Ok Im not so looking foward to the documentation of my Sidewinder build , but it needs to be done. I am definatley no man of words , so dont expect to be on the edge of your seat reading my post, but I will try to post as many pictures as I can to make up for my lack of words. I am posting this on a few forums so if something is mentioned that does not seem to fit that may be why.The foums Ill be posting this in are:
www.madmodder.net
www.edge.au.com/forum1/index.php
www.sembra.org
www.gstwin.com/
I figured that if you have any further interest in certain parts of this buggy build you may enjoy looking into those links as much as I enjoy frequenting them.
A small bit of history on my buggy interest.
I got my first Go kart when I was around 12 years old. I fell in love instantly. It is hard to explain to someone who has never rode but the thrill of being part of the machine got me hooked. It is similar to quad in how much is doen by shifting your body wight when driving, but lower center of gravity for better control and safety. It probably needs to be stated that my first time riding a quad ended with me trying to take a 90 degree turn wound out in third gear. It was unsuccesful to say the least.
The issue was always that go karts were ususally 5 horsepower yard karts with no suspension and small wheels. I modifed what I had to suit my riding but always wanted more. I dreamed of building a fully indepent front and rear suspended kart since I was about 16yo. I drew and drew and learned a bit about independent rear suspensions but there seems to be no body out there with the same interest. And then in 1998 my dad bought our first PC and we got the internet. And after the first few weeks of discovering women wear alot less clothing on the internet I started doing research on buggy with suspension. I still had little luck finding what I wanted. There was a guy in the North Dakota area who had a Buggy called "The Beast" It was very nice and fit what I wanted but it still used an industrial Briggs engine. These are great for certain uses but not for a powerful buggy, the RPM is just too low IMO.
Then one day I came across The Edge Buggies website. I have to say I was a bit upset to start with. It was another case of someone allready doing what I thought was an original idea of my own. But I read and dreamed even more seeing what these guys down under were doing. And after maturing a bit and realizing that building something someone had allready proved the concept of , I decided I had to have an Edge Piranha. It has been a few years now since my last attempt to build a buggy, which ended b/c of finance and life getting in the way. But I decided to commit a lot of my free time and play money this year to building a sidewinder. After completing I hope to drop back and convert to the Piranha . But building the Sidewinder will give me something to ride and decide what mods will best suit my type of riding.
With the current infux of Chineese buggies the hobby has really grown. People are begining to see the fun and safety of having a buggy over a quad. Dont worry quad guys you will still have your place. But it just gives us another option out there of toys to ride. And with the growth of popularity has also came the organization of "Mini Buggy" Clubs and the fact that Mini Buggies are being welcomed to many of the offroad parks and OHV trails across the country.
I came across the SEMBRA site a few months back and it has been a lot of encouragement to keep the build on a steady pace. These guys travel the SouthEastern US riding at different places and I'm itching to go ride.
Well I guess it turned out I had a little more to say than I thought it would, I would like to thank all those who have been a help to this point either with finding part, anwering questions, moral support or encouragement. There is still a lot more to do but I am well underway and commited now. I hope to be done by the end of the fall but really want to be done by August to catch some riding with the SEMBRA guys.
If this is posted in the wrong place or is not welcomed to the forums please move or delete.
I did not take a pic of tacking the upper and lower frame together but it was the most straight foward part of the fabrications so far. I used a piece of thick plywood as a template. I then snapped a centerline and drew out the locations of tubes. So It was then just simply putting together the puzzle pieces.
The first few pics are of me lineing up the upper and lower frame.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0024.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0025.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0026.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0028.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0029.jpg)
I used jack stands to set the angle of the upper frame, while trying to align the center of the two frame members. You can also see in the last picture the two nose pieces tacked in. So after they were in place and two vertical pieces of tube tacked to hold the angle of the upper frame I took the buggy to my work to fully weld up the current progress.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0060.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0061.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0062.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0063.jpg)
Im a decent welder , especially with a mig but I did not like how some of the welds came out. Luckily I was able to grind down the worst of them. At work , most of our welded jobs are thick structural steel so I have gotten used to welding it I guess, This was good clean steel but slightly on the thinner side than what I am used to.
This was the first part of the project I aquired, It is a 1989 Suzuki GS500 . It is not a recommended engine to use buy Tony at "The Edge" (maker of "The SideWinder" plans). But A fellow Sidewinder builder is using this same engine and It was highly recommended by Eric (Brass_Machine @ MadModder) . And most importantly I got the bike for an unbeliveable price. After selling the handle bars, headlight and fenders, I recouped my money on the bike. I came across the GS500.com forum and Mr. Buddha there built a set of carbs for me for a very good price as well. He jetted for the aftermarket slip on exhaust that came with the bike, and the K&N filter I will be running. He also took out all the soft twenty year old Jap bolts and replaced them with new stainless steel allen bolts.
