9/12/2017 3:02 AM
Edited Date/Time: 9/12/2017 5:11 AM
When I made my Aluminium Drop Tank for my 500, I did it the lazy way - to take 2003 /2007 CR125 and 250 Radiator shrouds. Lazy in that as they are a full coverage type, at the shroud to tank mounts, so I didn't have (well, didn't bother) to do complicated ledges / lips to accommodate the rad shrouds.
[LINK TO IMAGE] It's currently just sitting there forlornly draped over a DH front end in my frame jig, whilst I debate mutilating it to fit over a E Start kit I've wasted my money on.......
The tank holds over 12 liters, down low, and the top of the tank is about 2 inches lower than std, and gives a flat seat / tank junction. It's also about 20mm narrower than a std 500 tank.
AFs - and I've made a Lot of them since 97 - feel like top heavy tanks, compared to my steelie with the drop tank.
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It goes all the way down to the LH Ignition cover - the opposite side to the 84- 86 RC500s.
The tank is not being used at the moment, because I'm going to have to butcher it to make it fit over the E Start I've got - and the E Start is such a piece of crap that I'll probably never use the bloody thing. It's so badly made, in so many ways, it's disgusting. It's a potential engine destroyer, even with my correcting several problems the maker thinks are acceptable.
Also, besides laziness with regards to making the alloy tank, the fact that good quality CR500 replacement plastics are getting much more expensive than the CR125 and 250 plastics has me interested in fitting them. Soon, they may stop making the 500 stuff / they will go up further in price. The 125 and 250 plastics should be around longer, and hopefully at reasonable prices - you can get full kits in boxes still, and more colour options than 500 stuff.
And, of course, you can get 125 / 250 seats easily and cheaply - I've a couple of SDG seats sitting, waiting for usage.
To that end, I'll eventually make new Aluminium or Steel Subframes for the 500 , to take the 125 and 250 plastics and seat. It's not that important to me, and I'm just waiting for availability on a 125 or 250 subframe to do a jig from. I've been having a hard time finding one / or an owner of a 125 / 250 near to me, but, I admit, I've not been trying that hard to get one.
I've an Otto bin full of a few sets of 125 / 250 plastics, ready and waiting , and extra sets of original 500 plastics. But, I run the old monster (2002 CRE500) with plastics from mid 90s 500s I had. I ride in very tight / extreme terrain, and I'm happy to tear the living hell out of plastics, for as long as I can. I'm no 'Blinger' for my very regular riding - to be so would be wasting money.
Another reason for the 'eventual' usage of 125 /250 rear end plastics is that you can get 125 / 250 airboxes (I've 2 sitting in the Otto bin ready for usage) for about a 1/4 of the price of a 500 one!. I've a PDS rear end - with an Ohlins TTX- on the bike now, so I've a whole new airbox ( with a top mount airfilter) that uses the original airbox as just the shell (the front and bottom of it cut out to accommodate the shock), so side covers etc fit as std. As I used a 2nd hand subframe, airbox and swingarm for the PDS set up, I have not touched the original parts, so the whole rear end can be refitted in a couple of hours, if I wanted it back to std.
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Mind you, I far prefer the original 90 /91 / 2001 rear end plastics for looks - I think it looks far better than 125 / 250 plastics, or any of the 4t plastics - and it goes surprisingly well with the 125 / 250 rad shrouds and mid years CRF front fender.
