GT5A / Skyhawk Clone build - slowest build in recorded history.

Preamble to this - I have had a basic straight kit-build in the past decade, and an aborted build that was much higher grade, that had i lost interest in/evolved into the build being documented right now.. over a 5 year time-span.

I had stopped 'building' .. but i didn't stop monitoring/buying up parts to progress on another possible build. As such, in putting it all together when the project came back on the bench, i had minimum needed to buy, more a matter of pick and choose. In my frustration over my aborted build, i had built a higher-end eMTB - and some components of that, have also being able to filter down to this project. I have, in all truthfulness, already found my 'regular' ride in the Downhill eMTB. I am doing this project, for an occasional use neighborhood pavement-plonker.

In the meanwhile, the project had idled, as other projects jumped the project queue.. i did get a work bench into the garage, and organized parts so that i could find them, whatever project it might be awaiting... until several months ago being newly inspired, it hopped onto the workbench in this state... a collection of parts flying together in loose formation.

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In addition to the Belt Drive pulley option - one of the last things i had picked up, was 3 or 4 different variations of the 36 tooth sprocket/rotor adapter combo, but for the life of me i couldn't make it work.. I'm going to call that, my own cognitive issue. When i got it on the bench, i was looking at my drive-train options again, i laid them out.. and got a bit of a brainwave on the Belt Drive Pulley. See, i was never really happy with it, in Theory.. it's got no shouldering for belt retention. If alignment or tension is off, you aren't going to have belt retention! I just so happened to have a few 203mm rotors sitting on the bench at the same time, and my mind's eye made a visual connection.

Let us start putting a couple of these things together..

Now, along with a 255mm rotor that i had from Bicycledesigners.com...

This is the renewed Impetus for my Project. I couldn't make it work with 203mm/36 tooth combo, but i'm making the principle work in a way i haven't seen elsewhere... This is all a creative experiment, at this point, using what i have accumulated, minimum additional to purchase. I've already done several donations to Bike Cooperatives, in cleaning the garage of spare parts.. .

 

[HackD]

So, choosing my wheel option, i had three.. two sets Spoked MTB, and the gasbike alloys commonly utilized. For a while i was sketched about using the gasbike rims, since i'd heard there were stress fracture issues with them. In the end, using the rational that this is more of a Garage Queen, than a Pothole basher, i decided to go with them in this project.

Beautiful big collection of platters that lined up very nicely, but will need some work, to make work.

Alignment is pretty good with this setup!

First step was trimming down and filing up a Caliper hanger. I had two of them. I don't know why.. they came with one frame.. this took a day or two to fit right.

 

[HackD]

Eventually, i got to this state. Yes, that's a series of mix and match caliper hangers to come up with the correct angle and spacing. Apparently, i got plenty of spares of those, also.

At this point, the rotor/belt drive stack has been properly set up with correct shims/spacers between rotors and belt drive pulley, and the paint was obviously removed from the 203mm rotors,

Let's put a matching 255mm front rotor on to balance things off.. i had to change out the front end, from an older Suntour SR fork, to a newer version i had on the shelf from the eMTB build. I wanted the fork-gators on the old Suntour SR for styling aesthetics.., but, lower stanchion design would have 'only' allowed 203mm.. i wanted 255mm, and newer fork would work with that..

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

I am DEFINITELY like YOU!

I'm also a slow builder with numerous design changes.

I even have the same radio!

 

[HackD]

Next focus was on the exhaust - again, i had several choices - none of them ideal. The OEM (bleh), a Snake Pipe from Arrow Cycles that didn't really suit my aesthetics, and a fake MZ65 pipe, that i didn't know was fake at time of purchase. Oops. Since original MZ65 is pretty much unobtainium, and the 'real fake' is ridiculously expensive to get to Canada, i'm going with what i got.. while it isn't a huge improvement on the OEM, it is an improvement, so going with it.. Like everything else on the bike, i need to modify to make work. I had a clearance issue with the front billet engine mount, and given the choice of taking away significant material from it, vs making an exhaust port spacer, i went with the latter. Off to the scrap bucket..

Good thing i got spare parts to use as a 'tooling template'.. drill out rough slug, hacksaw blade it, and file it down...

Bore it out with my largest .5" bit, file to .75" and 'port-matched', done.

 

[HackD]

Next up was my intended electrical box.. this was a design aspect that i came up with a long time ago.. but crudely, incompletely implemented.

I had picked up a Hammond Electrical Junction box and modified it, to enclose my aftermarket Coil and Brain-box.

The idea was to mount it on the front frame tube, as would have been seen in some Antique period motorcycles +100 years ago as tool boxes. I had made preliminary modifications and bracketry to mate it to a modified gasbikes CDI mount bracket.

That really wasn't working for me.. but a start. It needed to be MUCH closer to the frame. Out come the files and Dremel tool again...

First, i had to cut down and invert the initial bracketry i used to adapt to the Hammond box, and recess INTO the box itself for clearance..
looks a little jagged and rough in this photo, but about mid-process..

File, file, file.. i get to this. About a week's worth of work, all told.

 

[HackD]

It now sits on the frame, as thus:

Much better, much tighter. Everything plays together well.

 

[HackD]

Update to present moment. Awaiting a belt tensioner bracket for the rear chain-stay, need to source a chain-guard, and figure out a mounting setup for a proper 5" Headlight and tail light battery-powered setup that looks somewhat in-character to the bike. I also have a Manic Mechanic Gen II Cylinder Head to go on.

Work will continue progressing rapidly at this point... the bench is needed for other things in that project queue!

 

[wolframore]

Sweet, I have a long running project also, nice work!

 

[curtisfox]

Pretty awesome LOL now i am going to order a belt drive kit myself. Love what you are doing............Curt