This is the bike after some disassembly.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0066.jpg)
The Carbs.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0064.jpg)
Here is a video of the bike running.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/th_MVI_0068_mpeg4.jpg) (http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/?action=view¤t=MVI_0068_mpeg4.flv)
I made a mistake and hooked the fuel line to the overflow tube on the carbs. The bike ran with a little tinkering , but once I hooked the fuel line to the correct inlet on the carbs it fired perfectly.
I have to say I was so pleased with the sound of the bike. I was a bit worried of having a buggy that looked mean but sounded like a pissed bumble bee.
Now it is onto the rollbars.I did not take any pictures of bending the bars. I had a a local shop quote bending them for me but he wanted $350. Yeah right. So I decided to bend them myself.
Any of you who have messed with bending tube know it can be difficult not to have kinks in the bend. So what I did was weld a piece of tube to the welding table at work that was the same diameter as was needed to get the right inside bend radius I needed. The mandrel tube was just slightly longer than the diameter of the roll bar tube. I then welded a plate on tupe of the tube to keep the roll bar tube from kinking out. It took a bit of reheating and rebending because of an error I should have caught but other than that the roll bars came out ok. The fixture worked great but I had to reheat and rebend some so I got so kinking. Ill get over it.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0295.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0299.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0300.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0301.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0302.jpg)
Today I cut and welded the bonnet bars into place. They came out well. They look to be symetrical which is the most important part. Not quiet as much progress as Iwould have liked to make today but I got lazy.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0303.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0304.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0305.jpg)
On the todo list now is,
Receive parts from waterjet guy and weld into place
parts include suspension mounts, misc mounts, and pedal boxes
Order steel and plastic for suspension arms, bushings, and axle.
Fabricate suspension arms. Machine axle.
Order shocks and other misc parts from The Edge.
Bro THAT is NICE :bowdown: :bowdown:, what would it cost me to get a set of these plans and a list of materials?
That looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. I'll definitely be following your build.
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on May 09, 2009, 12:53:05 AM
Bro THAT is NICE :bowdown: :bowdown:, what would it cost me to get a set of these plans and a list of materials?
Mr Yam, The plans were $65 AUD which I think was about $45 USD. They are very detailed plans , somethings could be a lil clearer but easily figured out. Follow the link the The Edge site, They have a place selling the digital copys of there plans so you dont have to wait for them to be shipped to you. BTW, I will be doing some riding in Tennessee , you guys have some nice trails there.
kinda cool to see something come along from scratch. good luck with the build, keep us posted. :thumb:
Ok guys , I finally made some more progress on the buggy :D
Ive been working on the suspension components for the last couple free weekends.
I made a fixture ,per the Sidewinder plans, to help build the front arms and make them symettrical.
The front arms were a pain for me to make because it was alot of grinding to fit check then grind again.
The rear swing-arm intimidated me but it was actually easier in my opinion, mostly because all the angled cuts were well drawn out in the plans.
The biggest challenge was coping (fish mouthing) the rear brace to match the axle tube. I wasnt feeling up to cutting the angles to match and grinding to fit so I rigged the part up onto my drill press.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0402.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0404.jpg)
It worked well once I got everything aligned and postioned as needed. The hole saw was not to happy to say the least but we came through it.
Using an annular cutter for the pivot tube hole.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0389.jpg)
Here are some pics of the nearly finished pieces. Still need some berrys knocked off and cleaned up.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0409.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0410.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0411.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0412.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0413.jpg)
Heres the link to my photobucket, There are alot of redundant pics but some that arent.
http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/?start=0
So as I sit, the frame and suspension is "basically" complete.I am waitng to get my parts from the water jet guy, I have places my order from "The Edge"
I would guess mounting the motor and making the tank are the next big hurdles.
P.S.
I just have to throw these in.These are a couple pics of my old kart.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0416.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0417.jpg)
Holeeeee cow that is insane ... so cool ...
I would ride the bike and test @ speed before you put it in the buggy ... The reason is ... I suspect you're gonna have it geared very very very low, it be turning 7-8K for you to run 30-40 mph I presume, like 1/2 the stock speed ... I would really want to get the top end on the nose for sure ... Its close, but not exact ... get it spot on ...
Cool.
Buddha.
