USGPRU F-450 bike build

(by Geoff Maloney, owner of GPTech)

Once it was announced the USGPRU was going to have a class for the 450’s I gave Stu Aitken-
Cade a call to see how we could help support the class. Initially Stu didn’t realize we even made
parts for the Yamaha YZ450 conversion.

There was a lot of debate going on the web about the real cost of building and racing one of these
bikes. With everyone voicing his or her opinions about the class, Stu decided that in order to
break through the Internet noise, he needed to build one himself. But running the series meant
that Stu simply didn’t believe he had the time needed to build one. I thought if the only thing
preventing Stu from converting a 450 was the time and effort it takes to put one together, why
not volunteer GPtech’s time.

Stu wanted to do the project for under $8,000 including the cost of the donor bike. We see many
of these beautiful machines built by Roland Sands and others, that clearly run in the $15k-20k+
range. We wanted to show that you could build a good bike for a lot less money. In order to
meet the target price we were going to use a few second hand parts in addition to the conversion
parts we manufacture.

It was agreed that Stu would search for the second hand parts and arrange delivery of the parts
to GPtech for the build. All we had to do was put it together (I thought I had the easy part) – If we
could do every build this way it would really help speed the production. Stu did a fantastic job of
finding top-notch quality parts in very good condition.

It was my job to provide Stu a list of parts we needed for the build, and in what order. We set a
target date of 14 September so that we could run the bike in a USGPRU race. That left us a good 5
months to find, buy, ship, build, and test a new bike.

With the objectives and constraints laid out, we started on the project. The following is how we
did it, lessons we learned, and the cost to pull it off.

Part 1: Find the donor bike!

We figured this would be the most expensive and time-consuming part of the build as Stu would
have to find a good used bike and ship it to us. We needed to find a 2006 or newer Yamaha
YZ450F in good condition for around $3500. Miraculously he found a bike on Craigslist for sale
less than 5 miles from our shop. The bike was listed for $3700, but a little haggling got us a very
nice 2007 bike for only $3300. I thought to myself that the project was off to a way too easy
start. I was right – it was way too easy – all I had to do was throw the dirt bike carrier on the
trailer hitch and pick it up.
Before getting the bike back to the shop we cleaned off some of the grease and dirt at a local
spray wash. Most of the grime came off but you could still tell the bike had a history in the dirt.

Once you have the bike, the conversion is rather simple. If you have all of the parts sitting on the
shelf, it takes about a day to tear down and build a roadrace bike.

Part 2: Strip it down

The first task now that we had a bike was to get the bike up on a work table and start stripping
parts. It takes about 1 hour to get the bike to a starting point for the conversion. The list of parts
to remove is as follows:
• Front forks
• Front brakes and controls
• Exhaust system
• Foot pegs and controls
• Rear shock
• Front and rear wheel
• Plastic bodywork
• Rear foot master cylinder
•
At this point, with the bike on the table and ready for the build, all we had to do was wait for Stu
to find the other parts we needed. Some of the key aftermarket parts Stu needed to find were the
front forks from a 2005 or newer, Yamaha R6, the front wheel, rear wheel, front and rear brakes,
and TZ250 bodywork.

While we waited we installed most of the components that make up the conversion parts.

Part 3: Install of conversion parts:

FRONT STAND BRACKETS – GPTech spacers with oem engine mounts

We suggested to Stu that he needed to purchase the front stand lift brackets. The set
makes the bike easier to remove the front end and service all front end components without
binding or holding up something we needed to remove. The brackets allow you to easily remove
the forks and service the head bearings/triple clamp. You can use a “milk crate” type stand
under the bike to accomplish the same thing but the weight distribution makes it “teeter back”
when you start working on things.
To make things easier we put the bike on a work table and installed the front stand lift kit
(consists of 2 engine mount brackets mounted backwards at the front lower part of the engine)
Once the engine mount plates are installed we run a steel rod through the forward holes. Simple
jack stands are used to support either side of the rod. Now the front of the bike is suspended in
the air without any interference to future installed parts.
REAR STAND SPOOLS – not installed
The only way to attach swingarm spools is to permenantly weld or tap on the swingarm.
We didn’t want to weld on Stu’s bike so I left the job up to him. We inserted a rod through the
rear axle and lifted the bike using the rod rather than a set of spools. To remove the wheel we
used a set of peg stands to suspend the rear wheel (you can easily use jack stands to do the job)
SME swingarm spools with chain adjusters are available, however you can’t remove the
rear wheel while it is suspended on the rear stand. On the GPtech 450 we use the SME
spool/adjuster combo – when we need to change the rear wheel we put the bike on a set of peg
stands.

