In December I decided to make a fresh start and see what I could come up with. At left is a blurry overview of the various designs I tried. With cad software it's easy to copy one design and try different options. One version might work in some ways but fails in others. Bottom right is the evolution of the suspension (using the existing frame design) and in the middle is the development of the control arms. The upper left shows a variety of steering methods, most of which were failures.
Some people collect stamps. Others spend their evenings watching reality shows. My hobby is vehicle design.
Click on the picture to see some close-up drawings.
With reconstruction coming up I need to build a new jig to hold everything in place. In a fit of hubris I thought I was done with the one shown, plus it took up precious floor space, so it got dismantled and the wood was used for other projects. The new one will be pretty cheap, plus it'll go faster a second time. Live and learn.
I'm ready to start building the new control arms but the steering turned out to be the toughest puzzle of all. It might look easy, but getting the steering to work properly became a series of compromises. Changing one part creates problems for other parts. It's kind of like designing a plane: a bigger engine means more power, but requires a larger wing, which means more weight and additional drag, which means a bigger engine, and so on. It's a balancing act.
This update includes pages explaining the mysteries of steering design, designs that didn't work, an updated photo and video gallery, more details in the Design Goals section, several pages about the World of Speed at Bonneville, along with photos and video, and an updated front page, which you saw to get here. All this took about 50 hours of time to create and I hope you enjoy it!
Here's the existing and highly successful steering mechanism. It worked the way I wanted, but it's just a prototype and too lightweight for the final bike. In addition, it hangs out over the frame and looks kinda crude but wasn't bad for a couple hours of fabrication.
With that design proven, I decided to move the mechanism inboard and give it a more polished appearance. Form follows function, but as long as the function still works I can modify the form.
Things like work, snowboarding and screenplays get in the way of construction (and updating this site). Being able to coast the prototype down some hills last summer gave me new incentive and I hope to be more dedicated as spring approaches. Time is ticking.
As I've mentioned before, the VF750 frame I bought on eBay turned out to be a scam. The scumbag's name is Parnell and he lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His screen name is fastz28p1 and he's a lying, thieving, in-bred mutant with a police record. I'm going after him and it's just a matter of time until Parnell's wearing chrome bracelets for a free ride downtown. I have zero tolerance for thieves.
Click here to take a look, or use the button on the main page.
Raw materials need to be purchased: Dom tubing, threaded inserts, steel plates and various odds & ends. The rest I can find in my own stockpile. The frame needs to be modified and I have to fabricate other parts such as levers, drag links and bushings for the new steering assembly, as well as mounts for the shocks.