The bike is not in a condition to be driven,
I am going with a 55 tooth rear sproket, Im guessing a 12 tooth front, and 22" rear tires.
Are you refering to getting the carb dialed in? Cause if so I know who to call :thumb:
That is col, and I dunno how easy it be to access in that cage of yours ... you have it stuffed in too tight ... it be more trouble for you. That's why I suggest you do now ... but ... your call.
Cool.
Buddha.
Thanks Buddah, The engine will be very exposed and easy to access. BTW I am very pleased with the carbs you put together for me. Once I got them plumbed correctly it fired 1st shot.
Great project. :thumb: Please keep it coming.
!!!UPDATE TIME!!!
Well I got my stuff from The Edge this week.
Im still waiting on all the parts from my waterjet guy, looks like it may
be a couple of weeks on that.
So I knocked out the front spindles. I used preheat treated 4140,
It comes in around 30 rockwell. It is not too hard but stiffened up a bit.
And machines very well, IMO better that annealed.
Here are some pics of the turning, I didnt take any pics of coping the end
to fit the spindle tube but it was straight foward. I just made a 5deg angled cut with an endmill.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0426.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0433.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0435.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0425.jpg)
Today I went and picked up some aluminum for the gas tank.
Then I decided to work on a tank lid. I really wanted to use the
cap off the GS500 tank. It is a cool flush mount cap.So I had to make a recessed
piece to weld to the tank top, so that I could use the flush mount cap.
Heres a pic of the tank. I had no intention of using it originally
so sitting out side it got mud and paint on it. :)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0442.jpg)
Under the cap.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0443.jpg)
First thing I did was make the center plug out of some stainless steel.
This is where the locking section goes.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0444.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0445.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0446.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0447.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0448.jpg)
Next was making the recessed piece that would weld to the tank.
Sawing took almost 45min with my dull blade.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0449.jpg)
Chucked it up, faced and turned back as much as I could.
Then flipped it and faced to length and turned back the other half.
During the last facing operation I used the turning tool to scribe a center line for locating.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0450.jpg)
Then, I bored the center section, to the correct depth for the cap.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0451.jpg)
One thing I noticed , was that the center of the filler tube (SS piece)
Needed to be off center of the recess in the alum. On the GS tank I measued the offset at 3/16".
This has to do with the way the cap hinges and for the locking mechanisim to clear.
I mounted the 4 jaw chuck and got my part mounted so it was offcenter .188".
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0454.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0455.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0456.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0457.jpg)
I then pressed my SS piece in, I wanted to keep my orientation in the 4 jaw chuck so I could bore the
SS piece so I used the tailstock as to help persuade the two to mate.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0458.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0459.jpg)
Well I just realized I didnt take a pic of the finished part. LOL
After that last pic I bored the SS to diameter, then put a 60degree taper like is on the
original. Then polished it us.
Here is a pic with the cap mounted.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0460.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0461.jpg)
:thumb:
very nice, i HAVE to se this thing lol
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on June 20, 2009, 12:52:35 AM
very nice, i HAVE to se this thing lol
I plan on doing some riding at Windrock/Coal Creek area when im finished. Not far from where youre at.
I havent put together a build update but got alot of progress done this long weekend. So lets call these "teaser shots".
Now keep in mind, I never welded alum till last week. I wanted to weld the tank myself so I started practicing then.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0488.jpg)
Waterjet parts
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0499.jpg)
Pedal
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0504.jpg)
Pedal Boxes
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0505.jpg)
And the buggy as she sits
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0503.jpg)
I just realized the tank pic above was just tacked so here ya go
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0491.jpg)
Ok , Mabey It is one of the better welds on the whole tank. But who would post the worst one.
Looking good! :thumb:
Zeusrekning - that is insanely cool work.
I will make a beeline for the parts of the GS you wont be using. That tank seems like a great candidate for a restore/coat job.
Any other stuff you want to toss - keep me in mind.
Cool.
Buddha.
Knock on wood and hope it never happens but IF I ever wad my 954RR up this project would be an awesome use of a fuel injected superbike motor :D
Quote from: bettingpython on July 07, 2009, 09:25:59 AM
Knock on wood and hope it never happens but IF I ever wad my 954RR up this project would be an awesome use of a fuel injected superbike motor :D
I had the same thought about my GSXR :D
Buddah, Thanks and Ill let you know what is left when im done for sure.
