I plan on building a bomber with a street bike motor possibly a busa or a R1. I have a industrial mig welder and I am running 035 mild steel wire with 75/25 Argon/Co2 mix gas.
My question to some of you that have fabbed up the frames is this setup going to be good for the job or are you guys useing something better. I am not sure what kind of metal the frames are made of.
Thanks Tpsycho.

 

bomb frames are just mild steel , your mig will work fine. I would have the entire frame bead blasted though not only because it makes them a lot less work to prep and fab on but there is something about the paint on a DS that is nasty . when you do extended welding on it or even near it the smoke from this particular paint will make your lungs extremely inflamed and will even screw your lungs up so bad that you will will lose about 25% lung capacity for about a week. I learned this the hard way. I now blast every frame bare before I do anything to it and I still wear a resperator. you can buy a diposable reperator at any paint store for less than $15 and if you dont use one you will be sorry. good luck with your project

 

The only thing that would be better to weld with would be a tig welder, but how many people have one of those in there garage lol. If your using .035 wire then you might wanna think about .025 and turnin it down, .035 is for serious welding and even when turned down may blow through the tubing pretty easy. It's only my opinion but we use .035 at work and thats welding pretty heavy stuff like 1/4"- 3/8" carbon steel wich is pretty hard stuff. Sounds like your setup to weld about anything though. I am contiplating a four cylinder in mine aswell so good luck and if you need any help this is the place since there are builders here who have already done this. RUSS

 

Thanks for the information guys I will put it to some use in the near future. Also i am sure I will be asking some more questions in the future. Supersonic toys I know you have built a few busa bombers. Are you buying motor kits and installing them in the bikes or are you buying the whole busa and tearing it down and installing on the bombber? Do you know of a good place to get a good motor at a reasonable price ?
Thanks again Tpsycho.

 

TP, which welder do you have? The reason I ask is that some welders do a better job on thinner material. I will be doing the exact same thing myself in the very near future. I'm hoping you are not using a shielded wire without gas. Use the gas, and do what Sonic is telling you. The cleaner the frame the better. I also go one step further on my bare metals and either acetone them or if the case of break cleaner isn't low, I'll clean it up with that. I like a real clean material. Practice on that material guage before you do the work... the less splatter the better for you end result. What are you using to bend the steel? There are a pot full of good benders on the market right now. The tough/expensive parts are the dies.

Hope it goes well.

Oh', you looking for a liter motor or the busa? I think I'll take the liter motor due to cost. I really like saving the 15 - 20lbs, and it's a scratch smaller. I've ridden a busa DS and it's a kick. Almost too much, which is why I really like the idea of a liter bike motor.

 

I tig all the most structural stuff and than mig the minor stuff, I've been using chromoly tubing for all the replacement frame structures , it just gives me piece of mind.

Big daddy,
I believe the busa motors are around 30-35lbs heavier than the liter motors. My gsxr 1000 weighed in around 135lbs. My bike wet weighs 495lbs it is essential the same weight it was with the turbo setup.

 

unfortunately there is no such thing as a busa motor at a reasonable price. used ones bring $3000 to $3500 and used motors are like a box a chocklates....you never know what you gonna get! I have been screwed good twice and that was enough for me. I use all brand new motors but I pay for them. if you want the best its expensive. I just buy motor kits , not whole bikes to part .

 

Major, good to hear from you. I've been told that your DSXR1000 is just down right SWEET. You are actually the guy that I'm going to build mine off of. I agree about the Tig and the CM. I like that the liter is even less than I thought. I like the idea of a liter motor, and like you, if you want a little more.... force the air!!!!

Can't wait to see your monster and see steal all of your fantastic ideas... just joshin ya.

Seems that all the frame work that's done is pretty similar. I did notice that Sonics seems to have gotten the fuel tank in the stock location which I really like. Where did yours end up?

 

My bike ended up with the fuel tank in the rear, and I'm happy with how it turned out, however on the bike I just completed for Crackerjack the fuel tank is in the front and turned out very sweet. I actually like the Gen II build better it will be a better duner and dragger, thats the one for you to look at closely.... it will be there at DS days.

 

absolutely can't wait.... The frame is ready to go, the bender is all jazzed up and working like a champ. Have the dies I need and now just need a motor. I believe that the DS HPR 730 will probably be going on the auction block at some point towards the end of this season. It will be a great off-season built. Hope that you guys don't mind me taking pics.