Orient Express drag bike resurrection.

[zed1015]

Glad its been finished in the proper colour too

Before it came to the uk it was painted in Orient express's own colours which were black and red or summat.
It was then re- done by Steve Tong in the colours he used for his business which are the colours it is most recognisable in .
It was a no brainer to keep the same colours, it just wouldn't be the same bike in anything else.

[chrisu]

The difference is negligible and nothing the rider couldn't easily offset by having a good shit before riding it.

[buzzard]

Bike is looking good, look forward to seeing it run. Are you running a separate oil scavenge system for the turbo? Buzzard.

[zed1015]

Bike is looking good, look forward to seeing it run. Are you running a separate oil scavenge system for the turbo? Buzzard.

Yes! it's got a seperate electrical oil pump and tank for the turbo.
It always had these .
The oil tank window was originally on the right but you couldn't check the level as the rear brake master cyl was in the way.
I've moved it over to the left panel along with all the power switches etc so all pre flight checkable systems can be seen in one place at a glance by the starter operator.

[Rich]

the rider couldn't easily offset by having a good shit before riding it.

I bet he did that too.

The point I'm making is that you are sanitizing something that was built to do a job, not improving it. It's a classic race bike and that's how they did things then. They wouldn't have spent the money to have brackets welded on the frame if a P clip would have done the same job. Components cable tied to fibreglass and alloy sheet was (and still is) commonplace. Ask yourself if the parts you are altering were fit for purpose and an effective way to mount the components, if the answer is yes and you are are adding weight for no benefit then you are not improving on the original. Your doing a very good job on it, but then so did the original builders, don't denigrate their work because your priorities are not the same as theirs. By sanitizing it it loses its' character.

[zed1015]

. Ask yourself if the parts you are altering were fit for purpose and an effective way to mount the components, if the answer is yes and you are are adding weight for no benefit then you are not improving on the original.

The answer is no.
The few parts that have been replaced were truly bodged and unsafe. steel spacers ,self tappers and straps to barely hold the front scoop on now replaced by lighter and safer Dzus fittings which it should have had from day one.
The same with the rear guard, pumps and battery etc.


The owner, Steve, is also the rider who campagned the bike to success with Steve Tong in the 70's and 80's and was the rider when it last ran in 82.
It is he who asked for the mod's and repairs to improve a few areas that they were never happy with all those years ago and he is certainly in a position to know what he's talking about.

No way will the bike be a sanitised, characterless shadow of it's former self, just a bit safer and better sorted.

The whole machine will be lighter and probably faster than it ever was if the owner wants to risk winding up the boost to it's previous engine blowing 30 psi.

[ade woollams]

was it running a back cut 5speed back in the 80's. i may have a shot of that bike from avon park

[zed1015]

was it running a back cut 5speed back in the 80's. i may have a shot of that bike from avon park

The latest cluster that i took out had been hand cut with a grinder with inconsistant angles and only contacting the dogs on a fraction of their surface hence the reason for replacement.
Previous to that the cluster that had blown was stock un cut.

[ade woollams]

....

[zed1015]

Been a while so bit of an update.

Krober tach mount made for top yoke.


And fitted



Front end in


And rear guard

[Al]

Quality all the way.
Is the frame symmetrical? ie is it longer one side than the other. Is the front wheel, engine rear wheel centreline the same line? Or is it off set.

Is there a bracket or outrigger between the drive sprocket and the 'swingarm' (such as it is) on the drive side?

Fatty's Z1R pulls so hard on the chain that it shortened the distance by oval-ling the front crosstube of the swingarm and needed replacing with a thicker walled tube.
Barry's turbo / nitrous J1 ripped the swingarm mounting bracket off the frame and neither have the output of 30PSI even if they are carrying a little more weight!!! Barry's solution was an outrigger from the drive sprocket bearing (outer) to the swingarm mount which also stops the frame changing shape.

AL

[zed1015]

Quality all the way.
Is the frame symmetrical? ie is it longer one side than the other. Is the front wheel, engine rear wheel centreline the same line? Or is it off set.

Is there a bracket or outrigger between the drive sprocket and the 'swingarm' (such as it is) on the drive side?

Fatty's Z1R pulls so hard on the chain that it shortened the distance by oval-ling the front crosstube of the swingarm and needed replacing with a thicker walled tube.
Barry's turbo / nitrous J1 ripped the swingarm mounting bracket off the frame and neither have the output of 30PSI even if they are carrying a little more weight!!! Barry's solution was an outrigger from the drive sprocket bearing (outer) to the swingarm mount which also stops the frame changing shape.
AL

Frame is symetrical but engine is offset to the left and rear wheel is offset to the right ( originally (way back when) the wheel was central until a wider wheel was fitted.
Outrigger plate is tied to the frame to reduce distortion under power.

[zed1015]

Original front disc was rusty/warped and knackered so as the bike will be sprinted a real working brake is needed.
An alloy adaptor was made to allow the fitment of an AR disk which was the same diameter and is still kawasaki part of course.







Next job was to fit the pumps and turbo


I stripped and cleaned the turbo but it needed nothing except gaskets as it was virtually new when the motor blew all those years ago so just need the spiders evicting
Exhaust has been blasted and painted, carb refurbed and plumbing completed along with makeshift wiring ready for the first firing.



New exhaust outlet on and test fit the newly painted bodywork






Bare kosman rear wheel fitted with old tyre for dyno runs will be replaced with freshly painted spare and new tyre when it's time for some real action

[Jay1969]

Awesome, please get a video done of it on the dyno run

[ade woollams]

are those steves old leathers hanging up as well