Marauder Reloaded (almost)...

[AtomicZombie]

Next photo will be blury due to extreme speed!

http://www.lucidscience.com/temp/m2-2.jpg

I will be adding a real seat and the transmission soon.

Brad

[SirJoey]

Oh man, that looks awesome! Built in record time, too! You must be LIVING in the shop! (again) :D

[TheKid]

Knowing I can't ride one of those makes me want to cry.

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks!

3 Days so far on the Marauder. I hit the garage at 1:00 PM (when it has warmed up), take a half hour supper break (thanks, Kat), then work until 9:00 PM.

One more day should just about do it.

Brad


Oh man, that looks awesome! Built in record time, too! You must be LIVING in the shop! (again) :D

[melw]

Wow fast work on a fast bike!:)
Looking good.
How long is it?
Mel W.

P.S. Just wondering how long does it take to put the great plans together?

[SirJoey]

BTW Brad, whatever happened to M1? You mentioned that you missed it. I had kinda figured it might be one of the rare ones that you actually kept around. (Not too much space to store, not too many parts to re-use)

[Shadowwalker65]

You are the man Brad, once you start building it is like an artest cant stop till work is done and we all look forward to new builds. I like the new look

Gil

[SirJoey]

Welcome back, Gil. You've been AWOL for quite some time!

'bout time you re-joined the community! :)

[TheKid]

So, Shadowwalker65 is Gil. I believe he's entitled to Guru status. Glad to see you're out of hibernation, Gil!

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks all!

M1 was "recycled" after 3 great seasons of riding. I always wanted rear suspension and an adjustable BB, but due to space constraints in the original book, it just could not be done.

Much of the M1 tubing went into the DeltaWolf frame, so the spirit of M1 lives on!

Brad


BTW Brad, whatever happened to M1? You mentioned that you missed it. I had kinda figured it might be one of the rare ones that you actually kept around. (Not too much space to store, not too many parts to re-use)

[AtomicZombie]

Maybe I will finally get around to putting the fairing on this one...

http://www.lucidscience.com/temp/m2-3.jpg

Brad

[TheKid]

Two of those welded together with that fairing would make an awesome tandem.

[savarin]

Have you considered using a folding steering stem?
At my advanced years I find it so much easier to get on and off with one.

[Shadowwalker65]

I am Gil but there are two of us on site I am in Southampton, Ontario, any way Brad you are the man when it come to rebuilding lookforward to seeing the first ride as well still waiting for the ride off for speed

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks again!

I though about the folding steering system, but could not think of a simple way to make one I would consider safe to make into the plans. It would be a real disaster if a folding steer tube was to fail, especially if it came apart, leaving an open tube to fall on. I was also worried about steering slop. Even a tiny amount of steering play would mess up the handling.

Not saying, it can't be done - I just think such a system would need a lot of testing.

Brad

[trikeman]

I am not sure how much extra weight the rear suspension adds to the "fighter jet" marauder, but from a builder's perspective, it looks like using a complete rear end from another bike would eliminate the alignment issues you have to deal with building the rear of the old marauder.

From what I have read elsewhere, putting a full tail box on helps more than a front fairing. Its something to consider, if you don't want a full fairing. Of course the full one looks cooler. All it needs now is some simple landing gear to keep you from falling over when you stop and don't want to use your hand. If you put the landing gear completely inside the fairing, you could leave them permanently extended and they would not show.

http://www.atlantamusclecars.com/DeltaWolf/Landing.JPG

[savarin]

here's my version Brad. Been in use for 6 months so far.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s258/savarin48/recumbent/fs1.jpg
The stem is a standard stem with the handlebar clamp removed.
The 2 side pieces are 3 mm mild steel, there is a flat section welded in side for the adjusting bolt to press against.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s258/savarin48/recumbent/fs2.jpg
The main stem is a length of heavy wall 1" pipe.
The handlebar clamp came from a dumpster wreck. (my kind of price)
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s258/savarin48/recumbent/fs3.jpg
Kind regards
Charles.
ps. managed to get to Niagara, beautiful, except for all that so called entertainment road, yuk!

[SirJoey]

Nice work, Charles! I like it! Got any more shots of how the bars & clamp attach at the top? I'd like to get a better look at that.

[savarin]

thanks, will do but you wont believe the palaver I have to go through to get the pics out the camera.
My laptop wont read the 1Gb card from the camera.
The camera was supplied with the wrong usb cable.
The card reader in my wifes system works fine but none of us can read her files on the network and I've left all my usb sticks at work. Argh!!!!

[AtomicZombie]

Looks like a great mod, thanks for sharing!

Maybe I will have to set up a "Great Mods" section of the forum or even in the gallery for all these good ideas.

Brad

[savarin]

Thanks Brad, it was a shame we couldnt get further into Canada on our trip.
I really love the look of the MR. Is there any chance of the drive chain compressing the suspension spring when under heavy acceleration?
The reason I ask is that a fully suspended SWB I built pogos down the road due to this compression so a major re-routing of the chain is needed.
I thought a straight pull from the crank would be more efficient but such was not the case.

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks.

Nope - no pogo effect due to the chain line being parallel to the chain stays.

I also set the spring really hard so that the suspension does not bounce when pedalling like a madman.

