My Trike build- ala Steve and Tank

[Oxymoron]

Interesting concept but, I'm afraid I'm with sid but, I'm gonna go one step further; it needs a guide channel not only under it but, one on top as well so the bearing roller doesn't "derail"...

Let me think about it for a while but, I still think my idea is way simpler & it's based on the same concept used on racing kart M/Cs...

I never said it was simple... I said I would do it, and that it would look cool

Simpler would be a linkage.

As stated before, I forgot to add the guide to the sketch because I got busy at work. What a day today!! I think every machine went down at once (so it seemed anyway). It wouldn't be able to derail, because the length of the cam would be longer than the available stroke of pulling the lever all the way until it bottoms out on the handlebar. Why would you make it so it was even possible to derail? :what:

You want me to sketch a simple linkage with three articulating points, that has the cable attached to the center? Same principle, cable pulls linkage forcing pin up... retention spring keeps it down when lever is released.

Simpler is better if you're mechanically challenged... but I'm not

Haha, I just made myself laugh

I'm just messing with you guys... I'm sure you're going to prod me back All in fun my brothers! :sly:

Seriously though, I'm interested to see your idea too. That's why I love this forum :thumbup:

 

[OzFab]

Derail as in, unless the guide track is rather deep, the cam may move sideways & allow the bearing to slip off the edge...

Here it is

 

[landuse]

I am going to have to sit with a beer looking at the trike and the brakes for a while and try to formulate what I am going to do. I seem to get my ideas from thinking on them for a while (sometimes it takes a LONG while). D:

 

[Oxymoron]

Derail as in, unless the guide track is rather deep, the cam may move sideways & allow the bearing to slip off the edge...

Here it is

Oh, I guess I misunderstood Paul's dilemma. I thought he had to have something actuated vertically, as opposed to horizontally. Maybe I'll have less beer before browsing the forum next time

And wow! I hadn't looked at your build thread in awhile, I forgot about how shiny you got some of those parts. That thing is gorgeous!!! :thumbup:

I am going to have to sit with a beer looking at the trike and the brakes for a while and try to formulate what I am going to do. I seem to get my ideas from thinking on them for a while (sometimes it takes a LONG while). D:

That's usually my solution too! I don't think I've done any of the work on my mini bike at home without a beer by my side

Cheers! :beer:

 

[landuse]

Oh, I guess I misunderstood Paul's dilemma. I thought he had to have something actuated vertically, as opposed to horizontally. Maybe I'll have less beer before browsing the forum next time

You are correct, I do need to actuate it vertically. Tony was just showing me that post and saying I should do something like that, but in a vertical position. I have to say that it would probably be the easiest option right about now

 

[Oxymoron]

You are correct, I do need to actuate it vertically. Tony was just showing me that post and saying I should do something like that, but in a vertical position. I have to say that it would probably be the easiest option right about now

Oh geez, lol... I think I confused myself there for a minute

A linkage is definitely the easiest way to actuate it. I'm sure you'll have this knocked out in no time :thumbup:

 

[OzFab]

I'll just say two things: KISS & Occams Razor

 

[landuse]

I'll just say two things: KISS & Occams Razor

I didn't know you also enjoy those bands......

 

[Oxymoron]

Did you just call me stupid?

Have a good one.

 

[OzFab]

I didn't know you also enjoy those bands......

There's a band called Occams Razor?

Did you just call me stupid?

If you wish to take it that way but, it wasn't directed at you

 

[landuse]

There's a band called Occams Razor?

Here they are! (And is that you on the bottom left of their webpage?)

If you wish to take it that way but, it wasn't directed at you

Was it directed at me? :toetap05::toetap05:

 

[OzFab]

Well, yes & no: the suggestions were directed at you but, I wasn't calling you stupid...

 

[machinist@large]

There's a band called Occams Razor?

Here they are! (And is that you on the bottom left of their webpage?)