Phyton, If you ever decide to build a buggy using that motor, check into the pirahna or barracuda
I thought about just cheating and finding a wrecked or burned up four wheeler, Hack it into quartersspread it out and apart, weld up a cage and use the suspension from the 4 wheeler with a street bike motor. But the amount of work you have into this one is astounding... Good god, you must have alot of time on your hands, I mean how many hours do you have in just that gas cap? :icon_eek: I could only imagine what I would do If I Had the shop or equipment to do this sort of stuff.... :dunno_black:
Quote from: Chanse on July 08, 2009, 02:24:08 PM
Good god, you must have alot of time on your hands,
:icon_lol: :bs:
lolololol
Man it seems I have absolutley no free time. Im am den leader for my sons cub scouts group and have a job I do for a customer that takes a solid weekend every six weeks. So this summer is the only time I have had a couple weekends a month free. Thinking back though, I believe I actually started building in april probably. I hope to be finished by september. So thats not bad for a complete build. All the support from you guys here and on the other few forums I am posting has been great motivation.
The four wheeler idea has been done and works well. I think I have seen more polaris 4-wheelers used for that method. The gas cap took about 1.5 hrs (mostly looking for tools and sawing the alum). I prob have 12hrs in the tank between plasma cutting the pieces and welding. The equipment is essential though. I cant imagine building this with out my tools and access to my CNC machines at work. But I have seen it done. And one of my good friends just started machining 2 years ago and he knocks out works of art with a couple small import machines.
Thanks for all the interest and support fellas.
Tim
I might have to enlist your services if I cant get a hold of jim, Im gonna need some bushings made for a swing arm swap... :thumb:
Wow! Great work! :cheers:
subscribed
you can do that on here? lol
Yup. There is a Notify button above and below the posts in a thread that you can set to send you reminders to check in on interesting threads.
And this whole time I thought that was a "NOTIFY me when this thread dies" tab... lol jk
Got the motor off the bike today. Went a lot better than expected. Only thing is I riped an intake boot while removing the carbs. Where is the best place to buy a set?
Gosh darnit ... I warned the average and the werase that this might happen and those 2 looked @ me like I just slapped the dalai Lama.
Cool.
Buddha.
:dunno_white: :cookoo:
Uh.... yeah thats what I was thinking.
Wow Tim that is some awesome machine work and Welding! I am jealous as hell and you were right! This needs to be posted. I know the feeling not having any time. I am in the middle of my project now (no where near as complicated and talented as yours) and haven't had anything to post in days. Not procrastinating just can't find the time to get back to it!
Keep posting them pictures though I can't wait to see what this thing turns out to be :thumb:
Robert
WOW thanks Robert. I do this kinda stuff for a living man. The guys who impress me are the ones who don't, and tackle projects like this. At work we often talk about how people who don't work in manufacturing get things done. The things I have seen done buy people who just own a drill press and hand tools simply amaze me.
I have gotten a lot more done since my last update but just haven't had time to upload pictures. I will try to update tomorrow.
Cool beans... I'd give my right well you know to do what you do and have access to the machines and tools that you do. I can't wait to see more progress! :thumb:
Ok guys, here are fresh pics.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0501-1.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0502-1.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0503-1.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0504-1.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0507.jpg)
WOW! :thumb:
That thing is looking great! I couldnt even imagine making something like that myself.
Flat out killer man... KILLER! :icon_twisted:
:cheers:
Freaking awesome work bro. :bowdown:
A very gifted craftsman with some very very very cool toys!
I was working on the clutch cable for my Sidewinder project and I noticed I could not turn the engine sprocket with the clutch cable pulled. I messed around with this most the day thinking it was my cable. So I cut the cable leaving enough hanging out so that I could put some vise grips on the cable and pull it. Still no luck. So I removed the right cover and pulled the clutch plates out. Pulling the clutch cable then It seemed I was getting enough movement in the center shaft to disengage the plates. So I reassembled the clutch and pulled the cable with no luck turning the sprocket. It seemed like the clutch plates moved very little. Im wondering if maybe the sprocket will not turn by hand but If it were on the bike the the leverage of the rear wheel and gearing of the sprockets would allow it to turn. If so then I removed the cover for no reason.
While pulling on the clutch cable the is a popping sound when the cable is pulled hard. I assume this is over travel of the cam mechanism. BTW with the clutch plates removed I inserted the center stud and pulled the clutch cable and got plenty of smooth movement of the center stud. Can someone point me in the right direction.
I did see that the engine was very clean inside and I also think I found a way to plumb in the oil cooler. But thats a question for another day.
Thanks
Zeusrekning
Man you check for the cam movement catching the push rod ?
How is the push rod itself ?
Simple stuff first ...
Cool.
Buddha.