Part 4: Long-lead items

FORKS –oem ’06 Yamaha R6 forks with Penske modified internals

The front end was first on the list. I asked Stu to find anything R6 (from 03-09 will work).
What we needed from a R6 were: forks, triple clamp set, clipons, one caliper, one disc, axle with
spacers, and a front wheel. Stu decided to use the oem R6 front wheel to save a few bucks. Once
the lower triple arrived, we pressed the R6 stem out and installed the GPtech stem in the lower
with a bearing that is the correct OD for the YZ headstock. The stem is longer and allows the R6
triple set to be installed in the YZ450 headstock. The top triple clamp was still in transit at this
point. We sent the forks off to Penske to do the job of installing roadrace valving. We would
have to wait much later to install the rest of the front end due to the service.
SHOCK – oem YZ450 rear shock with Penske modified internals
The rear end suspension is a little simpler on this build. Normally we sell an Ohlins shock
to replace the oem unit (simple bolt in installation). For this project we wanted to see if we could
make the oem dirt shock work with our setup. We sent the shock to Penske to do the job of
installing roadrace valving and shortening the overall length by about 25mm. Once we got the
shock back it was a little too “springy” - so we sent back to get it sorted – once we received the
shock back a second time things seemed to be closer to the ball park. At this point we put the
shortened/Penske modified oem shock back in the bike. Torque the two bolts to spec and job
done.
We started with the forks and rear shock first because we knew we had to send them off
for service – this adds time to the project and we wanted to make sure things were done quickly.

When the suspension was off getting done we started installing the rest of the parts.

Part 4: All the other bits that need to be sorted

STEERING STEM – GPtech stem with ’06 oem triple clamps

We make a longer steering stem (with OD and ID matched to fit R6 triple clamps (‘03-‘09).
We press the old R6 stem out and then press the GPtech stem in place. We include one tapered
bearing and one spacer (for top triple). Customers can send in their triple clamp and have us do
the service or we can send the stem to them so they can do it. After the stem is pressed in, all
YZ450 nuts, spacers, and washers are used. All is torqued to YZ specs.

STEERING DAMPER – Street & Competition damper clamp (no damper)

This another one of those parts that nobody makes a specific kit for (as of yet). We attach
a steering damper clamp on the left fork leg and then enlarge one of the holes in the radiator
mounting tabs. We use a rod type damper – affixing the eyelet end to the radiator and the main
body of the damper fixed to the fork clamp. The damper runs underneath and inside of the fork
leg (just above the front tire). The damper is a little too close to the centerline of the motorcycle
(providing less dampening force than if it were mounted on the outside of the fork) but still
provides ample force to stop headshakes. It is rare to experience wobbles or headshakes on this
bike even with the damper off (the chassis is very long and does not do anything unpredictable)
Stu was unable to find a damper the right length in time for the bike at Ohio but the bike
was stable enough that it did not need one right away.

SETBACK PLATES w REARSETS – GPtech plates with Valtermoto rearset

The setback plates (plate with multiple mounting holes) are designed to work with
Valtermoto type 1 rearsets (for the Yamaha R1 ’04). The universal design of the plates accepts
other manufacture’s R1 and R6 rearsets (with slight modifications most aftermarket rearsets will
work with the GPtech plates and shifter arm. We set the peg position at the same height as the
GPtech bike – no other adjustments were needed.
SHIFTER – GPtech shift arm
The shifter arm allows the use of rearsets. The shifter arm converts the shift pattern to
reverse shift (up for first, down for 2 thru 5th).
We make the shifter arm with very tight tolerances (splines machined into the arm are
only slightly larger than shaft coming off engine – it is a tight fit). The arm faces upward (only
way to install correctly). Hold in place (lining up splines in shaft), make sure the bottom of
shifter is relatively flat (parallel) to lower frame rail, tap the shifter in place.
SHIFT ROD – GPtech
The rod we manufacture is a good length for the Valtermoto rearset combo – depending
on what rearset manufacture is used you may need a longer or shorter rod. It is important to get
the angle of the shift arm and the angle of the shift lever parrelel to one another. This allows
smother shifts if everything is aligned properly.

