2019 CRF450L Mod and Farkle Fest

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by NorcalBoy, May 29, 2020.

  1. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Had a phone chat with David Behrends at Fast Bike Industries this morning and things are moving along with the suspension work. He is just waiting on some custom spacers he machined, to lower the suspension 30 mm, to come back from getting hard anodized. The special springs to match the lowering spacers have already arrived. He has been doing a lot of testing with the new L model CRF450 and he didn't recommend spending extra money to revalve, and that the OEM valving would work really good for my vet intermediate desert capabilities and street, with a small adjustment in oil weight and height, plus his settings. That saved me a few bucks.

    The IMS 3.0 gallon tank and some other bits are on the way and will arrive before I have a chance to actually install them. With any luck, I should be able to wrap this thing up really soon. Itching to see it fully assembled and ready for Mexico.
     
  2. lsc86

    lsc86 New Member

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    Any riding updates?
     
  3. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    No riding updates. But I am actually working on the project again this weekend, for the first time in 4 weeks. A lot has happened to get ready, I have stacks of new parts and I'm hoping to get a couple posts added to this thread in the next couple of days. Because I have ordered so many new parts, a lot of what I had already completed was disassembled today, in preparation for adding these pieces in.

    I started with the airbox. The airbox is a two piece assembly. I split the assembly in half and went about the process of sealing it up real good with blue RTV.

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    I added a Twin Air powerflow filter and a Zeta billet filter cage bolt. Got it oiled up nice, greased the lip, and got it installed. I kept the backfire screen installed, just for peace of mind.

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    I proceeded to applying the RTV

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    Next, I screwed the two halves together with new ProBolt gold aluminum allen head self tapping screws

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    Turned out OK, after cleaning up the excess RTV and giving it a good cleaning. I kept the lid off the airbox as it is part of the engine performance upgrades package.

    I moved on to the insulator boot between the throttle body and the cylinder head. The stock 450L boot has a port built into it for the smog.

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    I got the throttle body off, which is no small task on this thing. Everything is very tightly packaged, as there isn't a lot of room.

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    I pulled off the 450L boot and installed the boot from the CRF450R, which has no smog port. It also has a slightly different interior shape, which will flow a little more air. Another part of the engine performance upgrades that I will get to later in this thread.

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    No more port. The smog/thermostat delete kit comes with a screw that you are supposed to plug that hole with, but I didn't really like that idea. It was worth the effort for the slightly different shape of the 450R boot and not having a screw stuffed in there.

    I'm waiting on two packages to arrive tomorrow, so I can begin reassembling the rear suspension, swingarm. and brakes. I have some really decent bits. The shipment is a complete set of ti hardware for the suspension linkage, swingarm and rear brakes. The 450L specific suspension bolts are from Race Tech Titanium and the rest of the swingarm and brake hardware is from Mettec. I'm picking up a new set of custom wheels from Dubya next Friday in SoCal.... Hopefully the shipments arrive on time and I can continue adding to this as I go.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
  4. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Went back into the garage early this morning to get after it. I had already disassembled the whole back of the moto on Thursday, so today was straight assembly. Yesterday was good as a couple orders of ti hardware showed up so that I could start building something.

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    Started with installing new Devol Racing Transformer pull rods, using ti oem replica hardware from Race Tech Titanium

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    These pull rods have an indexed fitting in the end, so that you can adjust the ride height from stock (-0) to -12 mm at the seat. This is a better approach than using longer rods, as the longer they get, the weaker they are.

    Pull rods installed

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    Next up was reinstalling the rear cushion (dogbone). I used more Race Tech Titanium hardware for this.

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    Reinstalled the swingarm and got the suspension linkage torqued up to spec.

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    Next I moved on to mounting the brake line switch wiring connector mount. This thing used to be a massive two part abortion, as it held the smog canister I yanked out. I cut it down and shaped it to give it a cleaner look. Mounted it with Mettec ti hardware

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    It provides a nice clean mount for the brake light switch wiring

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    Got busy reinstalling the footpeg/side stand brackets and the new footpegs.

    Went with Fasst Company Impact footpegs with the medium dampers installed. Used Ti pivot pins from Mettec.

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    On to Part 2...
     
  5. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Part Deux

    After getting the footpeg brackets and the sidestand back on, I went to work on the rear master cylinder and the brake pedal.

    I used a ti pedal pivot bolt and rear master cylinder mounting hardware from Mettec

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    The rear pedal is a forged piece from Hammerhead Designs with a ti tip, Fasst Company brake return spring kit and clevis, a brake light pressure switch from JCR Speed Shop.

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    The master cap is from Works Connection, custom stainless brake line in clear, with red banjo fittings from Galfer, and red anodized aluminum brake line guide bolts from Moto Stuff.

    I sourced these ti allen head screws for the chain slider from Race Tech Ti.

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    It all turned out pretty decent and the TM Designworks Power Lip chain rollers add a splash of color.

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    Next up, disassembled the rear brake caliper and carrier to be ready for a Titan Classics UK ti rear caliper kit. The kit comes with the slider and carrier pin bolts, the pad pin and grub screw, the bleeder, and a ti nitride coated ti piston. I have a similar kit coming for the front caliper as well, it all shipped out today. Keeping with the Galfer theme of the brake system upgrade, I have HH sintered pads ready to go in.

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    I have ti mounting hardware in transit for the TM Designworks rear disc guard.

    Mounted up the Zeta Racing billet heel guard and the TM Designworks chain guide. Ti hardware in transit for these from Mettec.

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    It all seems to work together, like I had planned

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    Finished out the day's effort by installing the Core Grip frame guard/grip tape. I wiped the frame down with acetone real good and heated up the frame with a heat gun, to make sure everything went on nice and will stay put

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    I had custom wheels made up by Kristin and her folks at Dubya Wheels, but when I opened them up...the rims were not the ones I spec'd. I had ordered the Takasago Excel A60 rims (stronger and lighter), but the wheels showed up with the standard Excel's. I sent an email to Kristin and she responded within 5 minutes and she handled the situation like a champ. She sent me a shipping label to return the wheels, and they are going to build me a new set of wheels that I'm going to pick up at their shop in Orange, CA next Friday. Kristin kicks ass! She also happens to be the daughter of Tom White of White Bros. fame. Looking forward to getting a tour of their shop.

    I also had an issue with the IMS 3.1 gallon tank that I'm going to be putting on this build. The tank requires that you remove the OEM fuel pump from the stock tank and mount it on the IMS tank. Well, the aluminum mounting ring that is cast into the tank, had a little issue. The threads for one of the mounting bolt locations wasn't machined exactly perfect, I tried to make it work, and it ended in tears. The threads pulled out when attempting to tighten down the flange, thus ruining the tank. I knew it, but proceeded anyway.

    I sent Ken at CRF's Only an email and told him what happened, and that I needed to buy another tank....he said hell no, call Steve at IMS and tell him what happened, so I did. Steve was SUPER cool about it and offered to replace the tank free of charge. Only problem...he didn't have any tanks in the natural color I wanted and asked if Ken happened to have one and they could work together to get it sent out. So, sent another email to Ken and he called me immediately, he was able to find a tank for me in Pennsylvania, and that he would work directly with Steve at IMS to take care of the details. NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

    I called Steve back and told him I was going to be out in SoCal next week and I would bring the damaged tank to his shop so he could take a look at it. So, on Monday, when I'm heading back out there for work, I'm going to swing by IMS in Riverside, CA and meet Steve, return the damaged tank, and get a tour of their production facility. Not a bad deal. A new tank would have been another $325.

    I received an email from Ken yesterday afternoon that the tank had shipped and would arrive in three days! I have nothing but great things to say about Kristin at Dubya, Ken at CRF's Only, and Steve at IMS. Great people and amazing customer service. When most companies are using COVID as an excuse for their shitty service, these folks delivered in spades.

    I will post up how it goes next week.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
  6. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Slow day in the garage today, not really much goin' on. Decided to work on a few things that were more of a "getting ready" thing, and less of accomplishing a whole lot. Just tedious little details that would have to be done later.

    Worked on the front brake, vacuumed the fluid out and removed the caliper and the master cylinder from the OEM brake line. The line will be replaced with a custom Galfer line to match the rear line and got the brake line set up with the speedo cabling and line clamp.

