Quick trike update

[rodekyll]

Got the fairing puttied up and sanded -- ready for primer.  I have some work to do on the tank lid tomorrow.  Paint happens Monday when another job is going through the booth anyway (the booth has heat, evac, air, and lights so it's expensive to fire up).  It will be black on the edges and green elsewhere.  I'm not doing much to it since I expect to toss it for a frame mounted unit of my own design.
 
One of the tank paint features is a chrome panel at the knee grip area.  Generically, later tanks have no chrome -- just paint.  Earlier tanks (mid 60s and back) had rubber grip pads.  The chrome panel was supposed to hearken back to the rubber panels, but with 'modern' paints, the rubber wasn't as necessary.  So I was trying to sketch in that knee panel with the intention of painting it and the margin of the lid black while the rest of the tank was green.  I had what I wanted, but Ron said it was going to double the time painting.  I wasn't exactly happy with what I was coming up with anyway, so I went on ebay and started looking at tank rubbers.  I found a pair from a mid '60s Honda 305 Dream that looked about right and ordered them in.  Sure enough, although a hair long, the contours match what I've been sketching.  So I'm going to glue them to the tank in leiu of paint.  It will also help establish the 'antiqueness' of the look, since the only other modern bikes with knee rubbers are the enfield and the ural.
 
Got final answer on the tail light arrangement.  The lights have a top and bottom section.  I put the tail and brake in the top and the turn in the bottom.  Also got the internal storage tray bolted into position and ready for shelf liner. (optional).  This tray is big enough to hold the VW tent, hippo hands and a light-gauge, cheeeep trike cover and has a 'well' area deep enough to stand quarts of oil and ATF upright and store the scissors jack and tools.
 
Got the over-tank storage hatches and the main hatch weatherstripped.  Tested with a pressure hose -- they're dry inside.  Again, shelf liner optional, but metal surfaced trays are going to be noisy.
 
Also added relays to the hatch lid popper soleniod and the air pressure relief solenoid.  They were on the same circuit and blowing fuses every 20th or so push.  Relays should settle them down.
 
Countdown is for the 10th of June.  That's when it goes on the barge for Seattle.  There are a lot of little tasks yet to go and I'm trying to make some $$$$, too.  But it looks like I can have it enough together to continue tinkering with it at campsites along the way.
 

[Muzz]

Sounds like you have it all sorted RK, but certainly enough to keep you busy if you intend to depart on the 10th!

Looking forward to seeing photos once it is all completed.

[jackson]

Sounds like you're moving right along with this project.  Did you make a decision re. going to a Leading Link Fork or modified triple tree?

[rodekyll]

I've decided that I prefer a leading link, and probably a UNIT brand.  But I can't find either type right now, so it will be a crime of opportunity when I find one.

[RANDM]

Good progress RK - well done.

[lucydad]

RK,

If you can't make it as far south as Sugar Land, TX...uh we just happen to have this aspen log cabin in San Juan County, Colorado.

Let me know if you get close sometime before mid-October. 

Serious offer.

[rodekyll]

Thanks, LD.  :)

Here are some pics of the tank and fairing in progress.  The tank is no big deal -- just smoothing out the welds and hammering I did on the lid.





The fairing is more of a thing.  I never liked its floppiness.  I felt it was fluttering at speed to the point that I could feel it in my ears.  It was tiresome over long distances.  I'd also taken a few bird hits and a glancing blow from a coyote, so the gel coat was cracked in several places.  I couldn't really attack the gel coat damage without first reinforcing the basic structure, so I cleaned it up and laid a 3/4" polyester rope along where I thought it should be strengthened and resined it into place.  Then I used a layer of chop mat and one of woven to build it up from the back.






With the back reinforced I made holes for the aux light nests and dug out the cracks in the gel coat.  Some went on through the laminate.  Oddly, there were places where the gel coat was the carcass of the fairing -- there was no mat behind it except what I had just done.




Then I spot puttied the cracks.





I was going to stop there, since the trike design calls for a frame mounted fairing and I don't want to put more time into this than I have to, but a friend dropped me by a large brassiere and I'm going to try to use it to extend the bat wings as rock guards.  The cups are foam and seamless, so they should take resin well and hold a shape around a contour of wire mesh.  We'll see tomorrow.

[RANDM]

Resourceful - and also proof that more than a handful
is not a waste!

Maurie.

[cruzziguzzi]

Pathetic pics... What a tease.

Todd.

[rodekyll]

The pics were an afterthought. 

I've run out of time and no clear solution to the rock guard problem, so I'm passing on it.  I have too many other things to do, and the fairing is due in the paint booth in the morning.  So are a couple other parts that I haven't even gotten started on.  Bummer.  If I knew what I was doing it might go faster.

[cruzziguzzi]

The pics were an afterthought. 

I've run out of time and no clear solution to the rock guard problem, so I'm passing on it.  I have too many other things to do, and the fairing is due in the paint booth in the morning.  So are a couple other parts that I haven't even gotten started on.  Bummer.  If I knew what I was doing it might go faster.

When talking about rock guards - you mean for your hands?

Todd.

[rodekyll]

I'm almost afraid to say "yes" . . .

The idea was to enlarge the bat wings on either side of the windshield to better cover the hand grips and allow a fairing mount point at the bar ends.  As it is they deflect air, but anything in the air still raps my knuckles.  That might be an issue on the haul road to Deadhorse.  But although wider and longer would be nice, the mod is not necessary; I can use the Clorox bottle trick to build some on the spot. 

The Clorox bottle trick is when the bugs, rain, hail, and stones make you raid the roadside restaurant restrooms for two Clorox bottles, trim for size and slit at the nozzle to get around the handlebar.  A hose clamp at the inboard end and a screwhole in the 'bottom' to attach to the bar end holds them well enough in place.  The problem is that they look exactly like a pair of really white, obviously Clorox bottles swiped from roadside restaurant restrooms, hose clamped to the handlebars and trimmed to fit.  the form/function ratio is weighed more to function than even I like*. 
The other goal was to build up a bit of the upper edge to accept fairing-mounted mirrors.  I've never been fond of mounting to the bar or master cylinders.

*It may be mathematically impossible, on account of it's division by zero.  As in form/function = 0/10.  That and torque converter theory, where mph/rpm = 0/950 defines a fluid coupling would drive Einstein nuts.  So my trike defies conventional physics.


Did this post to the pointless topic?

[cruzziguzzi]

Maybe using something like "Bark-busters" to build upon?

http://www.barkbusters.net



Todd,

[rodekyll]

 I like bark busters.  I got the kid a pair for his Jackal.  Yes, something like they would work.  I thought the bra cups would be more of a conversation starter though.  And they would work if I had the time to build them out, but things like the air scoop for the radiator are more important.