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I did this with bicycles several years ago and wouldn't you know it, had room for another motorcycle. 

Anyways, I was in a bind with one of my engines and managed to cobble together adapters and sockets to use a large philips type (not JIS) bit onto the end of my electric impact gun. To my surprise it works just as well, if not better, than the hammer type.

I use the 1/4" shank JIS cross head bits in a 1/4" cordless impact driver. Haven't touched the manual hammer type impact driver in years now. Haven't stripped any screw heads in quite a few years either. After starting the first few threads by hand, I install all fasteners with the same cordless impact driver; from screws to axle nuts. As counter-intuitive as it may seem to be, it's much harder to strip anything with the little cordless impact guns.

Random background question, do the hooks that the weedwackers sit on hinge as your garage door opens?  I find that set up amusing for some reason 8)

Yes, they go up with the door and hang overhead. I've become a fan of hanging things up wherever possible. It leaves more usable floor space and makes it easier to sweep or vacuum.

Thanks for the suggestions. I put flat slides on a 400 I had, and liked them a lot. They definitely improved driveability and throttle response; especially at lower RPMs. Based on many hours of reading, there seems to be a consensus that the Mikuni VM's with UFO's and divider plates can perform as well as flat slides. I'll admit, I'm a bit skeptical; but I'm willing to try. I do realize that trying to reduce weight while keeping the stock look is going to be a challenge and the reason I listed it as a long term goal. Fortunately, access to, and relative affordability of, super lightweight materials has never been better. We'll see how it goes.

This will not be a build in the typical sense; as this bike came to me restored, complete and running. However, it had some issues that made it run poorly and it had no power. When I first got the bike I didn't care for the old school Hot Rod satin black theme. I originally wanted to do a race replica. But then the look started to grow on me and I began to see it for what it could easily be. So, the overall goal of this project is to build a total sleeper that is a blast to ride on the street. A bike that is understated and perhaps borderline boring, visually, but something that will surprise the unsuspecting Supersport squid (we have a surplus of them around Daytona) as it pulls away from traffic light. Please let me know your thoughts. Suggestions are welcome and wisdom is always appreciated. 


Short term goals are:
-Sort out existing Vape ignition and make programmable
-New pipes
-Porting
-(+5mm) longrod conversion
-Fresh bore/banshee pistons
-Nikasil cylinder plating
-Reshaped OEM heads for modern pump gas
-V-force reeds with spacers
-New intake manifolds with crossover or boost bottle
-VM28 carbs bored to 29.5 with UFOs and divider plates
-520 chain conversion
-Upgrade suspension

Long term goals:
-Weight reduction
-400 transmission
-Programmable fuel/oil injection

It's also worth checking pawn shops for some of the more expensive tools. Pawn brokers love to haggle so don't be afraid to make a reasonable offer. Those guys are all about moving the merchandise.

--- You listening Inov8 ????

Yes sir.  Since I have the 3's in hand, I'll use them; but I am looking forward to feedback on the new 4's.

Have you looked into a chrome powder coat along the lines of Eastwood's Hotcoat? No, it definitely isn't the same as chrome but it's a reasonable alternative in a lot of cases. 

Thank you all for the welcoming and the tips. I like this forum because of everyone's willingness to help out. I only had the bike a few hours before I had to investigate why it had no guts. My bone stock R5 was must faster than this bike. First was a compression check which showed a tick over 100 psi. So, I kind of suspected 400 heads at that point. But before I pulled one, I did a leak down test which checked out fine. I pulled a head confirmed that they are indeed 400 heads (see pic). Next, I checked ignition timing. I felt like the bike should run better than it did even with the low compression. Ignition was set at just under 1mm BTDC. Mystery solved. I could hear that something was off, even in the idle. An otherwise stock bike with just DG heads and pipes will still have a nice "crack" in the exhaust sound and a "ring" in the pipes at idle. This bike sounded muted and soft. Another clue was that it had no torque down low, as if it were a race ported bike. But, when it hit the powerband, instead of rocketing forward on one wheel like I was expecting, it just pulled slightly harder. I've already stared the teardown and will start a build thread soon.

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays.

My name is Allen and I live in Ormond Beach, Florida. I registered for this forum the other day but I've been lurking since the site came back up. I used to belong to the old forum, I think, but I mostly read and don't do much posting. I'm 52 and have been riding and working on bikes since I was about 14. Over the years I've owned an S3, 3 RD400s and an R5; as well as, a Harris TZ250 framed, RD400 powered street bike that I built in my shed (I'll try to find pics)  I've always wanted a 350 and for Christmas this year my wife got me the bike shown. It's mostly stock except for a Vape ignition, pipes and heads. It runs ok, but has 400 heads and the Vape is not timed correctly. This bike will be the subject of a build thread; my goal being a total sleeper on the street and something different to ride on track days.