Visit to Thunderdome

[Stainless1]

Here's the High Speed side of the fuel injection pressure regulator.  That is the skid actuators buried under there

I'll back out a little so you get a little better idea of how the space is used.  The red piece on the bottom is the support for the external starter. 

OK, a couple more steps back is all the farther I can get and you can easily see the use of space by all the places you can see through this bike.  Yep the only open spot is where the motor goes.  Max did a really good job when he engineered this scooter to be small. 

[Stainless1]

Let's move forward...      

First we will check width, yes the tape reads a hair over 17 inches to the outside, body will make it about 18.  We squeeze into 22 inches inside width in the Bockscar.  Get your tape measures out to get the real feel here guys, but don't forget that is the outside width. 

We look in to the seat....

And out from it....

Sure looks roomy doesn't it    My guess it you get limited rider ballast from the space available.

[Stainless1]

Here's the side view first with the bars down, then up...
The bars need to swing up to allow enough room for the rider to get in and out.  The pivots must all be designed so the bars function is not impared.  On the far side of the bike is the skid control, the close side is a fire bottle spray shut off.  Don Vesco told Max that he needed one for safety.  When you have 10 lbs of Halon in a small cockpit, there is way too much agent and the rider may want to regulate it a little. 

The last picture is the leg restraint system, that locks when the bars are lowered.  The slot with the pin just behind the fire bottles is where the restraint connects.  The cylinder behind it is the lifter for the bars, they raise automatically when the bar release is tripped. 

[Stainless1]

Bones, here's the steering...
The pivot on the right side of the picture is the bar pivot, the single bar from the tilting parallelogram is now the steering movement.  That bar goes to the pivot that is mounted on the bike frame.  One of the issues for this type of steering is "bump steer."  There are ways to limit the effect like keeping everything parallel, or the way Max has done it.

The upper steering pivot is there on the frame, the lower pivot is on the swing arm,   As the swing arm moves, the upper is fixed, the shaft that transfers motion down to the lower has couplings in the middle.  There are 2 U joints that allow the shaft to flex with the swingarm arc, but the piece that eliminates the bump steer is the sliding shaft that goes through the lower pivot.  This way the swingarm and lower pivot moves without changing the steering input to the lower pivot.  The lower steering arm and pivot and center hub move with the swingarm as one piece.  Hope all that makes sense, it is not as simple as it sounds... 

The front wheel center and the Hub center steering were all built by the elves in Max's garage.  As you can see, Max must have been cracking the whip over those same elves over the past week.  There is more, but I have a few chores to do so check back later.

[Stainless1]

OK boys and girls, just a few more chassis pictures and then we move to motor. 

We are looking at the top of the handlebars, the series of holes on the right half, this is the steering ratio control.  Currently it is in the 4:1 hole.  Moving the steering rod inboard or outboard allows Max to slow down or speed up the steering response to handlebar movements.

And another angle looking at the steering and front swing arm....  Wondering about the loop over the front tire yet?  It is another mister system.  Look back a the last picture of the last post, yep that is another water tank on the front of the bike.  This one is used to cool the front tire. 

The front swing arm from the other side, and steering dampener

The only thing left to do up here is to build a piece to keep salt our of the steering linkage behind the wheel.  As soon as Max designs it the elves will make it and get it on the bike while he is sleeping... 

[Stainless1]

Motor, well actually motors...

At the heart of these old Vincents we find Terry Prince Crankshafts, stroked an inch to 4.5 with Carilllo rods.  4 bearings support the cranks. 

This view you can see the "heavy metal" balance weights and get a good look at the John Mcdougall output shafts.  Stockers are 1 inch, these are 1.5.  John balanced the cranks at 60% RPM, so at low RPM the motors have a bit of vibration, but when you get to 3000 RPM, they smooth out and feel like a 4 banger. 

Here we have the fuel pump and the Tach drive distributor that works with the coil I showed you a while back.  It is not the ignition, just a "faux distributor" to run the tach. 
As Max works the motors, we will see more

[Stainless1]

Lets see the front half... 

And of course for perspective, I'll risk the camera one more time .... 

If you have any questions or if I didn't explain something you see in a picture, don't hesitate to ask.  Enjoy

[Rocky R]

In Tenacious II the handlebars also raised (with the canopy) for ease of getting into and out of the machine. I had a safety concern because if the machine crashed and the canopy came open, your arms came up with it...not good. I asked if something could be done to insure it wouldn't come open. A seat belt strap was added. Primitive, but added a little relief. This design was later shelved on Big Red.

I'm sure Max's design eliminates this issue, but on Tenacious II, the only thing that kept everything down and in place was the small latch at the top of the canopy.

Max is an awesome craftsman. Thanks for the updates.

Rocky R

[Stainless1]

First, I made a little correction back on the motor post, John McDougall did the balancing. 

In Tenacious II the handlebars also raised (with the canopy) for ease of getting into and out of the machine. I had a safety concern because if the machine crashed and the canopy came open, your arms came up with it...not good. I asked if something could be done to insure it wouldn't come open. A seat belt strap was added. Primitive, but added a little relief. This design was later shelved on Big Red.

I'm sure Max's design eliminates this issue, but on Tenacious II, the only thing that kept everything down and in place was the small latch at the top of the canopy.