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    Ti special shoulder bolts from Mettec, to connect the clamp to the brake line and the speedo cable to the lower fork guard

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    Removed the speedo sensor ring and got it mounted to the new Galfer full floating wave rotor with ti special bolts from Mettec.

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    Disassembled the front caliper to get it ready for the ti special parts coming from Titan Classics UK. Busted loose all of the slide and pad pins and chased the threads to get rid of the OEM thread locker. New Galfer HH pads to go with everything else Galfer and ti caliper mounting bolts from Mettec.

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    Worked on the front brake res. New billet cap and rotator clamp from Works Connection, Blue ultralight banjo bolt from Moto Stuff and shorty pivot lever from Zeta Racing Japan. Ti hardware is on the way from Mettec and is scheduled to be delivered next Tuesday.

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    Performed the same surgery on the clutch side, installing another shorty pivot lever from Zeta Racing.

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    Last to be tackled was trimming a couple links out of the new DID ERVT gold narrow x-ring chain to shorten up the wheelbase a little bit to help the steering.

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    This will prolly be my last post for awhile, as I'm going back to work tomorrow. I'm basically dead in the water anyway, without the suspension, tank, wheels, and smog delete kit. Gonna be dropping off the IMS tank tomorrow and picking up my new wheels on Friday.
     
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  7. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Got a message from Colton Udall at Champion Adventures today. One of the critical pieces that I needed to keep moving forward came back from anodizing and is going to ship out today.

    This piece replaces the thermo housing and the housing for the air injection fitting for the smog system that is being deleted.

    Before:

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    After:

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    The OEM temp sensor threads into the top and the billet fitting replaces the thermo housing and the air injection housing with one clean piece. Once that is installed, I can begin buttoning up the cooling system and install the Works Chassis Lab engine mounts, the exhaust header, and the new tank that's coming.

    What I really need now is my suspension....gonna give my guy an ultimatum on the suspension. Get it done, or put it back together in the stock configuration and send it back to me and I will send it to someone who can get it done. Hate to do that, but they have had the suspension for almost three months and there hasn't been any movement.

    I also dropped off the defective gas tank at IMS this morning in Riverside, CA and showed them what was wrong with it. They were super cool about it, no worries. It was nice to meet those guys. The replacement tank is in the shipping system and on it's way.
     
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  8. lsc86

    lsc86 New Member

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    Top notch detail as always! You got stock in Ti?
     
  9. Camp

    Camp New Member

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    That is an impressive project you've got going. You mentioned Mexico, are you planning a riding trip there? Where are you going to mount the handcuff chain so you can secure it to yourself bodily?
     
  10. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Hahahahaha, been going to Mexico for years. Learned right off the bat, don't leave anything out in the open, and if ya can't do that, make sure you tie it down good and use a BFL. I can sum it up in two words - Enclosed Trailer. Most places I stay at have security guards and it's beneficial to slip the guys a little cash every day and give them a cerveza or two. If possible, you put it in your room.
     
  11. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    No stock in ti, but it's better than having a drug or alcohol addiction. :Whistle:
     
  12. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Because somebody called out my titanium fetish :Whip:, today I ordered up the rest of the titanium bolts I needed. Still on the fence about axles, doubt I'll do it...about a grand more for those. $1015 for the front, rear, and swingarm pivot axles and that is a little too rich for even my blood. The OEM wheel axles are pretty light already, the swingarm pivot is more hefty, due to the stresses that encounters...but I still can't justify another $1015. I have Works Chassis Lab soft upper, and medium lower, tuned motor mounts for it and I need to sort out the three bolts for lower mount bolts. These are oddball lengths 121, 123, and 134 mm's. They aren't off the shelf items, so I'm talking to my fab guy about getting two 130's and one 145 mm and having him cut them down and chamfer them for me. Those three bolts are about a hundred bucks.
     
  13. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Got a message tonight, my suspension is done. Shipping out tomorrow.

