ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Tech => Parts, Mods And Hacks => Topic started by: BrianTRice@gmail.com on March 23, 2016, 11:38:19 PM
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I was reminded the other day of the vulnerability of a belt drive; what felt like a nail embedding in my tire turned out to be milk carton cardboard getting pulled under/between the rear sprocket and drive belt. I pulled over and removed it pretty easily, but I've been wondering whether a guard is possible or available in some way. Even a reverse mounting of the upper belt guard would be suitable.
Any thoughts?
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Yep, I'll definitely be making one. Too many stories like that really make me want more protection. I wonder if any other bikes (BMW or Buell) have em!
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Yep, I'll definitely be making one. Too many stories like that really make me want more protection. I wonder if any other bikes (BMW or Buell) have em!
It seems as though they're available by searching for "lower belt guard" across the web (just checked on EBay). The strange thing is I've got a spare mudguard which includes the upper belt guard and would work if I could cut out that part, flip it around, and bind it reasonably well to the swingarm. Maybe. The reversed orientation may be no good.
If you figure out a way to do it and reproduce your work (plans or just make a copy), I'd gladly compensate you. Maybe I'll figure out how to do the same if my idea works, since it'd hopefully be cheap.
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Interesting! Yea, definitely worth looking into. I'm also going to try and reproduce what the original Brammo Empulse concept had, with that rear hugger:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LhXKxeMf2Ws/TD-QonvbiII/AAAAAAAABSE/JpL6PxpGCfg/s1600/brammo-empulse-100-electric-motorcycle-8.jpeg)
Seems like it would shield you a lot more than what Zero (or even Brammo) ended up making.
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That would be really nice.
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It's hard to tell from photos, but I wonder if a deep aluminum channel could be attached to the LH top of the 'skid plate' under the front pulley, and run as far back as possible to semi-enclose at least part of the lower belt run, kind of like the Brammo concept bike? This would protect the belt a fair amount from direct road debris, and also a bit from tire-borne crap too (depending on length).
Since AFAIK only the FX has the chain-guide mount on the swingarm, it would be a bit difficult to mount a 2-piece belt guide where the lower belt run meets the pulley, although it could be done.
Ray
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I was talking with a Harley owner recently who claimed long time employment with Harley Davidson.
I was inquiring about belt life. He said that if you left the belt guards ( not sure if that is the term he used )
in place, then, you got phenomenal life. Many 10s of thousands of miles. If removed, then, you were at more
risk, and, could expect much shorter life.
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I was reminded the other day of the vulnerability of a belt drive; what felt like a nail embedding in my tire turned out to be milk carton cardboard getting pulled under/between the rear sprocket and drive belt. I pulled over and removed it pretty easily, but I've been wondering whether a guard is possible or available in some way. Even a reverse mounting of the upper belt guard would be suitable.
Any thoughts?
Definetely something i would like to have along with some proper mudguard for the rear wheel. You've seen my post in the zero 2013+ section about gravel embedded into the belt. I think the belt is quite exposed on the Zero S/SR and the tiny rear wheel hugger (if that is the correct term) doesn't provide much help for the belt, as gravel may well pass onto the lower section of the belt from the inside, and it doesn't stop much dirt from landing in the motor/suspension area. Whatever piles up there may again fall down into the belt or land directly on the motor cogwheel driving the belt.
I'd like to see some proper mudgards that would also protect the belt as much as possible. If not for everyone, i'd like to have that as an option.
Unfortunately the current rear wheel hugger is made over a curve in the swingarm and the distance between the bolts holding it is not the same on both sides. This makes it more complex to make your own solution, and (as you've said) there are no ready made solution, -it has to be tailor made for zero.
I am pondering on whether i could design something larger than the current rear wheel hugger that would protect not only the belt, but also the motor and the supspension from being covered in mud. I guess if a 3D design was made, it could be used to create a sintered plastic part that would likely be strong enough. The problem -in addition to finding time to create such a thing- would be to decide what it should include. My thoughts ranges from something to attach to the current plastic to something replacing it fully. The latter would of course be an expensive part for sintering, but so would replacing the belt too.
