Project Tiger 500 Conversion

[SpeedBump]

Well, just got back a while ago....spent some time on the phone with Dale...now back to the Tiger parts. I will have some pictures here later. I got them. Better than I expected. There are 2 complete front ends and 2 frames that can be restored to original with some work. I only got one complete engine, but there are lots of spare parts. I really am excited about this project. For you tiger owners out here now, I WILL have some spare parts that I will NOT need. There will be some parts I will NOT sell or trade off, as they may come in handy later on. Please don't bomb me with questions yet, as I haven't had much time to get things organized. I can say this. There WILL be a Tiger 500 3 wheeler @ TrikeFest. It may or may not be running, but I will be trying as hard as humanly possible to have it driveable. Busy , Busy, Busy...gotta go get pics. :w00t: :w00t: :naughty:

[Orangecnty250r]

Cant wait to see them. hope the flash is working over time as we speak.

[SpeedBump]

Well, here are some pics.........I will post them up, then come back later to try to explain some stuff about them....if it needs it. ;) Well, there it is. Damn shame it has the quad front end on it. Oh well, that will be off soon...maybe tomorrow!!!! Until then, here is a bit on the Tiger. It was raced a few times as a 3ww, and then the BAN. The front end got removed and stored in the basement out of the weather. It has been there ever since. The triples are in real nice shape, save for a couple knicks and rubs marks (from cables). The # plate is original, but says PF at the bottom. Not sure what company made it, but it is what came with the bike. As for the #55, anyone wanna guess where that idea came from? :wondering I will let you know later...gonna give some guys a chance to post up and answer. Back to the T500. The engine is just sitting in there, not mounted. He is unsure about which frame was set up for the Big 500. His other son also had one, but converted it over to use a KTM 520 engine. I actually think this one is the latter, as the lower engine mounts seem to be too high. I will work on that later. I just HAD to see it in there...wow is it BIG! Love it! The seat/pan is original, but needs a new cover. I am gonna try to have one made for it, or just buy a nice 250R one for it.

[SpeedBump]

This axle,(previous post) awesome piece. All hand made, chromemoly and billet aluminum. hollow, light, strong and totally adjustable. You can shorten or lengthen it from about 36"-50"...way cool. Still uses the standard 4" x 4" stud spacing. These ARE the ORIGINAL rear wheels. Mint.

The hubs are N.O.S. pieces and so is the brake hub. Never mounted. There are about 4 sets of rings for a 200. The big ***** piston is a stock 500 and came with 2 more sets of rings. Very hard item to come by. This one (back in 97) cost $240+ . Getting VERY scarce now. There is a set of tether kill switch cases, no guts. 2 brand new countershaft sprockets. The white bag contains a master cylinder rebuild kit, and the clearr bag has 4 new rubbers for the rear Master Cyl. The pipe sitting on the seat is a Bill's Pipe off the 200/250 Tigers. It is used, but not too bad of shape. There is one dent in the main chamber, and a couple small dings at the bottom. Very good item. The pipe sitting on the wheels....that is the 500 pipe. It is also a Bill's Pipe, but has a rare AC Racing Silencer on it. The stocker (along with another) is still in one of the boxes. They are a bit beat up, but one is still very usable. :D

[BigGreenMachine]

Mint! Crazy how a year or two ago a Tiger tank or fender on eBay would have been a miracle but now Speedbump here has a Tiger 500. Awsome score. Sell me the axle? 10,000? lol j/k

[SpeedBump]

This is the HEART of the beast....at the moment, needs a new ROD. The crank, tranny and topend are ok, but it bent and ruined the connecting rod. The spare crank is the same way. I guess when you run these things at 100+MPH and things break, they REALLY break. (Raced TT and flat track with it on 17-35 gearing) They modified this particular topend to accept a CR500 piston. It needed bored out a bit, and then the CR piston gets trimmed at the very bottom of the skirt. The head also needed a bit of machining to get the compression right. Very easy mod, from what I am told. He said he would be happy to fix me up a couple pistons if I buy em. Sweet.


