My new project... XT500 supermoto

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L.B
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by L.B »

Ive seen this bike in the flesh & would luv to have it in my garage,i luv the thing lol.So many nice lil trick bits that you dont notice at first,very nice build up Jon,one to be very proud of & dont you dare ever sell it........or ill buy it lol.
Show us ya pipe mr......
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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

Thanks Jase for those very kind words, and dont worry its not going anywhere this one, its my baby and i love it so.

ohh, well not too many people ask for pics of my pipe in an open forum... haha. I'll have to do a write up when I finally get the bike home and im not working long days. The bike is at a mates workshop as he did all the welding for me (he is a much much (much!) better welder than I) and helped me with the tuning as well, plus its always more fun to do projects with the help of friends of course; skills, banter and drinks maketh projects ideas into reality... I reckon that if half of this forum lived locally to me Id probably never go home haha!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

teaser pic... tho there arent many as we were pretty busy...

Image
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
critchlg
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by critchlg »

Really like those shiny spoke wheels


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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

Thanks Gavin, they are OEM KTM, excel rims with stainless spokes.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

So.... After the experience with the CRD pipe I realised two things:

1, I could build a side pipe, but it would be compromised, ie either shorter than it wanted to be, or longer than I wanted on my small bike, or
2, I could start again and build the pipe I actually wanted; an underseat unit, same short issue, but cooler... Right?! :D

I started trawling ebay, gumtree, the breakers yards and the local shops. The Wreckers all wanted much the same money as ebay, but their stuff was trashed. The sellers of used stuff overegged their prices, and I couldn’t find what I wanted anyway, too many compromises on quality or price, so I was back to buying new... Damn!

The shops I frequent have displays like these with example pipes for you to touch and salivate over:

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After a lot of false starts I finally found what I wanted on the far end of a display in a dark corner of the shop where there were some nice branded units that looked a bit older and while looking at them a sales guy let slip that he’s found that no one wants exhaust products unless they are Akraprovic or Yoshimura. Armed with that knowledge I got my measure out and chatted to him about what I actually wanted to do with the thing, ie cut it up! He suggested I speak to the manager... Good news, I figured...

So, after a bit of searching I found this:

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Its basically one of these (someone elses pic of a set on their pride and joy Aprilia from the net, as I don’t have a full pic of the actual pipe for some reason?!):
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Obviously the one on display was half of a set, and had been there a while... The manager and I negotiated and I took it home.... We were making progress :)
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

First job was to open it up and find out what Id bought. And I have to say that I was a bit disappointed really for a $500ish product (at full price). Rivets, poorly drilled holes and just a straight through ‘silencer’ design, obviously I’d been spoiled by the CRD engineering experience. Hmm... I decided there and then to convert it to bolts and do it better than the Italians at Gianelli (a sub brand of Arrow) had done.

I also knew I needed to unpick every part and not only was my header pipe sizing different but I also wanted orient the pipe on what would have been its side in the original Gianelli design for things like the outlet.

The back end of the Gianelli was huge so I turned down a piece of heavy pipe to fit my header piping and the plate and a good mate Nick tacked and welded them together along with the outlet (which I had to remove a dent from, gotta love uncareful prospective buyers in shops!)

I also got busy ordering stainless mandrel bends in the size and angles I needed and started cutting.... Nick didn’t quite know what he’d let himself in for I think, I was back there most days with more bits to stick together... The pipe is certainly not straight out the back on the XT and became a bit of a work of art haha!

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A quick mock up with tape and I knew I was on the right track!

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What followed was lots of measuring, welding, grinding, polishing and sourcing of bits, interspersed with occasional head scratching.

There isn’t much room under and XT and the rear mounts I used were actually Suzuki OEM items I bought and used on a KTM 620 10+ years ago but kept when I took off its SPES pipe, lucky I did, I knew they would come in handy!

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One of the many test fits to check I was still on track:

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Last edited by JonW on Wed Sep 21, 2016 1:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

Obviously with any exhaust noise is all important, not only the than lack of it but also the tone.... Ie this muffler needed to live up to its name, but also sound ‘right’... No easy trick I’ve found over the years, and especially on a tuned thumper.

On the inside I discovered that the boffins at Gianelli had used perforated sheet rolled into a pipe and covered with a light mesh all wrapped in loose ‘wool’. I bought new perforated tube but it was very heavy so unpicked the Gianelli parts, rolled them to a smaller diameter using jubilee clamps to get them to fit the smaller diameter I needed and rewelded this new ‘tube’ after cutting off the excess, then recovered it with their stainless mesh.

With the new inner pipe created I built up the whole silencer with the now bolt-on end caps and we started it. Ouch! I think everyone’s ears bled that day... Damn. Even with a good packing of the wool it was deafening... harsh cracks and pops along with an undercurrent of bassy booms. And... The bike ran like crap of course, but to cap it all off I’d loosened the oil bleed screw to ensure the oil wasnt airlocked, but in the excitement and 30mins of kicking I forgotten about it, cue half a liter-ish of oil on the floor and swearing...

Naturally, making a straight through muffler shorter isn't going to endow it with silence. We knew that but wow was it horribly harsh. With sawdust strewn liberally on the floor and the oil topped up we grabbed a cold one and talked (shouted at eachother more like) about schemes to quieten it down. After much viewing of the DB killers online I built one from my scraps bin, the base of which was a very well used, holed and trashed LC unit, just to add some 2 stroke relevance to the project! Mock ups with alloy tape taught us the shapes needed and where to fill or drill, so it was blasted, drilled, welded and capped and then spot welded in... Its the only non stainless part of the system other than the wool, but I doubt it will rust given the soot howvere I still painted it of course. We also found out that the XTs engine makes silly pressure when I accidentally let go of the thing while Nick revved it, it shot across his workshop! Oopps...