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I look forward to anything someone comes up with, and willing to chip in somehow. I've got a few irons in the fire right now, just trying to make economical improvements to the bike for touring without a ton of custom fabrication (or split the cost/benefit).
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As soon as I get my bike (it cleared customs and is working it's way down to me!) I'll 3D scan it and start playing. I'll post up some modeling ideas for you guys to check out soon!
Small stuff can be 3D printed, but bigger parts like a long belt guard would need to be CNC'd or made in pieces. I figure if I split it into 3D printed parts, a mold could be made and the final piece could be created from carbon fiber. But yea, I'll keep ya posted!
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As soon as I get my bike (it cleared customs and is working it's way down to me!) I'll 3D scan it and start playing. I'll post up some modeling ideas for you guys to check out soon!
Small stuff can be 3D printed, but bigger parts like a long belt guard would need to be CNC'd or made in pieces. I figure if I split it into 3D printed parts, a mold could be made and the final piece could be created from carbon fiber. But yea, I'll keep ya posted!
What are you using to 3d scan the bike? I can only scan small parts.
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Just a Sense 3D scanner. The scale is 1:1 and quality is decent enough to model from. Then when it comes to printing time, I can just do some test fits to make sure it works :D
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I look forward to anything someone comes up with, and willing to chip in somehow. I've got a few irons in the fire right now, just trying to make economical improvements to the bike for touring without a ton of custom fabrication (or split the cost/benefit).
Before i removed the pebbles i got into the belt i took a few photos showing where i believe it is most likely that debris would enter the belt. From my brief experience, rocks at a certain size seems most likely to get stuck within the belt. If you look at the attached pictures i have marked the areas i think should be of particular interest when making a belt guard.
I believe the motor cog wheel (1, red) might chew on pebbles falling down from above, either directly from the wheel or those that fall down from the engine (2, blue). Without a proper mudguard, this area gets filled with small pebbles under the wrong conditions. I would guess that this is quite likely what has happened with most of the pebbles i got embedded in my belt.
It is also possible that some rocks would land on the belt going from the motor cogwheel to the rear wheel (3, yellow), but since the distance here is several centimeters, i would guess it is less likely that rocks landing here would stay on the belt long enough to be chewed by the rear wheel cogwheel.
I've also noted that gravel may land on the belt from inside the current rear wheel hugger, as the belt is exposed from the inside as shown in picture 2 (4, red). Last way of entry would be from below the swingarm (5, cyan)- where the rear wheel cogs may chew anything that may enter at that height. I would guess pebbles entering the rear wheel cogwheel would most likely either come from meeting traffic or the front wheel. I'm not sure if it is possible or likely for pebbles from the rear wheel to go there.
Now from what i've seen, i am currently focusing on two things.
A: Prevent gravel from landing in the area around the motor & suspension.
B: Prevent debris gathered in the engine area from falling onto the motor cogwheel.
As an option for later, id might also look at
C: prevent rocks from entering the rear wheel cog wheel.
I have already made a temporary solution (shown in the third picture) that has reduced the amount of gravel landing on the motor with 90% or more. Now i am planning on making something more permanent and durable, but that may take some time. I have ordered a cheap plastic mudguard to see if i can make it fit.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Black-Outstanding-Rear-Mudguard-Fender-Accessory-Prevent-For-Harley-/251719364694?hash=item3a9ba4b056:g:cYoAAOSw~FNUZyo~ (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Black-Outstanding-Rear-Mudguard-Fender-Accessory-Prevent-For-Harley-/251719364694?hash=item3a9ba4b056:g:cYoAAOSw~FNUZyo~)
I'll have to see if i am able to make it fit, and look half decent. I guess i can attach it to the existing rear wheel hugger plastic, but i have to come up with some way of attaching it on the sides. If it can be decent enough, i will see if i can make some sort of bracket attached to the swing arm that would extend (or hold a piece of metal that would extend) all the way up to the plastic mudguard i've ordered.
