OW01 History

News update.
Well, I went ahead a purchased the Yamaha ow01 that was on Ebay. I reckoned I'd never have the same chance if I hadn't without going through the hassle of trying to get a restoration project from Tokyo or somewhere obscure?
So the next thing was to try and find some authorities on the bikes and start looking around the forums and classifieds for any parts or info. It's gonna be a month before I get the bike back from London so theres lots of time before I see what needs to be done.
It's an 89 model which was road registered in 2002 but with an 89 reg plate.
I managed to get in contact with a guy who still races the model and who is sponsored by the main authority on the bikes.He mentioned he remembered racing against the very bike and that it was quick but that it apparently blew it's engine on a dyno..he also game me a name of the person who raced the bike.

So a few googles later and I was on the phone to PDQ, a company who worked on high performance bike building.The technician who raced the bike still worked there and the previous owner of the bike had also worked at PDQ before starting up on his own.So the question was, obviously, was it fast and did it blow on the dyno?

-"no, the engine never blew on the dyno! the owner was curious as to where the engine came from and what it's insides looked like as when he got it and dynoed it the results were so impressive it was deemed as something a bit better than a std tune.back wheel gave 138bhp and the parts on the bike were very trick.Rumours abound that it was an ex works loctite engine.In fact, there were a lot of rumours surrounding the bike but nothing ever really became worked out.The owner stripped the engine and when putting it back together managed to over torque a bolt going into the cases which stopped the rebuild.And that was that.It's got some very serious parts on it, including a race gearbox, race ported head, flatslides and then the frame has a yec gusset kit fitted...also there are loctite stickers painted over on the carbon fibre fairing..so we reckoned it was a full race engine built by a pro..had a race tacho and ecu as well..."

All good news and the rebuilt should be fun.Lets hope so anyway! I'll be updating the site once I start unpacking the bits n bobs.
One thing that I hadn't seen around were pictures of a bike with the YEC frame gussets.I searched and searched, only finding pics of standard bikes or race bikes that didn't have the frame race kit option.
Then , finally on a forum, this bike turned up, Eddie lawsons daytona winning Ow01:

and one more from Italy with frame gusset and swing arm strengthing

You can see the extra frame gusset welded down to the swinging arm pivot over the cast part of the standard setup.
So, basically you have a deltabox frame which is based to take any amount and more horsepower kept together with Grandprix front forks (not like the öhlins above) and an öhlins fully adjustable on the rear.Mine doesn't have the race-kit swinging arm, but does have dymags, qd rear wheel, alloy endurance tank which is slightly larger, and a flatslide/harris airbox:

so, all pretty exciting anyway.Can't wait to pick up the bike and start the strip down..although..famous last words...

One step closer..

The logistical nightmare of buying a race bike over the phone in another country has taken one step forward.If everything runs as smoothly as it should, I should have the Yamaha ow01 moved to a garage in central London awaiting pickup once I'm over there.
I've also been in contact with the authority on Ow01's who has already been very helpful and has 3 sheds of spares when or f required.
The OW01 is quite a rare beast but I have to say I do prefer them more in race guise than standard road bike. The bike I'm buying, which I've put up as pics in another post, has several race parts and also some other parts used back in the day for racing.For example, the radiator isn't a race-kit part but a kawasaki radiator used by many OW01 racers as they were curved and more efficient.
The bike is road registered. But lacks standard parts like a starter and of course a wiring harness.I also believe it was running a total loss ignition set-up.

However, the gutz of the bike are one of the 140 imported to the UK. Currently it has a yzf engine installed , but comes with the original ow01 engine in boxes. Apparently the cases had a hydraulic lock and snapped a lug off on the inside. I reckon that should be fixable.The pistons have been die-tested and cleared but require rings which have been sourced. The crank has been knife-edged and bulldogged and carries titanium rods. So X-mas shopping list will include a complete gasket set.

There are some other interesting parts.Endurance alloy tank which is slightly larger.Harris airbox.carbon mix fairings and seat . Flat-slide carbs Dymags carry the chassis.At 187kg as a road bike, it will be interesting to find out the weight with all the goodies.

Anyway, full strip down for the winter on the way.Will post updated pics and info throughout the winter.
Oh, and the picture? It's not my bike, but I'd like to replicate those lines for the project bike!

OGK STEVE HISLOP FF-4 Helmet

on the way...

Not this one, but a new one on the way.
Hizzy was a legend and a true road racer ambassador for Scotland.

OW01 awaiting a buyer....

Project RED

Bodywork is all carbon mix ,Afam chain and sprockets with spare chain and sprockets ,Race Kit Cams ,Gas flowed head, Race Kit gearbox ,Race kit pistons ,Knife edge crank and bull nosed but rusty, titanium con rods ,Race kit cdi ,Race kit breather ,Flatslide carbs ,Race kit Airbox ,Race kit Radiator,Race kit frame,Dymag Wheels,Race kit Exhaust full system, Spare front wheel with discs,Extreme tech steering damper speed sensative ,Original WP steering damper ,Ohlins rear shock with hydralic preload adjuster but taken off the shock.Spare body work with 2 spare belly pans and other parts in a box also spare crank cases.....

