TecateDan and Fabio's joint 500 effort

[hondawasaki]

Any one know who's pipe this is or better yet have the dimensions for the build

Ummm I do, that's my pipe.

[nstyle73]

Did you ever get that one going, the pipe looked awesome, just wondered how it worked out.

[hondawasaki]

Did you ever get that one going, the pipe looked awesome, just wondered how it worked out.

Yes I did, runs very well. Thanks.

[El Camexican]

Ummm I do, that's my pipe.

That thing should be hanging next to the Mona Lisa. Did you fab it?

[TecateDan]

I asked the same question! He had it built by a shop in utah. I want the dimensions so I can build one!!!

That thing should be hanging next to the Mona Lisa. Did you fab it?

[El Camexican]

Maybe you can send the photo to someone who has one of those copy machines Flabio posted about the other day? (I want to put a here, but it might just work!)

[tecat-z]

Hondawasaki, your machine looks amazing. Fabio, you guys have a great start on that project.

[Dirtcrasher]

Those welds on the pipe look fantastic - TIG.

I don't mean this in a bad way, but prep and the right settings for a MIG on a frame should look nice and clean.

If your welds need grinding, there is an issue. You guys are smart, adjust that mig or tig and they will put factory welds to shame.

That pipe is a work of art!!

[fabiodriven]

When I weld there is no need for grinding.

[TecateDan]

where are all the pic's you took yesterday fabio?I only have ones of the completed project

[fabiodriven]

I'll have them up later.

[TecateDan]

Where the hell are those Pics..

I'll have them up later.

[tri-Z ripper]

Just so everyone knows, we have gotten more than one person questioning this frame. I think what most people fail to realize is that the left and right lower frame tubes are each one piece and I welded them to the existing frame myself. These tubes alone may have held up just fine. The cradle is plenty stout and I know how to weld. I don't have any tig or aluminum experience, but I have many, many hours behind the arc welder and especially the mig welding steel.

This is the frame prior to gusseting-



This is the picture that I think is confusing people-



Yes, there are ugly welds up top. Dan is not piecing together a bend or anything like that though. The picture is an odd angle and Dan didn't explain it well. The metal you see him working on is merely a gusset going over the existing one piece frame rail. Yes, the ugly welds are going to have to be ground and smoothed. If I had been able to make it to Dan's house this weekend (we had a snow storm and my 2wd truck couldn't move) the welds would have been pretty and they wouldn't have to be ground. I wasn't there, so we grind them. The strength is not compromised, just the look different. Let's not forget, this is a first-gen Tecate and they look like farm implements anyways. If any of you have ever looked at the factory frame welds on a Tecate, it only makes sense to assume the welders at Kawasaki more than likely got paid per-frame.

That being said, the progress we all see here is as new to me as it is to you all. After really looking at the pictures, the place that worries me is at the bottom of the gusset. I probably would have gusseted the top where the new metal meets the existing frame and that's it. I wouldn't have gusseted down the rails at all. I don't like how the gusset ends at the bend like that.

My only 2c was going to be the top of the new down tube meets the frame a tube up the neck would have been a nice little extra support. Please take it as constructive criticism This is an awesome build i would not be able to accomplish myself. Excellent Job guys!

[fabiodriven]

Well Mexicanuckidian, I have not left Dan high and dry. I can do two projects at one time.

I spent the day at Dan's Saturday while he crapped his pants all day pretending to work. We made more good progress, mostly on the pipe. The pipe was the one thing about this project that had me concerned. It is a big obstacle. It is coming along now, but it ain't pretty. The metal is too thin to weld all pretty like. You just have to do what you can with it, and then send it off to Dan's Weld Grinding Co. Inc. (Blackstone, MA) to smooth the eye sores out. After everything was said and done, the exhaust hits our air box. I had a feeling we should have had the air box in while making the pipe, but I didn't put it in. Rookie mistake, but alas, just another obstacle to overcome.

Here are our hand made motor mounts.



Here is where you have to notch the frame for spark plug clearance. I handled this part.











Here is where we started cobbling the exhaust together. At some point, we will be having a proper pipe made for this rig. This one just has to work for the time being. We cut the top of the frog's belly off and added a different one from and old stock Tecate pipe (Which is baffled on the inside, who knew? Not the silencer, the pipe!) to get us in the neighborhood of where we needed to be.





Then I cut and notched the pipe to get it where I needed it to go. After that, I welded the slices shut.





You can also see my plug notch in this picture.





I would like to add that I have been somewhat critical of Dan's work in my absence, but the bottom line is this project wouldn't be where it is today if he hadn't picked up the ball and ran with it. When I am there with the frame in person, there is no doubt in my mind that it will hold up just fine. I can see how the pictures make is seem otherwise though.

[fabiodriven]

Dan took some initiative last night and corrected our incorrect pipe routing. Yay for Dan!