When I pulled the sprocket cover off and pulled the cable I had about 1/2" movement of the pushrod "best I remember". With the clutch plates removed I had plent of smooth movement of the center stud that disengages the disc (while pulling the clutch cable).
Push rod looked good after I cleaned all the gunk off.
OK then, you should've bought my motor ... mu hahahaha hahahah ... sorry cant do it now, unless you wanna go over to Cary and pry it out of Diaz's bike.
I dunno man, something is not letting the push rod push and open the clutch basket.
Possible the thing isn't sitting into the cup its supposed to ? Maybe.
Cool.
Buddha.
So how does the chain sprocket deal work with the swing arm? Is the engine sprocket on the same pivot axis as the swingarm?
Quote from: Weston on July 20, 2009, 08:21:33 AM
So how does the chain sprocket deal work with the swing arm? Is the engine sprocket on the same pivot axis as the swingarm?
Yes weston it is, I believe I am actually off about 1/4" but I hope it doesn't affect em too much. There is a chain tensioner with idler sprockets on top and below the chain.
Quote from: The Buddha on July 11, 2009, 07:14:13 PM
Gosh darnit ... I warned the average and the werase that this might happen and those 2 looked @ me like I just slapped the dalai Lama.
Cool.
Buddha.
:o :icon_lol: Yeah, but did it happen :flipoff:
Here are some teaser pics of the current progress.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0519.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0520.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0521.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0522.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0523.jpg)
Oh, man! That is going to be so much fun! :woohoo:
i'm curious about the weight balance? any issues with that?
I hope the balance issue is not to much of a problem. The engine is on one side and on the other there is 8-1/2 gallons of fuel and the battety. If it begins to make riding to difficult I will modify the buggy to the pirahna , which has a rear mount engine with independent rear. But this will not happen any time in the near future I hope.
Looking at your new pictures I just realiized how close your right arm is going to be to the Exhaust pipe. What are your plans for sheilding and such?
She's looking mean as hell though! Nice F'ing work Dude!
When sitting in the buggy my arm is not too close to the header tubes. I was more worried about the seat bottom, b/c the exhaust is only about an inch from the seat. But the plan is two wrap the exhaust with header wrap. Ive seen the racing kart guys use this stuff and there header is right next two there arm. From what I understand the heat is still felt but not much of an issue. If , during testing, I feel too much heat I will add some heat shields to the critical areas.
Humm Ok. I was thinking with your skill you could make some cool ass like sheilding like the do on some bikes that you can touch no matter how hot the pipe gets.
http://www.key-ideas.com/Pipe-Comparison.jpg like this but something way more creative!
Quote from: JB848 on July 27, 2009, 10:53:48 AM
Humm Ok. I was thinking with your skill you could make some cool ass like sheilding like the do on some bikes that you can touch no matter how hot the pipe gets.
http://www.key-ideas.com/Pipe-Comparison.jpg like this but something way more creative!
Most of those heat shields still have a good amount of transfer, enough so that you can still burn yourself with exposed skin contact.
That is one badass machine my friend, VERY well done, VERY impressive craftsmanship.
Quote from: JB848 on July 27, 2009, 10:53:48 AM
Humm Ok. I was thinking with your skill you could make some cool ass like sheilding like the do on some bikes that you can touch no matter how hot the pipe gets.
http://www.key-ideas.com/Pipe-Comparison.jpg like this but something way more creative!
LOL, Normally I would call that a challenge. But I so want to be done. I will hold off on the shielding unless I feel it is a must have. Everything is allready so tight. If there is too much heat transfer I may end up doubling up on the header wrap. O0
That Rocks dude gotta put up video of that thing going!
:cheers: and :bowdown: to you!
Mary
Ok fellas, Im am rounding third now I believe.
I fitted the skid plate this weekend, then removed it, then refitted it,
Then removed it, well I think you get the point. It is finally on for good.
Well until its time to paint.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0524.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0525.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0526.jpg)
I also made the dash and fitted the tach into the dash.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0529.jpg)
Plus I got the bonnet made. It came out ok but was a PITA. I hae a small brake press but the 1/8"
aluminum was a bit much for it to bend. So plan B was the work bench and a big rubber mallet.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0527.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0528.jpg)
And I mounted the rear brake light along with a plate for the winch to mount to.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/zeusrekning/Sidewinder/IMG_0530.jpg)
Next is wiring and plumbing for fuel and I am ready to test drive.
BTW feel free to input any ideas on color scheme. Im kinda thinking orange frame with blue as an accent color.
Some cool hammering work there bro ... :bowdown:
And welding and machining and ....
This is much much harder than making a chooper ... like I am. Stop the beating ... not form a GS, from a savage.