Check out the difference in the 2 pipes. The SMALLER one is the 500, Odd eh? Much different bend too. Anyone got any reason for such a small pipe on such a big engine?

[hrc85250r]

it all depends on bore and stroke, i dont know exactly how they are related to size, but i know they change pipe length, diameter and general size...

[erectordale]

wow you was not kidding when you said you had parts lol great find Craig will you let me peak next week lol

[Orangecnty250r]

What a discovery. Nice!!!!

[90nut]

WOW nice. If you need a new seat cover that looks almost original let me know. My buddy has an upolstrey(sp?) shop at their house. Its kind of a side buisness but any way he does awsome work. If you want to do it all you would have to do is get me some measure ments and color sceme and send me your old seat pan and good stuff and he can probably have it done in a week or so depending on how busy he is. If your foam is junk he can make you a nice new foam for it that is prety much identical to your old one. Let me know man.

[SpeedBump]

For sure. :D These are not the best pics....just some misc parts and such. need more time to organize. Some useful items in the lot for sure. Can't wait to get started on this one. 6 weeks and counting.....am I too late to enter in the Triker Build Off? ;)

Here is the NOS front fender...check the price....cool. Too bad you can't still buy one for that....CHEAP!!! Spare cylinder....this one is wiped out. Needs a new sleeve, and a bit of the inside welded up. Took off a small chunk when it blew. The spare set of triples/forks. Badly rusted tubes, but the triples are in mint condition. Nicest of the 3 sets for sure. Probably gonna use them. There are 2 more Bing Carbs. 55mm----- HOLY GAS GUZZLERS!

[90nut]

just let me know when you want to do it so I can have him get everything together.

[SpeedBump]

just let me know when you want to do it so I can have him get everything together.Ok, I will keep you guys in mind. I have a guy that we have been using for years for our car restorations...good friend of the family too. If he is too busy, I may have to find another source, so thanks for the offer.

[RideRed250R]

nice find!
adam

[SpeedBump]

200/250 clutch basket...this is off the engine you bought Dale. Looks to be in excellent condition too. A complete transmission...got another one too. (in another box somewhere.) 3rd set of trips...not in very good condition, not all beat up, but the anodization is about gone. Here is the cap that your tank needs Orange. Did you get my email I sent through Ebay? (I would like to talk to you about the spare Tank, I need it) Trick looking billet sprocket hub. Stack of sprockets...2 piece ones so you can change them without having to pull out your axle. Sizes here go from 35-42.

[BigGreenMachine]

Man these things were tricked out, alot of tech for an old bike. The frame is really bare bones too, must be why Tigers were so light.

[erectordale]

man did you ever make a great score lol looks like a lot of fairly unused parts

[SpeedBump]

This is the other tranny(buried in the box), spare clutch basket and lots of new and used plates. There is another clutch sidecase and a spare stator cover too. The center cases were tossed due to a catostrophic engine failure! Hate when that happens. :p Another stator, bunch of semi-usable airfilters. There are some more coils/ignitions too. Here is a good item for you guys doing the 200/250s. This head was being modified for more compression. They take the head, build up the inside of the dome with weld, then get it machined out to spec. This one has not been machined yet. How bout a complete front brake assembly? I know somebody that needs this puppy! :naughty: :naughty: Lastly, a hammered, cobled pipe. This started out life as a Bill's Works Pipe from a 200/250. It was rewelded and twisted here and there to fit into the TRX250R chassis. The owner claimed it worked good, but looked crappy, so they built a new one...John, you got the new one on your Tiger.

[Orangecnty250r]

Thats the missing top to the tank alright. $225 its yours and i'll end the ebay auction since your a member of the board and you've had a great find. Thats a deal for a tiger tank!! I was just planning on keeping it and repainting it if it didnt sell. I had a hard time even listing it for having the fear that I'll find another tiger someday with a boogered up tank.

