BenBB

OMG that's insane!!

Jacked from Rustbag's thread in the Roostin' Room: While a cool concept, I don't foresee IRS under my quad anytime soon, for what I do with it the light weight, simplicity, and reliability of a straight axle does the job. As long as I'm racing desert I'll be keeping an eye on the trophy trucks and using similar setups that are proven to perform. BUT I'm a fan of innovation and pushing technology. We're just starting to see IRS, EFI, etc. etc. in a few years it'll be even more refined...

Hell yeah that's great news

That SUCKS :sad: I hope he makes a full recovery, that was a hell of an impact...

Exactly! No they don't at all, only reason I brought that up is thinking about how HD helped Buell out, but I seriously doubt they do Jesse James any favors. The biggest hurdle I see to getting the ball rolling is investment capital; even if Yamaha only provided an affordable source for cases & trannies it would help, if they saw an opportunity to invest some bucks for a facility and help with marketing it would help tremendously. I know jack about metallurgy and fabrication...wish I knew more there. Mexico is about 200 miles from here, if all I wanted was an '07 Banshee I could go down there with a gooseneck and get ten of 'em. What I'm talking about is a business building sick customs, making money doing something I'm passionate about... I kinda threw that one in at the last minute, on a base model something would be better than nothing...ideally tho Scott's on anything but drag... Today, yeah. First off, when you're doing your own work, labor is cheap as fuck heh. Second, what happens in a couple years when the aftermarket companies deem there's no market for Banshee stuff? If you wanted to build one from a Leager 250R chassis up and Leager threw out the jigs from lack of demand, you're screwed. My point is, having someone building customs like this would make an impact on the market, and most importantly help sustain the aftermarket companies that have invested alot of time & effort into it already. Anytime Jerry, call, PM or email you know where to find me. I'm open to anything. Ditto. Yep Josh, getting it off the ground will be tough, but it would be more than worth it if people actually wanted 'em...actually it would matter more if they would be willing to pay for them lol! Gotcha down for DE #2, I'll be racin' the prototype heh Hell yes Tim I'm serious. The business stuff I'm clueless on, like I said my specialty is sourcing and tech; I've got connections with Patriot Racing, Works Performance, PRM Products, Galfer USA, Denton Racing and Sidewinder from desert racing (and indirectly several more like Janssen, Elka, SFB, and Aktive from team members). We've got access here to alot more, both in terms of vendors (Dune Devil, Noss Machine, Dynatek, etc.) and, more importantly, enthusiasts. I know what it takes to build a kick-ass desert racer, and I'm always wanting to learn from fellow HQers how to make it better or how to build something else equally sick. I could line up every part from lug nuts to carbs to graphics, I could assemble, test and race (torture test) them. What I can't do is stick my neck out and risk everything I've got, I do have a family; that's the one and only reason I'm so concerned about there being a demand enough for them to sustain a business (and indirectly myself of course). I'll put 110% in it (work 56hrs/week now for something I could give a squirt of piss about), 50-60 hours a week is nothing; I'm not looking to get rich, I'd be a happy motherfucker if I could live comfortably and do what I love. So whaddya say? Oh on the frames, that would be frickin' awesome if he could supply 'em, what I've got in mind is 250R/450R front end geometry/interchangability...

Secondary should be 4,700-7,100 Ohms...did you have the meter on the right range? I've actually never tried to test one, have a shop here that'll bench test it for nothin', from what I've read testing with a meter isn't always accurate to tell for sure if it's shot...

Ben...yeah big surprise heh :tongue:

It comes in a kit, you can find them at Napa or Fastenal or most auto parts or bolt/bearing supply places; has a drill bit, a tap, and bunch of little spring looking things. What you do is drill the old threaded hole out (carefully-it has to be straight), it's not a big hole just enough to get rid of the old threads. Then you tap the new hole (again carefully-tapping fluid or light oil helps the process, it's a pretty coarse tap so you only get one shot at it, line it up straight and run it in one turn, back a half turn, and repeat). Finally you thread the insert in, should come with a little tool, it has external threads that match the threads you just tapped and internal threads that match the bolt you're going to put in...so you have to make sure you get the right kit that is the correct diameter and thread pitch for the bolt you're installing. Depending on the insert length and the bolt length you'll probably need to break the little installation tang off the insert after it's threaded in. After it's installed just treat it like anything else that's threaded, although loctite wouldn't be a good idea since it could pull the insert out, I use never-sieze on those intake bolts. Like I said earlier though, the hard part is going to be drilling a straight hole if the jugs are still mounted, and keeping the shavings out of the motor. Good luck.

