A lot has happened since update #12, November 2022. Time for… an update! This will be the last one about building the bike; after that focus is on the shows. :)

All heat-resistant ceramic coated parts (exhausts, heat shields and turbine housings) were re-blasted and coated.

The final build started.

Peter installed a completely new wiring harness.

And then there was an unexpected coolant leak. Damn.

On a spot that was very hard to reach …

… without splitting the frame for the umpteenth time to remove the leaking front plate. I had forgotten a gasket around an empty coolant channel; I plugged this one. This won’t happen to me again.

While I was at it I installed a camshaft position sensor. At a later time I can feed the data to the engine management system and use it for sequential fuel injection. This way I can specify the amount of fuel per cylinder at any rpm. I expect a lot from this in future tuning: efficiency and power gains.

Put the frontplate back on, replaced the crankshaft seal, for which I fabricated a ‘special tool’.

Installed fresh exhaust gaskets, of course.

In the meantime, I’d prepared the garage for the arrival of the hydraulic lift …

… which I shipped home, supported by friend and anchor Micky.

The bridge fit like a charm.

I cut the hole to get good access to the bottom of the bike.

High …

… and low, fitted with a thick slab of trailer plywood. Solid, for times when the table is not in use.

May 19, 2023: the move of the V8. A very special moment. Festive but also a bit sad and unreal, after so many years. The bike had lived with Peter since October 2011: no less than 11 years and 7 months.

The workshop looked quite deserted. But a week later it was in full use again, as if the V8 had never been there. That’s good.

For the first time really ‘outside’. But certainly not officially public property, yet …

… because it moved to KustomBart in Apeldoorn, who put the finishing touches to the paintjob at his workshop.

And yes, the bike had to be taken apart again.

I wanted the starter motor in black.

Bart implemented the scheme of gloss and matte down to the smallest details. Here you see the new rear light, with integrated brake light and license plate light. Super small, and with full E(European) approval.

On June 4, I picked up the glossy matte result.

Bart and I celebrated the end of this phase with a good Döner, in a restaurant where atmosphere is apparently no priority.

The bike finally arrived home on June 4, 2023, for the first time since the build started. Frederiek had decorated the garage.

It actually looked quite familiar.

At home the finishing continued as usual. From a block of aluminum …

… via the rotary table …

… I made two new steering parts …

… which fit much better to the base of the mirrors.

I came up with a system to include both bottles in the paintjob.

Taped and sandblasted.

Like the rest a consistent mix of gloss and matt. Held in place by new leather straps, in style with the seat.

Unfortunately, the glass-beaded valve covers and turbos turned out to be very contagious to grease. They looked like sh*t in no time.

So I had them blasted again …

… as well as the turbine housings.

As always, at Gacon.

Post-apolcalyptic setting, such a blast cabin.

This time the blasting was immediately followed by drumming. This procedure, by company Dantech, causes the skin of the aluminum to be hammered shut and therefore impenetrable.

The surface looks harder, and it is.

Josef Siebers visited me to solve a small problem with the clutch.

I installed a winch in the garage to get the bike in in a controlled manner.

I extended the controller cord to 10 meters, and added a permanent on-switch.

To ensure that the winch stops at the right time – not unimportant… – I installed an emergency stop switch at the front wheel.

Doing things the easy way. Múch easier to control than pushing.

Peter Scheepers came by another morning to solve a minor problem with the m-Unit.

In mid-August it was finally (finally!) a beautiful day to introduce my three horses to each other.

At the end of October I drove to Breezand and visited drag racing expert Joeri Woudenberg, founder and owner of Technomotion. He will assist me in the autumn when I start tuning again. I’m really looking forward to that.

Professional paint polisher Stijn Vervuurt took another good look at the paint. That didn’t work at first because it was too cold in the garage: the condensation after polishing caused unwanted striping on the paint.

I therefore had to raise the temperature in the garage considerably for a day. Not that easy this time of year, but it worked.

Stijn, like a surgeon, removed small imperfections.

Check! :)

After 20 years, it was quite urgent to give the trailer a TLC.

The tires were no longer in acceptable condition. But only if you look very closely. ;)

I got myself new alloy rims and put the best all-season Michelins on them.

Because the total weight of my trailer plus bike turned out to be over 880 kilos – only 750 kilos is allowed… – I decided to convert it from unbraked to braked. So I bought a used braked trailer …

… and drove with Micky to the construction company where he works.

Hoisting …

… disassembling …

… grinding and welding …

… and after a long day of tinkering you have an unbraked trailer for sale …

… and a braked one for myself. Thanks, Micky! :)

Finishing by replacing all the plugs; they were quite corroded over the years.

Hood back on, fancy stickers, and a set of new fenders.

I was totally ready for the journalists and shows! See next report here.