We do take on custom work, but since we’re not fundamentally a custom shop, our work is limited to what we can handle.
We’ve had it for about a month now, and work has been delayed due to parts coordination.
The banjo adapter is extremely handy when using oil coolers on oil-cooled systems. We re-anodized it to black.
This time we’re making it from stainless steel due to wall thickness. The process involves threading, cutting the collar, cutting out the plate, and so on.
We weld and join them together. With thick walls, there’s nothing to worry about.
This is how we secure it.
The stem hits the cooler directly, so we restrict the steering angle slightly. It’s the usual stem-side welding. If you cut it off, you can always go back to standard. Unless you have a very specific design in mind, it’s better not to touch the frame side too much.
The handle mount plus Impulse cowl is very problematic. We’re moving it forward about 15 millimeters from its current position.
Rounding the corners gives a smooth, satisfying finish. This one is 5052 aluminum.
We bent it after this, but I’ll skip those details.
The headlight aim adjustment becomes unreachable, so we made a longer one.
By welding a nut on the back side, it’ll be easier going forward. There are so many little jobs like this that it just eats up time.
We polished it to remove the heat discoloration. It gives a nice, smooth finish.
This time we dropped it down at 90 degrees. A 180-degree vent gets in the way at the top, so the layout becomes tricky. This is the only cooler we can use anyway.
Bending hoses in curves is basically a no-go. If you need to bend, you should use pipe for the layout instead.
When installing an oil cooler, you need to make sure the oil filter can still be removed and installed easily. Everything affects future maintenance work.
Customers only know about the parts being installed and working. The extra work that comes later falls on us, so we can’t cut corners on installation.
Both sides and the tank now have plenty of clearance. Of course the handlebar lock works, so we’ve only restricted it slightly, but if this isn’t done right, it’s disappointing.
In the end, this kind of racing work takes a full day.