In addition to this, i am looking at the possibility of creating a belt guard for the front area. Now as this may not have to be very big, i hope to make something 3D-printable. I guess it has to be made in a way that it can be securely attached under the current hugger, using the same screw, and it would have to extend above the belt, deflecting pebbles from both the rear wheel area and those falling off the engine. The hard part here is that it should ideally touch the engine to avoid pebbles from falling from it, and it has to be strong enough to sustain wind and have an angle that would deflect rocks from all sides approaching the belt. I have a few ideas to follow, but it will be a rather complex design, likely requiring several attempts of printing.
There are a few concerns i have with creating a belt guard for the front end of the belt.
- having plastic touching the motor might not be great (ideally the part should be metal).
- the swing arm will be moving with respect to the engine, so there has to be space in between.
- creating something that doesnt break (again, ideally metal)
..
I guess these are my current thoughts about belt guard. Any thoughts or suggestions?
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I guess these are my current thoughts about belt guard. Any thoughts or suggestions?
This sounds like a fine plan to me. I had been focussed on mirroring the top guard but now I see that that's not the full story.
I think I'm just curious at this point about a secure and known fitment, for S and then checking the DS.
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Great details! That's a lot to think about. I guess there's always something like this:
(http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd422/jimengen/IMG_1559.jpg)
With some air slits in it, and something to allow it to pivot with the swingarm. Although I feel like we could get away with a lower guard (mirroring the top style) and a bigger piece that shields the motor.
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Great details! That's a lot to think about. I guess there's always something like this:
(http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd422/jimengen/IMG_1559.jpg)
With some air slits in it, and something to allow it to pivot with the swingarm. Although I feel like we could get away with a lower guard (mirroring the top style) and a bigger piece that shields the motor.
It will take more work than mirroring the top style... because if you do just that, it makes a "bucket" that can also catch more stuff. The bottom of the bottom side (the non tooth side closest to the ground) needs to be mostly open, and the sides should not extend much higher than the teeth, or it risks "catching" more stuff and directing it into the belt.
Ive been putting some thought into it, but I have yet to figure out a design I like. They all seem to cause more issues than they solve.
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First attempt on attaching a 6$ mudguard fender...
I got the mudguard fender i bought on ebay today. It seems to attach quite well after drilling two holes in the rear wheel hugger. It is sligthly twisted (perhaps from transport) so i will have to find a way to fasten it on the sides.
Im pondering on how to secure it on the sides. It would be preferable to have something quite sturdy pushing it slightly upwards from the swing arm.
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Not a bad start! It does look a little risky structurally - maybe a lighter fender would avoid needing a brace. I have to fit a different wheel size on the DS, anyway.
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Not a bad start! It does look a little risky structurally - maybe a lighter fender would avoid needing a brace. I have to fit a different wheel size on the DS, anyway.
I made a preliminary attempt today using a steel tube bent into shape and some ducktape for stabilisation on one side. It did work, however it does also look pretty ugly and i'd like to get it attached more firmly at the sides.
In the picture below i have the next plan for stabilisation, which hopefully will be final. The red will be a metal part- either a premade L-bar with mounting holes, or a bent aluminium bar that provide stability and rigidity. The green and yellow parts will be 3D printed to ensure a tight fit and screw attachment for the metal bar. The yellow part will be shaped to provide the ability of adjusting left to right, while the top green part should provide adjustment up/down. One of the cyan colored part will probably also be a 3D-printed part for added sideways stability.
I believe this could be done mirrored for the left side, the only parts that would need to be different would be the cyan part(s).
In the end the final printed parts should be made in ABS or sintered, and preferably painted black.