BRAKES (rear) – R6 oem foot master

Once rearsets are installed it is easier to use a R6 or R1 oem foot master cylinder than the
yz oem foot master. The feed hose is cut to length and we use a 15cc remote reservoir mounted
to one of the subframe tabs. Stu was able to find a perfect used R6 item on Ebay for $19.

REAR BRAKE LINE – Galfer line

A longer rear brake line is required. We made the line to allow the rear caliper to be
removed when installing/removing the rear wheel. When the wheel is removed it needs to clear
the back of the swingarm with the caliper on the disc. The line is made a little long and loops
through a clamp affixed to the swingarm. The clamp keeps the extra hose from flopping around
while riding (a zip tie could also do the job but you would need to cut it each time you changed
the wheel)
BRAKES (front) – R6 oem caliper & disc, Brembo 16x18 master, Galfer line
When you eliminate one caliper it is important to get the correct size front master
cylinder. (the oem R6 front master is too large for just one caliper). It does not matter what side
the caliper/disc you decide to use – (we used the right side caliper because the brake line was
easier to plumb in with the Galfer brake line we used)

DISC – (front) – R6 oem (RH side)

We only use one disc/caliper. We mounted the disc on the right side of the wheel.

CLIP_ONS – oem R6
The oem R6 clip-ons were used but any 50mm I.D. clip-on will do. The oem clutch perch,
hot start lever and oem YZ throttle will work with the clip-ons. It is important to rotate the
throttle so the throttle cables do no bind.
WHEELS – Galespeed rear wheel with oem R6 front wheel
To save a little money Stu decided to use an oem R6 front wheel with a Galespeed rear
wheel. The Galespeed wheel is a 5” wide forged aluminum 10 spoke design. The wheel has a
cush drive built in so it is easier on the transmission. (a 4.5’ width is also available) We
shimmed the rear sprocket out 1mm to get a little extra clearance between tire and chain (we
also put a 1mm shim behind the countershaft sprocket to match the rear setup)
EXHAUST PIPE – oem YZ head pipe, GPtech mid-pipe, M4 stubby canister
For this project the pipe was somewhat of an unknown. Nobody that we know of (at this
time) makes a production pipe for the YZ conversion. What most builders tend to do is use a
production motard pipe and twist around into a position that works, then secure it. This is a
good alternative but we needed to make something more similar to a production part. For our
own race bike we use a Graves header pipe, Graves canister and a mid-pipe manufactured by us.
In order to keep costs down and still have something functional we decided to use the oem YZ
head pipe (dimensions of the oem header are very similar to most aftermarket pipes). M4 made
a “stubby” old school canister and we made the mid pipe. This project allowed us to develop two
production pipes with two different silencers.
FAIRING BRACKETS – GPtech brackets
Nine brackets total do the job of mounting the TZ250 bodywork (all shapes and sizes of
TZ bodywork is available so our brackets needed to be somewhat adjustable).
Front – this bracket holds the CDI in place and also has an adjustable tube that picks up
the locating nub on the inside of the fairing nose.
Upper – “handlebar” shaped bracket keeps the “ears” of the upper in place, provides
additional support to the upper.
Side – one for each side, these brackets mount to the case covers and hold the lower in
place
Side lower – two simple flat brackets hold the rear of the lower in place (using holes that
mounted the oem foot pegs)
Tail front – locates the holes in the tail at the front – four holes are drilled in the subframe
to mount bracket to subframe
Tank rear – mounts atop the tail front bracket – prevents the back of the tank cover from
moving side to side
Seat base – provides support (and dampening) for the underside of the tail section. Two
holes are drilled in the subframe.
Seat rear – two brackets use the rear most mounting holes in the subframe to locate and
secure the rear mounting points for the tail.
TANK SKIN – GPtech tank cover
 The tank skin is only a fiberglass cover over the oem YZ tank. We cut the side locating
holes first, this way allows us to determine were to cut the hole for the gas cap. Once the side
holes are drilled rotate the cover down into place – the cover will make contact with the filler
hole. We marked the hole location and went at it with a dremel tool. Once the large hole is cut
we rotate the skin down into place, affix the side bolts loosely and then attach the rear of the tank
to the front seat bracket. Note: we run the clear breather hose from the oil overflow (from
airbox) to the left side bolt/spacer that mounts the side of the tank, we ziptie the hose to the
bolt/spacer so the end of the hose is sticking out from under the tank – if the oil completely
puked out of the bike it would exit here and would be very noticeable to the rider (it has not
happened but it is a nice safety feature to have in place).