Wiring the kill switch to the coil MIGHT be harmful to the CDI, to eliminate any chances for damage wire the tether to black (ground) and black/white from the CDI; that's the handlebar kill switch circuit and it's safe to use-when the CDI senses black/white getting grounded it shuts down the ignition, the tether just completes that circuit when you pull the tether out. On a side note, make sure you get the right wire from the tether on the right wire from the CDI, it'll work either way since it's a simple on/off switch, but if you wire it backwards you'll have power at that little metal peice and it'll give you a little shock heh. No biggie but I don't know why Pro Design can't give you two different wire colors...

True it wouldn't be entirely necessary to approach Yamaha, just a possibility. Yes in reality each one would probably be different motor-wise, at least unless there was enough demand to merit cookie-cutters. Exactly, it's not even close to a get-rich quick scheme as much as I'd love to see Banshees still around for my kid's kids. I look at custom choppers and think, why not custom Banshees?? That's the key-supply and demand...enough production to keep costs down and keep the suppliers in business, enough demand to sell them for enough profit to stay in business... That' a distinct possibility, although it seems ethical to at least find out their position, maybe that's just me heh, wouldn't want to cut off my nose to spite my face...

That is awesome BlackBeast. Much appreciated, I think it would be well worth persuing to make it street legal, even if on a limited basis. I have zero business experience, and uhh $4.40 at the moment heh (unless you count the lint and paper clip-<sarcasm>). Thing is, I'd jump in with both feet if there's a chance it would work...if there was a way to do it on the side I'd try but I think it would need to be whole hog... Right, that's the beauty of it; 99.99% of a Banshee can be built from aftermarket sources, RIGHT NOW. And even then they are all interchangable so if a guy got it with Brand X pipes he could easily swap them for FMFs or DMCs or whatever. Frames can be had (probably heh, they used to make them anyway) from Leager and Lonestar...I'd be willing to bet if we went with 250R geometry on the front end, or very close, all the TRX450R aftermarket stuff would fit. Since somebody makes cases, the only thing I can think of that's not commonly available from the aftermarket is gears & shafts (tranny, kicker, idler), forks, rails, shift drum, shift rod w/pawl...I don't see any of that stuff being difficult to have made elsewhere... Doesn't somebody here work at a dealership? Any way to get a phone number for a Yamaha rep??

LOL me neither!!! :tongue: What you don't want that green minivan? WTF? :biggrin: I thought it looked purty cool too, 0-60 around 4 seconds, that's close what the streetbike you want will do and prolly twice as fast as the Neon Cody thinks he's gettin'...

This is true, no telling what Yamaha would have to say about it, makes me wonder what HD thinks about WCC, or how Yamaha looks at, say Toomey or Lonestar. Alot probably depends on the scale, whether royalties are involved, trademarks used, etc. It's an extremely narrow niche though, who knows maybe even THEY would be interested in backing a subdivision for a cut (like Lexus to Toyota, or more akin to Harley & Buell). Naturally, that was the first guy that came to mind for all the stuff he already makes...

Right, locating venture capital for a startup isn't my forte, I know it's out there though... That's what I kept thinking, like "smog pumps" on cars when emissions regs first came out. Hell I don't know that you couldn't pass the test simply by using a synthetic premix oil. It's a little bit of a gray area when it comes down to who has to abide by what rules; like factories pumping out millions of cars compared to a homebuilt kit car, the factory stuff has to have 5mph bumpers, airbags, whatever, the kit car can get by with a 5-point harness... LOL sorry Dustin!! I couldn't help thinking about Don's LT450R running out of fuel at the Rio Rancho race haha! At least his Rappy woulda finished heh. But you're exactly right, all the costs will go down once you can order in volume, freight and raw materials... That is SICK!!! Who makes those?!!?!!!! No doubt, it's a work of art... Definitely, at list price anyway...there again volume and resale make some difference, as does quality and availability compared to what might come from OEM or non-OEM cast units. Would make for a damn nice option/base on the drag model though, looks stout as hell...

