Finally Started working on My Own Project....

[WVWRZ500N]

Hello Fellow Club Members and Future Club Members:

Got the Brembo Pin kits last week and finished up the rotor referb. Turned out sweet I believe. I found that the discs were OEM Ducati fitted rotors. Brembo said that any of their pin kits would work fine, however I did have to put an extra shim washer on as the pins were too long for the thickness of the rotors. It's all good now.




And my well anticipated grips came in from Italy.



They are exact match to the RZ striping.

I'm expecting my front brake reservoir this week also. Slowly coming along.

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[WVWRZ500N]

Hello Fellow Club Members and Future Club Members:

Did a bit more last week. I purchased a caliper 'dot' removal tool from http://www.nopork.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. This tool allows you to removed the yellow/blue/red/silver dots on the front calipers of various Yamaha motorcycles. I was able to remove each yellow dot then clean and bead blast the body of the caliper to prepare them for paint. Having removed the dot it kept them from getting any overspray from the blaster or having to tape off the dots for paint. I still had to block the holes with rubber plugs and then tape them off for painting but the real benefit is not having to worry the dots were going to be messed up. I got one caliper done and ready for baking. I am using the VHT Satin Black Caliper paint. We used it on Brian's front brake system last year to very nice results. I'll post a few pictures this week.

I'll also be doing a short video on the left pipe dent removal soon to show how easy a task that is.

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[cbn70]

How did you ever find a bike with Toomey exhaust on it? I have been looking for a set for years now. Some guys have all the luck

[WVWRZ500N]

How did you ever find a bike with Toomey exhaust on it? I have been looking for a set for years now. Some guys have all the luck

CBN,

I actually bought another bike in California that came with them.

There was a Chrome set on here about four months ago. They were cool and looked to have never been run after the chroming or if ever.

These pipes make great street HP and all below 10,500RPM.

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[cbn70]

Would love to hear what they sound like. If anything like the toomey pipes on a banshee or rz350, that would be amazing

chuck

[WVWRZ500N]

Chuck,

Well hopefully i won't be too much longer before I can hear my bike. Sold the Banshee top end kit I'd had for sale and now looks like I may have the funds to finish.

Powder Coating, Metal plating, Polishing are really what's left for the money.

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[Bengt Weil]

Have you completed the caliper refinishing project and do you have any pictures?

[WVWRZ500N]

Have you completed the caliper refinishing project and do you have any pictures?

Bengt,

Not yet, got busy with client's engines so little time spent on my own once again.

I have one shot and ready to bake and the other in the bead blaster waiting for me to blast it.

We leave for the Pike's Peak Hill Climb Sunday, so I won't be doing anything for about two weeks.

Once I start rolling again I'll post new pics of everything in progress.

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[WVWRZ500N]

Man life does take up time....

Started the tear down of the mock up, sorting the fasteners and brackets getting ready for plating.

Got the right rear panel cut and the tail modded with the 3MA tail light assembly. Going to be cutting the left panel tonight and then on to fixing the left lower pipe dents. I may do a video on that if I have time.

Last real thing after that is to tear it the rest of the way down and have the rear brake lug machined and welded to the inside of the swingarm. After that everything goes every which way to paint, polish, plating and powder coating.

Wow 12 years and the progress is still so slow.

When time allows I'll post some more pictures. Pray for time......

So From This....


To This....


And the Tail....


Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[cbn70]

keep up the good work Billl, looking at this is giving me some motivation to start putting mine back together

[WVWRZ500N]

Well made some decent progress last night. Finished cutting the left side panel then had to heat up and bend the silencer mount to align the holes with the tail piece. Then enlarged the tail piece holes to accommodate the Toomey silencers.

Gotta love the Toomey's!









Only a few projects to do before off to powder!

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[solo 2]

I love the way they stick out, I made a custom aluminum panel so I can knock bigger holes in it for my Toomeys. I hope mine line up well as they are nickel plated I don't think they can be heated. I like the tail light and how it's nice and even with the cans.

[WVWRZ500N]

I love the way they stick out, I made a custom aluminum panel so I can knock bigger holes in it for my Toomeys. I hope mine line up well as they are nickel plated I don't think they can be heated. I like the tail light and how it's nice and even with the cans.

Thank you.

My attention to detail with the balance of the pieces.

You could heat the section behind the fairing as no one will see it, but it would remove the plating for sure.

The holes in the tail will barely allow the welded end to wiggle through.

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com

[Andrew]

I love the way they stick out...

Nah!!! No disrespect..... but they're sticking out far to much , is there no way you can shorten them???

[WVWRZ500N]

Andy,

None taken, I'm pretty thick skinned when it comes to the way 'I' like things.

No way to shorten at all. The end of the baffle cone is only about 2-inches inside the tail plastic. These silencers are only about 5-inches long to start with. I agree it looks a little weird too.

So.....

I finished the reinforcements to the side panels/tail section yesterday. Ended up making some little aluminum tabs and epoxy gluing them to the inside of the side panel. Then carefully drilling through all and reused the OEM allen screw with a mylar nut on the back side. It takes a few thin 5mm washers between the tail plastic and the aluminum just based on the proximity of how close it can be glued to the back of the side panels. I'll tell you, the tail section is very strong now, there will be no flopping in the wind at all.

Here are a few mock up shots after fashioning the brackets. You can see how close the pipe is to the tail in these shots....






Brackets Glued...






Tail drilled and mounted with OEM Allen screws...








I also polished off all the parting cast marks on the kick stand and am polishing up the press marks on the mounting bracket. More pictures later...

Regards,
Bill Wilson
Wilson Performance
Lee's Summit, MO
http://www.wilsonperformance.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Member RZ500 Owners Group #573
816-377-3185
WVWRZ500N@aol.com