[erectordale]

Ok speed bump whats your price for parts lol think about it we will chat saturday

[SpeedBump]

Only a few more...until tomorrow....gonna do some cutting!!!! :w00t: This bad boy will be a 3 wheeler in no time!

[Lots_Of_Nothing]

I sure do hate the looks of those tigers.. But if nothing else, I love them tripple clamps.

Very cool though, Should be a nice one once you finish with it.

Too bad they never made aftermarket tripple clamps for the Honda machines like that, them things are sexy.

What MM are the forks on that thing?

[SpeedBump]

Tell me when ya tired of looking! I will quit posting! :w00t: These are the main junctions to be cut....gotta hand it to Dave, they did a nice clean job.....for a conversion. Most people wouldn't be able to tell these weren't factory built. Pics of the stock swinger...shortened, and modded to accept a 250R shock. Probably gonna have a new one fabbed up...... +6 extended....give or take a few inches. This one looks like it would be just as hard to get back to correct lenght and all.

[SpeedBump]

What MM are the forks on that thing?
34mm, I think. Dale, Orange, John?

[SpeedBump]

Took lots, I know...I was excited! :rolleyes:

The fender that is on the front end now, has a big ole crack....it can be fixed, I'm sure, but d-amn, what a shame. Good thing I got the NOS one. I will use this broken fender as a guinea pig. I want to try to sand it down to the original white color...the years have turned it this pale off white color. They should be bright white. You can see it's true color by looking into the actual crack. Check out the rubber marks on the underside of the fender....do you think somebody was jumpin her? I would say so! Close-up pic of the original front tire. Looks like they ran this in the winter too...can't think of another reason to have small holes in all the center knobbies...possibly screws. Not the best quality welding eh? Notice the difference in these 2 footpegs...they are both left side pegs, but one is welded way off. I am planning on cutting that one off and turning the mounting boss so sthat it will work for the right side. Only have 2 lefts and a busted right, so gotta make this one work.

Ok, this is the other frame...this one was taken into a wall at 60+ mph. Cost him a month of rehab and lots of pain. The frame is crushed like an acordian. Kinda hard to see in the pic, but boy did it crunch. The good news is ONLY the quad section got damaged...the trike frame on back came out unscathed.
I think I will be using this frame as my project. Doesn't look as good right off, but after checkin it out closer, I think it will be the easiest to fix. I will be making a new post that will follow my progress with this Resto....forgive me if I don't make it a SUPER restoration like some of the guys here, but I really just want to get it back up and running, looking halfway decent for TF05. After that, I can spend some serious time makin it REAL nice. Good night and enjoy the pics.

[Orangecnty250r]

Keep the pics coming!!! I love them all. If people dont want to see them they dont have to click on this thread.---Look at the number of hits already--We're interested.
I want to see that front end back on that frame. Hope your working on that right now.
I would try to salvage the swinger since it looks like a good part/Chunk of it is original.

[Jeb]

Great stuff! Was the radiator in the quad frame for the 520 KTM motor?

Oh yeah, if you need a new slide for the carbs, trying making a new one out of a 125cc piston! That carb is HUGE! :eek: :p

[BigGreenMachine]

Oh yeah, if you need a new slide for the carbs, trying making a new one out of a 125cc piston! That carb is HUGE! :eek: :p

LOL nice one.

Keep the pics coming. I know you won't hear anyone complaining.

[SpeedBump]

I got to chopping today...I actually got out the VideoCamera and TAPED the whole thing!!!!!!! I will be working on editing that over the next few days....time permitting. Here are a couple pics of the frame being cut up! Gotta luv it! 4 wheeler converted BACK to a 3 wheeler!!!!

[SpeedBump]

Hackin', cuttin', CHOPPIN' !!!!

[Lots_Of_Nothing]

What are you going to do for the steering neck?

[SpeedBump]

Do the pics ever end? I am going through batteries like a madman...but it is worth it, isn't it?