    1.) Revalved for my type of riding, vet intermediate, desert
    2.) Special lighter springs for my weight. 0.48 kg/mm for 147lb rider
    3.) Internally lowered 30 mm front and rear

    Going to pick up the Dubya wheelset at Dubya in Orange, CA tomorrow morning.
    Two Mettec titanium orders delivered today and one order of special titanium bolts from Race Tech Titanium coming tomorrow.
    Titan Classics UK titanium order cleared customs and left the UK this morning
    Two orders of etched aluminum bolts from Pro Bolt getting delivered tomorrow
    Smog/thermo delete kit delivered today
    Custom graphics for fenders and lower fork guards delivered today

    Those are the last of the parts I needed to complete the build...just need the time in the garage to get it done.
     
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  14. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    thats excellent news ,
    how's the 35?
     
  15. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    The 35 is dead in the water. Haven't heard from Mike and I haven't contacted him. Our last conversation 3-4 weeks ago was frosty, to say the least. Letting shit thaw out, lol. I'm going to be getting a lift for that project, so I have to get this 450 build done. Suspension shipped out this morning, going to pick up the wheels in an hour, or so.
     
  16. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    what lift ?
     
  17. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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  18. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I bought a Handy like 25 years ago (they were still like $700-800 back then). Just had to replace the wheel vise last year. One of the best purchases of my lifetime.
     
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  19. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Picked up the wheels today from Dubya Wheels in Orange, CA. The owner, Kristin Anderson, is a super cool lady. They have a nice facility and a lot going on.

    The wheels, mag color anodized Talon billet hubs, black Bulldog stainless spokes with red nipples, and black Excel A60 rims. Should look really decent when mounted.

    [​IMG]

    Suspension should be back next Friday.....
     
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  20. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    After the trials and tribulations of dealing with the utter disaster concerning the first suspension company I used, the 2.5 months it took them to actually get the components done and on their way back to me, and then UPS losing the forks and all that has turned into....I actually have some very positive news.

    I was turned on to a company in SoCal called AHM Factory Services. They specialize in preparing mx, supercross, and desert race motos for a lot of pro racers. I have been emailing the owner, Brandon Peterson, for about a month now about reworking the components when I got them back, as I didn't have a high level of confidence in the work that had been done. Today I had the opportunity to take my shock to him in Yorba Linda CA and meet him in person.

    We sat down and went over the shock and what he is going to do to disassemble it, inspect the internals, revalve, install a custom length spring and bottoming damper, and lower it 30mm. He told me exactly what he was going to do to make sure it was perfect and guaranteed that I would be very happy with it, as they have done extensive testing of these CRF450L forks and shocks. He said they do about 2 sets of CRF450L suspension a week now. Then we started talking about what I could do about replacing the forks. Brandon showed me all of the components that he had and the options available, if he was to hand build me a set of custom replacement forks. He is really going to hook me up, unbelievably so.

    This is what I decided to do:

    1.) Strip a new set of fork uppers of the gold anodizing to make them bare silver
    2.) Have the stripped upper tubes hard anodized in clear to preserve the silver and to make the parts more wear resistant
    3.) New DLC coated stanchions in black.
    4.) New cartridges with caps, machined to allow the forks to be lowered 30mm. This mod is 100% reversible, they will machine an extra groove for the retaining clip, so that it can be moved to the lower position, or the OEM position, while still being able to use the stock length springs.
    5.) Machine a lowering spacer to allow the 30 mm lowering, while still maintaining 98% of the OEM fork travel. 100% reversible to stock at any time.
    6.) New bottom axle lugs, vapor blasted and left silver to match the upper tubes.
    7.) A complete revalve for my weight and my ability ( vet intermediate), set up for aggressive desert riding.
    8.) New springs for my weight
    9.) Final assembly with new SKF seals and wipers, bushings, and quality fluid.

    He is doing all of this for the price of $2400. Promised delivery in 3 weeks or less. This is a screaming deal, considering all of the extra work and coating upgrades, when compared to the $2050 price for just a set of OEM Honda forks. Needless to say, I was very impressed with Brandon and his operation. In the end, I have to think about the fact that all things happen for a reason, and now I'm not the least bit bummed that UPS lost my original shit. Actually, I couldn't be happier. The best part is UPS is going to end up reimbursing me for the forks and I will end up spending $300 out of pocket for a set of custom forks.

    More to come when I have some updates.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2020
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