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[640 Armageddon]

Originally Posted by Johnnyktm

I'm happy that you have enjoyed the pics! By the way: I have the full resolution ones (3072x2304 pixels) and I can post them with a clickable thumbnail in case that you need/want to have a look at something more closely

Now ... If I only had a projector ...

[liferider]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

Now ... If I only had a projector ...

BTW, Armageddon, how is your project of the front tower? may be I have lost some post of yours lately?

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[640 Armageddon]

Originally Posted by liferider

BTW, Armageddon, how is your project of the front tower? may be I have lost some post of yours lately?

.

The tower held fine in the 24hrs Rally Raid, but the engine gave up go figure
Here it is







What I need to put is vibration dampers everywhere and make sure the aluminium sheet is bent to a proper workshop. The aluminium developed cracks when they bent it. These cracks propagated because of the vibrations... It did not fall apart, but as Pete640 and others have told me, I should have welded these cracks. No time at the time (with only one week left to race) so I did my best to sort out the electrics. Now the bike sits on the garage, waiting for a donor engine, I have time to correct everything that was not right in the first version and redesign it for the next Rally
That was the point from the beginning. And I dont mean the engine failure ! I wanted to test the tower in order to get a product out at the end because I am sick of not finding products for the 640... First a Tower. then a nice bash plate, then a Roadbook a rally fairing and whatever inmates here ask for ...

[Falcon Rust]

it's pretty hot here.
so not sure if that would be the case?

Originally Posted by mxchamp

How cold is it outside.

When I try to kick start my 2001 under 30 degrees it too gets stuck and also gets very stiff.

When it's really cold, it doesn't even engage. Stick a heater on her for 15 minutes to warm up the oil a bit.

[Johnnyktm]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

Here it is

Impressive work!!!!

[liferider]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

The tower held fine in the 24hrs Rally Raid, but the engine gave up go figure
Here it is



What I need to put is vibration dampers everywhere and make sure the aluminium sheet is bended to a proper workshop. The aluminium developed cracks when they bent it. These cracks propagated because of the vibrations... It did not fall apart, but as Pete640 and others have told me, I should have welded these cracks. No time at the time (with only one week left to race) so I did my best to sort out the electrics. Now the bike sits on the garage, waiting for a donour engine, I have time to correct everything that was not right in the first version and redesign it for the next Rally
That was the point from the beginning. And I dont mean the engine failure ! I wanted to test the tower in order to get a product out at the end because I am sick of not finding products for the 640... First a Tower. then a nice bash plate, then a Roadbook a rally fairing and whatever inmates here ask for ...

Awesome work!
Sure you will debug the details and impove it. You are a very qualified crafty rider...
Wow, so many accessories... may be you will end building a KTM from scratch

I remember to have read about your engine's death... it's unfair...
Anyway you took it well.
.

[juames]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

a nice bash plate

[640 Armageddon]

Originally Posted by liferider

Awesome work!
Sure you will debug the details and impove it. You are a very qualified crafty rider...
Wow, so many accessories... may be you will end building a KTM from scratch

I remember to have read about your engine's death... it's unfair...
Anyway you took it well.
.

Shit happens all the time to racers... I used to have a sticker when I raced street endurance races with me and I still have it when I changed to off road bikes and especially rallies. It reads ''never give up'' and I remember it since I was a kid on a Tamiya madcap Sometimes when I push the bikes, it helps looking at the sticker for a while

I wanted to load the tower as much as I could with tools, first aid kits, four led lights , spares etc to see how it will cope. I think the first improvement is the vibration dampers and two instead of one stiffener... I was thinking (it rare happens ) to make it in such a way that if it breaks you can clamp it somehow back using metallic tie wraps. Having it in more than one part also helps. If you break the button are you change it. If you break the GPS area you change it ... The major feature in my opinion is to be safe if the tower hits you in the chest, that is what I want to work on the next version...
The plastic toggles are a big ''no no '' in the next version !

As far as the bash plate is concerned I started (almost two years back) designing a bash plate which had two versions. One light and one with side boxes...
Here is the light one





At the time I was looking to find something to buy but they were all too expensive. All the bash plates were abroad the shipping was killing me ... It is a little bit difficult to measure and I would need lots of prototypes until I get it perfect but I will get there. I wanted to protect the sides of the engine better. The rear suspension linkage was also a good point to protect...

D.

[liferider]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

Shit happens all the time to racers... I used to have a sticker when I raced street endurance races with me and I still have it when I changed to off road bikes and especially rallies. It reads ''never give up'' and I remember it since I was a kid on a Tamiya madcap Sometimes when I push the bikes, it helps looking at the sticker for a while

I wanted to load the tower as much as I could with tools, first aid kits, four led lights , spares etc to see how it will cope. I think the first improvement is the vibration dampers and two instead of one stiffener... I was thinking (it rare happens ) to make it in such a way that if it breaks you can clamp it somehow back using metallic tie wraps. Having it in more than one part also helps. If you break the button are you change it. If you break the GPS area you change it ... The major feature in my opinion is to be safe if the tower hits you in the chest, that is what I want to work on the next version...
The plastic toggles are a big ''no no '' in the next version !

