Auxiliary Cell Design

[madmike2]

Fatigue is the enemy of riders too. I don't know how you can stay awake riding more than a couple of hours without getting off and stretching at a fuel stop.

This has been discussed ad nauseum and it has been acknowledged that it isn't for everyone.

It seems to me that if a rider isn't rested enough to stay awake for a 2 hour time period while being alert and fully able to operate his (or her) motorcycle they shouldn't be riding that day.

The last time I was of a mind to stop every hour was at the end of a nearly 2 week trip through Canada and was fairly butt-weary riding the last 450 miles of a 2900 mile journey. My riding partner (Nightshine) and I thought it best to stop every hour to stretch, visit, recount what we'd experienced the last days on the road and enjoy the last leg of the journey across Nevada on I-80....another reason to get off and check one's alert status: boredom!

Put 10 gallons on a bike and you will want to ride the 5 hours till the next stop.

Not necessarily! Having a fuel cell allows me the option of NOT stopping. For instance, there are times I've stopped for photo ops, meals, side trips, etc., and I've been off my bike but I don't NEED to stop because my bike's gas tank is near empty. There are other times when I know the distance to the next available gas is quite a distance and I don't have to stop and "top off" my gas tank to be sure I'll make it. Yes....some of my day rides are on the "longish" side.

I don't know why they call it iron butt. It makes mine into marshmallow.

So, for you this is not a useful or needed option. Those who do ride iron butt events have conditioned themselves for this type of riding. More power to them!

I am not an IBA license plate frame owner and likely will never be one. Neither perspective is right nor is the other wrong, they're simply different. Your position in the community is right for you, theirs is right for them.

 

[Duster19]

Just wondering if there is any weekly updates.

Dave

 

[dcarver]

Just wondering if there is any weekly updates.

Dave

Yes, today is Friday. Last week this time was Friday. Next week this time is Friday.

This has been your weekly update edition, Jane!

(Sorry Dave, it's... wait for it.... Friday!)

:lol:

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

Just wondering if there is any weekly updates.

Dave

Yes, today is Friday. Last week this time was Friday. Next week this time is Friday.

This has been your weekly update edition, Jane!

(Sorry Dave, it's... wait for it.... Friday!)

:lol:

Don, That was Funny!

(I'm sorry too Dave.)

o.k. I made a special trip into work just for you Dave (and to escape the house before it filled with my wife's friends)

Here you go:

This shows a couple of different iterations of the side/support blocks:

And this shows me working on a brace for the rear subframe (should someone want to run with no OEM grabrail nor Givi luggage rack:

Picture the two yellow blocks with a connecting piece (not yet drawn) The grey parts are GenI subframe.

 

[Duster19]

I guess dcarver is flipping me ****. I think that's a good thing. But, I do like my Fridays. Thanks for the update. I'm actually starting to see how things are going to layout.

Dave

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

O.K. I'm finished with that distraction:

The banana colored pieces brace the rear subframe. They would attach just behind the front attachment points for the grabrail. As I write this, I'm wondering why I didn't just extend them to the threaded holes for the grab rails. I mean, this is an either/or proposition, right? Either the grabrail/Givi rack is being used or these things are needed.

Anyway, I offer this for your consideration. What do you think? It would be easy to make this work with a Givi (instead of the Givi Luggage rack), Pelican or whatever. It wouldn't require disassembling the bike or taking any parts to a welder.

Anyway, now I can stop fooling around with that and get back to designing a tank.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

All righty then...

I need a couple more dimensions before I cut these, but I'm 95% certain I have the side supports figured out. They should do a very nice job of boxing in the area under the tank as well as supporting it. Another piece ties the right and left together to make the enclosure. I haven't decided if that piece should be welded to the sides or be removable. The right side support in this screen shot is for the over the tail version of the tank. I also have one that works with the OEM grabrail & seat replacing tank, but I don't have a decent screen shot of that one.

Edit: I updated that screen shot and here's one showing the right and the left:

 

[madmike2]

Another piece ties the right and left together to make the enclosure. I haven't decided if that piece should be welded to the sides or be removable. The right side support in this screen shot is for the over the tail version of the tank. I also have one that works with the OEM grabrail & seat replacing tank, but I don't have a decent screen shot of that one.

SOoooo then, we are getting the "weakly" update, or what?

It's not my fault, Don started it!

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

SOoooo then, we are getting the "weakly" update, or what?

It's not my fault, Don started it!

Yeah, :blush2: You know how I am Mike. I'll stand in the rain and jabber about this stuff as long as you'll let me.

There are those around here who don't get too excited about CAD models, but I've got a lot of time into them so I like posting 'em.

 

[madmike2]

SOoooo then, we are getting the "weakly" update, or what?

It's not my fault, Don started it!

Yeah, :blush2: You know how I am Mike. I'll stand in the rain and jabber about this stuff as long as you'll let me.

There are those around here who don't get too excited about CAD models, but I've got a lot of time into them so I like posting 'em.

You misunderstand! I enjoy watching the process from the idea stage through the design phaze and now the CAD program mockups and I'm looking forward to seeing the completed CADs and the first production. I am truly intirgued by those who can do what you do and bring the idea to fruition. Seriously, I am awaiting the final computer design and the first production.

Like I said, Don started it.....and you know I can neither let a sleeping dog lie or a mud puddle undisturbed. :bleh:

 

[Duster19]

I also like seeing how the CAD "stuff" starts to look like something cool. Looking forward to seeing more design and improvements.

As far as my likes: I'm liking how your building the mounts and side walls into the design. Looking at BLM design, I've always worried on how to protect things under the tank (I think Iggy, fabricated. up some kind of metal side plates). For me and others, we have mounted our Fuzeblock's under the front seat and keeping that area dry is kind of important.

Dave

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

keeping that area dry is kind of important.

I wouldn't count on the area under the tank staying dry. An enclosure would help, but I wouldn't consider it water resistant, let alone water tight.

On a side note. There are a few waves in my personal life.

After all of the work I've done to figure this GenI mount out, I hate to just drop my FJR projects. But, it's a possibility.

 

[huron52]

On a side note. There are a few waves in my personal life.

After all of the work I've done to figure this GenI mount out, I hate to just drop my FJR projects. But, it's a possibility.

Personally I think you should smooth out those waves....and everyone who is interested will understand and give you that time needed to do what you have to do.

But of course that just me thinking out loud again... nasty habit I have :lol:

 

[Canadian FJR]

The diagrams look promising. Things are looking good.

Canadian FJR

 

[Duster19]

Trust me. I understand how family takes priorty over projects.

If you decide you need a break, just let us all know. I'm one who is wanting an Aux. fuel cell for this coming riding season. I'll need to look into other options if you're design needs to wait for another time.

I appreciate all the members who have made this forum a Great place.

Dave

 

[Duster19]

Just a bump to see how things are going.

First I hope things have settled down at the homefront. If you've had time to work on the project, I'd love to see some of your awesome cad work.

Dave

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

This project went on the back burner about a month ago and I haven't touched it since.

Sorry.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

It's been a while.

There has been a lot going on. I'm not going to bore you with the details. Most of the drama was a string of close calls and near misses with family, pets, work and home. The most recent close call was last Saturday. Our house was directly in the path of a tornado that somehow skipped over our house and most of our block. I saw the thing approaching. I've seen a lot of bad weather in my lifetime and I've been foolish enough to be caught in some of it, but that thing really scared me. And that was just one of the storms in my life since last January.

I've been making slow progress with the GenI auxiliary tanks. I've been sharing that progress with a couple of people on the forum, but I didn't want to update this thread unless I had something substantial to share.

Last Saturday (a few hours before the storm :scare: ) we mounted the side supports to a GenI.

They are solid!

This is the anchor nut that slips into the rear subframe:

It was a little tricky getting the screw to thread into it:

The solution was simple:

It's always handy to have a couple of Popsicle sticks around:

If my luck holds, I'll have some photos of the finished side supports very soon.

If my luck runs out, catastrophe won't passover, but will find me in the cross-hairs.

:mega_shok:

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

The Revision2 prototypes are finished:

Tomorrow I'll try to get some photos of them mounted on a GenI

edit:

These were the first ones I made (back in March):

Hoping for a little help, I offered the model in the CAD Exchange thread <Link>, but there were no takers.

Edit Edit:

Here's another photo of the first set I made:

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I had a visit from a GenI owner today. He had some misfortune on the way over to my house:

Here are the supports:

This is what I was aiming for:

• Supports that double as enclosures

• Strong and rigid

• Attach easily to the bike

• Versatile; supporting poly cell, custom aluminum tank, luggage rack, Coyote tank ? ... whatever

• Low material cost

But most of all, they needed to look like they belonged on the bike.

The poly tank is the only one I had laying around for the GenI, so I dropped that on there just to check the fit:

So there you have it.

They look a little better on the bike than they do on the kitchen table, right?