Hk1 yellow fever

Tweakin

Active Member
Nothing against trail wings at all, it is more about the function/ use of this bike. IMO, the trail wings feel sloppy compared to road tires. "Sloppy" technical term from my years of racing, ha ha. Back to back rides on my 108 with trail wings and 88 with Michelin road tires the ride (street) was significantly better, especially when cornering fairly hard.

The twitchyness of these little bikes is what makes them so much fun to ride! Doing 40 on my 70 feels like 125 on my Ducati, it's a F'n blast.

If I decide to try out the 12 inch rims I will use a lower profile tire to keep the circumference as close to stock as possible for various reasons you listed and will also tryout the Takegawa rear shocks I asked about in my other thread. The front suspension rebuilt on the HK1 feels great but the repop rear shocks aren't the best, IMO.

The truth is I have a bit of OCD and can't leave anything alone. :15:
 
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darrel gunderson

Active Member
On my latest 117 stoker build I am running 12in one piece rims from CHP with Avon street viper tires and I love them! No tubes and they run true. I like the way they handle mostly.... Also gave me some more top end with the taller tires. Yes the speed is not as correct as it should be but, I am running a NOS S90 80mph speedo and I know its about 4-5 mph off so I just live with it. JMHO.
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
Oh yeah...`Wings have a classic, somewhat vague, road feel all their own. You'd be surprised just how well they can perform with a few chassis mods (more than you'd want to deal with, btw), 24/28psi (F/R) inflation and enough road wear to get the tread broken-in. That said, road tires...they ain't. And, you've done the gold standard comparison... CT70s each fitted with different shoes. That the bike with the K0 pogo stick front end handles better than your juice-fork-equipped restomod says it all.

You're more or less limited in terms of tire diameter, due to the sheer lack of real estate. Dunno that the shorter sidewalls will have a significant effect on handling, they certainly can't hurt. Mainly, imho, rim diameter is more about aesthetics. If you prefer them, then they're the better choice, at least if you only ride on reasonably well-maintained pavement. In this part of the world (Great Lakes...where pavement goes to die:cc_rip:) they'd not last long.

Don't know who made the Taky shocks. In the past, they've sold re-branded KYB & Showa units, good quality stuff. I don't recognize the shocks shown in your web!ke link. They've got to be better than any stocker..including replacements. The OEM shocks were well-made, for what they were. Mainly, however, they simply lacked any real valving and that's where real ride/handling qualities live.

As for not being able to leave anything mechanical alone...you're preaching to the choir:35::19:
 

loopiemclooperson

Active Member
Here is the size comparison, next to a 110/80-10.

df391c2db067de7ba67807bce127ba15.jpg

Stolen from eichkay's dax build thread seen here...

http://www.monkeybikeoz.com.au/showthread.php?67-eichkays-150-daytona-DAX&
 
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Tweakin

Active Member
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69ST

Well-Known Member
Kirrbby's bike illustrates the maximum tire size end of the spectrum, eichay's the minimum. Ironically, the subjective side is the easy one...you like the look or you don't...and the objective side, i.e. how the setup works, is complex.

It's been my experience that stock CT70 hubs leave a lot to be desired. When your new wheels don't run true, it'll be because of the hubs. The cast wheels & tubeless tires will be heavier than the `Wings, which can result in heavy wheel shake above 45-50mph. If you end up with more than ~2mm runout (especially radially) at the rim, that hub isn't going to cut it. Those aftermarket wheels should run straighter than stockers, on hubs that are true.

As for speedo error, some are "willing to live with it". No offense to anyone but, IMNSHO, it's annoying at best, certainly not something to which I'd want to sign my name. Almost nothing else can cause the intense dissatisfaction of a stingy speedometer; I've known guys to sell their bikes over the frustration of a few "missing" mph. The stock setups tended to be bit generous (~5%, more or less, and they're not linear), until `71...this includes the s90 unit. Typically, I've seen ~8-10% difference in input, going by tire measurements. That's huge. However, the difference in indicated speed, compared to an early stocker, can be as much as a time-and-a-half that. With an aftermarket mechanical drive (geared for 3.50-10 tires, which are shorter than Trailwings) and oversized tires, I've seen 20+% difference in indicated speed, with a couple of different bikes. It depends upon the speedometer and actual speed at which the accuracy is spot-checked. A lot can happen to mechanical gauges in 40-50 years time.

