Went for a spin yesterday

[rykoala]

Yesterday I took the Meridian out for a spin. I rode it about 2 miles before I was satisfied with my test ride. Its not gone further than 1/4 mile before this.

First impressions with mine are that the bike rides nicely but on rough roads It transmits a lot of road vibration through the seat. Mind you, mine has no padding yet.

The second thing I realized is that there is a lot of induced bump steer because of the sheer length of my bike. I realized this when I would straighten out the handlebars in relation to the front wheel and when I rode it it would be immediately off. I eventually corrected for this, but when I bounce the bike up and down the wheel turns to the right about 5 degrees. Its manageable but I don't really like it. I am going to consider my options. I don't think shortening the bike will do a whole lot, simply because the front main tube is long no matter what. One idea is to build an idler arm much like those on a car with independent suspension. Or, just live with a bit of bump steer. I don't care about fit and finish perfection, but the engineering has to be at least a bit right and this ticks me off a bit lol.

The other thing is that my 'no ball joint' pushrod does not work. The holes in the pushrod elongated to the point that there is more slop in just 2 miles than there was in the beginning. Time for ball joints! Especially if I go with the idler arm idea above.

Other than that, I just have to get the idler pulley installed and the gearing set up. I'll post another thread about that :)

[AtomicZombie]

Odd - there is no reason at all to have any bump steer. I think something is not right. Do you have a photo?

Brad

[rykoala]

Hi Brad! Here is the picture of the whole bike and its oversized owner :)

http://rykoala.org/gallery/albums/userpics/IMG_2031.JPG

[AtomicZombie]

Ok, now I see. Add a gussett made of a 6 inch length of 1 inch tubing right over the joint at the front frame then move your steering joint off the steer tube and put it back on the side of the fork leg (like the plans). This will greatly reduce the bump steer which is happening due to frame flex.

Ps,
You have some SERIOUS garage space - just what I need!

Brad

[rykoala]

Thanks for the suggestions! I know I deviated from the plans, but didn't forsee this as the result. I will gusset it and put the steerer off the fork as shown. I'm just *very* afraid of burning through that fork. its the only one I have in such good shape and its chrome-moly and so is very thin.

[rykoala]

Would a 6" piece of scrap 1.5x1.5" square tubing be just as effective?

As for the garage space: There's so much junk in there I hardly have any room lol. I need to clean it!

[AtomicZombie]

Great idea, Papa! - easy to do, and no cutting necessary.

Brad

[rykoala]

You've mentioned that before. I will head to the local pick'n'pull soon and see what I can dig up :)

[TheKid]

I tried that for a different application. It works great. Thanks for the idea, Papa. Luckily, I had a pair from an old car. I stripped them down pretty good before I junked them! I got the idea of stripping parts off cars before junking them from old PM articles, circa early 70's. One issue had an article telling you how to convert a car alternator to produce AC current. The idea was for campers to use portable fridges etc. when they went camping. I had the conversion done by a friend who rebuilds alternators, and hooked it up to an battery operated motor. It produces enough to run a regular fridge during a blackout. Another article gave multiple uses for the struts, like using them for a wooden screen door closer.

[Richie Rich]

One issue had an article telling you how to convert a car alternator to produce AC current.I did a similar thing back in the 70's with my old Dodge wagon. I built the switch and an AC outlet in a utility box and mounted it in the engine compartment. Wherever I went, I had 110VAC when I needed to run power tools, soldering iron, lights etc.

I found that Chrysler/MOPAR alternators worked the best. You just had to remember to switch it off occasionally to recharge the battery since the circuit bypassed the regulator and didn't recharge the battery when in use.

Scoffers laughed and said it couldn't work. That was until I fired up a 1/2 inch drill and drilled a few holes in steel. They stopped laughing and paid me to build one for them. :)

....Richie Rich >>

[TheKid]

That's what I used. An alternator from a Fury.
Scoffers laughed and said it couldn't work. That was until I fired up a 1/2 inch drill and drilled a few holes in steel. They stopped laughing and paid me to build one for them. :)

Isn't it funny how they laugh at you, then find out you're a genius, and want the very thing they were laughing at? And isn't it funny how they want what they were laughing at until you give them a price?

[Richie Rich]

... my apologizes rykoala
Yeah, me too.....sorry. It doesn't take much for us to get off topic occasionally.

But that's the value of these Forums. There's such a wealth of talent lurking around out there that you can throw out a comment and get several replies with helpful info.

Anyone who reads these posts long enough, can practically get a complete education on several topics....for free...!!

And now, back to rykoala's original comment....'rod ends' (ball joints).
There've been several attempts at "home-brew" rod ends using nuts and bolts etc. but as you've discovered, most end up being unsatisfactory.

So, sticking with my motto of 'Do it once....Do it right', you'll have to bite the bullet and go for the real thing. After many miles of riding, you'll be glad you did. The last thing you need when you're far from home is to have one break.

Cheers......Richie >>

[n9viw]

The idea of using JY hatchback struts is a good one, but be sure you heed ALL of it:

Just cut the solid rod (as long as possible) on both struts, and discard the spring loaded shells. (emphasis mine)

DO NOT CUT INTO THE CARTRIDGE!!!

Few, if any, hatchback struts still have springs in them. Most have gas-charged cartridges that are at EXTREMELY high pressure. The steel that encases them is thick, and for good reason- if they were any thinner, the heat coming in from the window would cause them to explode.

So, that said, feel free to cut the shaft off the cartridge, and do like Papa said to create one long rod, but DON'T be tempted to take the ball ends off the other end of the cartridge! Those are cast into the housing of the cartridge, and a bit too much blade heat or a misplaced cut could spell disaster.

[trikeman]

Thanks for the caution on that shock. I have always wondered about cutting into the big gas shocks from old cars. There is some really nice steel in the shaft and the cylinder should be extremely well machined. If you could only get them apart safely.

[TheKid]

There's a way of safely purging them of the gas, but I forgot how. It was a long time ago. There are some that are hydraulic, which make a mess when you open them.

[n9viw]

Yes, I've cut hydraulic shocks before, and even old burned-out gas shocks with not much gas left in them, but never really good ones or relatively new ones. I may be a scrapper, but I'm not THAT desperate for tool steel! :eek:

[rykoala]

Don't worry about going off topic- I love reading what you guys have done. To me this is as much of a DIY forum as it is an atomic zombie forum. Its great! :-)