Cool.
Buddha.
It's looking mighty nice and will be a kick in the pants to drive I am sure! Have you thought about what color you are going to paint it? I think Hot Purple would look nice and get Pandy excited! :thumb:
I vote for yeller ... seriously loud neon yeller ... OK fine pastel yeller.
Cool.
Buddha.
Im thinkin a chain guard upside down to keep crap from getting in the chain and sprocket and throwing the chain off track. I mean a four wheeler is one thing but with a motorcycle engine on there doin 9 or 10 k screamin... That might not be too cool... Of course I've never ridden one like that so I wouldnt know. I've seen a bike chain come loose and break through the block. and almost take a guys leg off... a couple of inches closer... whack....
is the bottom of your fuel tank gonna be above the carb bowls? kinda hard to tell from the pics. very awesome work though!
OK How about Buddha Baby Blue?
Jeremy- No the tank is lower than the carbs. I am using a low pressure fuel pump and a regulator.
Chanse- I agree and this is one of those many mods I will complete after I get it running.
I hope to have it running saturday so I can get started on testing.
I got the buggy finished and done some testing.
well heres this eves update.
I made a trip around the block. Prob doing 50ish.
Came to the house and left again.
Got to the stop sign right below my house.
I noticed I had some wobble in the rear and the engine was running funny.
I slowed way down b/c I had forgot to turn the fuel pump on.
Well as I was stopping the wheel hub came off.
It was the hub that gets welded on and I ground it flush , not leaving enough weld. If I hadn't accidently left the fuel pump off I would have been at decent speed.
Nothing got damage other than my pride b/c I had thought about adding another weld to the back of the hub and forgot.
It will be an easy fix in the morn then Ill do some low speed trail testing.
BTW. High speed is plenty ok for me.
That gets you a giant Homer Simpson "DOOOOOH!" :thumb:
ok, cool I relocated my larwnmowers tank to under the seat, and forgot to put on the vacuum operated pump, took me a whole afternoon to figure it out, lol
Well I went out sunday for some riding. It is awesome. Plenty of low end power. It is a bit hard to get used to keeping her reved up where she needs to be but each ride got better. I want to do the rotor mod and i need to check my valve shims. I really wish this engine had an oil cooler. Does anyone know if i can plumb one into this '89? I see there is a plug on the clutch side where I can check oil pressure. Can I run from here to the oil coller? If so where would my return inlet need to go?
Quote from: zeusrekning on August 11, 2009, 07:35:35 PM
Well I went out sunday for some riding. It is awesome. Plenty of low end power. It is a bit hard to get used to keeping her reved up where she needs to be but each ride got better. I want to do the rotor mod and i need to check my valve shims. I really wish this engine had an oil cooler. Does anyone know if i can plumb one into this '89? I see there is a plug on the clutch side where I can check oil pressure. Can I run from here to the oil coller? If so where would my return inlet need to go?
or find an F engine, sell the 89
Now that would be too easy, wheres the fun in that.
Aside form the oil cooler mod, did you paint the thing yet? O0
Nah , no paint yet. I have some shop work to do the next couple weekends. And my plan was to hold off on painting for a bit. I was going to just keep her cleaned an oiled. But after that mud bath sunday I have decided not to do any trail riding till she is painted. I was really torn between orange and blue, or yellow and blue. But after seing the bike in your avatar , I think my choice is made. I am going to the paint shop tomorrow and will decide for sure then I hope. I had planned on getting it powder coated, but I know there are a few frame mods I would like to make next spring or summer and I hate to grind off the powder. I kinda figure ill just buy a little extra paint so I can touch up as needed.
Im watching Kerry's valve shim adjustment video atm, I checked mine earlier by turning the engine over till I could fit the largest possible shim under the cam lobes.
Here are my findings:
Right Exh: .0045" - .114mm
Left Exh: .0080" - .203mm
Right Int: .0030" - .076mm
Left Int: .0035" - .089mm
.03mm - .05mm is the correct range right?
Is it common for the clearance to be too large?
That .008" seems to be farthest out so Ill double check it tomorrow.
I accendently posted this in the wrong place but Ill continue with it here. I emailed a bike buddy about my clearanceS and he recomended bringing them into spec. He said he had a bunch of suzuki shims , so I hope Im in luck. I do have to add that I am amazed with how clean this engine is for the number of miles it had on it. Any recomendations on other things to check while I have the valve cover off?
Thanks
Tim
i just skimmed through this thread and i'm definitely impressed. excellent fabrication work and a very impressive build. i bet it's going to be a blast to drive.
It is, Im amazed by the power.
