New dude in town! Lol!

Hey all! Signed up some time ago but didn't coop. I'm back with more time now and would like to show what I've been busy with.

If not already done, when attempting to post a pic, could try keeping pic size within the following limits:

Width: 2400px
Height: 1200px
Size: 2048kb (2 MB)



Good Fortune!

Welcome. Nice looking bike there. Is the engine sprocket cover modified for functionality, or was that the look you were going for? Is that an oil cooler mounted on the tail?

that is a very odd place to mount a cooler

clutch wrote: Welcome. Nice looking bike there. Is the engine sprocket cover modified for functionality, or was that the look you were going for? Is that an oil cooler mounted on the tail?

gengomerpyle wrote: that is a very odd place to mount a cooler

clutch wrote: Welcome. Nice looking bike there. Is the engine sprocket cover modified for functionality, or was that the look you were going for? Is that an oil cooler mounted on the tail?

Keeps it from dinging up the front fender (I've heard some have that issue mounting it up front).


EDIT: I'm guessing they perform better farther away from the hot engine as well.

Know your history........its where the first Z1/KZ1000 AMA Superbikes mounted the oil coolers, hense the Racecrafters bike (see my avitar) and later the Vetter bike if you google them. Pierre Des Roches in paticular was the builder/tuner responsible for that possioning. It works so well I wouldn't mount them anywhere else on these bikes. Anyway, Pierre built the Racecrafters bikes with Reg Pridmore at the helm, together they made history by being the first Japanese brand to win in AMA's new class called Superbike in 1978. AMA started the class in 76 where Ducati and BMW were the previous winners. I added new pix on top of this bike as it stands today with rearsets, modified Kerker, fork brace and steering damper. Certainly a timeless design, I have to stop and stare every time I walk by it. I don't know what I enjoy more, looking at it or riding it!

Minimal on the countershaft cover for weight loss. This bike weighs 490 wet. Thats 70 pounds less than stock.

Delicious! Thanks for posting!!!!

Racecrafters wrote: Know your history........its where the first Z1/KZ1000 AMA Superbikes mounted the oil coolers, hense the Racecrafters bike (see my avitar) and later the Vetter bike if you google them. Pierre Des Roches in paticular was the builder/tuner responsible for that possioning. It works so well I wouldn't mount them anywhere else on these bikes. Anyway, Pierre built the Racecrafters bikes with Reg Pridmore at the helm, together they made history by being the first Japanese brand to win in AMA's new class called Superbike in 1978. AMA started the class in 76 where Ducati and BMW were the previous winners. I added new pix on top of this bike as it stands today with rearsets, modified Kerker, fork brace and steering damper. Certainly a timeless design, I have to stop and stare every time I walk by it. I don't know what I enjoy more, looking at it or riding it!

Very nice bike! Know you history - true, but after 1978 superbikes champs all ran oil cooler up front where it can catch the wind better. As in:
1979 - 1980 Wes Cooley - Suzuki
1981 - 1982 Eddie Lawson - Kawasaki
1983 Wayne Rainey - Kawasaki
1984 - 1986 Fred Merkel - Honda
1987 - Wayne Rainey - Honda
etc.

Racecrafters wrote: Minimal on the countershaft cover for weight loss. This bike weighs 490 wet. Thats 70 pounds less than stock.

Sweet! BTW, I wasn't making fun of the oil cooler placement, I was just asking if that was what it was. I'm glad I got a history lesson. I did not know that was where they used to mount them. I assumed it would be better to mount as far away from the engine as possible though. Very cool bike. Looks like a lot of fun.

No problem, its all fun right? They changed to the front for better crash protection not efficiency. It may get stronger air flow but also hindered more precious air flow to the top of the cylinder head, especially at the two center cylinders right above the exhaust ports. They were able to run larger coolers up front and needed to for the blockage. My theory. lol

Thanks 650ed! But did you know that Harry Klinzmann road the Vetter KZ1000 AMA bike in 1980 with the cooler on the rear? Not a MKII, a 1978 KZ. It was the last time anyone ran it at the rear. Didn't think the cooler would be such a topic, how cool was that? No pun...lol! I built bikes in that era along with Harry Mallet (Performance Works) and Carry Andrews (Hypercycle)I built Tom Hayner's (owner of Racer's Supply)FZ750 for AMA racing. Well before that Carry Andrews was the service manager at Burbank Kawasaki, I was his only tech. Carry at the time was racing AMA Superbike on a Honda 750K. I'm guessing 1977ish? OH BOY! :woohoo: