Mr Intruder's, Yamaha Virago Flat Tracker Box of Bit's Project.

A domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman, that's what the definition of a Virago is reported to mean. Well this bike when I have finally put it all together will without doubt be a lady that fires but only on demand & will be fun to ride.    
It already has GSX front forks & triple-tree so we are already heading in the right direction.  
 
The first picture is one I have kept for inspiration Saying that though, it is just the style of look I am after but my bike when completed will be nothing like her.




It's time to play as this is what mine is like right now.   













Let the fun beggin    or will it be, let the Hell begin.   

Just got it all out of the trailer.



Just spent ages trying to start it but I think I get stitched up by Doc Cox, it don't seem to want to start.  
Must say thanks to Nigel (Doc Cox) as the whole lot was a freebie.          

I'm sure it will be fun !    ...      

Hey Dave,
.... of course it won't start .... the Doc forgot to give you the petrol tank !      

I'm sure you will have fun with your project .... but doubt it will be ready for the weekend !  

Best wishes    Yam

Thanks for the heads up, would never of realised it need a tank.   
Do you think I would need to put some of the bit's together as well or will it be ridable as it is.    :what1: 
Must admit I was having trouble even wheeling it along, so right now I would have no chance of bump starting it.  

I'm sure you will get the last laugh when its all back together Dave.  

Were only 'green' 'cos we aint got the space or time to take something like that on - but with my mate having an XV750 I can see the potential !

Cheers    Yam

Bloody hell davey, what the frig are you going to do with that lot. A lot of scratching your head maybe?  

Oi, what,s this about getting stitched up.       It was a freebie.  :shock: 
Although we did try to use jump start leads and had no success. can see why now      

Come on Crash you gotta have vision       ,Mind you Dave will know more about Virago,s than the workshop manual when he gets to the end. At least it will be another Virago back on the road rather than being broken and sold by dealers on Ebay.

Cheers guys & thanks Doc for the bike donation.   
Crash as Doc says, 'you gotta have vision'. I have the vision to turn this lot into a real bike. Will there be a lot of head scratching, pondering & nail biting? Hell yeah but isn't that part of the fun. I want to build the kind of bike that makes you want to ride it from dawn to dusk. I am planning a single seat that also doubles as a hiding place for an extension to my fuel tanks & yes, I mean fuel tanks, Doc thinks it may not work but where there's a nutter like me, there's a way to either make it work or turn myself into Guy Fawkes or blow myself up.     The bike at the top is just a very ruff template for my visuals to work to but I have no idea where it will really end up. One thing is for sure it will be lacking in legal light's, it will only have a daylight MOT, although it will have hidden LEDs all around it. The whole bike is still in the beginnings of my dream's for it.

Go for it Dave,it should be fun.

Mr Intruder wrote:

 The whole bike is still in the beginnings of my dream's for it.

Vision, Dreams and Desire are what keep us going Dave   , without them it's just 'another day at the office'.

  and I know you will make a good one off davey   So have you started working on it yet? I bet you have.

captain crash wrote:

So have you started working on it yet? I bet you have.

You know me so well, yes I have.    Although its nothing to shout about yet but I have started stripping the main frame paint & corrosion off. I could get it sand blasted to remove this but I'm not going to, that would be to easy. I have have been using a wire brush attachments in my drill & then dremel for this. A bit laborious I know but the main frame is now just gleaming bear metal, ready for undercoating & spraying. I was shocked at how thin the original spray was & how much light corrosion was hiding under it, but not any more. I won't spray it yet though as I will only do that when the swinging arm is also ready. When they are both sprayed I will wrap & store them until needed. I will probably eventually spray with plasti-cote, this will be used on the mag wheels as well but I am still unsure of the final colouring of wheels or even the frame. I will post before, during & after pictures when the frame, swing arm & wheels are done but don't hold your breath.

All in good time Dave, you can't rush a good job  

I knew it    Just been reading back through the earlier post and you said there will be no legal lights and that you will be having a daylight MOT. So what does no legal lights mean and why will a daylight MOT be needed? What lights are you planning on having then?

Sorry I should of explained more, a day light MOT/Vosa test is required by a vehicle that is not used at night time, this in turn means that no running lights are required. No side light, no front light & no rear light & no indicators. Not even a reflector or brake light is required for a daylight MOT, however even with a daylight MOT if there are any lights present they must be working. You are also required to have a working horn. By no legal lights I mean: Yes there will be lights on the bike but just enough to get me home if the daylight starts to disappear and catches me out but as said they will not be visible. I will have hidden rear & front LED lights to assist in lighting up the way & bike and avoid being pulled if I get my timing a bit wrong & I am still heading home after dusk has crept in.

