was then acid cleaned for 4 minutes ready for re-plating.

Bolt Head Cleaned And Acid Dipped

You can see the dull areas where the original plating did not take.

The bolt head end of the spindle was then carefully suspended in the electrolyte bath and plated for another 30 minutes.  I need to think of a more elegant method of suspending items in future…..  (note: the copper wire is still wrapped around the spindle and copper tank bar)

Bolt Head End Being Re-Plated

The results were much better.  The bolt head was evenly plated all over.  It just shows that the old adage is still true (something about preparation).

Re-Plated Bolt Head End

If I was being very picky I could re-do the bolt head as you can see the sanding marks where I quickly cleaned it with the Dremel but I’m not that bothered about this test piece.  But, if it was a large visible piece then I would use finer grades of wet and dry (or similar) after sanding for a smoother finish.  The plating will show up any flaws or marks on your piece rather than hide them.

Overall, I am very happy with the kit I bought and the results that it gives.  I have not used the passivate yet but I think I have a “blue” and “yellow” passivate and I want to keep the natural zinc plate colour rather than the coloured passivate finish.

I bought the plating kit off ebay from this seller.  I splashed out a bit extra to buy the “Deluxe” kit which includes a digital thermometer and a pickling kit.  The kit comes with all of the chemicals you need and the containers to store/use the plating electrolyte and pickling acid.

Comprehensive Plating And Pickling Kit

You will need another 3 items to complete the kit.  The first item is a 5 litre bottle of distilled or ionised battery water which is a few pounds from any car spares shop.

5 Litres Of Ionised Battery Water

The second item you will need is a 12V car battery charger.  The instructions that come with the kit detail the recommended charger current but also state that an “automatic” charger cannot be used.  I picked up a new charger from Halfords for less than £30.

The final piece of equipment that you may need is a low power aquarium heater, no more than 50W.  The plating electrolyte needs to be between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius when used.  In normal UK summer weather this should not be an issue but beyond this you will need to gently warm the electrolyte.  I have not bought one yet as it’s warm enough without it.

The first task was to construct the current controller kit.  This is used to control the current used in the plating process, depending on the size/quantity of items you are trying to plate at the same time.  The kit provided all of the hardware but you have to assemble it yourself.

Current Controller Hardware

The first part of this is to fit the 6 machine screws/washers/nuts into the plastic sheet.

Current Controller With Screws Fitted

Next you have to wind the resistance wire around the plastic sheet.  The wire is wound round each screw (as it passes the screw) and secured under a washer at the first (left) and last (right) screw.

Current Controller With Resistance Wired Fitted

You now have a current controller with more than 8 different settings, which should be more than enough for the DIY plater.  The instructions with the kit describe recommended settings for various quantities/sizes of plating job.  The current controller simply works by having different resistances for each tap-off point (machine screw).

Maximum Resistance

Minimum Resistance

The final step involved in the preparation of the plating electrics is a few jumper cables which are used to connect the current controller to the plating bath and the battery charger to the plating bath electrodes.  The required wire and crocodile clips are provided in the kit.

Assembled Jumper Leads

The next task is to make up the plating electrolyte.  This involves some nasty sounding chemicals so you should use the provided goggles and mask (the kit does also include a disposable coverall but I didn’t bother using this).

The chemicals need to be mixed into 2 litres of warm (but not boiling) water.  The provided bucket was filled to the first red mark and then heated in a saucepan to about 70 degrees Celsius.  The instructions recommended a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius but I figured it would have cooled between my kitchen and workshop.

Plating Electrolyte Bucket

Starting Temperature Of The Ionised Water

Temperature Of The Ionised Water - Ready For Mixing

The chemicals should be added slowly in turn as detailed in the provided instructions and the solution must be well stirred after each additional chemical.

First Three Electrolyte Chemicals

When you’ve added the first 3 chemicals you are left with a slightly frothy, brown solution which should look something like this:

Electrolyte With the First 3 Chemicals Added

The 2 final chemicals to be added are the 2 parts of Zinc brightener.

