Tomberlin Crossfire Motorcycle Build

[Champ]

New guy here.

This is a project I have been working on for almost a year now. It's a Tomberlin Crossfire 150cc frame and a 82 (I think) Suzuki GS 550 motorcycle.

The buggy I got from a trade deal. The engine would barely turn over. I didn't want to invest money back into the stock 150 motor so I pulled the motor and began looking for a replacement. Originally I was searching for a 500 Polaris 2 stroke just b/c it seemed more dangerous. But...

I paid $150 for the motorcycle b/c the man felt bad that I drove all the way to look at it (TN to KY) and he couldn't start it. He was asking $400 for it in "running" condition. The bike had 7k original miles on it so I quickly jumped on it assuming/hoping it was just the carbs. The only other downside was it didn't have reverse but for $150 I didn't care.

 

[Champ]

I gave up my xr100 dirtbike for 3 buggies (2 tomberlins and 1 off brand). A good friend of mine is building the other Tomberlin although his build went in the opposite direction.

 

[Champ]

Getting the bike in and out of my truck was the fun part. My truck had a 6" lift at the time. So I drove to the nearby school and backed up to a hill to use it like a ramp. Needless to say that was a disaster.

Then we pulled the bike behind my 4wheeler for about a mile (with no brakes) back to my house.

Not much thought went into any of this. Good times....

 

[Champ]

I don't have the space or the tools to even attempt to do the build myself. But I do have a good friend that owns GT Racing in Livingston TN. He's rebuilt a few dirt bikes and ATVs for me, and is one of the best in the business. So me and some buddies took a road trip. I have some other projects I'm working on that went with us.

 

[Champ]

When we pulled the motor the carbs needed some attention and the exhaust had some bad spots on it that were not repairable as well. We ended up getting some pipes off Ebay for cheap. After we flipped them up side down and did a lil fabricating, it came out alright. My neighbors should love it.

 

[Champ]

Next, it was time to start trying to fit the motor to the swing-arm. With that came more fabrication. We extended the swing arm 6 more inches to make room for the motor.

 

[Champ]

The basket caused some slight issues with the exhaust when the shocks were at full compression. For now the exhaust is pointed down to keep from hitting the basket at full press. Relocation of the basket may change that.
They also went ahead and welded a winch plate on the back swing arm to accommodate a smaller atv winch.

 

[Champ]

Once we had the proper mount position we took the motor back off and then added some new shoes. We added 2" spacers to the front to keep from rubbing. And 1.5" to the back to change the lug pattern to match the front. Originally it had 22s on the back and 19s on the front (4x137 on the rear and 4x110 on the front). I believe the current set up is 26s on the back and 25s on the front w/ 4x156 rzr lug pattern (for better wheel options).

One other minor thing we did here was take the steering assembly and move it above the cross-bar to create more leg room. It was positioned below.

 

[Champ]

I wasnt sure what to expect for tree bars, but they came out good and will hopefully serve a purpose.

The guys at GT Racing also got creative with the re-sizable battery tray.

 

[Champ]

With the motor almost ready to re-mount... it was time to do away with the old factory shocks and stock gas tank.

We ended up going with (4) 15" motorcycle shocks in the back and 2 up front. The front shocks were originally 18" so I had to get an extender to make up for that extra 3" if I wanted to use the cylinder style shock. The extender is a common part on buggy depot.

I went with the 5 gal square tank b/c I liked the way it looks - nice and shiny. But after putting some thought into it I wished I had went with a round tank.

I'll attach more pics in the near future of the shock extender set-up, dual shock set-up in the back and gas tank installed - currently waiting on parts.

 

[qtband]

Wow! Keep up the work. It looks good so far!

 

[zogthegreat]

Man, those carbs were nasty! No wonder the motor would start. Great job cleaning them up!

Nice project!

 

[Fabtastic1986]

Nice build man. Make sure you post a video on test day

 

[KartFab]

Wow, this is cool! Im going to be following this build.

 

[landuse]

Awesome build. Those exhaust pipes!!!!!

 

[Champ]

Thanks guys. The holidays will likely slow up the build just a hair, but I will continue to post till the build is complete.

 

[OzFab]

awesome build

One small thing I wish to point out/query: when you stretched the rear swing arm, did the axle position move? If so, you may want to check the steering geometry as it will change if the axle moves...

 

[Champ]

Thanks. That's a good question. I am quite certain the position of the axle changed. I will run that by the guys at the shop to see what they say. Personally i dont know of any adjustments to accomodate thus far.

 

[Champ]

We took a little time off from the project to focus on..... life. This week we are back on the grind. Pictures and details soon.

 

[landuse]

We took a little time off from the project to focus on..... life. This week we are back on the grind. Pictures and details soon.

Looking forward to seeing it