Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Tue, 28 Apr 2009
I had an early day today, and decided at the last moment to stop by Online Metals to see what they had in their cutoff bins. In actual fact, they had a great deal, and the only thing that kept me from going crazy is the fact that whatever I bought, I'd have to cart it home in my shoulder bag. Even with this constraint, my back hurts from the 13 lbs of metal to which I limited myself.
Specifically, I got metal for two interesting projects. The first is for the street CL175: footpeg relocation. The footpegs on the CL175 are provided by this heavy steel bar which runs under the frame. You can kind of see it here:
The main footpeg is the bigger one, on the right. Anyway, that peg is in a weird spot for me -- I really expect my footpegs to be further back, and a bit higher. Well, for the race bike, I ended up making these thick steel reinforcement plates for the passenger pegs (further back, and folded upright in the picture above); why not make new reinforcement plates like on the race bike, but extend the plates down a bit? That would put the pegs exactly where I expect them. It would require some extra engineering for the shifter and brake pedal, but that's nothing I haven't solved before.
So, I picked up some more 1/4" thick steel plate to make those peg relocators.
The other project I have in mind for the latest haul of metal is velocity tubes for the race bike. Fellow racer and inveterate tinkerer Michael Bateman made up some velocity tubes for his development bike, and forwarded me the dimensions -- no problem to make. That would be a fun project that might even make a practical difference: velocity tubes smooth the airflow into the carburetors, which should at least theoretically allow the engine to run a bit more efficiently. As I understand it, non-laminar airflow into the carbs reduces the amount of air they can suck in per piston cycle, which reduces the amount of air-fuel mix, which reduces the amount of power possible. It's probably not a difference I'd see on a dyno so much as while riding (with the attendant moving, chaotic airflow), but I also don't race on a dyno.
Now, of course, I find myself wanting to read up on the design of velocity tubes, to see if I'm headed in the right direction. If so, I've got enough metal to make 3 pair of tubes, I'm pretty sure.
Posted at 17:28 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater