Leading Link Front End Finished

[zagger]

My continuing project is now complete. I built a long travel leading link front suspension just to see if I could. Bought a milling machine to make the parts and spent lots of time learning to machine steel and figure out how to make the necessary parts. Just finished my test run down the road and I'm still alive! The front wheel is moved ahead 4 inches to shorten the trail so the handling is quite good. Cannot think of anything else to do - so I guess it is done!

[BigBoyinMS]

I really like a leading link. Supposed to be the best handling fork type for a bike. (Or trike)

And that has to be the most "in your face" bike on the road. I like it!

You would really weird people out if you had tucked the front wheel right up under the neck.

[gunkylump]

Now that is an AWESOME looking ride! Mad Max has nothing on you! Great stuff!

 

gunk:smile5:

[GigaWhiskey]

It looks like you got rid of the overflow tank.

 

How was setting up those carbs with the pods? That must have been a bear to get right. How it the flow to the carbs while you are moving?

[hunter 1500]

Now that is an AWESOME looking ride! Mad Max has nothing on you! Great stuff!

 

gunk:smile5:

I was thinking the same thing. Where is the gas tank?

[GigaWhiskey]

Gas tank is where it is supposed to be and always been, lol. It is still there, hasn't moved.

[dingy]

I was thinking the same thing. Where is the gas tank?

 

Same place it is on a 1st gen., below the seat.

 

Lower center of gravity.

 

This is a thing of beauty, beauty being in the eyes of the beholder.

 

Gary

[hunter 1500]

I wondered if that was where it was. My LC1500 had the tank there also. Very small though. Only 4.2 gal and so I installed a aux tank where the muffler used to be. Gave me 6.7 gal.

[OddStar]

Now that is an AWESOME looking ride! Mad Max has nothing on you! Great stuff!

 

gunk:smile5:

 

My thoughts exactly...right out of 'The Road Warrior' . Do you sport a Mohawk

[zagger]

"Same place it is on a 1st gen., below the seat.

 

Lower center of gravity."

Yup - you are correct, this is an '83 venture and the stock gas tank is under the seat. Low cg is a wonderful thing. I even moved the battery under the transmission just to keep the cg as low as possible. Cornering stability and low cg go together.

zag

[zagger]

"It looks like you got rid of the overflow tank."

 

You mean the radiator overflow? I moved it, but you can see it in the pictures.

 

How was setting up those carbs with the pods? That must have been a bear to get right.

 

Frankly, it was not easy. I finally bought an air/fuel mixture gauge so that I could see what was going on. After that, it was quickly resolved. I had a serious issue with carb venting. Venting is WAY more important than anyone seems to think it is. The vent lines (carb overflow) establish the reference pressure for the CV carbs and changes in the reference pressure have a huge effect on the gas mixture. I wrestled with this a couple of years ago and I learned lots about how this stuff works.

zag

[zagger]

" Do you sport a Mohawk "

 

No. I am Mohawk. But you would rather look at my friend.

Zag

[Dano]

:sign yeah that:

 

 

You're right Zagger, that IS a beautiful bike with great looking machine work. I'd be proud to see that pull up in my driveway sometime. How about an audio file so we can hear that 4 way exhaust?! Be easy to spot a dead cylinder with those.......

 

Great work! Gotta see that bike in person some day.

[Snaggletooth]

Now that is thinking so far out of the box that there is no box left. Bonus points for creative ability!

 

You living the dream Zag! Cool street fighter bike and a pretty lady to keep ya company.

 

Snaggletooth

[wizard]

Wow! Totally awesome.

[Squidley]

I have always loved seeing you play with this bike, looks sick, I would love to see it in person one day myself

[zagger]

"Be easy to spot a dead cylinder with those......."

 

Dead cylinder? I don't think so! You wound me sir! I don't think I've got any way to record audio that would sound like much of anything. The four mufflers do have baffles so it has a deep rumble sort of sound but it is not excessively loud. I built the four pipes by sand bending the tubing by eye and making the mufflers from scratch. I have rotating washers inside the end of the mufflers to adjust the backpressure - this works quite well. At cruising speeds it quiets right down and is not annoying at all. But, honestly, I'm not much into the sound of bikes since loud and fast are rarely the same.

zag

 

PS: I might end up in your driveway if I ride this down to the NC Smokeout next year! I had thought of going last weekend but had some front brake issues that had to be solved and I missed the chance.