Ohlins and Brembo Update...

As you recall I machine my own triple clamps back in January for my new 43mm
Ohlins forks...
http://www.fox302.com/userdata/netters2/files/ShopPics/RC45MagnesiumClampsOhlinsF.JPG

Next I ordered 20 pound chucks of Fortal aluminum and after two weeks of making
the aluminum chips fly in the Busy Little Shop I had machined...

a) 1ea aluminum axle...
b)2ea captured wheel spacers...
c) 2ea Radial caliper mounts...
d) 4ea aluminum fender brackets...
http://www.fox302.com/userdata/netters2/files/ShopPics/RC45RadialBremboOhlins.JPG

So I torque down the titanium bolts and suited up for Mr.RC45's FCR (functional
check ride)...

Was it worth it???

Well the Swedish made Ohlins forks have lived up to their reputation and now my
bike just laughs at the roads irregularities... it's really nice now that my
suspension gets hammered instead of my kidneys...

The 4 pot Brembo radial calipers are real solid stoppers... two fingers will
yark the back wheel clear off the ground but when you release them they allow
the wheel to spin more freely... stunning...

My bike still needs me for a couple of more parts...

a) QB carbon fiber fairing...
b) Termignoni 4 into1 full race exhaust system...
c) Ferodo's Ceramic Composite rotors...
d) Gates Kevlar belt drive...

Will our bikes ever be done???

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

http://www.fox302.com/userdata/netters2/files/ShopPics/RC45MagnesiumClampsOhlinsF.JPG


absolutely world class machine work Larry...what did you do
send them out for shot peening? Very very nice.. the work
says a lot about you.



Phil Scott

 

Nice work and it appears very functional. Just for grins, do you know
how tight you can hold geometric tolerances? Roundness, cylindricity,
parallelism, perpendicularity, etc?

 

http://www.fox302.com/userdata/netters2/files/ShopPics/RC45RadialBremboOhlins.JPG

snip

The original Ohlins radial brake mount is a very beefy piece. How can you be
sure your custom made mounts will be up to the task?

 

Sounds like heaven on earth to me. Way to go.... again.... Larry!

 

Thanks Phil... I sent the magnesium clamps out to TechPlate in L.A. for
Mil-M-45202C protective
coating called Dow #17...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

Will our bikes ever be done???

Mine will be. I don't know about yours.

 

Thanks Tom...
I bore my triple clamps holes together from a single block of magnesium to
ensure the fork legs come out dead nuts parallel and the steering stem is dead
nuts perpendicular to the frame whereas the factory cast their clamps separately
and thus they factor in a certain amount of slop... if the holes are done
perfect in this fashion the reward is extra buttery smooth fork action because
there is no side loading of the internal Teflon lined precision rolled
bushings... this is the main benefit of custom over production not to mention
stronger...
http://www.fox302.com/userdata/netters2/files/ShopPics/RC45MagClampsStart.JPG

I employ telescoping gauges and micrometers to measure the progress down to one
half thousand of an inch... and before I take a final cut I will allow the metal
to return to room temperature... if I make a mistake with my hand eye
coordination or taking a measurement the 40 lb block magnesium would have been
junked and I would have to start all over again... but I happy to report no
mistakes where made or I would be still out in the shop making the chips fly...
whew!!!

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

To begin with I use a stronger aluminum called Fortal which meets and exceeds
7075 T6... whereas Ohlins uses 6061 T6... secondly I designed triangulated load
paths from the bolt holes... my mount weights 9 ounces (gasp)... that's on par
with Ohlins... however the proof was in the braking action... very solid feel
with no hint of flexing... you know without the aid of a computer generated
program... I have to rely on my chunk and thunk it out...
http://www.mousebar.com/fhome.html

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

You might want to look into getting a coolant mister. The combination
of moving air and coolant will keep your workpiece icy cold and you
can make consecutive cuts without fear of heat expansion. They don't
cost much and don't move so much liquid you'll need recirculating
pumps and plumbing. You'll need a constant air supply, but I'm sure
your shop has that. It's best to wear a filter respirator. Here's an
example:

http://www.cartertools.com/sprakool.html

If you get the right unit/nozzle and air combination, misters are not
quite as messy or polluting as this author would have you believe.
It's a great alternative to a production coolant system.

nb

 

9 oz! each? given the alloy you are using there has to be
way to lighten that up by at least 3 oz. You need the
thickness in the boss area most likely so that stuck you with
most of the added weight. but you could drill those and still
retain the distortion resistance of thickness without the
weight.

a total of 6 oz off of the unsprung axel would make a
difference you could feel... the inertia of 6oz bouncing up
and down can change the entire dynamic of the front suspension
as you know. I was surprized to see such thick material on
the fork leg bosses. Which makes one wonder how much can
be viably taken out of a front rim.. a lb or two?



Phil Scott

 

I may have thrown you a curve ball. (The stuff in ASME Y14.5 is a bit
out of left field for a home machinist.) The single block of magnesium
has some surface variation. When it comes from the foundry, it will
never be absolutely flat nor will the surface be absolutely smooth
(two different concepts, fwiw.) Your mill/lathe/etc, has some
machining tolerance built in. The clamp, feed, tool, all have some
variability. Unless you have a very expensive inspection fixture, I
don't know how you can say the parallelism is "dead nuts." And your
gauges and micrometers will tell you the size of a feature, but it
would be difficult tell the relationship of that feature to another
(ie, parallel, perpendicular.)

Not that it matters. Functionality is what matters, and I'm sure your
parts work very well.

 

Buell's rim mounted brake rotors enabled them to lighten the rim
substantially by taking the weight out of the spokes. I don't know whether
the wheel's inertia is reduced that much, because they have a comparatively
heavy steel disk that's almost the diameter of the rim. Still the overall
assembly is lighter and there is only one disk. Pretty cool idea.

ab

 

Yikes! An aluminum axle??? I don't think any manufacturer uses aluminum
for axles. Aluminum doesn't have the strength or fatigue resistance for
that application. They don't even use aluminum axles in bicycles. I hope
you have thoroughly researched this.
Rob

 

Google knows! Google is your friend!

 

When it comes from the foundry, it will

You're right... the block was not absolutely flat... however it was after
Alberto milled it flat... it was good practice for him...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

Which makes one wonder how much can

My front rim is a Marchesini 3 spoke magnesium wheel that came off of Wayne
Rainey's bike... it already is 4 pounds lighter than stock...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

If you keep the wall thickness 40% of solid... Fortal will deflect about the
same amount as steel...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

Motorcycle manufactures have been using aluminum in their steering stem for
years... and if you can run a aluminum steering stem you can also run an
aluminum axle... what the difference is between Bicycles and Motorcycles is the
size of the bearings... Bicycles run small bearings for low drag which dictates
a skinny axle... and a skinny aluminum would not work... however motorcycles
employ large bearings which allow axles that are close to 1 inch in diameter...
so a high strength aluminum such as Fortal is a natural...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

I've goy my own CF... I just need to spend the time and install it... hey you
missed Suicycle's open house Saturday... Bill Marshal was giving out free Hot
Dogs Hamburgers and Tri Tip...

Hey who are you calling a old timer??? you're no spring chicken yourself...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2