It’s an airbox and intake for a Yamaha TZ250
very nice. looks complex. can you post pics of the mold?
Dang, awesome and this is from a former factory Yamaha mechanic too!
much props! Damn that did not look like fun to put all together! I would also like to see the molds if you want to post up pics
Thanks fellas. It’s actually gotten alot easier to make now that I’ve got some proper patterns for the carbon. I don’t really have to worry too much about the weave pattern lining up perfect since this is not a cosmetic part so that makes life a bit easier as well. All the molds all 2 pieces. I wish I could’ve used a bladder for a seamless intake but I suppose you have to cut some corners so that broke ass racers can afford to buy your parts. I’ll post up some pics of the molds asap.
Brian
How did you join the halves? That always seems like a good topic of discussion!
riff, It’s a pretty goofy way to do it but it works for this situation. Here’s a drawing of what I do.
I lay up the final layer which in this case is carbon kevlar after the initial layers have cured. This creates a fine edge where the two pieces will be joined together. I glue everything together with a mixture of epoxy, carbosil and tint it with just a dash of graphite powder. The light grayish color seems to make the seams a bit less transparent. If there are voids in the seams, I just fill it with the same mixture and hit it with 220 grit to smooth it out and then spray some duratec clear on it. I usually also hit the final piece with 2000 grit to make it not so shiny. I probably don’t need to worry so much about detail as this is a 100% functional piece and pretty much hidden away under the gas tank but I like things that look good too.
It says you were an ex factory mechanic? Did you work for Rich Oliver in his two stroke days?
I was a Kawasaki tuner…Hayden and Chandler. I have to say that with all the opportunities it afforded, I dont miss the lifestyle.
Congrats on the carbon boxes. I hope you sell a ton!
hybrid, I think Mr. Monster garage 
was a factory mech. As for me, I spend most of the early 90’s getting my ass kicked by Rich, Jimmy Filice, Chucky and a few others. So did you quit Kawasaki after 02?
Mr. Monster Garage…:p…
the guy on the right…
Yes, in the 70’s I was a mechanic at Orange County Cycles (Bob Maynards) which ran most all of the factory support MX race teams. My boss was Tom White of the White bros. (then national AMA #80 after Kenny Roberts)…we had the Monoshock MXer’s a year before anyone else and even when I went back to the factory for a new model mechanic seminar, the instructor didn’t know how to work on them, so I got up there and did that section for them…:rolleyes:.
hahaha how small the world is…
I left after muzzy was on his way out. I was so disgruntled with the way the system worked and how the team was run that I couldnt take it anymore.
I tried building engines for NHRA prostock dragbikes for a couple years but I hated working on the same three engines day in and day out. So I started taking in superbike stuff and the owner and I got into it one to many times about how his program was run, regardless of whether or not it made money.
So I went back to my roots…home grown racing.
I now take youngins’ and make them fast. I start with basic skills and then work with tuning to get them up to national competitor speeds. I teach them how to tune their bikes and chassis for when Im not around to do it.
Mostly, I just have fun. I build a lot of custom sportbikes, you know…flashy paint, polishing and chrome and some speed effects like turbo, NOS and straight engine.
I got into this stuff because I started building a total custom set of bodywork for a bike I had sitting around and I wanted to know how to make things without ruining all the time I had invested. It works so far…haha.
any chance of seeing the mold pics
Sorry it took so long. Here are some pics of the molds. They’re a bit dirty.
NICE!
I just did some ram air duct replacements for another bike.
Most of the airbox stuff Ive done was done the hard way. POURING FOAM AND TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT! ahahahaha
never seems to be any easier. I dont sell enough to warrant the work.
hybrid… it was no problem putting the time in as it was originally made for me and I didn’t really intend on selling any until people showed alot of interest. Oddly enough, most of the sales have come from overseas. Either way, it’s more than paid for the time I’ve put in so it’s all good.
Attached are some installed photos before I tested the pieces to make sure there was no problems.