Having to mentally adjust speed & mileage readings becomes ridiculous. I mean you invest all this effort & bucks into a high-end machine and then put up with an inaccurate speedo? Best to either stick close to stock tire circumference, which takes some shopping, or just switch to a programmable electronic speedo and be done with it.

Parting thought...if you decide to upgrade the hubs, virtually all of the disadvantages of the stockers can be eliminated. You can still use the CT70-pattern 12-inch wheels. However, this does open a can of worms...
 

Tweakin

Active Member
New hoops for the stroker. CHP one piece 12 inch aluminum rims with Maxxis 110/60-12's tubeless.

I know this isn't for everyone but it is something I wanted to do since this bike will be street use only. Can't wait to get them installed but waiting on a swingarm and shocks.

5169FB22-11FE-408E-817F-8D3A96E60EDF_zpsmqujkism.jpg

C76A6645-7D62-48CD-88F0-E1953B8A1427_zpsdudlbn9v.jpg
 
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69ST

Well-Known Member
They look nice. Tubeless tires/wheels are a substantial upgrade over most split rims. Let us know how practical they are on the stock hubs, that's what'll determine how concentric they are (I imagine that the machining of the rims, themselves, is pretty good, since they're castings), as-installed. Here, in the upper Midwest, they'd not stay round for very many miles. If you only ride on well-maintained roads, it'll be a whole different situation.
 

Tweakin

Active Member
Those do look great. Are the tires the m6029? Where did you find them in 120/60?

Yes, those are the tires. Ordered them from the link you sent me. Since Maxxis makes them for Takegawa only can get them from overseas. Now just need my swingarm and shocks to show up.
 
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loopiemclooperson

Active Member
Weren't those 110/60? I had never seen a 120/60 before. I almost think the cast wheel looks better then the two piece takegawa wheel btw.
 
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Tweakin

Active Member
Weren't those 110/60? I had never seen a 120/60 before. I almost think the cast wheel looks better then the two piece takegawa wheel btw.
Yes, sorry. They are 110/60's I mis typed when posting on my phone. 120's would be a tight fit. Thanks again for the link. I really like the one piece, especially since you can go tubeless.
 
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Tweakin

Active Member
Couldn't wait for the swingarm to get these mounted and road tested, love the way she rides.

I know many on this site like to keep these bikes stock and probably don't care for the direction I went with this build, I get it. I love these bikes in the stock form as well!
Want to update the build thread to document the evolution of this bike since it started here.
HK1_zpshbupgdf9.jpg
IMG_4611_zpstzw5e9nu.jpg
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
Purist perfection has its place, that's what establishes a vehicle as a marque. And that's what gives these machines "legitimacy" among collectors which...ultimately...is what keeps them viable as something other than glass-encased collectibles.

That said, restomods & full customs have their place too. My preference is for purpose-built machinery with greatly enhanced performance capabilities. IOW, bikes that are meant to be ridden and are fully capable of keeping up with traffic. Once started-off down that road, there's a lot of room for creativity. FWIW, I'd say you've turned-out nice-looking machine. Those wheels & tires have good visual proportions for the bike. Good choice on the exhaust, too (finally get to see the full RH profile), first Yoshimura pipe I've seen on a CT70 that looks like it belongs there.
 

kirrbby

Well-Known Member
I really think you did a great job on this bike...great. I know your planning to take a bit more away from stock, with a new swingarm, but still...not too much. Candy orange is easily in the top three for me...pushing the #2 spot. The pipe looks good to me too, but I think pushing it farther back and leveling the muffler a bit might be worth consideration.
I'm calling myself a recovering purist these days. I have much respect for stock bikes...but I've fallen in love with what they can be when you allow yourself to stray. My goal used to be to have one good example of most every version of these bikes, just stock, and complete. Now, I figure I'd like to keep my 3 K2 Z50's stock, a nicely restored K3 CT70(restored... too nice to ride...so stock is good)and a nice stack of the purpose built bikes that racerx described. No 2 alike. Your K1 would fit into my dream very nicely. I think anyone would love to own that beauty. I'll bet, once you shake it all out, you'll have a new favorite. Those big bikes are gonna be a little jealous.
 
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Tweakin

Active Member
I figured I have my restored K0, K1 Z50 and stock HK1 waiting so might as well have some fun with this one. I absolutely love riding this bike, it rips and handles great.
 
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