As far as the bash plate is concerned I started (almost two years back) designing a bash plate which had two versions. One light and one with side boxes...
Here is the light one

At the time I was looking to find something to buy but they were all too expensive. All the bash plates were abroad the shipping was killing me ... It is a little bit difficult to measure and I would need lots of prototypes until I get it perfect but I will get there. I wanted to protect the sides of the engine better. The rear suspension linkage was also a good point to protect...

D.

Yes, shit happens and moreover to racers, given you guys push the machines to their limits.
Depres broke his 5th gear this year's Dakar... how we would not expect to have trouble ourselves

"Never Give Up" goes far beyond bikes and races I think... it's a healthy life philosophy

A modular tower sounds great and also does the metallic tie wraps, even when you resolve the vibration because a "racer down" situation is always a possibility and sometimes the tower is the victim.

That bash plate looks very cool and tough.
You already are aware of this for sure, but let me feel I'm smart as you saying this: don't forget the side hole for the oil inspection glass (just in case your model has it there). I'm a genius or what????

.

[juames]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

As far as the bash plate is concerned I started (almost two years back) designing a bash plate which had two versions. One light and one with side boxes...
Here is the light one





At the time I was looking to find something to buy but they were all too expensive. All the bash plates were abroad the shipping was killing me ... It is a little bit difficult to measure and I would need lots of prototypes until I get it perfect but I will get there. I wanted to protect the sides of the engine better. The rear suspension linkage was also a good point to protect...

D.

Looks nice! Might have to make a cut out on the top of the front for the header pipe.

[mgorman]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

...then a nice bash plate...

I was pulled over by a friend who saw me leaking oil. It was dripping pretty good but the oil level was looking ok so I added enough oil to cover the inspection glass and headed home.

A rock or something had gotten behind my skid plate and punctured the oil filter

My best guess is, a rock got behind the plate and wedged between the plate and filter then the plate took a good enough impact to push the rock through the filter.

So, keeping that thought in mind, make sure no sticks or debris can come from the side and puncture the filter.

[juames]

Originally Posted by mgorman

I was pulled over by a friend who saw me leaking oil. It was dripping pretty good but the oil level was looking ok so I added enough oil to cover the inspection glass and headed home.

A rock or something had gotten behind my skid plate and punctured the oil filter

My best guess is, a rock got behind the plate and wedged between the plate and filter then the plate took a good enough impact to push the rock through the filter.

So, keeping that thought in mind, make sure no sticks or debris can come from the side and puncture the filter.

That is a very valid point. Small rocks get wedge between my stock skid plate and the motor all the time. I've filled the space with foam, but still end up with stuff in there.

[Low594]

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

looks like the early style windscreen, just tipped forward, right?! I would love to get one of those for mine!

Originally Posted by 640 Armageddon

As far as the bash plate is concerned I started (almost two years back) designing a bash plate which had two versions. One light and one with side boxes...
Here is the light one





D.

I would love to get one of the toolbox/storage bashplates, but even the light one looks to be an improvement over the stock and my current TouraTech!

[640 Armageddon]

All good points about the bash plate, indeed it needs to be cut to much the exhaust headers, I made a moke up and saw that ... ... The sides need to change inclination angle and shape to much the covers but I think I will go the other way and build something and then digitise it.
The box version will come later and I was thinking of both sharing the same central plate and then you would change the sides to either have a ''thin'' plate or a rally one. Have to test the design but you get the idea...
I have seen stuff under the engine, small rocks etc but never had problem. It is a good point and I will try and protect the oil filter. Rocks should come from the front wheel so it should not be difficult to create a shield for the oil filter so the rocks are deflected elsewhere.


@liferider
Indeed my model does not have the glass to check the oil level

Low594. It is the old style fairing as you say. I picked it up on ebay. Again, I tried to source a Rally fairing but too difficult. Pete640 had made a couple of copies for JayBo here but I was not able to source them and then Pete is in Australia so again the shipping and my finances back then (not much different now ... ) prohibited me from ordering it from Pete. It is the same as the original but it is tipped forward and the fairing itself is higher to cover the NavTower. If you want one I can contact the person who made it and ask.
I have not been able to source a good bash plate made of Aluminium yet... There is a plastic one but I think that plastic suits small, lighter bikes. I have one on my Berg and it is fine, but the heavy duty Aluminium on the 640A is already heavily dented ... I think it will eat the plastic one for breakfast

As soon as I have something on the bash plate I will put more pics ...
Below is the history of the Tower ...

https://picasaweb.google.com/1011903...2/August182012#

https://picasaweb.google.com/1011903...2/August132012#

Here is what I was talking about earlier with the paper preview





D.

[640 Armageddon]

Browsing the old files I found this, that was supposed to be the latest version of the bash plate.
Digitizing the bike with a ruler did not help as much as I thought but it gives me an idea where are the things....



Here is the very first version of the tower..