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Hey everyone,
First post, but I've been following this thread for a while. Have you looked at Airtech's Toe Guard (Shark Guard)? I realize it only protects the belt from objects from the side, but I bet a fiberglass guard could easily be fabricated that wraps around the belt and attaches to the swing arm. This guard would protect the belt and sprocket from large items (like Brian's milk carton) but probably not the small stones you DX/FX guys pick up off-road.
-James
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one more step:
Now i only need the last part pair that will connect the bracket attached to the fender and the aluminium bar.
When connected it should be fairly sturdy, and adjustable to each side and up/down using a screwdriver.
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Painting the struts will be next.- edit: Struts painted: image added below.
It seems though as it prevents most of the pebbles entering the front cog wheel as i predicted. At least i have not had any more rocks embedded in the belt after attaching the fender.
The 3D-printed part holds it in place, while the hose clamp secures it fairly strongly. The only holes i have made in the original bike parts is in the rear wheel hugger plastic. The total sum of costs for the parts used is probably less than 60$ in total. A perfect strut would probably be an aluminium bar (welded or attached with screws into the swing arm) bent 90 degrees upwards, then twisted 90 degrees to become parallel to the wheel.
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oh if only the swing are were different. Harley's design at the 4 min mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuhPZTrSmBw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuhPZTrSmBw)
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oh if only the swing are were different. Harley's design at the 4 min mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuhPZTrSmBw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuhPZTrSmBw)
Definitely something to look into for zero engineers!
My belt just snapped in one of the spots where i had a pebble embedded in it. (I am glad it happened in a totally undramatic way.)
I have not had any new pebbles embedding the belt after making the mudguard, so hopefully i won't have this happening again.
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I wonder if instead of securing with L brackets to the horizontal section of the swing arm like you did, it would be possible to secure with some sort of expansion bolts inside the hollow axel? Would be a cleaner and easier installation - just one bolt on each side and a rod going up from there to the new fender. It won't give as sturdy side to side support as yours does, but I wonder if it is needed?
Edit: and if sturdier side to side support is needed, it could be done with a single inverted "U" bracket starting from one side of the swing arm, attaching to the fender on both sides, then continuing on to the other side of the swing arm? Aluminum and steel strips of various thicknesses and widths are readily available at home improvement stores and can be easily bent into a U shape around a PVC pipe of suitable diameter (or using your cat's scratch post, a tree, a light post, a car tire, or even the bike's own tire as a template)?
Painting the struts will be next.- edit: Struts painted: image added below.
It seems though as it prevents most of the pebbles entering the front cog wheel as i predicted. At least i have not had any more rocks embedded in the belt after attaching the fender.
The 3D-printed part holds it in place, while the hose clamp secures it fairly strongly. The only holes i have made in the original bike parts is in the rear wheel hugger plastic. The total sum of costs for the parts used is probably less than 60$ in total. A perfect strut would probably be an aluminium bar (welded or attached with screws into the swing arm) bent 90 degrees upwards, then twisted 90 degrees to become parallel to the wheel.
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I wonder if instead of securing with L brackets to the horizontal section of the swing arm like you did, it would be possible to secure with some sort of expansion bolts inside the hollow axel? Would be a cleaner and easier installation - just one bolt on each side and a rod going up from there to the new fender. It won't give as sturdy side to side support as yours does, but I wonder if it is needed?
With the cheap harley fender i bought, some side stabilization is needed. It was slightly twisted to one side, either because of material tension or simply through being bent during shipping.
Edit: and if sturdier side to side support is needed, it could be done with a single inverted "U" bracket starting from one side of the swing arm, attaching to the fender on both sides, then continuing on to the other side of the swing arm? Aluminum and steel strips of various thicknesses and widths are readily available at home improvement stores and can be easily bent into a U shape around a PVC pipe of suitable diameter (or using your cat's scratch post, a tree, a light post, a car tire, or even the bike's own tire as a template)?
