Building a Vintage Road Race Bike

Did you know that there is a Road racing club in Canada that caters to Vintage bikes?

The Vintage Road Racing Association (VRRA), Canada's classic and vintage roadracing association, was founded in 1980 by a group of enthusiasts who just wanted to get their treasured machines back on the track. Their avowed purpose: to ensure the preservation of racing motorcycles and to maintain the traditions of racing vintage, and now classic, motorcycles in Canada.

Since the club was formed, it's kept up with the times by allowing later models to compete. The current cutoff year is 1989.

Last year I came across a Kawasaki F7 175 Enduro that was complete and running. Since a recent rule change allowed this model to race , It was purchased and brought home to undergo it's transformation.

F7 Kawasaki

From what you see above, the frame and engine were the only parts to be re- used.

Most of the parts needed were sourced from a Vintage Swap meet in Milton and eBay. Alloy rims, Honda Forks, Yamaha Steering stem, Suzuki T20 Hubs, Clip- ons, Fibreglass seat, 1966 Bennelli Fuel tank, Mikuni VM 34 Carb. Hagon shocks. John Deere Snowmobile tachometer.

I did buy a few more parts bikes..just in case..

Mock Up

I didn't try to start the engine, just tore it down and rebuilt it completely. The transmission had a few pitted gears that were replaced.

Engine Rebuild

Because the bike was originally built for dual purpose duty, there was never any performance exhaust pipes made other than a high pipe version. To overcome this major obstacle, I bought an expansion chamber design program and built my own pipe.

Coming Along

It was decided because of the relatively low output of the engine (21HP) that no frame bracing would be added to keep the weight down. If it proved too flexible later, we would add as needed.

A slightly larger carb was fitted to match the engine modifications.