Zinc Brightener Parts A & B

This turns the electrolyte browner and slightly frothier.

Electrolyte With All Chemicals Added

The remaining 2 litres of (room temperature) ionised water was then added to increase the total of electrolyte to 4 litres.  The electrolyte was then gently stirred and left to settle for a few minutes before stirring again to remove any scum or froth.

Electrolyte Gently Stirred To Remove Foam And Scum

I left the electrolyte to settle and cool while I moved onto mixing up the acid salts pickling solution.

Acid Salts Pickling Bucket And Chemical

Although there are litre gradient marks on the bucket, there is no guide to how much Dry Acid Salts you have so I made my own rough marks on the back of the tub.

Approximate Levels Of Dry Acid Salts

Each level represented approximately 125g (there is 500g in the tub).  I had about 1.5 litres of ionised water left over so I added 3 levels of Dry Acid Salts to this and gently stirred it in.  You don’t need to heat the water as long as it is at about 20 degrees Celsius or a comfortable room temperature.

Acid Salts Solution Mixed

I then cut the top off the ionised water bottle to make a clean water rinsing bath which I could use after acid cleaning or plating.

Clean Water Rinsing Bath

Now that the electrolyte had cooled sufficiently I could add the electrodes to the plating bath setup.

Electrodes Fitted

Finally, the battery charger, current controller, copper tank bar and electrodes could be connected up ready for some actual plating.  The photo below shows the current controller connections for the minimum plating current.

Everything Connected Up

The two plates/electrodes at either end of the bath are positively charged and the copper tank bar is connected the the negative terminal of the battery charger.

Front Wheel Fitted - 1

Front Wheel Fitted - 2

Getting the front wheel fitted (finally) was a great relief and I must say that I am still taken with the look of the front end.

Next up was the beautiful brake caliper:

Refurbished Front Caliper Fitted

As I have now fitted this to Belgarda forks and a Belgarda front wheel it no longer needs any spacers to line up properly with the disc.

Then the slightly tatty front mudguard was bolted on.  I’m not sure whether I can/will buy a pattern replacement, decent used one or have this one repaired.  Still, it’s good enough for now.

Mudguard Fitted

That was the whole of the front end test fitted – incredible, it’s only taken me 2 months (or possibly longer).

Fitting Completed - Front View

Now that it all fits I can get the following work done:

• Fork refurbishment and modification.  The Belgarda forks are 750mm between the wheel centre and the top yoke.  I really should have measured what the TDR’s distance was but I overlooked this.  I will ask the guys on the TDR250 Forum what this distance is.  I expect that I will have to get the Belgarda forks lengthened as well as stiffened.
• Headlight subframe powder coated:

Headlight Subframe Ready For Powder Coating

Close Up Of Headlight Subframe Corrosion

• Modified lock stops on the Belgarda bottom yoke and a general clean-up:

Marked Up Bottom Yokes

While all this work is being done I shall start the engine rebuild now that it is back from being powder coated.

In other news, I’ve bought a DIY plating kit to restore some of my original fasteners. Watch this space for a blog post on the subject.

1. The bottom yoke clashed with the headlight mounting frame.
2. The bottom yoke clashed with the indicator mounting lugs (now removed).
3. The TDR250 to TZR250 front caliper spacers were a few mm short so the TZR125RR caliper was not aligned quite right with the disc.
4. The TDR250 front wheel spindle was a smaller diameter than the TZR125RR fork holes.

Since my last attempt I have bought a TZR125RR wheel (slightly wider than the previous TZR250 wheel) and wheel spindle from a spare parts seller on ebay.  This should remove issues 3. and 4. from the list above.  (It’s also a Brembo wheel and I’m a Brembo whore).

TZR125RR Wheel With EBC Disc From TZR250 Wheel

The All Important Logo

The first job was to fit a new roller bearing to the stem, after I had carved/ground off the original item.  As the bearing is a tight interference fit onto the stem I thought I would be clever and cool the stem/bottom yoke and heat the roller bearing.  I put the stem/bottom yoke in the freezer over night and heated the roller bearing in the oven for 5 minutes at about 140C.  That seemed to work as it only took a couple of minutes with a hammer and drift punch to fit the new roller bearing.

