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Feature Article

Hot Rod Warrior Part 3
By Scooter Kizer
Copyright 2003 Motorcycle Street and Strip Magazine


If you have been following this story I hope you have been saving a little money. This will be a bit more expensive than our first two upgrades. If you have not purchased a bike lift jack, this would be a great time to get one. A cheap $100 lift will work, but you get what you pay for. The cool thing about having a lift jack is that you can move the bike in different positions for each separate job for lighting or space purposes. Another “must” suggestion is to take lots of photos of the bike before you start, from every angle and close-up details. You may think you have a memory like a hawk, but you won’t and the manuals do not cover everything. Make sure to read this article completely and make a shopping list of tools that you might be missing. I made three trips to Sears and one to Lowes between steps. If you inventory your odd tools first you can easily make this a weekend project. In this part three of five articles we will concentrate on the chassis by installing aftermarket wheels, new tires, exposed pulley, lowering kit, handlebars and a little chrome. Depending on how far and detailed you decide to go, you may end up with a frame, engine and front forks left on the bike, scary. To get started, refer to sections 4-11 in the YSM, “Yamaha Service Manual.” First start by removing the seat. Pull back the PCIII, black box and wiring harnesses to expose access to rear fender bolts and taillight wires. This is the point where you start removing numerous parts. You know it’s a new bike when start removing parts that have never been removed. Factory installed bolts are stiff and have a crisp pop when they break loose for the first time. For the true gear head, it’s music.

To keep from scratching the rear fender when removing, make sure to completely remove one of the rear fender brackets before loosening the other. I suggest only removing the left side fender bracket. You should block the fender to keep it from slipping. A box will do fine. While I’ve had the rear fender off, I decided to do away with the stock turn signals. I will later use bullet lights. To remove the rear turn signals, remove taillight, unplug turn signals, pull wires through hole and slide box end wrench over wire to nut.

Now remove the belt guard and brake calipers. Prior to removing the rear wheel, if you have installed an aftermarket exhaust, you may have to remove the exhaust muffler to access the locknut on the adjusting bolt. When you remove the rear axle, if you don’t have a 27mm socket and have to use an adjustable wrench, start with the wrench at 12 o’clock to avoid damage to the swingarm with the head of the wrench.

Now it’s time to install the Baron’s lowering arm. Refer to YSM 4-80 during installation. Start with Baron’s rules, but the lowering kit instructions I received were for a Road Star and not a Road Star Warrior. First remove the master cylinder bracket to gain access to the shock connecting arm frame bolt. You will need a 27mm socket to remove the pivot shaft. After removing the pivot bolt, prior to removing the swingarm, be sure to remove the rear brake line bracket to allow free movement of the brake line. The line wraps around the swingarm. Now place rear shock absorber and swingarm assembly on workbench to disconnect shock absorber from relay arm.

Now that we have the relay arm free, we need to delicately press the bearings out and reinstall them in the new Baron’s relay arm. The instructions call for the purchase of new bearings and seals, but if your bike is fairly new and you have the time to chance it, go ahead. If your project time does not allow for you to stop if you mess up and have to order parts, you should purchase the bearings and seals in advance. I recommend visiting your local dealer for this step unless you have the right tools. If you do, place the relay arm in a bench vice, and with a propane torch heat the area of the first bearing you want to remove. Be sure to remove the two seals from the shock mount end of the arm before torching. This method may seem a bit crude, but if you use a hydraulic press, it is very easy to damage the bearings and/or arm. By tapping with a hammer you can feel its position. Then place an exact diameter socket, lifter, brass punch, etc. on bearing and gently tap each bearing from the arm. You will need to move the arm around on the vise to allow clearance room for the bearings to come out the other side. Be very careful not to drop or damage the bearings. Allow time for the bearings to cool then reinstall each bearing in the new arm. This time you have to be careful to protect the new arm from being damaged in the vice, a couple of shop rags will do the trick. As you are slowly tapping the bearings be sure to keep sticking your finger in the needle bearing and rotating it every few taps insuring you have not damaged the bearing. Once everything is complete, grease the bearing and reinstall all parts. Being that you will be doing burnouts from time to time, while you have the rear fender off changing the rear wheel, this would be a good time to coat the inside of the fender with a rubber undercoating to prevent rock dings in your paint from doing burnouts.