Hi Dave,
I like your plan, especially for the daylight MOT ,& 'concealed/minimalist' lights.
Keep the spirit during the project - & I'm sure the end result will be well worth the effort.
  Yam

I did send a post just after you put the original pic's up Dave but it got spat back as 'moderators posts only' so left it.
Great to see you are getting back on an even keel & doing something constructive & I wish you well with it.

Hi everyone, watching this thread from afar (In Crete at the moment) Have had an idea on the low key frontlights Dave, how about surface mount Led,s from the 240volt lights I have recycled !!! At the worst I would only have to make a voltage booster for it, Also have sneaky idea for the hidden rear lights, will be making a prototype when we get back, Strange, over here in Crete they have plenty of solar powered water heaters and some of the larger wind turbines but nothing in the way of Solar Voltaic panels and this is the ideal place for them ? If you want more fuel capacity it could be possible to put a small tank on the side where the air filter sits and possibly mount one in the style of a lower engine fairing, a pump would be needed as the 535 Virago,s have the tank under the seat and a dummy tank so one of these could give up its fuel pump, well back to work at the pool now, regards to all Doc and Mrs Doc Cox  

This seems to be a very interesting project, I will watch with the greatest of interest.

That all sounds interesting Doc, well worth looking into.   Would that Idea with the LEDs make them brighter than usual 12v LEDs?

I think these run on 30 volts, so the answer should be yes, but will strip a couple down when we get back to find out a bit more, any photos of the frame yet Dave ?

That sounds interesting

Doc Cox wrote:

any photos of the frame yet Dave ?

Thought I had better do a couple of pic's, although the frame has moved on a little since the second one was taken. If you look carefully you can see on the 2nd pic where some of the rust was, the frame has been stripped a little more since then & it will be coated with a rust eater as a precaution before having several under coats and having about 6 top coats.
I have been a bit busy of late & will not rush this project as it has got to be done right. Especially as I am not just rebuilding the bike, I am transforming it. Don't have a clear picture in my head of what it will end up like, just a very ruff idea. I know it will change a 100 times as I am building it, but one thing is for sure, the bike is going back to basics. Always loved a challenge & I have one right here. Thanks again Nigel for the bike parts donation & your wealth of ideas & knowledge. Will wait with baited breath for your ideas of how to do the electrics in the most basic of ways.

Fantastic job Dave, some Blood Sweat and Tears gone into that, Well, will have to get a wriggle on organising a lathe now if only to make the headstock bearing cups to accept the GSXR forks  

I can see by the way your attacking this project by doing as much as you are doing to even the frame which nobody will see, that its gonna be a bike that as you say, "you really get your teeth into".
Out of curiosity why are you using GSXR racing bike forks on it, Is it simply that your building a flat track racer so they are are an obvious choice? Just been reading up on them and looking at a load of pictures and the variety of them is unreal, they all have that similar look but are all so very different at the same time. I suppose thats cause they are all custom builds and the virago lends itself so well to that task from what I have seen. Are you going to keep the standard virago center stand or go with the picture that has inspired you at the top of a side stand? I also wonder if you have any idea of the handle bar style you are going to have and what sort of tyres?

Doc Cox wrote:

Well, will have to get a wriggle on organising a lathe now if only to make the headstock bearing cups to accept the GSXR forks

Yes crack on then Doc, Oh OK I will let you finish your time abroad in the Sun first. So as your back in Blighty on Tuesday, Wednesday morning will do just fine.   

Crash the GSXR forks will be bloody great but there was no plan with forks, I am only fitting them because Doc kind enough to give them to me. What a guy.    As for the variety of them (Flat track Racers) out there, yes it's simply because they are all built by enthusiasts. As for the center stand, hmmm I just don't know about that one. The center stand will be great for maintenance but I like the idea of a side stand for this type of bike so we will have to see what occurs. As for the handle bars I want them to be a straight bar, no bends in them at all. I will probably just buy a bit of tube & spray it myself. I don't want to be leaning down to much so the straight bars will be reasonably high when mounted. I have actually given tyres a great deal of thought and will probably go for something like a Super-Moto tyre. I have used & loved the Pirelli Scorpian tyres before, so will probably end up with something similar to them for this style of bike.
Pirelli Scorpion

Nice job with the frame Dave  

Well that frame certainly ties in with the 'minimalist' approach ........ look forward to the next instalment  

Will be back at about 2.00 am Wednesday morning so will give you a shout about midday, won,t be using the straights on the silver Virago so you are welcome to them if you want them Dave, having a good time on holiday but now look forward to coming home, Hotel cabin fever will set in if we stay any longer' has been a good time to contemplate various projects and Ideas,

Glad your having a good time on your jollies Nigel.   

As for your straight bars, I never knew you had any. If you won't be using them then yes please my friend.
Has any body got any thoughts on the Super-Moto type of tyres I am planning on using. Possibly Pirelli Scorpians?