Hybrid heaven!: Project Kawasaki Hybrid part 8

Or is it hybrid hell? Our own Scoop returns with tales of this 500/400/250 mish-mash! Will he survive such mental anguish?

- STEVE COOPER

Thankfully, we now have the engine in the frame! If you recall the previous instalment, Ian Bird (only vaguely assisted by muggings here) had found there was a fitment issue. And on the assumption that engine cases rarely, if ever, expand, the only logical conclusion was that the frame must have shrunk.

The truth was not quite as literal as that, but hopefully, you get my drift here. With the rebuilt motor heaved out of the chassis (they really aren’t lightweight, trust me on this one), a set OF bare and empty H1 cases were offered up by way of a sanity check. As expected there was a slight discrepancy of just under a single millimetre between the gap available between the rear mounts and alloy castings. It’s amazing how much the steel brackets had contracted immediately after welding. The initial plan was to use a length of studding, some washers and nuts, and then oh so gently wind the nuts out and spread the frame just a tad.

Unfortunately, we only achieved two things…nothing and bugger all, so an alternative, yet practical solution was sought, which led to some judicious dressing of both rear mounts with a decent quality engineer’s file. As if pre-ordained the empty engine dropped into place and less than half a millimetre of the substantial mounts removed from each side. Satisfied all was well the rebuilt motor was once again carefully wiggled back into its home, bolts, and nuts fitted, tightened and everything triple checked – sorted, finished, completed, done, etc.