Man, throw a piece of lexan or something halfway up to keep from being slathered with mud and stuff when you're ripping around on that thing. I only wish I had the time and resources to build something like that. Kudos to you! :cheers:
The lexan thing is a good idea. But really , if you dont get covered in mud are you really having fun? :D
BUMP! What is the status on this? Need more pictures!
Im having coil issues and have not painted yet. Took it to an Off Road park a few weeks back and it performed very well. Thinking about getting the accel coils after Xmas. I hae just been too busy to enjoy the buggy much , and it looks like it will be that way till after the new year.
You need me to come over there and straighten this out ? OK fine I'll come over in a week or 2.
Anyway, the coil issue, I have my doubts its a coil ... it can be a crank pick up trigger ? or somethign else.
Coil, prolly not.
Cool.
Buddha.
:cheers: Who here wouldnt take you up on that Buddah? I do have a frame and tank here that still needs to be hauled off :wink:
OK thanks for that ... I'll plan something ... The machine work you did is super cool, you're just being modest. I'm comming over to get some stuff on my GR frame with kat rear 7 end and god knows what on my XS ...
Now the coil issue - post what it did, what you swapped around and what it did then ... More detail than your last one please.
Lets see if you cant get this going before I get to driving over.
Cool.
Buddha.
Initially I noticed some occasional missing. I thought it may be a plug wire grounding to the frame, so I moved some things around.
The buggy sat for a couple weeks and when fired again I noticed that I was only running on one cylinder. The left header tube was cold.
I messes with the coil some and checked it with a multimeter and both coils measured the same.
I unscrewed the old wire and made an end to put on the screw coming out of the coil, so I could use a regular automotive spark plug cable.
Still not running on left cylinder.
I removed the plug and could see a spark , but not too good.
I cleaned the plug and again no firing.
Then I swapped coils around and put left coil on right cyl, and vise versa.
I then was firing on both cylinder.
But, at about 5k (assumption on rpm) it starts missing pretty bad.
I then rotated the ignition pickup back to the stock position and nothing improved.
I always thought a coil is either good or bad. But I know this one is emitting spark.
Woww K more complicated than I thought ... can be bad auxillary ground ...
You could also have a bad connection from the crank trigger.
You may have a bad crank trigger especially is it acts up when hot.
Coil, well I thought good or bad too, and I also thought it will be bad at low revs but may get OK at high revs.
OK if its related to throttle position and not rpm then its carbs.
If its rpm related and not throttle position related then its electrical.
Like @ 3K when standing and revving or in 6th gear = electrical.
If its at 1/8th throttle, so 5K when standing but @ 2K in 3rd gear = carbs.
Cool.
Buddha.
I also left out ,that it does not miss when I rev it up in neutral. It only misses when under load.
What is the aux. ground?
bump
Quote from: zeusrekning on November 15, 2009, 06:19:17 PM
I also left out ,that it does not miss when I rev it up in neutral. It only misses when under load.
What is the aux. ground?
Under load miss = carbs.
Aux ground on a stock bike is the smaller negative wire from the negative post of the battery.
OK you prolly have a clogged something ...
What exactly did you do the day before it started acting up.
Like, I put gas in my savage @ this idiotic gas station. I am near about sure there is muck in the thing now, it wants to stall and acts lean all the time. This bike ran perfect when 3 weeks ago it was much colder ... Definete case of crappy gas.
You run through a swamp ?
Had a tree fall on it ?
Get gas that was rated 3 octane ?
Suck a possum through the air filter ?
Y'know the usual crapeola around our little corner of the galaxy ...
Cool.
Buddha.
I did wonder about poor fuel. I will drain and replace filter and see what I get.
I noticed a slight miss last time I rode. I do rekon the last thing I did was a wash down on the buggy.
You run through a swamp ? Why hell yes!
Had a tree fall on it ? Not exactly.
Get gas that was rated 3 octane ? No , put about 4 gallons of pure reg. octance. (no ethanol)
Suck a possum through the air filter ? Definatley didnt do this.
It still smell rich like it always has, and last time I had it fired up I covered the inlet side of the carb without filter on and both seemed to feel the same and wet my hand about the same (if that means anything).
I recently got gas in my savage chopper ... I knew getting it at that time was a bad idea, but well ... didn't want to risk walking home ... Warm and humid day and suddenly temperature drops at night ... 4-5 hours in from the drop in temp, I put in gas that immediately started the bike coughing. Made it home and promptly stalls and past that is a Beeeeaaaaatch to get running. Of course all new gas fixed it ...
