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.

.

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]

Gen II Cylinder head, countershaft pulley installed.

Postal tracking tells me that my belt adjustment bracket and PW80 silencer should be here tomorrow.

 

[HackD]

Received the rear belt adjuster today .. it's a beefy 1/4" thick and steel, and it has a snowball's chance in Hell of flexing. I'm not 100% sold on it's overall length as compared to my need, so i'm going to some thinking on it for now.. i might have a shortening solution to customize to own needs/mount method.

The PW80 silencer was AWOL on this delivery..

I cracked open the 5" headlight last night.. for the money paid, yes, i can confirm that it is cheap Chinese crap.. it would have no business being on a motorcycle of mine.. a motorized bicycle, ok.. but it needs a significant rework. First step was to disassemble, untwist, unbend, and file down all the sharp edges and corners that it had.. it was a serious safety risk to disassemble in the first place. Gutted, it had a 12v 35w/35w bulb inside, and a 12v5w parking lamp.. all very useless to my needs. I do have a backup plan.

I've got a modern Cree 6 bulb bicycle headlight in a compact housing, run off 8.4v lithium ion battery pack, that i'm going to transplant into there, epoxied into the middle of the reflector as the base. I'm breaking out the power switch on the PCB, inside of the compact headlight, so that the headlight shell can be entirely sealed up. My eMTB already has one of these bicycle headlights, so i know what to expect with them.

A few hours later with Industrious Dremel use..

 

[Chainlube]

Ya but, you're loosing the reflective qualities of the inner cup. All you're going to get is a beam.

 

[HackD]

Ya but, you're loosing the reflective qualities of the inner cup. All you're going to get is a beam.

This is all that is required for this project - i am retaining the reflective qualities of the inner cup of the LED unit.

 

[Chainlube]

If you glued a 1/4" ribbon of tinfoil inside the outer edge, I bet it would be super bright.

I like it anyway, LEDs use a lot less power than any incandescent light.

 

[HackD]

If you glued a 1/4" ribbon of tinfoil inside the outer edge, I bet it would be super bright.

I like it anyway, LEDs use a lot less power than any incandescent light.

I've got an overlap of the original reflector in play, reflecting light bouncing off of the outer lens, and i've got it operational.. i'll spotlight the living room, tonight for a photo..

 

[HackD]

Two Project Progressions today.

First, mock-up installed the belt drive tensioning bracket. I need to fine-tune rear sprocket alignment. It seems to want to consistently wander off the front pulley by 1/8"-3/16" now, so that tells me that i need to rearrange the shim stack on the rear axle a bit. It's in the right direction to do so, so easy fix.

Edit: After spending Saturday afternoon tinkering, wander issue is tracked down to belt tensioner itself. Universal fit strikes again. Just bolt on and go, results in an idler/tensioner Pulley that is off axis, and pulling the belt away from the engine cog.. A few flat washers were provided for this purpose to align to rear frame (i assume) but Meh.. I'm taking my time with this, so i will get that alignment spot-on with time, and some properly done bracket shimming and/or proper off-axis axle-shoeing.. I got lots of buckets of bolts, scrap metal to whittle away at, and time, at this time.



Proof of concept of bicycle LED headlight, transplanted into motorcycle headlight shell, using headlight reflection ring as retaining bracket (epoxied in). Power switch has been broken out of the LED headlight, such that it can be controlled outside of headlight shell...

Also, with a momentary contact switch being necessary, i found a momentary 'Stop' switch from Sick Bike Parts for the handlebar in my spare parts collection.. so there is the solution to that.. a switch transplant from 2 contacts to 4.. and i'm good as Gold.

 

[HackD]

Headlight Project has been finished. Everything functions as expected.

https://youtu.be/krHvegJoYmg

Also worked on a few spacers for the belt drive pulley bracket. The pulley bracket must be mounted such that the pulley axle is perpendicular to the belt. Don't look like much, but 2x 1/4" and 1x 1/8" spacers takes some time on TV-time, working with basic hand tools..
.

Also - PW80 Silencer showed up - this is the Droid i am NOT looking for. Far too small connecting pipe. I have an alternate on order, already.

 

[HackD]

Today was "Time to come off the Bench Day".. yay!

Obviously not complete - but i need to have it at ground level, to complete.

https://youtu.be/TANC0psY0Go

 

[HackD]

Weather rapidly turning cold, so moved inside the living room to complete, besides a Honda Passport restore-mod project already underway.. Two projects for the winter.