The pic with the screwdriver pointing to a section of gusset, that looks to be a stock piece of the frame....could one of you guys verify that? The welds look good on it, so I am assuming he didn't ddo it. I am being serious, not knockin his welds or nothing, as it is sure hard to get into some of the spots that needed weled up. I went through 4 cutoff wheels and also used the recip-saw alot.

[erectordale]

hers a pick of my 250 frame Craig hope it helps

[erectordale]

bet your day at work was along one just couldn't get to that tiger lol

[SpeedBump]

took about an hour or so....mostly done now. Got alot of precise grinding to do. The frame is WAY lighter now that the front end is free of that OTHER piece! ;)

Now, looking at the front where they chopped it off, it shouldn't be too difficult repairing the gooseneck. I will have to figure out the head angle and such, but Dale is kind enough to bring his frame over and we will get some measurements and such to get it as acurate as we can.

[SpeedBump]

bet your day at work was along one just couldn't get to that tiger lol....Tuesday-Friday only.

[SpeedBump]

This is starting to make me VERY HAPPY!!!!

[SpeedBump]

WITH the Tiger!

Gotta get that angle right....looks close there, but needs to be a bit higher. The pic you posted up, helps...that piece looks like a steering stop. Gonna need measurements. Also, that frame looksdifferent from mine. Mine has flat ox section up front, and no downtube. Gonna need to compare it to John's 500 he has been hiding away....

[SpeedBump]

....all mocked up. Way cool!
I am tired, my brain hurts and I can't sleep.
Need parts, need pieces...need time!

[SpeedBump]

Done for now...more in the near future for sure.

[Billy Golightly]

Looking foward to seeing that thing on the strip next to my CR500 conversion :)

[erectordale]

looking great Craig the frame i posted pics of is the early style the one i will bring is a new style. when i come out won't be able to spend the day as i have another trike to get out of ny think my son might chase it as its his dream to own this 350x

[SpeedBump]

Looking foward to seeing that thing on the strip next to my CR500 conversion :)
will look great!!! ;)

[Billy Golightly]

If I dont get my swingarm and subframe, you are absolutely correct! :eek:

[Orangecnty250r]

This should be some race. Get building guys!!!

[AirManCam]

Nice score!! Keep the pics coming.

[toyota200x]

Man you are doing so much work it is crazy. I love trikes and everything but I don't know if I could take on that project. Keep up the great work.

[88 Turbo Coupe]

Craig, I'll take some measurements tonight of my "500" yoke after work for ya.

[Kintore]

question is, can you handle it speedbump? lol
just kidding, man you are a machine. That much work in a few days. Cant wait to see it at TF05.

[350Xhilaration]

That was less than one day.

I stopped out at 10:30 AM and he was still in his bathrobe :wondering he was tellin me how he was gonna tear the quad front end off before the end of the day... :eek: I told him he'd better get his butt movin...he did.

[chris200x]

this thread is better than watching a movie. This is great. Makes me wanna drive across the state to help out anyway I can. I hope everything goes smoothly for you speedbump and keep up the good work.

[SpeedBump]

funny you should say video.....click HERE (http://users.adelphia.net/~cinnamonlou/pics/smallwalktiger.WMV) to watch a small clip from the end of the hack job. I am still working on the actual removal video. It is a whopping 8.5gigs. I can't host anything bigger than about 3mb, so I gotta do some serious editing and then go through the compression BS to get it down a managable size. I will keep ya posted. This clip is kinda chopped up for a quick look. You get the idea.




Craig, I'll take some measurements tonight of my "500" yoke after work for ya.
Thanks a bunch...pics would be good too, if ya get a chance later on.

[big red 24]

looks good man nice job :cool:

[350Xhilaration]

Let me know when you're ready with the vids...I'll host them at www.350XRiders.com

[88 Turbo Coupe]

It was kind of difficult to take measurements for you. Instead I made a template of the yoke and upper frame pipe. You know the pipe that's under the gas tank. This will accuratly give you the palcement of the yoke height and angle in relation to the frame. I hope this helps. (no charge)

[hrc85250r]

sweeeeeet tittays...

