KP09 converted to KP10
After having ran the bike for a million miles, hundreds of battery packs and too many to count crashes, something should give in...
Well... the right main chassis plate broke exactly where the crashbar is being bolted.
Looking around at the KP-designs site, I realized that the newer KP10 and KP11 models shared more than enough spares.
I requested the help of some friends at moto-5.com forum and a few days later, with the help of Keith Plested himself, I had the parts in my hand!
Here's the complete bike, then!
The view down the chassis, shows it's a bit narrower than the KP09.
Differences between the 09 and 10 are a few and very distinctive:
The headstock is of a new design, 5mm shorter, but also with dual ball bearings, which means it's sturdier, keeps the forks aligned in a better way and shortens the wheelbase just a tiny bit. The steering servo is mounted in a way that the servo horn is on the outside, now, and the crashbars are mounted further back on the chassis.
The droop limiter is a better part now, sturdier and with better protection from crashes!
The shock linkage is quite different, allowing the shock to be run with softer oils and springs...
I mounted a 1mm thick lead plate on the battery tray. This plate weighs 95 grams, giving me most of the needed weight for the 2011 RC Bike worlds rule. Well, I have not decided yet if I will run the KP10 or the SB-5, so I have started adding "fat" to the SB-5, as well!
Since the chassis plates are narrower now, I was concerned that my HW Xerun 60A ESC would not fit in there...
I had to dremel off a square from the left side frame plate and mounted the ESC fan on it.
A few days after I had the conversion completed, I took my RC-Bike-Worlds-2010 Edition BMW to the FRT track!
I loaded it lightly with a few basic tools, batteries, tires and wheels and rode off...
Of course I didn't run the BMW on the track, but the "new" KP10!
I also realized my forks were bent slightly after so many crashes, so I ordered the new stainless steel bottom yokes and a pair of fork tubes. Its action is back to magnificent!