Dare to be different?

[f6john]

[Oldfishguy]

[f6john]

I remember when a bike had to have a sissy bar!

[John Schmidt]

My creation a few years back. Has a Valkyrie tank, handlebars & controls, HD mufflers & windshield, aftermarket overflow tank, modified luggage rack. I used a slightly modified Valk Std. seatpan with new padding and cover. I installed a 1985 FI motor(FI has much higher output alternator) and converted it to carbs after rebuilding them, also removed all the smog stuff. The rear fender is a trailer fender from Northern Tool, cut down in length and mounted to the swingarm so it moved up/down with the SA. Bike ran like a scalded dog, assuming one could still run. It started life as a 1984 Std. with a bit of a problem in the motor(see pic below), also signs of valve impact on the forward cylinder as well. The left timing belt was so loose it had skipped some teeth, whoever replaced them didn't know what they were doing. The right side was also loose but not as bad so no damage there. Was a fun project indeed, I rebuilt or replaced everything axle to axle and it proved to be a solid ride in the years that followed.

Sold it to my granddaughter's husband(6'4", 300lbs.) who rode it home at 85mph on the tollroad, then rode it hard to/from work the next two years before selling it and buying a newer ride. Told me he tried but couldn't break it.  

[Jess from VA]

That was a fun project for us to watch John, as your brought us along. 

Before you can dare to be different, you have to possess the skills to dare with.

I lack such skills.  But I like watching others that do. 

And show and tell bike projects are the highest form of good motorcycle forum posting.

Sadly, just keeping up with routine vehicle maintenance is about as challenging as I can handle. 

[carolinarider09]

While I have not down much "mechanical" work on motorcycles I have built a couple of different items.  

Each of these "telescopes" was built from pieces parts.  I ground and polished the mirror's and assembled the mounts.  The only things I had to purchase already made were things like the eyepiece holders and the eyepieces.   Oh, and the glass for the mirror had to be purchased as well as having the mirror coated.  

I did assist a school chum in the 1960's in "silvering" a telescope mirror he made.  So, it can be done.  

A 24" (mirror) F/4.0 Dobsonian.  You need a seven or eight foot step ladder to reach the eyepiece when it's pointed close to vertical.  



A 12.5" (mirror) f/5.5 Newtonian telescope.  Just need a small step stool to reach the eyepiece when pointed close to vertical.   Oh the mount has a clock drive that is driven by a system I built.  It allows me to take astro photos.




The bad news is I have not used either in the last year...  

[Psychotic Bovine]

I have no talent for anything.  The above bikes and the telescopes are very impressive.

I cannot imagine the precision required to build a telescope from scratch. 

[carolinarider09]

Regarding telescopes and their most important part, the mirror.  It turns out that if you move two pieces of material together such that the may abrade one another and you do it sort of randomly ("W" stroke), you can only get two resulting surfaces a flat surface (used for the diagonal mirror in a Newtonian telescope) and a sphere (the main mirror in a Newtonian telescope).   

The key is it just takes time to do the work. So, while it might seem "difficult", it's just a matter of sticking to the "method". 

The other thing that is interesting is how would measure the focal length of the mirror.  A gentlemen, named Leon Foucault invented a very simple device.  It can be made by anyone and measures the focal length of the mirror to a very, very fine degree

The Foucault knife-edge test was described in 1858 by French physicist Léon Foucault as a way to measure conic shapes of optical mirrors.[1] It measures mirror surface dimensions by reflecting light into a knife edge at or near the mirror's centre of curvature.

The video below is much like the one I made.  A platform, two razor blades, a sliding thingy, an old spice can from the cupboard, some glue, some thread rod and, the most intricate part, the measuring tool ($20).   Total cost for the tester, about $30, if you have some old stuff laying around. 

And guess what.  If you remember the issues they had with the space telescope (mirror was not properly figured) they used some computer program to measure the surface which failed to given them the accurate data they needed.  Had they used the $40 Foucault tester, would have been perfect.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAE70xYpUkk