COOL!!! I remember hearing a group who sounded like this a couple of years ago when i was in the ICU; one of the charge nurses found out I liked Celtic music, and set the radio next to my bed to "The Thistle & Shamrock" on NPR for me. Problem was, I was on such powerfully awesome drugs at the time that I really couldn't tell you just what I listened to..... Good thing they kept records; the following two Saturday evenings, the staff at Mary Freebed dialed it in for me. Next thing I know, both the nurses stations on my floor have it on, and they were playing excerpts of their gig with the Chieftains.....

Paul, when you asked Tony if he was the person in the bottom left corner, were you referring to the guy with the slightly demonic looking goatee directly under the letter "A", or the big guy with the long, emerald green Mohawk? (I'm almost afraid of what your answer might be......)

 

[landuse]

Ha. The goatee guy......

The first guy is Tony. He also looks like the Grissom from CSI

Just poking fun at you Tony

 

[OzFab]

Ah, now I see it... Um no, not me...

 

[OzFab]

Just to clarify something: KISS stands for Keep It Simple Stupid, NOT Keep It Simple, Stupid, NO COMMA! The "stupid" refers to the act, NOT the person performing it, as in, dumb it down...

 

[landuse]

I didn't have much time to do a lot this weekend, but I thought I had better get moving with the linkages that would actuate the brake calliper. The link that Tony posted earlier helped me to decide what I was going to do. You will see the similarities. I decided to put a brake lever on the handlebars, just like a where the front brakes for a normal motorbike would be.

So the first thing that I did was cut out the elbow linkage that would be pulled on the one side by the cable, and push a pin into the master cylinder on the other side. The first pic shows what I did. The pin came of an old pitbike that I had. It was actually used on the bike to actuate this brake.

I then got a piece of metal I had left over from the motor mount, and drilled 2 holes in it for the master cylinder (known as MC from now on). I then welded that to the frame so that the MC would sit facing upwards, the way it is supposed to. I then welded a piece of square tubing to the frame that would have the elbow bolted to it. The cable stop would also be welded onto that (haven't done that yet).

So I weld everything on, mount the MC (just remember that the calliper is not yet bolted onto the bracket I made last week). I then drill a hole in the square tubing for the elbow to be attached to, put a bolt in to hold it there for testing. PERFECT!! The pin actuates the brake nicely, with about 1cm of travel, so I won't have to pull the lever on the handles too hard.

Then my son in law comes round the corner, asking me how its going. I proudly show him everything that I have done, pointing out all the features and how it will work. He then says to me "Will the calliper reach the bracket that it is supposed to bolt to?". I sit there stunned for a second, grab the loose calliper that is just hanging there, and try in vain to stretch it towards the bracket to make it fit!!

The calliper doesn't reach the bracket!!!!

Can you believe it!!!! I hadn't measure to see if the calliper would bolt onto the bracket before I had welded everything up. Ugggghhhh. I couldn't have been more stupid than that!! I have 2 options here. First is to grind everything off and mount it lower so that the calliper now reaches the bracket, or secondly, I could go and get a longer tube for my brakes. That would mean having to bleed them again though.

I was so bummed that I packed everything up for the day.

Note to self: Measure everything before welding......

 

[machinist@large]

Here's an open ended question for you Paul, 'cause I know I sure don't have the answer. Why is it when ever I've backed my self into a corner like that, there are ALWAYS witnesses present? And it's usually someone who couldn't do the job in the first place that thinks it's the funniest.....

 

[landuse]

Here's an open ended question for you Paul, 'cause I know I sure don't have the answer. Why is it when ever I've backed my self into a corner like that, there are ALWAYS witnesses present? And it's usually someone who couldn't do the job in the first place that thinks it's the funniest.....

You got that right. The worst is that he saw it right away. I had been working on it for a couple of hours and hadn't even noticed....

 

[OzFab]

Usually, for me, when everything just seems to be working perfectly, it means I've overlooked something simple, like welding a whole frame together only to find out the brake MC clamp doesn't fit on the tube...

IMO, It's gonna be easier to cut everything off a reweld than try to find a longer hose & bleed the system