Joined on February 20th of '06
Lives in Rat's Mouth, FL
Local time: 02:37 PM
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i have a few thoughts, and you are at a point to give these some serious consideration:

the clamp holding the bars onto the tubes, will it take a good shock without bending? with the long and low riding position, you will have added stress there, not just to steer, but to also hold yourself up

with the way you have the air lift mounting system, the engine is now a stressed member of the frame....is there enough in the case to take a good shock?

the rear hoop, try a simple test with the bolts that mount it to the frame, take a 5# BFH and hit the side of the bolt....does it bend?.....with the way you have it mounted, especially in "rigid mode" the stresses there are going to be far above what you might think....this is compounded by a lot of different factors- size of rear tire(wide fairly rigid construction with no sidewall to give), length of bike, mounting points of all related "suspension",

with the jackshaft: what is the side load rating on that?.....will the bearings stand up?

overall lean angle is VERY slight.....i don't see much "escape factor" worked in.....

even if this will not be a regularly ridden bike, your ass is on the line, and you have not just you, but momma and the little one to consider.....I do not want to be a naysayer, but i want you to tell the tale after a ride and not from a wheelchair......

i love the look this bike has, and don't take me wrong - it is very cool, and i can completely understand your excitement and enthusiasm for her

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Report post | Post #61 of 381

First name is paul
Joined on November 29th of '04
Lives in england, Europe
Local time: 07:37 PM
PM | Posts: 357

looks a bit under-engineered to me,, especially the s/a piviot point,,

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Report post | Post #62 of 381

First name is Sky
Joined on November 16th of '05
Lives in bend, OR
Local time: 11:37 AM
PM Posts: 377

quote:

Originally posted by BIG WHEELS looks a bit under-engineered to me,, especially the s/a piviot point,,

Appreciate the vote of confidence!

Edit: I also understand the consequences of what I'm doing, I'm not a complete retard, unlike many people in this world.

There will always be naysayers in this world, who believe that their way of doing things is the only way. And that conventional thinking will always trump new ideas.
If I built this bike for you guys, I'd change all sorts of stuff, but last time I checked I'm building this bike for me.

I know you'll try to convince yourselves you're just looking out for my well being. Again I state, I'm not stupid- If I deem this bike to be dangerous, I won't ride it.

Enjoy life in the safety of a rubber suit guys.....

Last edited by 04zx6r on 12-08-2007 at 08:23 PM

Report post | Post #63 of 381

First name is paul
Joined on November 29th of '04
Lives in england, Europe
Local time: 07:37 PM
PM | Posts: 357

quote:

Originally posted by 04zx6r Appreciate the vote of confidence!

not trying to be clever or anything, but, that old saying, T.L.A.R, well to me it just does'nt, sorry,,

hope it hold's together for you,,

Report post | Post #64 of 381

First name is Sky
Joined on November 16th of '05
Lives in bend, OR
Local time: 11:37 AM
PM Posts: 377

I had to look that up in the Urban Dictionary to find out what it meant.

I'm not sure if I actually posted the pictures that showed the bushings and grade 8 bolts I used for the swingarm section.

But I might ask, why you think it's so poorly done?

would it help if I posted up a schematic of it with lots of mathematical formulas written under it? would that make you feel differently?

One last question: what's with the double commas?

Report post | Post #65 of 381

First name is paul
Joined on November 29th of '04
Lives in england, Europe
Local time: 07:37 PM
PM | Posts: 357

quote:

Originally posted by 04zx6r I had to look that up in the Urban Dictionary to find out what it meant. I'm not sure if I actually posted the pictures that showed the bushings and grade 8 bolts I used for the swingarm section. But I might ask, why you think it's so poorly done? would it help if I posted up a schematic of it with lots of mathematical formulas written under it? would that make you feel differently? One last question: what's with the double commas?

not saying it's poorly done, it just does'nt look beefy enough for my liking,, think i might have used 3/4" bolts and made the piviot fork bit out of thicker steel, and a gusset here and there, maybe because i served my apprenticeship in the steel-works, i always want to over-engineer everything, double comma's,, i usually tap twice,, just a quirk of mine,, dont mean nothing,, if you're happy with it, go for it,,

Report post | Post #66 of 381

First name is Robert Hilman
Joined on July 18th of '06
Lives in South Amboy, NJ
Local time: 07:37 PM
PM Posts: 766

Too lazy to look it up! What does it mean?

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Report post | Post #67 of 381

First name is Sky
Joined on November 16th of '05
Lives in bend, OR
Local time: 11:37 AM
PM Posts: 377

quote:

Originally posted by RJH Too lazy to look it up! What does it mean?

T.L.A.R. = That Looks About Right

Well I see where you're coming from, but I think what I used is pretty strong, 1/2" grade 8 bolts, and the arms are actually spring shackles for trailers, so they're about 1/4" thick or more.

No hard feelings, just two different schools of thought

Edit: also, there will be more gussets on the framing and swingarm, I just want to make sure I get everything mocked into place properly before I weld it all up.

Report post | Post #68 of 381

First name is Robert Hilman
Joined on July 18th of '06
Lives in South Amboy, NJ
Local time: 07:37 PM
PM Posts: 766

Thanks man! Good luck on the build, been following from the begining.

Report post | Post #69 of 381

First name is paul
Joined on November 29th of '04
Lives in england, Europe
Local time: 07:37 PM
PM | Posts: 357

quote:

[ No hard feelings, just two different schools of thought

of course not,,

Report post | Post #70 of 381

First name is Carl
Joined on June 1st of '07
Lives in Marikina, Philippines, -
Local time: 03:37 AM
PM Posts: 687

Sky, I sooo am liking this build! you're right, HOORAY FOR PARTS! Looks to be a well planned out bike, though you know I do share some of Paul's concerns. But, you said you got it covered, so I'll just wait too see the finished product (which promises to be quite an eye-catcher from what I can see. ). What do I know about engineering anyway? I'm a computer geek!

Report post | Post #71 of 381

Joined on February 20th of '06
Lives in Rat's Mouth, FL
Local time: 02:37 PM
PM | AIM Posts: 1803

first off, nothing was ever mentioned about your intelligence.....it takes a certain amount of insight and ingenuity to build a bike.....
that all said, i only brought it up because i would have concerns about riding it myself......you mention more gussets all around, good.....that winds up shifting single points of shear loads being applied to a stressed frame member and spreading them out.......
as far as the grade 8 bolts good, they have both good tensile and shear strength, the shear being the only real application in your use.....it's actually the parent metal they go through that will take the real load

Blackjack and Dave voiced a concern, and i agree with them..... at the same time, you are doing something about some issues which concern me..... i would rather get someone to take a moment and take a look than rush headlong in and go on pride alone.... seen it done, been to the funeral, that's all

i hope you know i do admire you for this project..... you have a great level of insight and drive..... you also have practical knowledge to pull from..... these make for a neat deal all around....

Report post | Post #72 of 381

First name is Sky
Joined on November 16th of '05
Lives in bend, OR
Local time: 11:37 AM
PM Posts: 377

Sorry if I came off too strong earlier, the weather here is crap

Like I've said before, I don't believe that everything I do is done the correct way. And it's never a good thing to disregard other peoples insight (otherwise, why are we posting on a forum?)

I'm definitely trying to go over everything objectively and I thank you for keeping me humble

Report post | Post #73 of 381

First name is Scott
Joined on March 18th of '05
Lives in seattle, WA
Local time: 11:37 AM
PM Posts: 549

about a close-up on that swing-arm attachment point? I too have some concerns. I've bent plenty of .5" grade 8 bolts to be comfortable and i'm not even in the trades. A few months ago I even bent a .625" er. and was really surprised!! Just want to keep that awesome build on the road! Us brothers on the site like to keep each other safe,

Keep up the good work
Scott

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Report post | Post #74 of 381

First name is Sky
Joined on November 16th of '05
Lives in bend, OR
Local time: 11:37 AM
PM Posts: 377

I'll get some pictures of the bolt area in a little bit, for now:

Got the headlamp mount made today, don't mind the mess, I'm gearing up for the last week of Dec. should get a bunch done:





This shot is kind of funny, looks like the light is on because of the flash



here's a closer shot



I kind of tried to match the curvature of the headlight with the mount, and I'm pretty happy with it. Final welding and blending has not been done on the mount or the bars obviously.

Report post | Post #75 of 381