ChopCult Project: Halwade's Evo-Powered SpartanKiller

[coryhebert]

Haven't read thru this whole thread...so I'm not sure if anyone has addressed this yet, BUT...

running a 5-speed trans with no motor plate (or inner primary, if you will) is NOT a good idea. Those thin little 5-speed tranny plates simply CANNOT withstand the vibrations and forces applied without the extra stiffness that a motor plate provides. Your trans plate WILL eventually fail.

And yes, I speak from experience...and we're not talking about some big ass motor either, in my case...stock 80" Evo. I built a bike around that same Tech Cycle setup. Had to eventually add an Exile motor plate (which required some machining on both the plate AND Isolator to work, but no biggie). Do yourself a favor and remedy the problem now...before it happens. And Tech Cycle should really stop manufacturing Isolators for 5-speeds.

[Spacewolf]

Haven't read thru this whole thread...so I'm not sure if anyone has addressed this yet, BUT...

running a 5-speed trans with no motor plate (or inner primary, if you will) is NOT a good idea. Those thin little 5-speed tranny plates simply CANNOT withstand the vibrations and forces applied without the extra stiffness that a motor plate provides. Your trans plate WILL eventually fail.

And yes, I speak from experience...and we're not talking about some big ass motor either, in my case...stock 80" Evo. I built a bike around that same Tech Cycle setup. Had to eventually add an Exile motor plate (which required some machining on both the plate AND Isolator to work, but no biggie). Do yourself a favor and remedy the problem now...before it happens. And Tech Cycle should really stop manufacturing Isolators for 5-speeds.

I dont know, I ran my evo for years without a motor to trans plate and had no problems. Maybe the trans plate you had was defective or something. Checking it often is obviously smart, as well as using the fith mounting point, but I dont think its that much of a problem.

[coryhebert]

I've actually come across several other folks who had the same issue...it's not a matter of a defective tranny plate.

[Spacewolf]

Fair enough, but I know many many people who run no torque plate and haven't had any problems at all. Its just a matter of torquing everything down correctly and making sure you check everything and do proper maintenance. I suppose it's a matter of opinion though.

[Guest]

Feeling you, Cory and Defcon, but I've talked to a dozen dudes who say my stock S&S 1340 is no match for the toughness of my tranny plate holes or alignment. If my plan to do without a motor/tranny connector method shits the bed, I'll replace my left foot after the 530 primary chain takes it off and hit up Exile for their trimmed down unit.

Tech Cycle seems to think there's not going to be a problem with my set-up.

We'll know this weekend when I weld the primary drive idler pulley bracket to my lower frame rails.

[Spacewolf]

Well I'm no engineer but I think, based on my past experience with torque plate-less Evos, that you'll be okay. Project's looking killer, by the way!

[Guest]

09.25.10

JACKIN' THE DOG EDITION:

or,

WHAT I DID THIS SUMMER:

MIke D's progress and Billdozer's volunteerism has rendered my presence in the Biltwell shop obsolete.

While these guys have been kicking ass on the Sex Panther, I have been driving chase trucks, building BMX bikes and suffering broverload at bike shows and chopper gatherings from New York to Las Vegas.

Starting this week the excuses end and the progress begins.

First thing on the agenda: finish my primary chain tensionser and start working on the mid controls.

Next: build the oil bag and battery box with Duane Ballard.

You ready, ODB?

How's next week for chopper shenanigans?

I'm ready.

[Guest]

You have 41 days....

[Guest]

09.26.10 SPARTANKILLER UPDATE

41 Days and Counting…



Eric the Welder came to the shop this weekend to help Mike D with the Sex Panther, so I put our friend to work on some pro finish welding on various bits. Shown above is the tombstone for the primary drive idler Kim and Pat at Bench*Mark created. In finished guise a countershaft sprocket will apply upward tension on the underside of the 530 primary chain.



While I jigged Eric tacked.