New Roller Bearing Fitted

The top and bottom yokes could then be fitted into their final planned position.

Top And Bottom Yokes Refitted

The forks were then fitted into their approximate final position although they may need to be made longer eventually but that is a consideration for later (I think).

The new TZR125RR wheel could then be fitted.  I had left the spindle collar in the forks, which was a minor oversight and easily knocked out with a drift punch.

That Will Be Two Collars Fitted Then?

Forks And Front Wheel Fitted

I really like the look of the front end, especially the white wheel.  I had originally planned on black wheels but now I’m not so sure.  I don’t have to decide for quite a while yet so I’ll see how I feel in quite a few months time.

A new problem is the fact that the spindle hole diameter of the speedo drive is about 6mm too small so the TZR125RR spindle couldn’t be fitted with the TZR250 speedo drive.  There is plenty of meat in the speedo drive so I’ll take it into work to open it up a bit.  Again, some forward progress is met with a small hurdle but I guess that is the fun of this kind of project?

Belgarda Wheel Spindle And TZR Speedo Drive

At this point I gave up with my planned fitting of the front wheel, caliper and mudguard but did carry on checking the clearance between the tank and yokes/forks.  To do this I fitted the front wheel spindle to hold the forks in their expected final position.

Front Wheel Spindle Fitted

Tank Fitted To Check For Fork Clash

There’s plenty of clearance with the steering at it’s centre position:

Fork / Tank Clearance At Centre Steering

And at full lock, the forks are clear of the tank but the lock travel is still limited by the bottom yoke clashing with the headlight mounting subframe.

Fork / Tank Clearance At Full Lock

The clearance is actually more than it looks in the photo (above).

I finally marked the positions required for the modified lock stops now knowing that the forks and yokes should not clash with the headlight subframe and tank if the lock stops are modified to stop the steering at this point.

Required Lock Stop Modification

I’m not going to strip down the front end, to get the lock stops modified, until I am happy with the fit of the front wheel, caliper, disc and mudguard.  I should be able to test re-fit the front wheel later this week, hopefully.

After trying to source replacement caliper pistons and seals myself for the rather rare front caliper, I decided to let an expert have a proper go at completely refurbishing the caliper.  I’d asked him to vapour blast the caliper, fit new pistons, new seals, supply new pads and refurbish all of the fasteners and fittings.  I didn’t expect it back until August as Nick was off on holiday right about now but it was turned round in about 2 weeks.  Have a good holiday Nick!

I don’t really need any more words to describe the transformation, here are some before and after photos:

Front Caliper - Before - Side

Front Caliper - Before - Top

Front Caliper - After - Side

Front Caliper - After - Rear Side

Front Caliper - After - Top

Front Caliper - After - Bottom

I’ll be talking to Nick about my forks when he gets back from his holidays.  Thanks again Nick for a great job!

My latest 360 was starting to behave a little erratically and at the same time I received an email advertisement from Game saying that I could pre-order the new XBox360 for £199.  I had just over £20 in Game points to spend so that made my mind up for me, I wanted some of that piano black, near silent operation gaming experience.

The new 360 is not actually that much smaller than the original but the larger HDD (250GB), reduced fan noise, HDMI output and hopefully better reliability swung it for me.

New 360 Next To Original

The new 360 works just like the original but is so much quieter.  I measured the noise level of the original (at a distance of 6 inches from the disc tray) while it read a game disc and loaded the game, it’s peak level was 71dB.  I performed the same test with the new 360 and it’s peak level was 65dB.  That is only a (logarithmic) difference of 6dB but that equates to 400% less CD reading noise.

The real revelation is when you install a game and then fire it up.  There is no perceivable noise from a distance of a foot or more.  No fan noise at all, even after 3 hours of gaming.

The touch sensitive eject and power buttons are a nice touch and there’s a new design of headset included (along with a new black joypad – original design, just black) in the box.  You will need to provide your own HDMI cable though.