With the db killer fitted the bike sounds ‘right’, its not too quiet but your ears don’t bleed and its not harsh like the loud clapping we had initially. Next job was to work out how to keep the heat at bay....
Last edited by JonW on Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

I was happy with the idea of using the stick on heat proofing that’s designed for fairing panels I acquired from a US seller a while back, and I had started to fit this product:

Image

....but one of the advantages of working on your bike in a mates car shop is that plenty of people with more knowledge of heat issues than you come and chat while you work. So thanks to some race car builders I was pointed at a product that Im told kills heat well enough to run a turbo at full pelt with your hand about an inch from the shield with no issues, so the temps my silencer reaches should be an issue for the surrounding wiring and seatbase etc.

This is the stuff:

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Its sold by Supercheap in Aus for those who are local and want some (its $63) What is great is that as it is a material made from two layers of alloy sandwiching a heat resistant layer you can cut it with tin snips and then fold it and curve it easily, although it will not stand double curvature bends.

From the web:

Easy Form Heatshield is a fantastic product for anyone with aftermarket modifications that may produce excessive heat. The heatshield is constructed with a ceramic filler sandwiched between two 0.15mm aluminium steel sheets and comes in a pre-cut size of 700 x 290mm. This shielding is ideal for high temperature engine components and can be shaped to fit around turbo chargers, catalytic converters and exhausts due to the shields unique double corrugation design allowing it to operate as a heat-sink. While the heatshield is marketed towards automotive uses, it can also be used in marine, mining or an agricultural application as well used in areas where sound dampening may be required.
- For use near turbochargers, catalytic converters, exhaust systems, manifolds & other hot spots
- Lightweight, high formability & sound dampening qualities
- Maximum temperature range 850 to 900 degrees Celsius


With a template made I set to work and created this using a sheet roller to get the initial curve I needed. I made 5mm standoff spacers and bolted it all together, its very very tight in there on the lil XT of course...

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I left the other stuff in place, its on the steel XT rear guard as well as the wiring and the seat base, as it cant harm to have more protection of course.

At this point I final-fitted the exhaust up with high temp silicone and new front Mikalor clamp which had arrived and ran the bike up again. We adjusted the timing which was screwed up with the removal of the clutch case a while back and then set about some tuning since the header glowed a full cherry red when it was initially run. The jetting was way out of course and the carb needed a clean. With new jetting I fitted a colourtune and we jammed an AF meter up its butt, the two confirming eachothers diagnosis. Its not perfect of course, but needs load on it to see how it feels.

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Whats great is that I now have the pipe that I wanted, that makes the right noise and there are no rattles or squeaks. Cant argue with that. Sure, doing it my way (especially the grinding and polishing of the stainless pipe and its welds) is a way to make sure it takes over your life, but Ive got something worthy of what is basically a show quality bike and best of all I did a lot of it myself to my own design. Of course, thats not to say I did it alone, cos I didnt and in summing up I have to say a huge thanks to all at NRG who helped me with this one, we most defo can all feel proud of a job well done I think.

So that’s where I am right now. The bike is now home I need to tidy up and refit the tank and seat and I’ll do some pics that arent on a mobile phone... :)
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
critchlg
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by critchlg »

Nice work. If you find yourself south of the city some day, feel free to call in. Bring some tools ;)


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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

Thanks Gavin!

I noticed something that I felt was funny while I had my bike at the shop for 3 weeks-ish during this process. Sounds a long time but I was helping out on other stuff, I learnt to powdercoat and a bunch of other things as well while I was there so I wasnt working full time on my stuff of course and as anyone who knows me will attest, I never started at 6am or anything like that. Anyway, often people would stop by and talk bikes, cars and other crap but it seemed that most people were blown away with how much effort I was putting in on an old bike, even tho they loved the thing when they looked at it. Seems many people (especially the younger guys) are afraid of a bit of hard work, that or they lack the commitment to throw days and days at a project like this. Maybe Im slow (Dave did his much quicker than I did, but he did his own welding so I bet he just got on with it better than me), but building stuff to show quality takes a lot of time I guess. I dont mind that, and I really did enjoy almost every minute too. Cuts, bruises and cursing all included! :D
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

A pic I took yesterday of the finished underside. The wrinkled bit is the wiring for the taillight in case you were wondering.

Image
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
waltmil
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by waltmil »

Don't know if you are in the mood for an ancient TT500 story but I'll be brief. When they first came out, early spring of 1975 I think. I saw one in my local shop with the clutch out of it. I asked if the clutches were weak? He said no, the owner of the TT had a dead battery in his truck and he put his wife in the truck while he towed it with the TT. He said it would have worked but his wife put the truck in first gear and let off the clutch.
Red/White US '84, Spec II pipes, Y-boot w/K&N, Fox Shock, Mikuni carbs?
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JonW
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by JonW »

haha, thats gold!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
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petros67
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Re: My new project... XT500 supermoto

Post by petros67 »

Jon love this bike , I know I've said this before :smt003 .

Loved the story of how you got this silencer too.

Question ?? which I'm sure you have already considered , is there enough clearance under there ???
I'm sure that if you gave me this bike for a ride I would returned it to you with rear rubber marks on that
silencer :smt021 :smt023

:smt006
Petros
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