Not this one....

But one of the original OW01's that made it to the UK...
phone call's been made.Basically a complete factory engine that never got put back together and requires some  work, but just to keep things ticking along , a YZF750 engine is fitted, together with the kit airbox, full exhaust and flatslides.

Suffice to say I'm interested....

A cacophony of megaphonitis!

Anoraks of Sound need only watch and enjoy...you gotta be a petrol head to understand, me thinks..

Bark...of the MV!

gotta love that bark!

and the best to last..the 6 cylinder..

Honda thought they'd copy and have a shot..

Honda went insane with the amount of cylinders and cubic capacity...sounds good though

Current builds..

Things been moving since my last attempted update which ended on the scrap pile.
..basically it's been musical chairs since the inception of the RED project.
The main problem I have is that I really don't like going half way on projects.
I found a great body for the project neck but it was an American Standard trem setup and had a "swimming pool" route...okay, that may actually sound awesome AND the body was real light, running in at 3,6lbs..
But, at the same time, it's a schecter neck and I do have a red / tangerine Schecter  body running in at 3,5lbs   with a relic pickguard setup. So Red will be that.
At the same time, I finally put the Relic 77 stratocaster hardtail together. I've had her parts on a lighter 76 body but felt she deserved to be put back together despite the 70's heavy Ash weight.
Just to ensure the fingers got a workout I fitted Rotosounds 13-54's and tuned down a half.
A genuine fender 76 neck and neck plate will be fitted to the super light 76 body.
A genuine signature SRV 12" radius will be put aside as the RED takes shape.I've been offered an SRV signature body at a good price, but I'm not sure..it's like..innovate, don't copy 100% , if you know what I mean..
..the EJ relic I put together is a good example..with 59 thin skin custom shop scatterwounds and genuine relic bakelite 50's parts , its not exactly the same as the std EJ strat..

Updates to follow..
oh, and lets give cred to the crazy Swede who uses 2 zillion marshall 50 watt heads and no floyd..

ProjeKt Red

So you kinda guessed by now what the plan is...or was..you know they change around when your in projex time..
So the SRV "red" guitar will be the rough plan but the parts are Schecker , including custom body in iroko which is really light, and the newly acquired neck which is a reverse head with rosewood board and made by L'arrivee guitars in Canada.I'm actually surprised it didn't sell sooner as the quality by L'arrivee is second to none and just looking at the pics I was impressed.
Schecker at the time were getting parts also made in japan but at some point they pointed their finger to Canada and here is the result.
Of course, a lot can happen before the neck actually arrives as there is a very heavy 77 hardtail strat body and a 78 tele body..we shall see...

1+2

part 1

Bucharest European Championship

In 7 a side rugby.
Ticket is booked.
Team is picked.
I'm heading as a technical advisor.
Tough group but already getting ready for the challenge.And when the word challenge comes along , the pipes come along...

Projex

Currently waiting for news from the states as a friend will be bidding on an item that is only available in the USA. It's a steal imo if I'm fortunate enough to get it and more news will follow.
Looking at building a tele with a scatterwound neck humbucker and handmade scatterwould bridge pickup with a gatton bridge and saddles..
As usual the body is the main issue with regards weight and finish but I have found a new body whichy may be spot on for the tele.
I'll update as parts are sourced and purchased..

A must have..

If you like the SRV texas shuffle then this recording is a must from his early days.
Uncomplicated and brilliant..(well, as uncomplicated as he gets..)

Yes yes

We've all heard it ...but..I never get tired of this song and I stumbled over this version on Youtube which is a version I'd never heard previously..so enjoy!

Special...

I'll kick off first and foremost by saying I'm not really that familair with Zappa and his library of music.
But now and again somebody posts something or I come across something and his genius or sheer incredibilty falls on my lap.I always loved "the torture never stops" from the very same Barcelona concert which can be found on the Tube..but this actually leaves a mark..just love the sound/tone/feel and the whole composition of the song is brilliant.Really leaves a mark, this one..

Scottish funk?

In a Galaxy far far away...
..feels like that anyway, but a while back I listened to a band headed up by Jesse Rae..
The bass playing on the  only album he released was firmly left in the memory banks..
So nowadays with Spotify making every obscurity available at the touch of a key, try giving it a listen.
Fav bass playing on "inside-out" and his voice and music really seems to go a 360 on his stage image..
actually, the man always dresses like this and is currently involved in Scottish politics so at least he dresses with intention!

Back to the music though, Scottish funk, dressed in traditional scottish dress...not something you come across every day.

Just found this on the Tube..from 2011..didn't know he was still performing..he must be about 100 years old..



talking of classic and original acts...

Muzzy Works fitted and wheezin' n poppin'!

Not forgetting this is the OEM Silencer. You can see yourself how the down-pipes are pretty standard stuff, same diameter the whole length into a rather heavy and clumsy collector box and a silencer that weighs in @ "too much"...