[brapp]

that is awesome, the motor looks like the ktm495motors, i think thier really really close if not the same, and no offence i rode the 455 ktm dirtbike yeah its fast but not 100+mph fast mabey high 90s but i knwo the 250 tiger i have is insanly fast, and the guy i bought it from says the 500's wrent much faster than the 250's but he hasnt been on one since 86 when they stoped racing them. so i dunno if i really belive hin, btu i may just ahve to brign it out and see what one is faster? but i still think mines cleaner, just need to brush the dust off a bit. :beer http://predator.bikepics.com/pics/ktm-tiger250-85-bikepics-289327.jpg

[Orangecnty250r]

yeah its fast but not 100+mph fast mabey high 90s but i knwo the 250 tiger i have is insanly fast, and the guy i bought it from says the 500's wrent much faster than the 250's but he hasnt been on one since 86 when they stoped racing them. so i dunno if i really belive hin, btu i may just ahve to brign it out and see what one is faster? http://predator.bikepics.com/pics/ktm-tiger250-85-bikepics-289327.jpg[/IMG]

Sounds like a challenge to me-- That 250 Is very clean --lets see some more pictures of that beast.

[Xowner]

IM PISSED im outta of posts to read! LOL

speed bumb whats the evil laugh in the video of the walk around for? lol

[AirManCam]

that is awesome, the motor looks like the ktm495motors, i think thier really really close if not the same, and no offence i rode the 455 ktm dirtbike yeah its fast but not 100+mph fast mabey high 90s but i knwo the 250 tiger i have is insanly fast, and the guy i bought it from says the 500's wrent much faster than the 250's but he hasnt been on one since 86 when they stoped racing them. so i dunno if i really belive hin, btu i may just ahve to brign it out and see what one is faster? but i still think mines cleaner, just need to brush the dust off a bit. :beer http://predator.bikepics.com/pics/ktm-tiger250-85-bikepics-289327.jpg
If you ask me, I think you should stop being cocky and bragging about your bike. And Yes yours might be cleaner NOW, but I will give speedbump 5 months tops then his will blow yours out of the water. And yours isnt that clean. You should sand the finders to get them actually white again. And as for 500's not being much faster than the 250s, I would have to say atleast 10-15+ faster. If you ask me thats quite a bit. By the way, if you want clean tigers..you better search this board, and .org, and you will find some amazingly clean ones.

[Derrick Adams]

So lets have an update!!!!

[toyota200x]

brapp quit being so cocky. I can't believe you said that. :rolleyes:

[SpeedBump]

So lets have an update!!!!
Nothing new to tell YET. Been super Busy at work...no spare time. I am just getting ready to head out and finish up the frame...well, finish grinding and getting it ready for the gooseneck to be restored. Dale is coming over tomorrow to pick up his Tiger 250 engine and probably some other odds and ends. He is also bringing me a spare frame so I can get some measurements and dimensions of the front tube. Hopefully by tomorrow night, the front end will be finished and ready to go to the powdercoater.

Unfortunately, I will have NO PICTURES of the progress....my wonderful wife accidentally knocked my Camera off the PC desk and now gotta get a new one. I can take some pictures with the video camera, but they don't look real good. Not real high quality, but I guess they will have to do.

Check back later tonight for some added info. :naughty:

[BigGreenMachine]

Sweet, no complaints from us man, your doing a wonderful job.