I do. NMDRC; ran a hare scramble in Farmington this year put on by NMDRC and weberacing.com (not really any different than a typical NMDRC desert race), officially second place but the weberacing scoring system is pretty screwed up, me and a few others in our class did four laps and they only scored 3. Anyway, if it's put together right the Banshee won't let you down, question is if you've got the stamina to push it for as long as the sofa-steering thumpers do...they're taking the easy way out but it doesn't mean you can't walk all over them...

Got to kicking an idea around in my head yesterday...what if 2006 (in the US) wasn't the end of the line for Banshee production? Call me crazy, but bear with me...what if: You could order a brand new zero-hour Banshee, let's just call it a 2008 for argument's sake. Let's just say around 10 grand, ballpark. Your choice between; Drag (stretched frame, long round housing swingarm, stroked and ported cubs, out of frame pipes, Marvin Shaws and a low seat-Haulers, Hoosiers or Pro-Wedge depending on terrain) Flattrack (250R front end frame, aluminum sub, sway bar, AFCO shocks, -2 round housing swingarm, cheetahs, maybe LRD pipes, two-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, titanium hardware-TT/ST/Supermoto/Pike's Peak style) Trail (250R front end, maybe T-pin, TCS/Elka/Axis all the way around, Lonestar axle & round housing swinger, 4 gal dry break IMS tank, Hyper beadlocks, Holeshot MXR6's, TAG bars, cheetahs, T5/Fatty/DMC/whatever pipes, spark arrestors, Denton stabilizer-an all arounder that could be MX'd, duned, or GNCC'd (hey I'd do it heh)) Street (what the hell, all it would need outside the US is lights, signals and brake lights on the TT version...a chain-driven differential would be a plus...wonder if that could be built into that spider IRS hmm) Desert (long travel 250R or Sundahl front end, King/Works/whatever shocks, longrod crank and cubs, Clarke tank, Stott's stabilizer, Fast Flex bars, PRM skids, reinforced rims, Holeshot XCR's with Tire Balls-Trinity's Sundahl without the Trinity...a trophy truck without the body) I have a dream. Let's face it, EVERYTHING could be sourced from the aftermarket, with the exception of cases and transmission (RZ forks/drum would be the way to go). I'd be willing to bet that could be overcome fairly easily, I know of at least one source for gears and shafts (cryo? micro blue?). Who's to say Yamaha wouldn't sell some cases on the side, or that an independent couldn't duplicate them. Maybe I'm way off on the ten large figure, maybe not, but with the right connections I think it's feasible (roughly $2500 motor, $2500 frame, $2500 suspension, $2500 everything else). Add up what you've got in yours (concidentally I've got $10,300 total in my '96 RZ-Banshee), or what's in a typical "production" racer. Take a look at MSRP's right now [shudder]. Consider what custom street bikes go for (WCC, OCC, etc.), and the niche they've carved, albeit a small one there's a market there. Imagine street legalness [drool]...or EFI...or aluminum frame... Anyone remember the Rebel Star quad? Back in the day Last Rebel Racing teamed up with Lonestar to build a 250R (mid 90's somewhere after Honda threw in the towel), had a Rotax mill if I remember right...I wish I knew what happened there, if it was the price tag or total lack of marketing/advertising or Rotax stigma here in the states. Never saw one in real life, I remember the price was up there though. Cannondale started from the ground up, ATK owns them now...when was the last time you saw an ATK anything?! I keep going back to the Rebal Star thing though, it had to be that motor (as with Canny); no easy aftermarket support for a different pipe or replacement CDI, etc. etc. Not the case with the Banshee...nor the case for Evolution-based customs, and why I think they keep selling, it's based on a proven design that's had a hell of a following... It's doable, question is, would anyone buy them? Straight up I suck at business, I don't have a mind for it, I'm a tech and a problem solver, not a people person. I work in parts every day, locating sources and negotiating prices, researching ROI and comparing products. I could literally set up every vendor, put every piece in one location, turn every nut and roll them off the line ready to go. I can't shmooze or network or sell (a social engineer I'm not). I just hate to see all the hard work that's gone into Banshee R&D by so many people go to waste, or fade into obscurity...when there's potential for so much more. Maybe there isn't, perhaps the reign of the two stroke really is over. Some of us die hard though. Even if there was just ONE model to start with, one that took the very best there is in a package that would literally annihilate anything the other factories had to offer (it's not so far-fetched; I'd put money on a Leager Outlaw framed Cub against anything else close to stock, anywhere), would YOU drop 10K on it? What if you knew you could replace anything that you wanted to from a hundred different sources? What if you knew next year it would be even more badass? Or that you could have it built exactly how you wanted it? What would it really take??? I know one thing; that coveted green sticker in Kalifornia...possibly as much as 50% of the market in one state alone...surely there's a way around that. I'm rambling, fuck it. I'd give my left nut to be able to say, "yeah I build Banshees for a livin'." Or "Four stroke, that's cute. Does it have a lawnmower attachment too?" Wait I already say that. Just not "pay up sucker" heh. Before long I bet I could tell you to the penny what it would cost and to the day how long it would take to build ten base units... Gimme some feedback. I gotta get back to the salt mine, and my dickhead boss is probably callin'. I could use some opinions, whether it's constructive or advising I seek a little rubber room heh. Talk to me my brothas.

