Stripping and rebuilding the Daytona 675R Track bike

Having bought a perfectly good bike, the next thing is to strip off all the unnecessary road bits - that either weigh a lot, or will get damaged if she takes a spill.

At this stage, there is a small part of me that thinks if I don't enjoy it on track, I can always put it back to road spec, so everything is coming off carefully and being stored safely.

The rear end is dismantled, getting rid of the bulky seat unit and taking off the rear sub frame for powder coating. The red is beautifully done, but I'm really not keen on and I have an image in my head of what she should look

Stripped down to the bits you need

The good quality faring unbolts easily and after some persuasion, the wheels as well as the front light cluster and console is removed. The light cluster is actually much lighter than I expected. The horn on the other hand weighs a tonne! All that development and technological advancement is clearly not put into horn technology - the Daytona's looks pretty much the same as the one that came off our 1983 BMW R65.

Concentrating on what I'm doing!

The destruction part was the easy bit. Next up are a full set of engine protection from GB Racing. The full set is over £300 - but I'd rather have protection than deal with the fallout of not having it. The full kit comes with Alternator/ Generator Cover; Gearbox/ Clutch Cover; Pulse/Timing Cover; Frame sliders; Lower Chain Guard; Paddock Stand bobbins and front spindle protectors - so at least you do get a fair amount for your money. All parts have decent instructions and go on easily, though as usual, it all takes longer than you expect it to.

The next part to go on is a new exhaust. Not part of the original plan, the old one was so heavy and ugly that we were loathe to put it back on the bike. At the same time, I am far from a racer, don't need anything very flash and am loathe to spend big money. As luck would have it, we found a well discounted Arrow system on eBay. Brand new and in its box, I'm guessing that as the bike is 2011 there are now fewer people looking for these. The system is a souped up exhaust for road use and the real upside is that there is no re-mapping (additional expense) required. Oh & it looks great! Fitting it back on however causes some harsh words - not because of the Arrow, but the general lack of space to work and the need to purchase new mounting clasps as the original had rusted away - one of the few parts of the bike needing doing.  The plastic under-seat tray that houses the electrics is the other real pain to get back together again - more harsh words.

Daytona 675R looking like a bike again

With the wheels and rear sub frame back from Powder Works, in a lightly flecked silver, these can now go back on the bike and I can now see the bike that I was hoping for come into shape.