Rocky R

Rocky, you are correct, in Max's design the canopy and handlebars are not connected.  The hand and arm restraints are not connected to the handlebar release either, just the leg restraints.  There is a good latch on the bars.  The seat belt release holds the arm restraints in the Vincent.  Those bars on the sides aid in rider entry and exit as well as affording additional crash protection.

Max had the benefit of having Don Vesco as one of if not his first rider.  I remember when Don rode it the first time, he gave Max a shopping list of changes.  Max has constantly and consistently improved this scooter over the years.  I think he does a lot of the stop, look and listen, gleaning the smart things to incorporate into his bikes.  He is an awesome craftsman..... for an old guy working in his garage 

[Stainless1]

Those of you that read Max's plans for 08 on his website know he needs a different lift, his old on is 3 feet wide and has clearance issues with the hack.  To solve this issue, Max is planning a new lift, and hopefully it will also aid in loading and unloading the liner from the new trailer. 
After discussing what he planned, we made a little trip to the caster store (Harbor Freight) and a place here in Wichita called The Yard.  If you can't find it at The Yard, you don't need it.... find being the operative term here.     You have to locate it before you can buy it. 

The basic layout, it is 5 X 7, with 5 foot legs, 2 inch 11 gauge tubing

It was leveled on the floor, then the legs were welded plumb

The armadillo has landed... bracing is in production, not welded yet, also have to figure out how to cut a 60 degree angle for the scooter side fore/aft brace.  The scooter will hang on the angle piece 18 inches from the side.
Back to work....

[Kansas Bad Man]

Those of you that read Max's plans for 08 on his website know he needs a different lift, his old on is 3 feet wide and has clearance issues with the hack.  To solve this issue, Max is planning a new lift, and hopefully it will also aid in loading and unloading the liner from the new trailer. 
After discussing what he planned, we made a little trip to the caster store (Harbor Freight) and a place here in Wichita called The Yard.  If you can't find it at The Yard, you don't need it.... find being the operative term here.     You have to locate it before you can buy it. 

The basic layout, it is 5 X 7, with 5 foot legs, 2 inch 11 gauge tubing

It was leveled on the floor, then the legs were welded plumb

The armadillo has landed... bracing is in production, not welded yet, also have to figure out how to cut a 60 degree angle for the scooter side fore/aft brace.  The scooter will hang on the angle piece 18 inches from the side.
Back to work....

If you noticed the shop in the photo is a lot bigger and cleaner than in the previous photos.  Stainless neglected to say that he's taken on the chore of building the new A frame for me in his shop.  That armadillo you're looking at is his doing.  This is the first I've seen of it, other than a drawing he handed me the other day. 

Looks good, Stainless.  Thanks a bunch. 

[Sumner]

.........................If you noticed the shop in the photo is a lot bigger and cleaner than in the previous photos.  Stainless neglected to say that he's taken on the chore of building the new A frame for me in his shop.  That armadillo you're looking at is his doing.  This is the first I've seen of it, other than a drawing he handed me the other day. 

Looks good, Stainless.  Thanks a bunch. 

I'm glad you have help and I'm thinking I'm going to have to go to BUB if possible.  The best to you Max and tell Stainless that the armadillo might work better with the wheels on the ground..........



Are you running at Speed Week also or just waiting for BUB?

Sum

[Kansas Bad Man]

.........................If you noticed the shop in the photo is a lot bigger and cleaner than in the previous photos.  Stainless neglected to say that he's taken on the chore of building the new A frame for me in his shop.  That armadillo you're looking at is his doing.  This is the first I've seen of it, other than a drawing he handed me the other day. 

Looks good, Stainless.  Thanks a bunch. 

I'm glad you have help and I'm thinking I'm going to have to go to BUB if possible.  The best to you Max and tell Stainless that the armadillo might work better with the wheels on the ground..........



Are you running at Speed Week also or just waiting for BUB?

Sum

Sum,
Black Lightning's attempt is really a low budget operation compared to the others.  (Maybe except for E-Z Hook) My crew comes from all over the world, only meeting once a year on the salt.  It's impossible financially for me or them to make more than one event a year.  The Bub Meet offers the best opportunity for any success in the FIM records for which I'm competing.  So Bub it'll be.  I hope you can make the meet, it should be interesting. 

                                      Max

[Stainless1]

Gosh, I was hoping one of the smart fab guys on this site would tell me how to cut a 60 with my little 0-45 4.5 inch Harbor Freight bandsaw, might have to scribe it on the tube and cut it with a Dotco.... 

Sum, it is incredibly hard to move that thing around the shop, I shoulda thought of putting the wheels on the other side...    Thanks. I'll try that tomorrow

[Sumner]

Gosh, I was hoping one of the smart fab guys on this site would tell me how to cut a 60 with my little 0-45 4.5 inch Harbor Freight bandsaw, might have to scribe it on the tube and cut it with a Dotco.... 

Sum, it is incredibly hard to move that thing around the shop, I shoulda thought of putting the wheels on the other side...    Thanks. I'll try that tomorrow

Cut a 30........the other side will be a 60.  Aren't you glad I helped you out with the wheel thing  ,

Sum