ProjectVF - September 22, 2007
The frame is pretty much finished so I gave it a rattle-can coat of primer to help keep the rust at
bay. The front suspension is nearly complete, so it got primered as well.
The swingarm was modified to work with dual
shocks, then got blacked-out with dark primer. Handlebars have been installed
but no final steering linkage, nor brakes or footpegs, so I can't ride it
yet. The crude steering link was just to move the prototype around the
garage. Take a look below for more details and photos.
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To remove the engine (yet again) I gently laid the beast on it's side,
then removed the
main bolts, gave it a little wiggle, and lifted the frame off the engine.
It's not the way the official manual recommended, but it worked fine just.
I was recently able to work six consecutive 12 hour days on ProjectVF and
here are the results.
I needed to adapt the swingarm to dual shocks, but wasn't sure how to
proceed. I considered making aluminum brackets to hold the shocks, then
welding them to the swingarm, but not knowing what type of alloy was
used made me hesitate. I thought about attaching steel brackets to the
swingarm, but didn't really know how the swingarm made. Should I bolt thru the arm, or tap
the aluminum, or wrap around it with a steel strap? The easiest way to
decide was buying another swingarm and cutting the damn thing open for a
peek inside. In moments it easy to see that tapping might not work, but a
through-bolt design would. The $50 for the swingarm was cheap for that kind
of confidence.
Here's how the brackets turned out. I used grade-8 hardware all around and
none of the bolts interfere with the others, meaning I can remove the bracket without
having to remove the shock, and vice-versa. After owning several VWs I
learned the value of proper tool clearances. Another item crossed off the big list.
Here's the motor, ready to be rebuilt or replaced. For now it's just a
doorstop.
With the engine out of the way I was free to finish adding reinforcements
and do the final welding. It only took one can of primer to make it look
pretty (from a distance), and as you can see it's pretty light. I didn't
have a scale when this was taken so I don't know how much it weighs.
Here's how ProjectVF looks compared to standard motorcycles. It's virtually
half the height of the touring bike and two-thirds the height of my sport
cruiser. It looks pretty cool among the fleet.
