BSA B50 -500 APG Build

[Koncretekid]

Oh yes, I need to welcome NSF Ed to the forum.  I'm guessing that NSF stands for "not sufficiently funded", but I could be wrong. He has been my "pit b*tch" since I started going to Bonneville and Loring, and hopefully intends to continue!  He might even bring his CB175 roadracer one of these times.
Tom

[NSF Ed]

Originally, NSF was "not so fast", but now both meanings are true!  Are you still planning on going to Loring this year?

[ol38y]

Tom, you might want to see what kind of lean angle you have before dragging also. Just a thought.  Nice work on the fairing by the way... 

[wobblywalrus]

Tom, Forking by Frank in Evansville, Illinois makes extended tubes.  They made some tubes for me.  The quality was excellent and the price was very reasonable.  Do not forget to add an extra half inch belly clearance to account for frame flex.

[nrhs sales]

now you just need to hope AMA makes rules that will allow it to run.

[Old Scrambler]

Longer forks will push the wheel forward.............a 21-inch rim will raise the height about 1-inch from your 19-inch depending on the tire. Check-out the modern HD style treads or look at the venerable Avon. This will allow you to raise the rear with a taller tire and/or rim size and basically keep nearly the same rake, trail, and wheel-base. The larger radius front tire will cause clearance issues with the fairing.  It will be narrow which should improve aero and offer reduced rolling resistence on the salt. ALSO.........remember Wobbly's front weight problem on his stock forks.........Just my 2-cents.............

[Koncretekid]

Time to get back to my build.  After a 3 week trip to Colorado to have Christmas with my children and grandchildren, got back home and ended up in hospital with pneumonia, just back up to speed and learned of the passing of my good friend Ralph.  If any of you visited my pits at BUB or following at Miller Raceway, you might have seen Ralph, either in his golf cart or just sitting in the pits.  His trip out to see me was to be his last big adventure, as he succumbed to complications from an injury sustained while at boot camp in the U.S.Marines at age 19.  Ironically, one of his first big adventures was a trip with Russell (who brought Ralph out to Bonneville from Maryland in his motorhome) and me to Europe in 1970 where we toured on our BSA's (what else?)

I sourced a nice pair of used Suzuki GS450 forks which are 2 " longer than the Honda ones I was using.  I then spent a few hours making brackets to mount a new fender.  Also had to make new axle spacers to keep the wheel in the center.  Upon re-mounting the forks and fender, it is obvious the fender or the fairing will have to be modified for clearance.

[Koncretekid]

Here's another view of the fender and new forks mounted on the bike.  I seem to have about 2" on ground clearance now, although that's without the rider.  A new larger rear tire will add a bit more clearance.  We have cut the sides out of the fairing as a way to service the motor, rather than trying to figure out a good way to remove the fairing.  You can see how Doug added a flange to the cut out, by gluing wooden blocks over the previously cut out side, and then adding a 2" wide strip of fiberglass to the inside.  I then re-connected the cut out with Dzus fasteners.  The last photo shows the tail piece cut out required to make it legal for BUB APS class.  Doug said no problem, so I guess that's what we'll do.  I'm up to about 30 Dzus fasteners if I include the new tailpiece.

[Old Scrambler]

Looking real fast.............I like the cut-outs.............Your glass-man will get the front figured.........you need some air to get to the motor anyway!

Sorry about losing your friend..........we all seem to be experiencing some of that!