The next job to do was the front end. Once again the RGV250 was the donor bike. I had a set of upside down forks from the VJ22 model. I also had al the braking system, wheel, mudguard. In fact it was the whole front end. All of it is in pretty good condition, just a bit of TLC required to have looking like new again.

The first problems came when I replaced the bearings. I was expecting the YPVS to have parallel bearings, but guess what it already had tapered ones. Still, wouldn't hurt to change them. So I ordered the direct replacement bearings from Yamaha. They arrived two days later, and guess what? Yep that's right, they did not fit. I went back to the dealership that had sold me the bearings and was assured that they were the correct bearings for the LC. I explained again that it was a Brazilian bike and not a Japanese one. "Same bearings sir" was the reply. I left the bearings there, went home, put the bike in my van and took it back to the dealership. "Mmmm see what you mean sir, they won't fit will they"

He checked again, same bearings as before and no alternatives! Anyway got my money back and left to have a think.

Finally wrote the bearing part numbers down, phoned a local bearing supplier, asked if they could help. "Yep, got those on the shelf sir". Took the bike again to be safe. The guy measured the headstock and the fork spindle. "These are the right ones" I bought them there and then. What a surprise, only 25% of the price Yamaha had charged me and they fitted. At last I could get on with the front end now.

The outer bearing surfaces that were in the headstock came out easily. But as usual, the inner surface that sits at the bottom of the headstock spindle had to be ground through and then levered off. Not a problem, you just have to be careful with the grinder and it takes a bit more time.

The information that I had been given about the fitting of the RGV front end was that a 5mm alloy spacer to fit under the bottom bearing had to be made to give the required clearance for the bottom fork clamp. I made the spacer and fitted it under the bottom bearing as directed. When I bolted the whole thing together I found that the spacer was not required. It seems that as well as using different bearings, the Brazilians had also lengthened the headstock by, yes you've guessed it, 5mm. I cut off the spacer, tapped the bearing down and refitted. Perfect!

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the fitting process, but I do have this picture of the bike with the rear suspension, front forks and the tank, (with all the paint removed) this gives you a good idea of how the whole thing is going to look. The bike looks far more substantial with the RGV  250 running gear fitted. It beefs up the front and rear of the chassis and makes it look far more modern and purposeful. 

You can also see the subframe for the Aprilia RS250 seat unit attached to the YPVS frame. This unit is bolted in place so is removable if required.

The next construction to deal with was the Aprilia RS250 subframe and seat unit. You have already seen the subframe in place on the previous picture. In this section I will try and explain how its position was decided upon and how it was fixed in place.

The subframe was held in place with G cramps until the desired angle was achieved. The bodywork was then loosely hung on the subframe to try and get a visual effect of what it was going to look like.

I had to cut 20mm off the bottom legs of the subframe as the angle was too steep and looked overpowering. The tube was then re-crushed, new holes drilled and then offered up again. This time the angle was much more acceptable and although some people might find it a little high, I tend to like that look, so that's how it stayed.

I made the mounting brackets from 5mm steel and welded them to the YPVS frame in the required positions. The positions of these brackets is critical as incorrect positioning will leave the subrame at an angle to the rear of the bike and would look terrible when viewed from behind. So great care had to be taken at this point to make sure all of the mounting positions were precise.

Once the brackets had been fixed to the YPVS frame I could set about altering the plastic seat unit so that it fitted around the original frame in an original looking manner.

This involves removing small amounts of the plastic with a dremmel and an abrasive wheel until the desired effect was achieved. It took quite a while removing a tiny piece at a time, but better this than making a mess and having to source another seat unit, especially as I had been lucky enough to come across a carbon effect unit.

The following pictures are all of the bike at this stage. It should give you an idea of the final positioning of the bodywork and RGV components.

The clock mount that I made and is in these pictures was binned in favour of a TZR250 unit which looks far better than the rubbish seen here!