Yes it's ok if they go beyond the hole lining up with the sight window, that's just an external way to verify that the slides are both opening (not really a method for syncing them). Looking into the carb throat the slide should open fully at wide open throttle (not hanging down into the bore of the carb at all).

TORS or no TORS? With TORS use the knobs on the back top of the boxes, without use the cable adjusters on the carb caps; I do it visually looking in through the airbox, so both slides raise at the exact same time...

Helicoil it...it's just gonna be a bitch to tap & drill it with the jugs in place, and keeping the aluminum shavings out of the motor...

Yes red & green feed the ignition, but red/white and green/white are for the pickup coil; the lighting circuit is fed by the yellow wire. Both failing at once is odd but not out of the question, although coil tests aren't always difinitive, best way to test that is to have a shop bench test it, or swap it to another quad (that runs) and see if it fires (coils are surprisingly similar between different models, I tested mine on my son's TRX70 once).

Hmmm could it have been 120? :tongue: Stan that's disgusting, put on a skirt or something heh :baseball_pinch:

:yelrotflmao: :yelrotflmao: :yelrotflmao:

That's what I was thinkin', damn dude somebody piss in yer Cheerios that day or [sarcasm] were you voted most photogenic in high school? [/sarcasm] KIDDING!!! Hahaha don't get torqued off, you da man John :beer: :beer:

As far as what's gonna do us in, I'm thinkin' overpopulation is gonna catch up to us sooner or later, sure a nasty virus outbreak/plague could waste a few billion but at this point it's a drop in the bucket. The asteroid impact thing has some devestation potential but I don't see it capable of extinction either, just enough technology now to keep us alive. I think humanity has the potential to get off this rock and spread like a disease across the universe, eventually yeah this planet is gonna be uninhabitable but we're talking eons, by that time we'll have long since moved on. So as a species I think we're pretty safe, in fact we're our own worst enemies as far as killing each other goes, at least until we come across some competition... On the alien/extraterrestrial issue, I have no doubt we're not alone. No it has nothing to do with being in Roswell for the last 14 years (I get more than my share of "see any aliens?" comments, I tell 'em yeah they taste like chicken). It just seems logical, even blatantly obvious, that in a place as ridiculously huge as the universe that we aren't the ONLY sentient beings cruisin' around. If you've got even the slightest grasp of the sheer size of even just the known universe, it would be ignorant to think that life doesn't exist elsewhere in one form or another. Whether they are threatening or not remains to be seen (gotta love Hollywood), but knowing the human race you can count on some conflict heh. I don't buy into the whole global warming thing either, I agree with Brooke that it's just politics and scare tactics on behalf of the nutball econazis, fucking hypocrites with nothing better to do. Get a fucking job, get a goddamn life, quit trying to save me from myself and get out in the real world and out of the land of fucking fluffy white clouds and butterscotch squirrels...

Yeah but that frame is beggin' for a KX500 motor to be shoved in it Mmmmmm aluminum...