I would guess there are many ways to attach that fender on the sides. If you have something that would mount securely from the axel, i am sure it would be possible to give enough side stabilisation that way too. :-) I just did what i was most confident by doing using struts i found in a nearby harware store.
I was pondering on something like an inverted U bracket regardless of the struts in use, but using hose clamps on the swing arm, everything sits very tight, so there is not much need for it. I would guess there is a tradeoff between the struts and an inverted U bracket when it comes to final looks. If you want the inverted U to fit tightly to the same fender as i used, it makes a more complex 3D- design.
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I love the way Harley incorporated the rear fender and plate, that plus a clean tail section would look sweet on a zero
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I was reminded the other day of the vulnerability of a belt drive; what felt like a nail embedding in my tire turned out to be milk carton cardboard getting pulled under/between the rear sprocket and drive belt. I pulled over and removed it pretty easily, but I've been wondering whether a guard is possible or available in some way. Even a reverse mounting of the upper belt guard would be suitable.
Any thoughts?
Here are my latest attempt to make a belt guard for the bottom side of the belt going into the wheel sprocket.
I have already printed the swing arm attachement, but the bottom needed some adjustments. I hope the version i put here will be final:
(http://heim.ifi.uio.no/yngveha/mc/belt-guard/lower-belt-guard-2.3-2.PNG)
(http://heim.ifi.uio.no/yngveha/mc/belt-guard/lower-belt-guard-2.3.PNG)
(http://heim.ifi.uio.no/yngveha/mc/belt-guard/lower%20swing%20arm%20clip%20v2.0.PNG)
Thoughts behind it are:
1: To be able to mount it, i will need two parts:
1a) One for attaching to the swing arm, and
1b) One for deflecting pebbles and debris
2: The upper part is attached to the lower part of the swing arm, using 2 hose clamps which seems to secure it very well.
3: The upper part allowes for vertical adjustment of the casing by moving side to side before clamping.
4: The upper part fixes the angle but allowes for some horisontal adjustment.
5: The bottom part is a casing from the belt
6: The bottom part can be attached to the upper part using 5mm machine screw and and a nut (only screwdriver needed, no wrench)
7: The back section of the bottom part is made for deflecting pebbles sliding on top of the casing in direction of the sprocket.
8: The bottom part should be replaceable to enable improving designs.
One could argue whether or not the casing should be as long as i have designed it (it does go past the middle of the tire).
If anyone wants to attempt making the same part, i've put it here:
http://heim.ifi.uio.no/yngveha/mc/belt-guard/belt-guard-2.3.zip (http://heim.ifi.uio.no/yngveha/mc/belt-guard/belt-guard-2.3.zip)
Please do note that all use is at your own risk.
I print mine using production grade ABS, and i would not reccomend anything less for anything mounted near the belt.
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That's some nice looking work! Getting all the measurements right seems painstaking; I hope it works well.
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That's some nice looking work! Getting all the measurements right seems painstaking; I hope it works well.
Thanks :)
The benefit of having access to a 3D printer is that i can allow for some mistakes on the way.
I believe my first attempt was pretty accurate, however i forgot that making it in one single piece would be impossible to mount without taking off the belt. For the second attempt, i measured again using the broken belt, but it seems i didn't attach it exactly in the correct position, so i adjusted the casing to close to the belt.
Right now i have approximately 3 mm to the belt on both sides, and slightly more on top (5 perhaps). If there is anything to worry about it is the close proximity to the wheel. The image below does show it as there is no space between, but there are. It might be slightly closer to the wheel than to the belt, perhaps 2mm or so.
Here are some pictures of the physical parts:
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It looks like you can adjust the clearance by moving the mount, which seems useful. I wonder how much the belt might move while riding (relative to the swingarm).