As we reach the part of reinstalling the rear wheel we are going to replace the stock wheels and tires with a set of 17-inch RC Components “RC Comp Imposters” custom chrome wheels and hot off the press Pirelli Diablo tires. We chose the RC Comps for that Hot Rod Cruiser drag look and went from the stock 18-inch front to 17-inch front to help lower the bike. The Comp was the original RC wheel built in the late eighties but now they offer it in a one-piece wheel called the Imposter. If you’re lazy like me and don’t want to polish aluminum, spend the extra money and order them chromed for easier cleaning. We will also utilize RC’s matching rear wheel pulley and brake rotor adaptors. This will allow us to use the stock rotors. Yamaha’s brakes are so good that there is really no use to go aftermarket. You could even eliminate one rotor from the front to help showcase your beautiful front wheel if you desire, but our end use of this project will require good front brakes when we get to the aggressive turning needs. But the big rotors hide the wheel so much; I may choose to do away with one rotor later. When ordering your RC wheels you have the choice of purchasing RC rotors or using stock. If you use stock, be sure to order an extra set of front disc bolts from your Yamaha dealer if you want to eliminate the stock rear disc cover. The shorter shoulder bolt is needed to make up for the missing cover. The black cover does not go good with the chrome wheels. If using RC rotors, it will also require a bracket to relocate the caliper to fit the smaller RC disk. I’d recommend going for the smaller rotor to show off the front wheel.

While I had the rear wheel off, it was a great time to start a portion of the cosmetic phase of this project. For this, I also installed a Baron’s X-posed pulley and nude pulley cover. The pulley cover comes in different styles, so I chose the “Ball Milled” style to match other Yamaha accessories that I will be added later. So while the rear end of the bike is off and the drive belt is loose there is no time like the present, so follow Baron’s instructions and install the pulley and pulley cover. The only problem with doing that at this stage is in removing the pulley nut. You will need a pry bar to hold the pulley while breaking the nut loose.

Something worth noting, if you are taking my suggestion on utilizing a Yamaha service manual, you will notice some of the terminology in aftermarket manufacturing instructions are different from the service manual. Note here that the pulley and drive sprocket are one and the same (add a 36mm socket to your shopping list for the drive sprocket nut.) When Baron’s refers to the backing ring, they are referring to the cast aluminum plate that fits into the rear side of their pulley into the six holes. Prior to installing the pulley case cover it will require removing the transfer gear case bracket. See YSM 4-89. Also to make it easier to install the chrome pulley case cover, if you could make two extra long 6mm bolts without heads it would allow you to hold the cover in place while starting the bolts. I used little devices made from a clothes hanger, but 6mm bolts would have been faster. The conversion is great looking because the pulley cover is bolted directly to the pulley and spins, thus the name X-posed pulley and nude cover. I finished off the job with a chrome upper belt guard from Yamaha Genuine Parts and Accessories. Plan ahead and select what style chrome you will use in the project. The “Ball Milled” guard will match the other chrome pieces that will be installed in part 4.

We move to the front of the bike for the installation of new handlebars, front wheel and tire, but with a twist. We have ordered a front fender off a R1 from Yamaha to give the bike a little different look and eliminate the fork protectors. In this step I just sized up what it would take. There will have to be some alterations to the mounting locations but that will be divulged in the final article. If you’re old school like me and start to remove the front wheel, the first thing you will realize is that you need a 19mm hex wrench to remove the front axle. Unless you special order this from your tool supplier, they most likely will not have one. Save the $30 and make a tool. Take a 1-1/2-inch long ½-inch bolt and screw three ½-inch nuts to it. Now take a ¾-inch wrench and you have a front axle tool. Bolt on the new RC 17-inch wheel and Pirelli and your ready to move on to the bars.

Next was the addition of Baron’s Drag Bars, see YSM 4-69. When it comes to handlebar replacement, regardless of what the service manual says, you must take the headlight loose in order to reach the nut for the lower riser and installation of the new bars. Start with the left side for practice. You need to use a 19mm socket in order to torque the Baron’s supplied bolts. Problem number two, the supplied Baron’s bolt will not pass through the stock cable guide bracket, close but no cigars. But don’t panic. Clamp the bracket in place and use a ½-inch drill bit to clean out the hole. Just barely clear the bracket so not to hit any wires below.