All-in-all, very happy with the refreshed XBox 360.

I’d bought a Sony Ericsson Satio about 6 months ago as my personal mobile for it’s high spec camera.  My god I tried to get on with it’s abortion of a resistive touchscreen and clunky UI but enough is enough and it was time to move on.

I wanted something small that I could use to make calls, send the odd SMS and maybe use some basic social networking services like Twitter and Facebook.  It had got to the stage with the Satio that I would avoid having to use it for personal calls and SMS’s, it was that horrible to use.  Some pine loving idiot needs royally shagging for that clusterfuck of a phone.  Anyone want to buy it off me?

Anyhow, I was actually going to buy the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini HD (slimmed down Android with a slide out QWERTY keyboard) as it looked like a pleasure to use (with the physical keyboard) and was compact.  (And surely the same Swedish prick would not still be in the SE UI division?)  I thought I’d look at a couple of HTCs while I was in the shop and was taken with the form factor and weight of the HTC Wildfire.  It is also a full fat Android device.  The SIM free price of both handsets was the same (£230) so that was it, I bought the HTC Wildfire.

HTC Wildfire

The Wildfire does not have the AMOLED screen or whizzy processor of it’s big brothers like the Desire but I have the iPhone for that kind of functionality.  I just wanted to dip my toes in the Android water and this fitted the bill.

So what’s it like then?  Well after 5 days of ownership it is now my primary text and call phone and I’ve started playing my music through it (rather than the iPhone).  The battery life looks like it is good for 2 days of average use.  Size-wise it is shorter than the iPhone, almost the same width and the same depth.

iPhone 3GS and HTC Wildfire Side-By-Side

HTC Wildfire On Top Of IPhone 3GS

The phone is a little slow to respond sometimes and the video recording seems to struggle to keep up with any movement but that doesn’t matter and may be fixed with the Android Froyo release that is due early in Q3 2010.

The Android market works just like the Apple App Store.  Find something, click on it and it installs in the background.

I like the way that your phone, email, Facebook and Twitter contacts  can all be linked together so if I look at a friend’s contact details I can see if their Facebook status has changed and use their current Facebook profile picture as their caller/contact photo on the phone.  I can also send them an email, call them, send an SMS or view their Facebook profile from the same, single contact page.

My greatest concern about moving to Android was the synchronisation of my iTunes playlists with a mobile device which was not the spawn of Steve Jobs.  A great (free) application called doubleTwist is iTunes for Android.  They have even copied the dated UI, I’m not sure whether that is developer irony or just being faithful.

In summary, if I needed a replacement for my iPhone I would not hesitate to buy a top-end HTC device like the Desire.

As with most components and parts in this project, if I can replace with new or better then I will.  This includes bearings, one of which is found at the bottom of the steering stem that came with the Belgarda front end.

How It All Started

I have never removed a tapered roller bearing before (as you will soon discover if you read on) but I did know that I had to remove the actual roller bearings and the retaining housing from the race/bearing body.  This was achieved with a pair of pliers and wire cutters.

Roller Bearings Cut Out But Race Remains

This leaves a very (very very) tight fitting, hardened steel ring around the steering stem.  I would not be surprised if this bearing had not been replaced since it was originally fitted 16 years ago.

My first plan was to heat the bearing seat, clamp the seat in a vice and twist the bottom yokes to kind of unscrew the bearing seat from the stem.  This did not work as the bearing seat is tapered so it does not provide a suitable contact face to clamp it in the vice.  The result was that the whole thing (stem and bearing) just spun in the vice jaws.

The next idea was to heat the seat (again) and then try to get a pair of pipe clamps on the bearing.  This failed for the same reason as the vice idea, the taper just does not have a sufficient contact face to get a decent mechanical grip.

I then tried more heat and striking the raised lip of the bearing to knock it down the stem.  This just resulted in large chunks flying out of the ring (you can see this in some of the photos below).

