In the beginning! - Woody made the Wheels

[Pilbara]

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

check this out....may give ya some ideas on that off-road special
woody

you're making progress

or were the comments aimed at this?









Cheers
Pilbara

[woody's wheel works]

here ya go pilbara

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=w_F7QrR4Ur8

Originally Posted by Pilbara

or were the comments aimed at this?

hell no,,,AND i like what i see....









Cheers
Pilbara

[PukaWai]

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

here ya go pilbara

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=w_F7QrR4Ur8

If that thing ever gets stuck anywhere there ain't nothing that can go rescue it!

[TUCKERS]

Originally Posted by PukaWai

If that thing ever gets stuck anywhere there ain't nothing that can go rescue it!

I'll go pull it out with my Suzuki Samurai

[Pilbara]

Some of you may be wondering why I am doing what I am to a 1200GS, well the reason is in my opinion they make a very capable dirt bike and the one you see below was ridden 10,000km in the dirt and loved it. So I had an attempt to make it into a rally bike in 2006 as below, some good Wilbers shocks and a few other mods to make it rally friendly. Stu@totallylost.com.au the guy standing beside it (AKA Cashelvale) organises one of the only two other well attended navigational rally rides in Oz and I was going to have my first nav ride on this the GS, well a lot happended just trying to get there, a big story in itself....


...but when I did eventually catch up and get going, I only got 20 km into the ride and this happened.


Now before you all run off in shock and horror worried about your new 1200 swingarm breaking, it won't

This won't break it...

..and neither will this


Riding a lot of tracks in my backyard like this at high speed is probably what fatigued the arm and subsequently broke it when the new shocks went in. The photo does not show it...the washout on the right is big enough to fit the whole GS in without sticking out the top except the screen, just to see how big the little ones really are.


This little vid shows some of the terrain on the Wild Boar ride where is did break, the 950KTM featured was Kando's and he kindly let me have a spin on it. He followed me for the first 20 kms I did and when we stopped he asked if I had had something done to the suspension as he saw me cruise through some rough at pace and tried to follow, having a few moments, not the cruise he saw the BM go through like.

On an earlier ride through Rudall River National Park in Oz the torque arm broke, but again a lot of high speed square edge washouts.


I have had a number of bikes since then, KTM950SE, 690Rally, G450X and none of them really do if for me like the big GS used too. Admittedly the Rally is good, but there is something about the big old GS that I am missing - hence the project As RichardM once said; 'its like big tits, once you try them you won't go back...'

Maybe that's what it is, capacity, but I don't know, there is something that really happens when you get a big GS going in the dirt.

So, I am building a GS dirt bike, why did you just not by an HP2 I hear you cry out! Well, it should be cheaper, I know it will take what is coming for it. (if it doesn't I'll just make it stronger) it will be similar dimensionally to the GS, as that was the bike I had fun on, but adjustable and the ergos built to suit me, exactly!

I can't wait. Its been a long time coming.
Cheers
Pilbara

www.totallylost.com.au

[Pilbara]

Hello, the build is progressing OK, we have had to make a few changes to speed it up a bit...some of the fancier ideas had to be culled. But I am left with a problem and that is that I need to move the alternator. It is in the way of where we need to put some adjustment for the front shock, now that it is in a more traditional position. Does anyone have any knowledge of an alternate generator, I am thinking smaller diameter maybe longer that I can mount some where off to the side? I dont need the same output capacity as the amount of electrons required to run this beast will be reduced somewhat.

I hear a lot of good reports about the Odessy batteries, so will be on the look out for them too.

Cheers
Pilbara

[isa671]

I think I'm going to need more popcorn.......subscribed

[JeffinTD]

I wouldn't think it would be too hard to fab up a bracket and a couple of bearings to put an idler shaft there, and move the alternator back or to the rear, possibly offset to one side?

Anyway, neat project.

[kktos]

Originally Posted by Pilbara

Does anyone have any knowledge of an alternate generator, I am thinking smaller diameter maybe longer that I can mount some where off to the side? I dont need the same output capacity as the amount of electrons required to run this beast will be reduced somewhat.