OIL CATCH – Graves oil can with 2nd puke overflow bottle
The oil catch system is one of the most important parts to install. When the bike is held
wide open for long periods of time, oil has a tendency to blow out the breather tube coming off
the top of the valve cover. To combat this problem we install a Graves overflow system. It is
important to re-circulate the oil back into the engine and still keep a breather for the engine.
Bolt the assembly to the side of the motor, install the oil fill plug (with spigot). The hose
coming off the valve cover goes into the left inlet on the catch can, the right hose goes back to the
airbox (into a catch bottle with breather). A smaller hose exits the bottom of the can and feeds
the oil fill plug.
Set up this way, the oil blows off the head and goes into the catch can, refilling the
crankcase through the oil fill plug. Any excess oil still can blow by and will be caught in the
secondary catch bottle in the airbox) It is important to prevent the secondary can from spilling
any excess oil. (GPtech secondary catch can kit available – consists of hose, catch bottle, correct
spigots – this same setup could easily be made with readily available parts from your local
hardware store)

CHAIN GUIDE – Graves guide

Another important part to install – the guide keeps the absurdly long chain in line and
prevents the chain from “rubbing” the rear tire. Graves manufactures the guide and provides
detailed directions on how best install the product. We move our guide over a little (towards the
outside of the bike) to get a little more clearance. If you decide to move the part out some be
sure to also space the rear sprocket and countershaft sprocket to match (the GPtech bike
sprockets are spaced out 1mm to get a little more room).

CHAIN – RK 520 O-ring

The swingarm/wheelbase on these bikes are very long, because of this the chain gets a lot
of abuse. It is best to purchase a high quality Oring chain. Stu sent one over and we put it on.

OEM CHAIN GUIDE – OEM guide modification (under swingarm)

This is a simple job but crucial to gain more clearance when installing/removing the rear
wheel. The chain guide is located on the bottom of the swingarm. Remove the guide and enlarge
the holes on the inside of the guide (to match the tapered head on the replacement bolts) . We
replace the two bolts holding the assembly to the swingarm with tapered head bolts inserted
from the inside (now the nuts are on the outside of the guide). This makes the inside of the guide
slimmer and does not interfere with wheel installation.

H20 CATCH OVERFLOW – Motion Pro bottle

Keeping the same overflow hose that comes off the radiator, we just attached a Motion
Pro catch bottle to the right side radiator and fed the oem hose into it.
CRASH MUSHROOMS - Valtermoto
One for each side mounted in the oem yz foot peg mounting holes. The left side protects
the shifter arm and the right side protects the rear master cylinder, pipe and a couple other parts
that you don’t want damaged in a crash. The GPtech bike has been crashed a couple of times and
the mushrooms have done a very good job.
SAFETY WIRE and service
Initially the build did not include us doing the safety wire or giving the bike new oil and water as
Stu planned to do the last jobs at the track. Once the deadline was getting closer I knew we were
going to run out of time at the track. Plus we wanted to see how things ran on track before we
delivered the bike to Stu so the decision was made just to go ahead and get it completely track
ready ahead of time.