[SpeedBump]

Been grinding for hours.....WOW he had piles of weld on that frame. I am so glad he didn't go chopping this thing up that badly. The bottom frame rails are in great shape....only a couple small dings here and there. Not all bent up or rusted out. I only got one bottom rail done...I gotta get up fairly early tomorrow...YAWN! Anyway, got BOTH tops finished....they look good. It was real hard getting to some of the areas that needed ground off. I had to be extra careful up top, as the Quad front end needed to be welded directly over the original frame welds. I didn't want to grind right through and mess things up. In the end, I had to just smooth out the factory welds too. I think it will look great after it is all powdercoated. Here are some pictures, and keep in mind, these were taken with my camcorder, and not my camera. They are fuzzy but give ya an idea of how things are going. :w00t: Tomorrow, I will start on the neck as soon as I finish the last bottom rail. Fab time.....!!!! :D

[SpeedBump]

Thinkin about grinding all the welds...would make it look real smooth!!!! Lotsa Work...not sure If I got time to be honest! ;)

[SpeedBump]

Few more coming. :p

[SpeedBump]

Pics, blah blah blah! :cool:

BTW, looks like there is a # stamped on the side of the frame.....054.....could that be say a production #...as in this particular Tiger500 is the 54th one built? ANY input? :wondering Cool none the less....sounds like a good story, so we will stick with it! :naughty:

[AirManCam]

I say you say screw the powdercoating, and just polish the rest of that frame!! That looks great!

[Orangecnty250r]

Man you're doing a nice job removing that stuff. Keep up the good work.

[Derrick Adams]

No way are you going to have that done for Trikefest! WAY to much work and not enough time.

[Orangecnty250r]

No way are you going to have that done for Trikefest! WAY to much work and not enough time.

I'm thinking even when he's working he's thinking and planning what to do with this tiger. He probably dreaming of tigers if hes even sleeping. He said it wouldnt be show quality for trikefest (that would be in the future). He's a man on a mission. He hasn't posted today because he's working on the frame tube as we speak I'll bet.

[3tigers]

i believe the number 54 stamped on the side is the production number,all my tigers have numbers stamped on them as well except the 80.i had 2 tiger 125's and they had different number stamped on them.my buddy has a brand new 125 frame that was used for making the pipes and there is no number on it.

[350Xhilaration]

He might be working on it now...but he wasnt any time before 1:30...he was running a yard sale. LOL

[BigGreenMachine]

its 12:37pm in NL and everything looks fuzzy so the picks look good. lol Thats a chromoly frame or aluminum?

[SpeedBump]

Chromoly.....and I got ZERO done today....unless you count makin a couple $$$$$ @ the Yard Sale and A few more selling some Tiger Parts to Dale. Tomorrow after I cook the BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD breakfast and clean up too, I will go out and finish the last section of frame, and work at the neck some. Dale kinda forgot to bring the frame with him so I didn't get any measurements. I will get to it soon enough. Patience my friends...and Derrick....It WILL be Ridable for TF05....maybe not 100% finished, but it will be there. There really isn't that terrible much to do....the engine will be the biggest task....as for the frame....close now.....the neck shouldn't be that difficult...just a tube, exactly the right size, welded on at precisely the right angle. Easy! If I can get the dimensions...inside and out...I will be able to get it machined for me...get the right angle...BAM! Gooseneck. Trust me.....

[RideRed250R]

well SB can i call * SB? anyways, ** a skilled dude and all the stuff * have turned out has been really nice, so take your time and spin it out on your own time, i think it will be a clean sun of a gun withn its done.
adam

[Derrick Adams]

So How's It Coming!!!???!!!

[SpeedBump]

Piston is in....been trying to get in touch with Tony Murphy about the connecting rod. Talked to Jody about machining the steering stem. Trying hard to get it ready to roll....Keep your fingers crossed for me. Weather has been crappy too, and that has kept me from the frame. (Can't grind inside with my Father's Babies there, makes dust! Heaven Forbid I would make dust in a GARAGE!) Anyway, you got any news on your 500?

[Derrick Adams]

Well, it's mine. But I can't start on it until the previous owner has the transmission fixed. When I test rode it, it only had 1st and 2nd gear. Doubt it's a big issue but their fixing it now. I hope to get started on it before the end of the week. Once they figure out what's going on i'll get the parts I need tore off and to the machine shop.

I should make it to TF, no problem. You, on the other hand.....

[350Xhilaration]

He'll be there...I can't see the Tigger making it under its own power. Too many obstacles along the way. He might be able to bring pooh though... :rolleyes: