Nov 26, 2006
The back section is placed on the tub to determine how it will be
mounted. I considered different mounting schemes and decided to use some
bungee cords that will hook on to the rear subframe.
To attach the bungee cords to
the tail fairing, I first formed some aluminum brackets. These will be
bonded to the fairing so I have something to attach the bungee cords to.
I also formed an aluminum
bracket that is attached at the tail. This bracket will be used to keep
the top and bottom of the body aligned at the rear.
The side brackets were glued
in place with some 5-min. epoxy. A steel bar holds them in place until
the epoxy cures, then some fiberglass and Kevlar pieces were added to
secure the clips.
This picture shows the side
clips installed and the the lips that were added to the rear section to
align the top and bottom..
Next some ½ X Ύ strips of
foam were notched along their length to make them easer to bend and
follow a contour.
These strips were then glued
to the front section of the canopy to form the lip that will seal the
front section to the rear section.
Frank came over to see if he
still fits in the bike since I sectioned 1 ½ out of the top. Things are
a little tighter now with some interference of the hands and the knees
on the top of the fairing. The inner layer if Kevlar and the remainder
of the foam is removed to increase the clearances where the knees and
hands rub.
The handlebars were also
modified to lower the right hand at the shifter by 7/8
A thin wedge of balsa wood had
to be added to the tail section to adjust the tail section slightly.
This was needed to improve the fit of the front and back sections of the
canopy.
I then removed all the
steering parts and cleaned and painted everything silver.
Next it is time to fabricate
the parts to make the front section of the canopy sliding and tilting.
To support the front, two brackets were fabricated and bonded to the
front section of the tub.
5/8 cromoly tubing was cut
and bent to make the supports and track for the front support.
The parts were attached to the
front of the sub-frame and to the supports bonded to the front of the
tub.
A 2 ½ Delrin roller was
cut to roll on the 5/8 support. When the roller reaches the front the
180-degree bend in the support tube captures the roller and allows the
front section to tilt up. That is the theory, we will see if it will
really work that way. A rear support and roller and the rest of the
front roller mount brackets still need to be fabricated.
Dec 17, 2006
Frank has the rollers and it is time to move the vehicle over to his
place so he can start working on the engine and breaking in the rear
Rohlhoff hub. I first removed the seats from my Van. When I was
designing the vehicle one of the design constraints was that the bike
had to fit in my van and allow for one extra person.
The vehicle was rolled outside
and positioned at the back of the van.
Once the bike was slid in the
van some rags were placed between the nose and the dashboard.
The bike fits nicely along one
side of the van. The tailgate just clears the rear of the fairing.
The new home the vehicle for
the next several months is Franks training room in his basement. I will
get the vehicle back in April to finish the last of the canopy hinging
and attach the wheel fairings.
