I built this SBK the way I would have built it for myself, and that’s exactly what the owner asked me to do: Build the bike I would want to own.
In fact, I actually used the engine that Bruce Meyers built for my personal SBK (that I never got around to building). I love Ducati’s long stroke motors, but instead of a big monster Corsa engine, I wanted an engine that is as spritely and responsive as possible, matching the lightness and agility of my SBK chassis.
The idea behind the SBK was to build a machine as agile as possible, that steers significantly better than anything you can buy off the showroom floor. Such a bike allows its owner to become a better rider.
Because riding well and having fun is what it’s all about. High horsepower engines are not necessarily really conducive to having fun.
That’s why I picked this engine configuration: 848 crank case, lightened and balanced crank with updated crank bearings, titanium connecting rods, 1040 big bore kit with Pistal race pistons, ported and flowed cylinder heads with high lift cams, lightened 1098 gears with open clutch housing. It picks the throttle up like a shotgun blast. The engine breathes through a WSM carbon fiber airbox and ram air tubes.
Suspension is Ohlins all around. Since the bike weighs only 328 lbs wet, the front forks are specially built for the weight of this bike, with lighter springs and custom designed shim stock. The rear shock received the same treatment.
The electronics includes custom made fuel, air delivery, and engine speed map. Traction control and quick shift. I’m always trying to build the perfect machine, but I don’t want to give up the visual clues to the fact that a big part of my bikes are designed by me and built with my hands.
This is always a conversation I have with myself: Which components should carry that visual language of the handmade. I worry sometimes that some streamlined, high-tech looking parts might lose that visual aspect, of all the love and effort that I put into these machines. Also, because of the demands of a race bike, not all components can be made by hand.
The one request the owner had was color choice. He sent me a picture of a Ferrari SP2 painted in a limited color. It’s always a bit tricky to try to transfer color combinations that work on a car onto motorcycles. It’s not always successful.
Cars, with their big panels, reflect light and show shadows much differently than on bikes, since bikes have much more intricate surfaces. But it was definitely a risk worth taking, and I think it really works for the SBK.
The Walt Siegl SBK Nr4 – Specifications
Sourse: silodrome
#Bike #Moto #Sportbike #Race