Australian Streamliner Bike Build

[Kansas Bad Man]

Hi Jon, it's me again.  Gary is right as rain.  Start off with a stocky Huyabusa, and like Gary said you're gonna go real fasssst. 

Don Vesco went 303 mph, the first motorcycle to go over 300 mph on gasoline.  The power plant was two Yamaha engines that produced 86 hp. each, giving a total of 172 hp.  Don had a pretty good aero, but I suspect not as good as yours.  I feel if you can make everything work and get it all inside of that little shell, one stock Busa motor will nudge 350 mph.  So like Gary says, start with that, learn how to ride the thing, (which can be pretty exciting) learn your routine on how to get in the thing, suited up, and enough stuff out of the road, i.e., handlebars, canopys, and so on.  That brings back memories of the location of my outrigger lever.

Don, one of my riders, would hit the thing almost every time and the liner would flop over on it's side raising it's skids.  Hartmut, my other rider, had a big laugh, but when he got in it on it's side it went.  He hit the same lever.  That was one of those "Oh shitters", I had to redesign and relocate the skid lever.  Toggle switches on the dash were broken off many times while riders were getting in and out of the tight fit of the liner. 

Remember, in your build everything has to be accessible from the outside, ignition switches, fuel shut offs, fire extenguishing.

                                  Max

[Glen]

I have to agree with everything Max says, as a person that has been in the timing stand since 1983 I have seen a lot of MC liners go down and slide for ever. As Max says the skids require a lot of design attention and mounting strength. Some like the skid some a small dia. wheel. The main thing is you want something that won't dig in. Look at what others have done and talk to them on the actuation system. Another area is the drag chute tow line length as it needs clean air so it doesn't fly or whip.Keep up the great build.

[Tman]

Between this thread, Jons bike and Max's input I want to build a bike liner! Truly inspiring. Keep the photos and advice coming. There are lots of us following this thing!

[Jon]

Correction.  I've built 9 more streamliners than you have, as you haven't built one.

However, you've yet to experience most of your challenging moments, and quite a few "Oh Shitters".

Exactly Max, this why I was worried that you would think i wasn't listening and not bother commenting anymore.

I think I nderstand the amount I know about motorcycle streamliners.
I recon I could write it all on an Asprin with an axe and leave room for pictures, very little.....

Jon

[Jon]

Thanks guys

Max; current plan for chutes is spring loaded doors with a Stroud spring launch pilot chutes pulling out the main in a Dbag; I have a fair bit of headscratching on this still.

High Gear; I'm running an old CBR1000f engine straight out of a second hand bike to get going.
Only after I have 1/2 a clue of riding it and all the rest of the bike sorted will I start chasing more power.
Was thinking no bodywork and some training wheels a couple feet wide and 6 inches off the ground doing slow runs on a short track until I can start and stop without falling over before I put the shell on.
Lots of preflight and bailout drills getting body memory for where everything lives before I even run it.

Glen; someone told me (can't remember who) "there's two types of streamliner bikes, those that have fallen over and those that are about to".
I was going to run wheels, changed my mind to skids.
Less things to go wrong I think and smaller to fit when retracted.
I emailed and talked with Bob Stroud for a while and he sent me a chute, haven't measured the tether line but it seems LONG.

Tman; you have a pretty cool build happening, look forward to watching it's progress.
The input from people is great, I have changed several things from peoples comments already and have very little done.


Thanks
jon

[Tman]

Thanks, I know from working on mine that even after you add more space these things are STILL tight!

[Kansas Bad Man]

Jon, you're going to have a limited space back there for the chutes.  About four years ago I ordered two chutes from Stroud and had them sent to the Wendover Nugget, as at the last minute I decided I needed a back up pair of chutes for the Bub Meet.  I had my chutes made by Stroud, they were special made.  I just assumed that they had records, and I would get an exact copy of the ones I had previously had made.  When I picked them up at the casino, they weren't anything like my chutes.  They were the Stroud spring loaded pilot chute type.  All way to big, and wouldn't work at all.  I'd already paid for them, so they were the same kind as Ack was using for Ack Attack, so I just gave them to him.  My point in telling you this is that a much smaller pilot chute and deployment system should be employed.  You are really going to be limited for space, and every place that you can save an inch in diameter and an inch in length, do it.  I promise you won't regret it. 