The Verdict?
Well, having only driven the K1 with the stock silencer, I have to say I was getting used to being ever so quiet and being the neighbours best friend.The Stock silencer really kills any race sound what soever and almost strains when your giving the beans..I really don't enjoy hearing the top end louder than the exhaust tone..
So, after the change and once the +2 advancer was fitted, I hit the start button not really knowing what to expect..
Upon start up, the first thing that popped into my head was, "what happened to the silencer packaging"...
Suddenly I'm starting on a grid waiting for the lights to turn green.Total race sound, from the front end to the rear.Revs seemed to raise much easier, probably pipe and advancer..it's just a raw sound thats hard to explain..I was slightly worried that there would be a lot of blow-by as things seemed a bit too loose..but instead it's just raw...a raw roaring rawk would pretty much summarise...It's balls have just dropped and it's become a man , instead of a geisha gal..even though all my bikes are she's...so a she-male perhaps?
If you've ever worked with hand-made exhausts with 14 springs and 3 peice headers you'll know how interesting it gets...a spring tool was bought but it ended up useless of course and I was left with a trick of pulling springs from an old Norton tuning book from the 40's..worked a treat.
I put away 5 hours to do the job from start to finish and it ended on 4...so not too bad when you consider the pitfalls..due to one of the headers hitting the cooler fan bolt I had to adjust plastic once I put the fairing back on...
Buts it's on and of course tomorrow is sunday and , well..."On any Sunday"...

Wednesday is play away..

So wednesday is the day I finally have some time from coaching teams or training myself and tonight I'll try and fit the Muzzy exhaust to the Zxr750k. I had to redrill out the rivets I added on the silencer as I managed to not notice the springs didn't fit on the sides but on the top of the silencer..doh!!!
I can't remember if I had to remove the rad to change the exhaust...and I'm not sure if it's a case of putting all the springs on prior to fitment..anyway, I'll soon find out..you know what it's like..your scrambling in the dark to fit that last impossible bolt...
No idea how the packaging in the silencer is gonna have her sounding..but just now the stock silencer is incrediblely quiet ..almost to the point of being dangerous , as cars can't hear you creepin' up behind them..
so , we shall see..hopefully this will be a more similar sound, although running straight air trumpets through the FCR's must be a nightmare to get the jets sorted..

Adjustable Wrap-arounds

Once I recieved the Gremlin Mountain Queen neck pickup I soldered it in, only to discover that once again I'd been sent a bad 'un. I contacted Mike and he replied immediatly with the news that he would send another and that I had been unfortunate. The neck pup wasn't dead, but the sound was very thin and my original mini humbucker was a lot better.So, fingers crossed the replacement is better.

So now that I'm developing the 61 Melody Maker, it's time to maybe look at upgrading the wrap around tail peice. To be honest I haven't check the intonation but by all accounts with an original it'll be off..maybe better off though..didn't really worry people back in the day and their sound was acceptable..
She's turning into a really great sounding guitar despite the thinness of the body of these old guitars..you can't beat old wood!

Edinburgh Blues Night live back in the day...

Back when I was a teenager I lived in central Edinburgh and every weekend we used to collect all the spirits we could find and pour them into a large cooking pot, we then passed round a small snaps glass and tasted the brew....it was usually always ruined by something resembling coconut or even worst, cheap wine...it all went in, and just like the magic potion in Asterix we all became invincible before heading into Edinburghs pub districts to listen to the blues...Blues N trouble were always the best band to catch, as The Preservation hall would be sold out and even standing areas included the tables..
It all changed with the advent of pissed off neighbours which ensured that decibel limiters were fixed above the stages around the pubs..the death of live music as we knew it..things would never be the same again and it was like watching the extinction of the Buffalo...


Once I'd moved to Sweden in the late eighties, early ninties, The BnT's played a gig at the local blues bar in Uppsala..I met up with them and we all got trashed on a free bar and some skin ups..good times and a fantastic band!

Muzzy AMA Supersport works exhaust

One night I noticed a guy in California was selling a full Muzzy exhaust system which he noted in the ad had apparently adorned Scott Russells AMA Supersport ZX7R..okay; i know what your thinking...they all did...
Anyway, 3 days later and it was mine. And when it arrived it's fairly obvious this is indeed a hand made exhaust.No idea if it did adorn a works Muzzy bike, but the amount of work in every section of the pipes, the plenums and belling of the sections and quality of the welding..held together with a bunch of springs..has me wondering..this is no ordinary standard pipe imo..

The ad also added the silencer packing would need changed..and the ends of the silencer had had the rivets removed.The packing was layered and extremely tight and wired to the baffle..thats the best way to ensure nothing gets baffled and the gases just head straight out! Loud pipe in other words...
The amount glass fibre and wire (all done by hand) was impressive and it took a fair amount of work to clip and unwind the wire and finally remove the baffle from the skin scratching packing.

Out with the old , and wrap up with the new..loose, so it's not as loud as a full race pipe.

Then I just got happy snappy once the pipe was put back together and the down pipes were slotted into the collector, awaiting springs..the headers go into a separate plug that goes into the head and attach by springs..as I said before..the workmanship per pipe section is exceptional and the pics just don't give it justice!

The weight of the entire exhaust is less than the stock silencer...