Protecting the inner track is interesting, for sure. I casually browsed some belt guard designs and didn't find much like that, except for chain guides. So it's like a chain guide but hopefully scattering rocks and other things. Maybe a variation would be to have the forward edge angled to sweep debris away from the tire/bike. I mean, I'm not confident about the dynamics, just wondering if a little tweak matters.
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It looks like you can adjust the clearance by moving the mount, which seems useful. I wonder how much the belt might move while riding (relative to the swingarm).
Yes, that was the idea. I'd guess you would need a fairly decent high speed camera to see how much it actually moves. The dilemma is that you would want the casing to be as close as possible to the belt to deflect pebbles. It would not be good if the belt hit the casing in the front.
Perhaps a "lighter" design would be preferable- one that goes a higher and without the inner wall (giving 2-4 mm more clearance to the wheel). I will ponder on that for a while.
Protecting the inner track is interesting, for sure. I casually browsed some belt guard designs and didn't find much like that, except for chain guides. So it's like a chain guide but hopefully scattering rocks and other things. Maybe a variation would be to have the forward edge angled to sweep debris away from the tire/bike. I mean, I'm not confident about the dynamics, just wondering if a little tweak matters.
Is this closer to your thoughts?:
(http://heim.ifi.uio.no/yngveha/mc/belt-guard/lower-belt-guard-2.4.PNG)
I have added this to the zip file I linked previously.
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It looks like you can adjust the clearance by moving the mount, which seems useful. I wonder how much the belt might move while riding (relative to the swingarm).
Yes, that was the idea. I'd guess you would need a fairly decent high speed camera to see how much it actually moves. The dilemma is that you would want the casing to be as close as possible to the belt to deflect pebbles. It would not be good if the belt hit the casing in the front.
Perhaps a "lighter" design would be preferable- one that goes a higher and without the inner wall (giving 2-4 mm more clearance to the wheel). I will ponder on that for a while.
I really don't know and feel like I shouldn't sway you. I wonder whether there's some professional worth asking.
Protecting the inner track is interesting, for sure. I casually browsed some belt guard designs and didn't find much like that, except for chain guides. So it's like a chain guide but hopefully scattering rocks and other things. Maybe a variation would be to have the forward edge angled to sweep debris away from the tire/bike. I mean, I'm not confident about the dynamics, just wondering if a little tweak matters.
Is this closer to your thoughts?
Yeah, that's what I wondered.
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Problem solved!
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7385/27104029793_479cf4ab93_o.jpg)
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I have already made a temporary solution (shown in the third picture) that has reduced the amount of gravel landing on the motor with 90% or more. Now i am planning on making something more permanent and durable, but that may take some time. I have ordered a cheap plastic mudguard to see if i can make it fit.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Black-Outstanding-Rear-Mudguard-Fender-Accessory-Prevent-For-Harley-/251719364694?hash=item3a9ba4b056:g:cYoAAOSw~FNUZyo~ (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Black-Outstanding-Rear-Mudguard-Fender-Accessory-Prevent-For-Harley-/251719364694?hash=item3a9ba4b056:g:cYoAAOSw~FNUZyo~)
I'll have to see if i am able to make it fit, and look half decent. I guess i can attach it to the existing rear wheel hugger plastic, but i have to come up with some way of attaching it on the sides. If it can be decent enough, i will see if i can make some sort of bracket attached to the swing arm that would extend (or hold a piece of metal that would extend) all the way up to the plastic mudguard i've ordered.
Excellent link! I've just ordered my own. Thanks for that!
I'll probably use aluminium angle stock or bar stock and a clamptite tool for attachment to the swing-arm.
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Excellent link! I've just ordered my own. Thanks for that!
I'll probably use aluminium angle stock or bar stock and a clamptite tool for attachment to the swing-arm.
I hope it will work well for you too. Please post your result/ when you have installed yours :)
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I really don't know and feel like I shouldn't sway you. I wonder whether there's some professional worth asking.