Wild guess but I've the feeling u'll find a lot of different models on cars. So one will be the right one for this.
You should go to an autoparts seller with the alternator specs or even the beast itself and see if there's something that'll fit ur requiments.

and, yes, as the others, I'm hooked to ur project ! It's Brilliant !

[woody's wheel works]

g'day pil,,,

just returned from the Rawhyde X challenge ,,,they picked the 3 finalists and alternates that will head to africa for the international competition later on this year,,

so looking at your problem,,, i wondered if you left the pulley in place and then via a shaft toward the rear you can remount your alternator and use those trick universal joints to power it up from the shaft..

how far do ya hve to move the alternator out of the way for your 'shock adjustment area',,???

i'll look for a link to the coupler


woody

http://www.beldenuniversal.com/?gcli...FZFV2godFDmjAA


http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/23...Couplings.html

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/30...th_spacer.html

[Boxerlove]

Pilbara-

Props on the very cool work you are doing. I can't wait to see it when its all finished. How fast do u ride off road on your GS? Are you above 50 MPH a lot over fairly rough terrain? I tend to ride mine pretty fast and that pic of the swing arm does scare me a little but so far my bike has been perfect.

[Poolside]

You could prolly fit a typical motorcycle permanent magnet alternator running on the front of the crank.

About moving the alternator though, instead how about moving the lower shock mount forward? Doing that gives a rising rate linkage for the front suspension.

[Tuff Tunica]

Great build and I love the concept but I just keep thinking....HP2?

Might be alot easier.


I know, I know.....but it just seems that with all the work, you're making a wheel out of a block when a wheel already exists.

I'll shut the hell up now.

[Pilbara]

Originally Posted by Tuff Tunica

Great build and I love the concept but I just keep thinking....HP2? Might be alot easier. I know, I know.....but it just seems that with all the work, you're making a wheel out of a block when a wheel already exists. I'll shut the hell up now.

yeh HP2s do exist but KHP2s, well there is only one of those and it is built to how I want it not how some German thinks I should have it

The other thing to note Tuff is that the front end is completely adjustable in every way offset, steering head angle, trail all very easily, and the reason for wanting to move the gen is the same to allow adjustable suspension action. After getting some miles on this I will then have the option to change it to suit conditions and riding. You can't do that on an HP2. And, to be quite honest most would not want to be able to do it either as you could improve it worse....

Originally Posted by Poolside

You could prolly fit a typical motorcycle permanent magnet alternator running on the front of the crank.
About moving the alternator though, instead how about moving the lower shock mount forward? Doing that gives a rising rate linkage for the front suspension.

Poolside I did consider that but there is not a lot of room at the front, but it is still on the radar. If I could just find the right profile unit I think it is a good option. And yes the flexibility to change the suspension action and hence want the room to put adjustable mountings on the lower arm.

Originally Posted by Boxerlove

Are you above 50 MPH a lot over fairly rough terrain?

Yeh, it is the square edge washouts at speed you need to be careful of...

Woody, Jeff, that was one thought some time ago, an idler shaft to sit the gen over the gearbox. I do not actually need to move it far to get the room I need and my be just a sideways shift will do it, but I would like to keep it simple and if what I had imagined in my mind was available, ie a more bullet shaped unit it would be nice and easy and tight. Keep the ideas coming.

The front shock was not going to be where it is now, it was going to be at the back beside the starter motor and, may still end up there one day with just a rocker arm through the middle of the bike. This was going my preference but packaging some of the ''stuff' was a problem and we had to succumb to putting it back in a more traditional position.

All gooooo!
Cheers
Pilbara

PS really would like to hear from anyone who has run a solid driveshaft...as oppoosed to the vulcanised rubber connected one. On that note has any one heard of a failure of the rubbber connection on the driveshaft?

[Poolside]

Originally Posted by Pilbara

Poolside I did consider that but there is not a lot of room at the front, but it is still on the radar. If I could just find the right profile unit I think it is a good option. And yes the flexibility to change the suspension action and hence want the room to put adjustable mountings on the lower arm.

A typical crank-driven PM alternator (like on virtually every other bike in the world) will slot right into the space currently occupied by the crankshaft alternator belt pulley.

I get you want adjustability, but if the lower shock mount location is made adjustable, each adjustment location needs a different spring rate. Something not easily done on the trail.