Time to report where I'm at!....and the "opportunities for learning and growth" experienced while getting there.
After deciding to do a front engined trike, i dragged out an old Suzuki VL1500 bevel drive swingarm that has been laying in the back of the shed for nearly 15 yrs. It was bought, almost accidentally, as the 'only bid' in a low start Ebay auction, with the possible plan of one day building a full size trike project. It is the bare swingarm only. No wheel, no axle, no uni-joint, no brake disk or caliper assembly, etc.
The Vulcan is a big ol' cruiser, that uses a car width 15" wheel. I needed something more suitable for a cycle kart. Eventually found a narrow 17" wheel, at a reasonable price, from an old 650 Katana, same splined hub to fit the swingarm. Whew! Brake disks to fit this particular wheel are only available, aftermarket, and around $250 AUD. Totally unacceptable!!! A S/H Suzuki universal joint was found for under $50 delivered.
Swing arm is pretty solid and heavy and way too long at 610mm pivot to axle. It is being shortened to 500mm by removing a 110mm section of the bracing. The pivot for the swingarm does not use a through bolt, in the bike frame, it is held by 2 tapered bearings squeezing in from both sides. I didn't have any of that. The bearings are readily available...but the threaded mounting bolts and adjusting and lock nuts, not in OZ. Bits from USA & EU are killed by postage costs. A new system was devised. Pics will show the idea.
AND Then..I found the Problem. No matter what adjustments I made to the mounting brackets, I could not get the pivot points to align, without force and strain. In a basic fab like this one, I can live with tolerances say, +/- 1 mm. After days and days of fiddling and adjusting, I could get nowhere near this.
Type / for commands...