After initial testing at low speeds, I decided to take off the lower belt guard i made, because i would not run the risk of it jamming the belt at high speed/tension. Since i have no way of seeing the actual shape of the belt while driving the bike (i would need a high speed camera for that..), i believe either a rounded edge or a lower belt guard that would go almost all the way along the belt would be a safer solution.
A belt guard going all the way between the sprockets would be preferrable, as i fear a nicely upward-rounded/curved edge may act more as funnel for debris towards the belt. I guess there are several ways of extending the belt guard i already made towards the front, but i have not looked at solutions for attachment in the front end just yet.
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I got a bit nervous about this whole issue, so I made the following out of aluminum that I got from Home Depot. I just slit open a tube for the guard, and then attached it to some angled stock with some hefty nuts and bolts (and a lock washer and some blue locktite). Then I attached that to the swing arm with 16 gauge galvanized wire, tightened with a clamptite tool. The guard is 9" long which is about the maximum that I could wriggle in there with the brackets attached.
I'm a bit worried about the relative slack introduced into the bottom part of the belt run when full torque is applied. And I'm wondering if the belt might jiggle from side to side (the narrowest part of the guard has an opening of 15/16"). So I put some gorilla tape along the edges to see if it gets worn at all (indicating that the belt is touching the sides). If it seems OK, I'll take it off.
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A soft and thick wear indicator for anything we test this way seems wise, and a solid mount.
I'm hopeful that this can be solved with some softer plastic, perhaps molded.
I have that spare tire hugger - maybe I'll see if I can scan it and get something made like it?
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A soft and thick wear indicator for anything we test this way seems wise, and a solid mount.
I'm hopeful that this can be solved with some softer plastic, perhaps molded.
I have that spare tire hugger - maybe I'll see if I can scan it and get something made like it?
Plastic would certainly be better than aluminum, in that in a battle between the protector and the belt, the belt should be enabled to win.
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A soft and thick wear indicator for anything we test this way seems wise, and a solid mount.
I'm hopeful that this can be solved with some softer plastic, perhaps molded.
I have that spare tire hugger - maybe I'll see if I can scan it and get something made like it?
Plastic would certainly be better than aluminum, in that in a battle between the protector and the belt, the belt should be enabled to win.
Im mostly worried that the belt will curve upwards, possibly causing the belt to be jammed violently. If the protector was long enough that the front would be close to the front sprocket, then wear would be the only issue. This is perhaps easier to achieve using aluminium than plastics, but it would also need to be secured in the front end..
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Good point. Maybe I should try and attach a curved chunk of teflon to the top of the tube.
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I made new parts inspired by Quixotic for attaching the "harley" fender in a more minimalistic way.
All 3D-printed ABS, except for screws and rings.
The plugs go into the rear axle, and in their center a wood screw will make them expand slightly.
I am a bit uncertain of how hard i should make that expansion. Right now it is not much, so i might make some that will fit tighter when the wood screw is applied.
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That looks really well made! I too am curious what kind of expansion fitting works best in the axle.
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That looks really well made! I too am curious what kind of expansion fitting works best in the axle.
Thanks Brian! :)
I believe i will make the expansion fitting expand slightly more- it may not be easy to see, but i made a triangular cut in the plug so that the end would fit more tightly-so i could vary friction using wood screws of different lengths. But i ended up using longer screws than the plug, and they were quite thick too, so i think i might make the cut as narrow as it is at the narrowest end all the way. That way the whole plug will provide friction equally distributed along its axis. The ones i made now provide just enough friction that they cannot be pulled out by hand.
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I posted the final STL files, if anyone want to attempt making the same:
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3525.msg48734#msg48734 (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3525.msg48734#msg48734)
The process of mounting the struts can be done in a few minutes, once the fender is attached to the rear wheel mudguard.
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Check out the belt guard on the "Schwalbe", upper, lower and around.
http://www.myschwalbe.com/en/ (http://www.myschwalbe.com/en/)