Part 6: TO THE TEST TRACK

To give the bike a shakedown we mounted our spare tail section and an extra set of
wheels we use as spares. We did not run the upper or lower for this initial test. We gave the bike
the initial shakedown test at Gingerman Raceway (in MI). The track holds regular Wed. evening
practice (5:30pm to 8:30pm) – Michigan summer days are longer. Bikes trade off ½ hour
sessions with a few cars, normally you end up getting about 2 hrs of riding in. The amount of
available track time in the area has contributed to our speedy parts development program (20+
hours seat time this year alone).
Upon starting the bike we realized the jetting was a little off. We changed the main to 175
from 165 (same as GPtech bike) but there were a few more subtle adjustments that could have
made to make the bike carbureted better. After the bike warmed up it ran better but still had a
slight hard time idling. Note: For whatever reason the Yam 450 does not like the throttle blipped
too fast. On our bike you kind of blip the throttle, but more slowly than a two stroke or other
bike (this bike was similar but more severe) The YZ uses a accelerator pump so maybe this has
something to do with it. It is a non-issue but something you need to be aware of if you are
blipping the throttle coming into your starting position before the race.
First impressions were the rear shock was way too “springy”. It wanted to pogo through
the turn. (Lap times were around 5 seconds slower on this bike than the GPtech YZ) We left the
clickers alone and just focused on any run issues the bike may have.

Our job at the track was just to make sure all nut and bolts were tight and the bike was doing
what it was supposed to do – they were tight and it did the job right.

Part 7: TO THE RACES

There were still a few things left undone but Stu assured me we could get them done at
the track. I figured we could get these done on the Thursday night before the practice on Friday.

The next morning we drove to Mid-Ohio for the USGPRU and AMA amateur finals. I found
out (about 10 miles from the track) that they were running a “twighlight”or evening practice. It
looked like we could get the GPtech bike on track so the job to get Stu’s bike ready got put on the
back burner. Once we got to the track I had enough time to get both bikes prepped and ready but
Stu had not showed up yet.

We got the wheels over to Quinten at Bridgestone and he mounted up a fresh set of
Bridgestone slicks.

I still was a little worried by the rear shock performance. It was just way too soft and
“springy”. Doug Crawford, who wrenches for Jamie James, was at the track working with another
rider. Doug knows suspension and has plenty of Ohlins tech and service center work history.
Dough pushed on it and confirmed my concerns. With a few clicks here and there he was able to
get the shock into a workable range.

Now all we had to do was mount the bodywork – Stu was bringing the set of freshly
painted TZ250 glass with him. He was running late so the job would have to wait. I’m not a big
fan of grinding fiberglass, so I let Stu have at it. We still had to do the tail, upper and lower, and
he was grinding and cutting away while we attended to our own bike. We were running practice
with Josh Herrin on our 450, at the same time he and his younger brother were shaking down
their own version of a 250 supersingle build. To say it was a little busy in our pit was an
understatement.

The front bracket adjustment made fitting the different TZ bodywork easy. The clearance
from the upper fairing to the clipons was a bit tight and would pinch the riders hand. With a
small spacer added under the triple clamp, the bars were lowered 1 inch and the clearance was
perfect. The only other modifications to the upper fairing were on the inside of the fairing where
it met the radiators. This had to be trimmed back with a dremel, which took about 5 minutes to
grind and test fit.
The tail section needed to be drilled for the mounts still. Holes for the rear most mount
were made and grommets fitted. The front of the tail section had to be trimmed back as well to
fit around the tank cover. This was the trickiest part, and required a good 15 minutes of grinding
and test fitting. A sharpie was handy as we would mark the areas to trim, then run back outside
to the dremel for a little grinding.

Once all was in place and ready to go all we had to do was start it up and hand it off to Stu.

We checked the tire pressures and gave a good eyeball inspection of everything else.

We use a roller starter (base with electric engine turns two rollers – simply back bike into
and push a pedal). The bike is easy to push start within 20 feet but a little practice makes
perfect. We use the roller starter because things get a little hectic at the last minute sometimes
and I don’t want to be pushing my rider around the paddock while he figures out the best
throttle application to start the thing.
We fired it up before Stu walked over like a factory rider and hopped on and took off.
Simple . . . or so I thought.