The M2 is painted and now hanging in the garage, and if weather holds up, I may be able to post some pics tomorrow.

Brad


Thanks Brad, it was a shame we couldnt get further into Canada on our trip.
I really love the look of the MR. Is there any chance of the drive chain compressing the suspension spring when under heavy acceleration?
The reason I ask is that a fully suspended SWB I built pogos down the road due to this compression so a major re-routing of the chain is needed.
I thought a straight pull from the crank would be more efficient but such was not the case.

[savarin]

Nice work, Charles! I like it! Got any more shots of how the bars & clamp attach at the top? I'd like to get a better look at that.

Its a solid aluminium clamp from a bmx type bike.
The stem should actually be for the handlebars and where I'm clamping the bars (with an aluminium shim) should really be for the fork stem. But it works just as well in this configuration. :D It was probably an after market accessory rather than original equipment so I bet it cost a fair bit.
The name on it is Bullet.
The folding stem is all thats painted after over a year of use:eek:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s258/savarin48/recumbent/fs4.jpg

[nzvet]

Brad - awesome build! Well done. Looks fast already!

[SirJoey]

Its a solid aluminium clamp from a bmx type bike.
The stem should actually be for the handlebars and where I'm clamping the bars (with an aluminium shim) should really be for the fork stem. But it works just as well in this configuration.

Kool, thanx a lot! I really like the way you did the whole thing, very nice!

Don't think I have anything like that in my junk pile, but I'm gonna be on the lookout.

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks for all the feedback. Here is the assembled M2 missing only the brake cables, which is why I cannot yet take it for a rip around the block (it hurts to only look at this machine).

http://www.lucidscience.com/temp/m2-4.jpg

Full report including photos and videos to come soon.

Brad

[melw]

WOW!:eek:
That looks great! Is that the same kind of mountain bike drive that you used on the Street Fox?
Good job!
Mel W.

[SirJoey]

I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E! That thing looks like it's flying already!

Assembled another one with tacky paint, too, didn'tcha? :D

[TheKid]

That IS the rear of the Streetfox. Brad was up to no good when Kat wasn't looking. I think he was scared that Kat would beat him in the big race between the DW and the Streetfox.

[AtomicZombie]

Tnanks!

The rear triangle is the same as the streetfox. Since you can buy a bike like this for $150, I have several.

It's actually a good deal to purchase a low end bike for parts. You can't get 1/4 of the parts for the price of the whole bike.

Brad

[AtomicZombie]

Had a chance to take the completed M2 out for a ride today....

http://www.lucidscience.com/temp/m2-5.jpg

It is a real improvement over the original Marauder. The suspension is a dream, and has no pogo effect at all.

The only downside is that my quads are now on fire after pushing to the limits. It's amazing how out of shape one can get over winter!

Brad

[TheKid]

You can say that again. I'm even having trouble walking.

[Pagan Wizard]

That is a very impressive ride Brad, great work.

[SirJoey]

So Brad, do you think you're gonna like this one enough to actually keep it around for awhile? :D

[savarin]

Damn you ingenious builder!
another awesome creation we all have to attempt.
It sure does look like a greased lightning beast.
Couldnr post it to me could for a full road test :D

[Patrike]

It's missing something -- can't quite put my finger on it -- now I know - me riding it!

Great looking ride -- you will have to do the cover for it.

And what a fast build -- do you live in the garage during the spring summer and fall.

Patrick

[locolarry]

Brad,
Would you mind posting the brand name of the donor suspension bike's you're using and where you find them? On my StreetFox I'm building I had to buy an aluminum bike and then fab the steel pivot..I want to buy a couple of steelies for my next two projects... I thought I'd seen that post somewhere before, but can't seem to locate it.
The M2 is Terrific! I'll be ordering plans SOON!
Thanks,
Larry

[TheKid]

How about this:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4231518

[AtomicZombie]

Yes, that one's almost identical to the one I hacked up, but mine was from Canadian Tire.

Brad


How about this:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4231518

[locolarry]

Thanks Guys!.
We have one of the older "WallyWorlds" here, not a superstore. I bought my Alum one at that store and they didn't have the NEXT. I'll go to the superstore a few miles away and get one.
Larry

[AtomicZombie]

Sitting on the bike, the clearance is under 4 inches. In the plans, I show a few mods that make the frame higher, and also a mod that allows the suspension to be easily adjusted for all out lowracer mode or slightly higher urban assault mode.

The idler I am using is actually larger than what I recommend in the plans, but I just happened to have it laying around. Even at this height, I have no clearance problems when driving on city streets. Curb jumping would not be a good thing, though!

Brad

[savarin]

Sitting on the bike, the clearance is under 4 inches. In the plans, I show a few mods that make the frame higher, and also a mod that allows the suspension to be easily adjusted for all out lowracer mode or slightly higher urban assault mode.

The idler I am using is actually larger than what I recommend in the plans, but I just happened to have it laying around. Even at this height, I have no clearance problems when driving on city streets. Curb jumping would not be a good thing, though!

Brad
Ar need some o' them thar idlers. Cant find em up here.
My marauder clone has only 4" clearance and the lay shaft chain ring has hit the bumps on many occasion when I misjudge the height of those dammed speed bumps and stopped me dead.