I’d watched a video on YouTube of a guy removing a much larger bearing with an angle grinder and cold chisel to crack it but I was not sure that it would be possible with this smaller and more delicate operation.  I posted a thread on the TDR250 Forum explaining my predicament and there was one reply that suggested using a Dremel fitted with a cutting wheel.  Like a precision, mini angle grinder I guess.  So that night I picked up a cordless Dremel and a cutting tool set (I’d wanted one for a while but never had a job that really justified the purchase).

FAO Chris - Another New Toy

The cutting accessory pack I bought said that it was capable of cutting hardened steel but I was very skeptical, I’d always seen a Dremel as a craft/hobbyist’s tool.  I was wrong….

First Cut With The Dremel

The idea is to cut a slot, as deep as possible, along the full width of the bearing seat without damaging the stem itself.

Dremel Cutter In Action

Ready For A Hammer And Cold Chisel

The idea of the slot is to weaken the steel ring so that with the right impact from a cold chisel a crack will appear down the length of the cut slot.  This will release the bearing’s grip on the stem and allow it to be removed (finally).

Using a cold chisel and hammer I struck one side of the slot a couple of times and then the glorious moment when it finally broke free and moved!

Bearing Cracked Broken At Last

I could then get behind the bottom of the bearing and knock it down the stem to freedom.

Bearing Finally Moving

You can clearly see the burn marks as a result of the heat and the plastic seal at the bottom of the bearing assembly.

Bearing Removed

Like everything else with the front end, this caliper has probably only had its pads changed in its 16 year life so it needed a complete strip down to start with.

Front Caliper - Before - Side

Front Caliper - Before - Top

As you can see, it is all there but just showing it’s 16 years.

First job was to remove the brake line banjo bolt, bleed nipple, mounting bolts and TZR250 front disc alignment spacers.

Bleed Nipple And Brake Line Banjo Bolt Removed

The bleed nipple came out without any tears, which is always a plus.  Maybe the attached rubber hood made all the difference in preventing it from corroding and jamming?

Next out were the pads but first you have to remove the securing pin and ‘H’-shaped clip retaining the pads.  The securing pin needed a bit of WD40 and a gentle tap to slide it out but it was achieved without any damage.

Pad Retaining Clip

Pads Removed

The pads definitely needed changing…..

Now for the fun part of the process, splitting the caliper into two by removing the 4 machine screws holding it together.  These machine screws should have been installed with some form of thread locking liquid and will not have been moved for 16 years.

Caliper Ready To Be Split

And so it came to pass, removal of 3 of the 4 machine screws required significant heat, use of an impact driver and patience but they did come out.  That just left the last stubborn machine screw:

Persuading The Caliper Apart

Whatever I tried just wouldn’t shift the final machine screw but I did notice that the caliper halves were starting to rotate around each other.  So with the use of a soft faced mallet I kept tapping the one half around until it had loosened the stubborn screw.

You can see the old thread locking liquid and the effects of time on the removed screws below:

Slightly Rotted Bolts

Now I could wash all of the parts to see what shape they were in using my handy parts washer (parts washer on the Machine Mart website).

Parts Being Washed

There is something satisfying about stripping and cleaning a mechanical assembly.

Stripped And Laid Out (bet this gets some spider action)

I then started to look for replacement caliper pistons and seals online.  I could not find a complete kit as this caliper is from a model which was imported into the UK.  Mervin on the TDR250.co.uk forum recommended a guy called Nick Chambers and his website RD Bitz.  So I dropped Nick an email and we sorted out what I needed doing over a couple of evenings.  The caliper is now with him for a full restoration and I’m looking forward to the results.  It’s costing a lot more than if I had done it myself but I’m sure it will be worth it for the quality of the finished item – besides I have plenty of other jobs to do while it’s being done for me.

1. TZR250 front wheel.
2. TZR125RR Belgarda front brake caliper.
3. TZR125RR Belgarda front mudguard.
4. TDR250 headlight/front fairing mounting frame.

I previously had a TZR250 front wheel fitted to the TDR250 forks and this included a spindle spacer required to mount the narrower hub of the TZR250 wheel in the TDR250 forks.  With the spacer fitted, the TZR250 wheel is a good fit into the Belgarda forks.