It was nice watching Stu fly past on the first lap. I waited for the second pass but Stu
never came by. I thought the worst at first (after checking with pit out they said he had a
mechanical) Well at least he did not crash and is OK. Now I was left on the side of pit wall for 20
minutes while I racked my brain as to what broke or went wrong. I found out soon enough what
happened – he ran out of gas! Who delivers a bike and leaves the tank empty? Me that’s who!
(Sorry Stu)

Apparently Stu made it one lap plus a few other turns. He said it quit making power and
started gurgling at the end of the back straight. I m sure he thought he destroyed his bike. I can
only imagine with all the false nightmare stories of how they blow up ringing in his head, he was
thinking the worst!
 It was good to hear Stu was happy with the build, ride and performance of the bike. It is
rewarding watching someone purchase your products and be completely satisfied with what you
did, especially a whole converted motorcycle. I hope the bike lives a long life as a roadracer –
here is to many happy hours in the saddle.

All in all it was a very smooth build – I wish we had Stu to help with all the parts sourcing
for every build.

So the objective of the build was to make a solid race bike for under $8k. Did we make it?
Yes and no. We clearly made a very solid, competent race bike that will provide many years of
fun racing. But we didn’t make it on the target budget. The bottom line came in at the mid $10k
range. Sure we could have cut a few corners and used some lower quality parts, but in racing
that approach rarely saves money in the long run. We used quality new and used parts, and got a
very nice machine for a reasonable price. Now it’s time to go put some race laps on this thing.
Maybe this winter we’ll drop in a high-compression piston and a few other hot bits. . .
Once the bike is on track there are a few things to look after:

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Oil level – 1150cc units of oil
o At high-speed tracks with the throttle wide open for long periods of time oil will
“puke” from the breather tube off the valve cover. Once the Graves oil catch kit is
installed with the secondary puke bottle you can easily keep an eye on how much
oil is “puked” off or if there is not any at all. Simply open the secondary overflow
and check – sometimes there may be tracks where you can run a little or less oil
depending on your needs – this is the best way to monitor it.
o We usually get a little bit (about a tablespoon) in the bottom after a weekend. We
changed the oil in our bike 5 times in the last 40hrs. It could be changed sooner
but we keep a close eye on the color and monitor the level (I here of other guys
changing the oil every weekend).
o We constantly check the oil level before each day (and sometimes throughout the
day) adding new oil when the level goes below the recommended manufacturers
recommendation.
Chain alignment and wear on oem guide –
o The Graves guide keeps the chain in a straight line from sprocket to sprocket while
the oem guide prevents wear to the swingarm and also keeps the chain riding
along the correct path.
o The angle of the swingarm and where the chain rides tends to wear through the
oem chain guide quicker than normal. We keep an extra guide in the spares each
weekend (just in case). We use a few oem chain guides throughout the year (the
chain wears into the oem guide and creates a trough that the chain rides in) This
wear is more aggressive depending on what gearing you use.
o We use a 15T countershaft (I’ve seen a 16T used but things are very close to the
cases and I have not been brave enough to risk it). The rear sprocket we normally
use is a 40T. 39T works but wears the oem guide very quickly (approx 2
weekends) The 15/40 combo works well enough at all tracks so we don’t switch
to 39 unless we need just a little more top end.

Total cost of the build:

Item Cost Shipping Total
Donor Bike $3300 0 3300
R6 549.95 0 549.95
forks/brakes/controls
R6 front wheel 200 40 240
R6 front fender 19.99 14 33.98
R6 rear brake 19 14 33
M4 midpipe 480 0 480
M4 silencer 195 0 195
TZ250 bodywork 811.30 124 935.30
Painted bodywork 200 0 200
Galespeed rear wheel 1158 0 1158
Steering stem kit 310 0 310
Tank cover 280 0 280
Shifter kit 98 0 98
Shift rod 28 0 28
Setback plates 134 0 134
Graves oil can 130 0 130
Brake lines 76 0 76
Motion Pro catch can 8 0 8
Front stand lifts 41 0 41
GPTech brackets 475 0 475
Damper clamp 43.50 0 43.50
Penske shock work 198.85 19.40 218.25
Penske fork rebuild 600 75 675
Bridgestone tires 356 0 356
16mm front brake 200 0 200
master
Steering damper 125 0 125
Chain/sprockets 193.75 15 208.75
Frame sliders 51.99 0 51.99
10,583.72