The first thing that the Baron’s instruction don’t warn you of is if you plan on running the wires through the handlebars, the electrical wires on the left side housing (the one with the horn, hi-beam switch and turn signal switch) don’t reach. Unfortunately you have to cut and lengthen those wires about 4-inches. Don’t panic, it’s not as bad as it seems. Remove the tach assembly, unplug and set aside. Work loose the left handlebar switch and wiring harness. On the headlight end of the wiring harness, cut back the gray wire sleeve and start cutting wires. Be sure to stagger the cuts so not to end up with all the connections in one place.

After you have cut the wires, run a 10 or 12-gauge wire through the bars as a chase wire, tape them to your bundled harness, lube the wires and feed them through the handlebars before connecting. The last sentence was the instructions I got from Tim at Baron’s. It sounded so simple over the phone, but after spending three days attempting this and exhausting every cuss word I knew, I ran the wires outside the bar anyway. And that was on the side of the bars with only six wires. The other side has twelve. Maybe you have a thousand times more patience than I. “It can be done,” says Tim, but he’s and expert and I’m not. I will attempt it again later, but next time I’ll cut the whole wiring harness cover off and feed one wire at a time. The better option may be to use Yamaha’s chrome cable clamps that mount to your handlebars and wiring covers. So maybe I can live with the two holes in the handlebars. It’s your choice, but running that many wires through the bars is not easy. Since I had already cut my wiring harness, I can’t say if the stock wires would reach if you ran them on the outside of the bars, they should. While I had the handlebars off, I also decided to install a set of Barnett’s coated stainless throttle and clutch cables. The stainless adds a great Hot Rod look to the bike and the coated cables are easy to keep clean. Be sure to lubricate the cables good before installing. When I finished with the bars, I finally got to drop the bike to the ground and see the results. You may think a less than a 2-inch drop would not look that much different, but it looks great. For anyone under six feet in height, I highly recommend lowering your bike; the comfort is worth the time. Now that your ride sitting the way you want, and looking like a million dollars with your new wheels, chrome and trick cables, enjoy your bike as much as possible because in Part 4, we rip the engine out and you will have some down time. To this point, we have dabbled in simple performance hop ups, but next time we will max out our belt drive horsepower performance. So now’s the time to take on that extra weekend job and save your nickels. Until then…



Resources
Barnett Performance Products 805.642.9435 www.barnettclutches.com
Baron’s 888.278.2819 www.baronscustom.com
Dynojet 702.920.8030 www.dynojet.com
Orient Express 800.645.6521 www.orientexpress.com
Patrick Racing 714.554.7070 www.patrickracingbillet.com
Pirelli Tires www.pirellimoto.com
RC Components 270.842.6000 www.rccomponents.com
Thunder Manufacturing 602.269.5033 www.thundermfg.com
Vance & Hines 800.223.5952 www.vanceandhines.com
Yamaha www.yamaha-motor.com or see your local dealer.



Future Sources
Yamaha see your local dealer www.yamaha-motor.com


Photo Captions
# 1 - (bike with no tank, handlebars….) Caption: Did I mention I was doing a thousand things at one time. And this was just the handlebar installation.
#2 – (swingarm sitting on ground under bike) Caption: With swingarm removed, installation of the lowering kit can begin.
#3 – (two parts with three holes) Caption: Though not visible different, a 1-1/2-inch drop in height will result from changing this little part.
#4 and #5 - (before and after shots of shock) Caption: Stock relay arm (on photo 4, silver arm in middle, black swingarm at bottom, spring to top right), Baron’s lowering arm installed (on photo 5, black swingarm at bottom, black Baron’s arm in middle with spring to top left. You should be able to read Baron)
#6 and #7 – (before and after photos of left side of engine) Caption: Before (on photo 4), After (on photo 5)
#8 – (fender upside down) Caption: Underside of rear fender with turn signals removed, what a great time to undercoat for your burnout types.
#9 – (front fender) Caption: Dry run of things to come, R1 front fender.
#10 – (finished lowered of bike in front of trailer) Caption: Lowered and ready to cruise.