NUMBER EIGHT
His only disappointment was not being able to get blank Excel rims in New Zealand . Instead he opted for SM Pro blank rims , which he had drilled to match his custom made , machined from billet hubs . The hubs themselves were made locally , to a Maico design , but with backing plates specifically crafted to fit the Marzocchi Magnum 45 forks . The drum brake hubs have a much larger spoke flange diameter than a modern hub , so a standard pre-drilled Excel rim wouldn ’ t have worked without kinking the spokes . “ It was dearer to buy them undrilled than drilled and then I had to pay to get them drilled on top . But I wanted it right .” Not satisfied with ordinary materials , many of the components are made out of titanium . The wheel spindles , some of the engine bolts and the fork bolts are all titanium . Many of the chassis bolts are custom-machined from either aluminium or titanium , depending on their individual strength requirements . Even the kick-start lever is a masterpiece of CNC-machined Ti billet . All up , the bike weighs in at about 114kg without fuel , on an even footing with a modern enduro bike .
As it sits , the bike stands in at over $ 25k , not including labour . That ’ s not bad considering that a factory bike back in the day would have cost $ 60k to $ 80k , according to Peter . When he first got the idea for doing this project , a good , similar bike sold in the US for US $ 17,000 but as Peter says , “ Without blowing my own trumpet , it was nothing compared to this one .” The labour is the difference though . As Peter points out , it ’ s easy to buy standard parts and bolt them together , but starting from scratch with things like custom hubs is a real mission . Peter had the idea to build the biggest capacity XR he could . This led him to the US and an Engine Dynamics USA 591cc piston / sleeve / gasket kit . With the Megacycle 144- 21 cam sitting in the head , it should rev to about 9000rpm . The modifications don ’ t stop there ; the piston is guided in its travels by a Carrillo rod , the oversized stainless steel valves are kept from bouncing with larger stainless steel valve springs , the rocker arms are hard-faced and there ’ s a billet clutch to prevent any slip with the extra power and torque . All of the genuine parts were sourced new through Econohonda in Te Aroha .
Alloy tank is a work of art 591cc , Megacycle cam
Custom-machinedtriple clamps Machined from billet rear hub