Here's Eric doing the dirty work, and a shot of the finished piece:





con'd…

[Guest]

I'm really psyched with this gizmo, and I think Kim and Pat outdid themselves on the finished shape.

Here's what it looks like with the sprocket mounted:



Fret not—the 27mm wide spacer that goes between the sprocket and the tombstone on the 5/8" grade 8 bolt shaft will be made of steel, not the janky alloy MX handlebar scrap visible in this photo.

After finishing the idler bracket, we moved onto the gas tank.

Owing to the deep tunnel on my Sacred Steel tank, a lowered T-bracket was necessary. Jason Wilson and Duane Ballard helped craft this gizmo, and here's how it looks in finished guise:



To maintain the flowing lines of the tank's top from front to back, a bracket that elevates the tail of the tank was required.

My concept called for a single bolt to hold this tank riser to the triangle behind the backbone, so I installed a bung to accept the necessary hardware. Here's a shot of the welded bung on the triangle after flap disking:



Here's a couple shots of the janky-but-effective lowering post ready for finish welding:







A piece of rubber between the janky lowering bracket and the top of the backbone will isolate the tank from vibration, just as the aforementioned isolators will support the tank up front. None of this stuff is pretty, but it's built strong and will be completely hidden by the tank and the seat once everything is mounted.


con'd…

[Guest]

Because the tunnel on my tank is SO deep, a crossover tube on the underside will be needed to feed fuel to the petcock on the opposite side of the carb.



Simple brass fittings from the hardware store will function as bibs for the crossover tube, which will be a simple piece of rubber hose.

Bob at Temecula Motorcycle Service brazed these brass widgets into the underside of the tank for me. Some 1/4" ID rubber hose will feed fuel from one side of the nose to the other. I'm convinced this will work because it's the same system Cole Foster used on the Custom Chrome Salinas Boys repop tank I ran on my Sportfighter in 2006.

The fender bungs were next…



I welded these bungs from the top side, but they needed finish welding around their circumference. With motor and tranny out, this was easy…



Here's how they look after enjoying Eric's steady hand:



They'll look even better when the drippy goodness of powdercoating flows over every nook and cranny of my chassis.

While Eric dicked with the fender bungs, I drilled the frame's crossmember to accept two hat-shaped threaded bungs. These bungs will accept two 5/16-18 button cap Allen screws, which I plan to use to hold the seat into place.



Two bolts will be sufficient to hold the seat securely because the nose of the seat pan will have an L-shaped tongue on the underside that slips onto the trailing edge of the triangle brace on the frame's seat stays.




Here's a shot of the welded fender mounting bungs and the hat-shaped threaded bungs ready for tacking:



Con'd…

[Guest]

The last tabs and bungs required on the frame will be whatever I dream up to hold the oil bag/battery box.

I'm going to put the transmission back into the bike this week so Duane, Courtney Hallowell and I can tackle fabrication on the oil bag.

The plan is to build an entire unit out of cardboard, just as we did for the monocoque fuel cell and oil bag on Duane's Pink Taco.

After the cardboard mock-up is finished, we'll dismantle it and use its various panels to make patterns for the stainless steel sheet.

How we bent and cut that sheet remains to be seen, but Courtney swears it's easy when you use the right tools.

Stay tuned. I see a clusterfuck on the horizon…

[superflysnow]

looking good, thanks for the detail fab workups.

[Guest]

Just a couple more pics:









Nice work today Hal & Erik! I'm stoked to see forward momentum on this bike again, it's really going to be a neat one. (note, in my pics, the tensioner was just set on the frame, so don't think it's crooked!)

[Shawn]

Damn!
That's come along way since I saw it a few weeks ago.
Well done. Question though, the Primary chain adjuster.
Is the through bolt going to be enough to maintain the proper tension on the chain or are you going to need a vertical threaded rod and lock nut? Imagine a traditional drive chain tensioner bolt, mounted vertically.

Just a thought.

Keep progressing with the progress.