Front Wheel Test Fitting - Front

Front Wheel Test Fitting - Front

TZR To TDR Wheel Spacer Fitted

However, there are a couple of issues.  The first is the fact that the Belgarda forks have a M14 thread, whereas the TDR250 spindle is only M12 and the spindle is too short (just).

I’m going to have to get a new spindle machined up but this has potential complications around the TZR250′s hub diameter and the larger diameter spindle required.

Spindle Too Small

The second issue is purely cosmetic.  This is the fact that the speedo drive is still required but I’m not planning on using the original speedo or mechanical speedo drive for this project.

Standard Wheel Fitting On Speedo Drive Side

I’m not quite sure what to do about the speedo drive issue, as it’s purely cosmetic (at the moment) I’m going to ignore it for now.

Although I could not properly secure the wheel, I could still test fit the Belgarda front brake caliper.

I bought the caliper, brake line and master cylinder at the same time as I bought the forks and yokes as a complete front end.

Belgarda Brembo Caliper And Master Cylinder

Rather generously, the guy I bought it off had left me the brake fluid as an added bonus.  So before stripping the front brake assembly I had to drain the brake fluid.

Draining The Master Cylinder

I could then separate the master cylinder, brake line and caliper.  The caliper needs a good clean-up and refurbish but I just love the fact that it is a Brembo caliper (sad but true).

Brembo Brake Caliper

Another part of the modification kit for TDRs which allows you to fit a TZR wheel is a pair of front brake caliper spacers so these were used for the test mounting of the brake caliper.

TZR - TDR Brake Caliper Spacers Fitted

Brake Caliper Test Fitting

The Belgarda caliper is a pretty close fit but I think I may need some slightly bigger spacers for the final fitting.  It is hard to know for sure without the front wheel fitted properly (which requires a new spindle).  It’s hard to tell from the iffy photo below but the disc is rubbing on the right-hand side of the caliper, in the photo below.

Front Disc And Caliper Alignment

Next up was the Belgarda front mudguard.  It fitted easily enough but it did look a little off centre when viewed from above.  Again, I don’t want to fiddle with this until I have the front wheel spindle issue sorted out.

Belgarda Mudguard Test Fitting

The mudguard is in fair condition (bought as a job lot with the other Belgarda front end components) but a repaired crack does need filling before a respray.

The final part of this phase was the test fitting of the frame which is used to mount the headlight and front fairing/cowl plastics.  As I was fitting the frame it became clear that the bottom yokes would foul on the frame’s indicator mounting brackets.  This was confirmed once fitted.

Bottom Yoke And Indicator Mount Clash

Time to break out the angle grinder.

Indicator Mount Removed

Both indicator mounting brackets were cut off and the frame was quickly ground to remove the worst of the remaining weld.  This was finished off with a quick manual filing to leave a smoother surface.

Both Indicator Mounts Removed

Now the bottom yoke no longer fouls with the indicator brackets (not surprisingly) but I still need to figure out what I’m going to do about front indicators.  To do this I will need to fit the front cowl and work out my options – that’s another job for another day.

Bottom Yoke Clearance

There is still a point where the Belgarda bottom yokes foul on the headlight frame.  This is at almost full steering lock.

Bottom Yoke Travel Clash

Steering Lock Gap

I need to modify the bottom yokes to reduce the steering lock positions (reduce the travel).  Before I come up with a final modification I will also need to check that the forks don’t foul on the fuel tank.

The TDR250 headlight frame has a captive nut as part of the mounting arrangement to the headstock.  With all of the on and off-ing I was doing, the captive nut part was annoying me as it has to be exactly aligned to allow the bolt to be screwed in.  Time to get the angle grinder out again (any excuse).

Modified Headlight Subframe Mount

This weekend I’m going to sort out my shed/workshop as it is long overdue so I’m probably not going to do anything directly on Mildred but am I going to start to teach myself AutoCAD and maybe Solid Works.  I need to use some kind of drafting software as I’ll be getting parts machined for this project and this way I can make sure they are clear and storable for posterity (or sharing).