I would think you have got somethign in the gas first ... before trying most anythign else.
Cool.
Buddha.
Ok guys, finally got a chance to work on the buggy. I swapped out the coils with a new pair of automotive coils. Drained 1 gal of gas from bottom of tank. When I fired it up it was still running on only one cyl. I disconnected the plug wire and got a good blue 1.5" arc :thumb: . I took the filter off and looked into the venturi while running. Both were moist ? It did look like the good cyl. was getting more fuel . I put the palm of my hand over the suspect carb and let it suck hard for a moment. When I let off it revved up strong and was obviously running on both cylinders. So I jumped on for a test drive and it pulled great. So what could have been clogged?
You had a stuck slide ? ... strong sucking ... and it drenched your hand did it with gas ... more than likely it got the slide lubed and it slid up ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Yes Buddha!!! Thats exactly what happened! Probably a teaspoon or better of fuel in my palm after just a brief moment. What would cause this other than clearances and friction?
The slide getting stuck could be a speck of dirt or something.
Fuel in your hand when you close the mouth is normal. However the side effect of a fuel dusting is that it clears off dirt ... especially it it was on the surface. Before starting any bike, I spray wd40 and finger open the slides ... just in case ... so you may have caught some dirt in the area and got gas and it came out.
Next time wd40 it and move it by hand ...
Cool.
Srinath.
OK OK it's been winter for awhile. When are we going to see some new pictures? Is it painted yet? What the deal?
No joke ... him being in SC he has 1 T shirt with extra thickness for his winter wear.
Sadly this winter its been in the teens for 4 days straight ... so this poor guy has frost bite and is lying at home in front of the fire ...
Yea me too ...
Global warming my a$$ ... and yea I know proponents will say it means colder winter and hotter summer ... I say WTF ... that isn't global warming, its global extremeing.
They also say ... short term trends like 1-2 years of cold dont make any diff - and promptly show some other short term crap like ice shelf off antartica floating away.
Sorry Al Bore, Its a lie, and you're making $$$ hand over fist selling us mercury filled garbage like CFL's.
Global warming oops ... climate change is bogus and always will be unless the predictions made in the last 30-40 years by the "smartest" climate scientists - There is an oxymoron if there ever was one - are re visited and checked for validity or by how much in what direction they were off.
Like someone predicted that the Jack pine warbler will go extinct due to warmer weather in its mating habitat and the lack of forest fires etc etc ... and that was predicted in 1990, and we know its not extinct ... someone has to find out what happened. Maybe it figured out to mate in mature jack pine trees. Maybe it moved north so its colder there.
Worthless predictions, and no one to check on what happens. Then make more predictions ...
Global warming scientists work on this simple principle. Global warming = employment and steady perks and promotions. No global warming = unemployment and ironically no portable skills either so no future either.
Sorry for the thread jack ... implement global warming now so my friend can ride his buggy in the swamp and send me a pic.
Cool.
Buddha.
LOL, How long have you been in the Carolina's? When I was in the Military in the 80's and 90's they had restricted areas all over Ft Bragg and Ft Jackson where we couldn't train cause of those damn birds.... I see they are still there! WTF I guess they like the sub freezing temperatures caused by this Global warming/Ice Age thing!
7 yrs. First time its been cold all the way across nov and dec and jan looks like ... no 70 degree days ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Im still here. Im starting school this coming jan 12th so my schedual is tight. Buggy is yet to be painted , just too damn cold and no time. Buggy runs super strong but I nearly get a concusion riding because of the top roll bars only being 1" from my helmet.
I did have a problem the other day though with wiring. Bare with me b/c I dont remember colors. But I had good voltage going into the ign. switch. But only a couple if any coming out. I disconnected the wire coming out of the ign. Switch going to the fuse box and had good voltage coming out of the ign switch. Thought mabey the battery was low (shouldn't have been) , So i took some jumper cables and ran ground to frame touched the (+) lead the the wire going to fuse box everything lit up and worked fine. So I reconnected everything and all is well? I assume a grounding issue. When I get time to tear down and paint I will make sure I have better, more water proof wire terminations.
LOL Buddah , have a drink bro. LOL
I do remember though, back when I was a kid ( early to mid 80's) it seemed to always be colder . I did have a lot less meat on me bones then though. :cry:
But this winter looks like it will be tough, with all the moisture and the low temps. I hope to get a snow ride in for sure.
I hope to get some more pics uploaded soon.
Thanks for all the help guys,
Tim
OK no new pictures >:( I know it's cold but!
OK, if me and Buddha can both drive to the west coast and back you have had time to paint. What's new with the buggy?