The first parachutes on my streamliner number three used a pyrotechnic deployment, no pilot chute.  It consisted of two four inch aluminum tubes, a foot and a half long, two pistons, one for each cannon, two 12 gauge single shot shotguns (the ones with the hammer), the barrels were sawed off completely and the stocks removed.  The guns were welded to a four bolt flange that bolted on the back of the cannon.  The piston was four inches in diameter and used Chevy rings made out of 7075 T6 aluminum.  The shot from a light load shell was removed, the shell was filled to the brim with glue from a glue gun.  This provided a wad with sufficient weight to move the piston with enough velocity to spit the entire umbilical cord of the chute, and the chute some 10 ft. out the tube.  I used solenoids out of automobile door locks to pull the trigger of the 12 gauge.  This all worked really well, and was the smallest parachute assembly for both high speed and low speed chutes that I've built.  Just food for thought.  Easy to do and it works.

                               Max

P.S. While I was testing this contraption, I had it all in a vice, I hadn't made my piston yet, so I used a hedge ball wrapped in a sock.  Fired the thing in a vice, the cannon was pointed towards the garage door.  Put a heck of a dent in it.  I was happy, but the landlord wasn't.

                                 #:^)#

P.S.S. BTW, so the piston doesn't fly out the back of it you have to put a ring stop on the end of the cannon.  A 1/8" lip works just fine.
 
P.S.S.S. Henry Louey, when inspecting the bike on the salt, made me write on the side of the liner, "CAUTION, PYROTECTNIC CHUTE DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM, STAND CLEAR"

[grumm441]

Max
You would never get away with using a sawn off shotgun in Aus
The gun laws are way too strict
I would say you would need a license just for pyrotechnics in Aus
G

[Jon]

Max;
The chute tubes do take up a bit more room than i first hoped
I made a couple of 3" pilot chute launch tubes a while ago;

The hose clamp was just for testing, the spring when relaxed goes to the end of the tube.
Depending on wether I'm short of width or length room I might make a pair of 2" ones.

As Grumm said Aus gun laws are pretty strict.
Will visit some more when I get there.

No work on bike today, firesuit turned up, Dave & I went and caught up with Ross for a while.


Random question for today;
Is aluminum ok for electrical contacts or will the salt oxidize it too much?


Jon

[Peter Jack]

I think using aluminum for electrical contacts would just be encouraging a lack of reliability and you're probably going to be chasing enough gremlins without building in some intentionally. 

Pete

[grumm441]

Jon
you better get on with it
It looks like you've got six weeks
G

[Jon]

Thanks Grumm!!!, I was freaking about having 40 weeks minus Speedweek this year instead of 52.

Great news though, for this year and ongoing.


Jon

[Tman]

Ok Jon, I spoke to John, the manufacturer of the Orange Aid padding today on the phone. As usual in my quest I came away smarter after our conversation! VERY helpfull gentleman! His son happens to be a surgeon so there was some pretty serious developement of the product. The Orange stuff looks well suited to what we are doing. He was also generous enough to state that the ISP padding is VERY good stuff as well. That says a lot when he will give a thumbs up to a competitors product. I am sold but that only makes my choice harder ISP or OrangeAid!?!?!?!? Orange has the better price and can be used on other bars in the cockpit.

[Jon]

Thanks for the info Tman, think I will get some Orange Aid.

Pipe roller guy has been at a boat show flogging off boats so have been chasing bits.

Redid my chute tubes so that I can start on the back of the frame;

Going left to right;
(1) 125mm (5") tube that Stroud supplied my chute Dbag for.
(2) Made a twin tube out of black steel, where I need to run my tubes there's not 250mm (10") of height.
       Canned it for 2 reasons, was never going to keep the inside finish good enough that the bag would slip easily & was a bit too small to slide the bag in easily.
(3) Made a twin tube out of stainless, top tube is 125mm wide tapering to 150mm (6") the whole thing has about an inch of taper lengthwise, (25mm) "1 bigger. Gives me a bit more clearance the end I need it more & Dbag should come out a bit easier.



I know......chute tubes are meant to be round, the chute I have is new like me and doesn't know that so please don't tell it.

Been mocking up front suspension and steering with rosejoints, wood & curtain rod, think its working now.
I will post pics up when it's a bit more together.

Cheers
jon

[Glen]

Jon, Just a little input. The Team Vesco streamliner has the chutes that basically lay in a tray with the air fired pilots in their own tube, one high speed and one low speed chute. The high speed pilot has a 40 ft. long tow (teather) line and it pulls the main canopy out into clean air. Look up teamvescoracing.com for a lot of the car info. Keep up the good build. I like 99% of what you have done.