R6 rebirth - Making progress
Left you guys with a teaser, so here’s a little story.
Back in 2007 or 8 I had the opportunity to purchase a custom one off front strut bar and damper setup for my Integra.
It was fabricated by ASC Speed Metal out of San Diego. The custom bar and B16 head mount was designed and built around a Ducati model Ohlins steering damper as seen below.
You can also see the custom splitter blade I made and referenced in the previous post.
One part I specifically wanted to have for the project was an Ohlins steering damper.
Tracking one down for an 02 model R6 was quite a task, but after some hunting I was able to source one overseas.
The damper itself was in overall great condition, but needed a little TLC. Unfortunately one of the mounting brackets was mangled and wouldn’t be usable for the project.
After a little more searching I was able to track down a complete Ohlins damper mount in the Ukraine, but for an 02 R1. That meant it would require some modifications to work on the R6. It was the only thing I could find that was even close, so I pulled the trigger on it. More on that a little later.
Another change I wanted to make was on the visor. I’ve never been a big fan of tinted windows, the tinted visor was cool, but decided to grab a clear one for a more factory look. Didn’t waste anytime when it arrived and got it installed. Love how you can see through to the damper setup.
After a couple weeks of waiting, the Dunlop Q5A rear tire to match the front arrived. We officially have a fresh set of rubber.
To go along with the new tires, a set of black shorty aluminum valve stems to replace the factory rubber stems and match the wheels which will be resprayed when the bike goes in for paint.
Some fresh EBC pads also arrived to replace the aged stock pads.
Started making more headway on the seat cap project as well. After getting the foam cut, I needed to make a plate for the front cushion portion to mount up to. That would then mount to the fiberglass portion of the cap.
I cut a piece of aluminum to size leaving a gap around the edge for it to be filled with spray foam. Next I taped it in place and drilled holes for mounting hardware.
Tossed the temporary hardware on to test fit the plate, then mocked it up on the bike.
I had ordered up some new riding gloves a couple weeks back. Since I was going with an Arai helmet this time, I wanted to stick to made in Japan gear and got some RS TAICHI Urban Air gloves. Definitely a Spring weather glove, but the quality is great.
The Arai helmet I ordered was still on backorder and while out at Paulson’s, a local motorcycle shop here in town, I came across this wild Drudi Performance model Quantum-X Oriental.
They had one new in box on the back shelf and it just happened to be my size, on top of that it was marked down $200 from retail.
I had no reason to get it since I already had a new Arai on order, so I decided to sleep on it and decide in the morning. If I still wanted it I’d go back and grab it.
When I woke up the next day, safe to say, I still wanted it. After realizing both lenses I had ordered previously would fit and being able to get an additional $100 off the sale price through the shop, I decided I couldn’t not get it.
Once I got it home I got right to work on swapping the new blue mirror visor on and man did it really finish the helmet off nicely. Couldn’t be happier with it and what’s better than one new helmet? Two.
Since the bike would be leaving here in a few weeks to Bonimoto’s at Pacific Raceways, we needed a ramp to get the bike in and out of the truck. The homie BJ came in clutch and brought a ramp down all the way to Olympia for the trip.
Alongside the bike project, I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to get the garage more dialed in. It’s come a long way from where I started and just keeps getting better as time goes on. Starting to look like my old garage again.
That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more to come.
Thanks for reading along!
- C