FYI another batch of installed lift adapters belly tank or not is ready

[MarkT]

If you were waiting for me to announce the next batch is completed.  PM me or email is valkstuff@horseapple.com

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,84220.0.html

[rhinor61]

Mark..
Nice..  are you still offering them powder coated?
email sent

John

[MarkT]

Mark..
Nice..  are you still offering them powder coated?
email sent

John

Yeah I have powdercoat or paint available.  Both in satin black.

[indybobm]

I have a question about the extensions that go along the belly tank. Do they actually touch the belly tank? Without a belly tank are the extensions strong to support the bike when it is jacked up?

[MarkT]

Those are half inch box tubing and they are longer than they need to be, though they do contact the bottom of the tank.  They have to be that height to match up with the tank while not extending too low and match up with the jack arm. Their bottom surface is directly in line with the bottom of the 3/4" tubing.  If the tubing were any thicker - both sizes - then clearance sliding the jack under would be a problem.  (Easy to address with a small piece of plywood under the tire but we are avoiding needing that kludge.)  If you don't have a tank or even if you do the jack lift arm is supposed to be placed at the edge of the 3/4" tubing or forward. IOW not lifting out towards the end of the small box tubing. If you do that your CG will be close to the right lift arm and your bike will be fwd heavy - remove the back wheel and that would be a problem.  I advise in the instructions to start with the lift arm under the swingarm pivot point. And check if you're satisfied with the weight distribution.  Interstates have a more tail heavy bias, while Standards the CG is more fwd and Tourers it's in between the other 2. It doesn't move a lot, based on my years of experience lifting them in my shop.  I have three lift adapters that work in a common punkin or axle jack - with the lift point adjusted to bike type.  IOW they don't adjust with a screw mechanism but are just made with the lift point - where the adapter pin drops into the jack cradle - moved fwd or aft.  The CG movement is max about 2 inches.

 I have not tested to see what amount of force it would take to bend the 1/2" tubing.  Given that the lever arm is so short if the jack is improperly placed, I am guessing it would take many hundreds of pounds, more than you could apply with a Valkyrie. Considering that approx half the bike's weight is on the back arm - even less when you move the bike fwd to put the back arm on the 1/2" tubing - the fwd lift arm would be nearly under the bike's CG.  Then consider there are two 1/2" tubes dividing what weight is there in half per tube  But if anyone succeeds in bending it, then we will fix those adapters and add more meat to that part of the adapter.  I could do a fail test using a scale and a hydraulic press, to see how much force it would take to bend it.  Just without doing the fail test my intuition says you'd have to put a Boss Hoss on it to bend it.

[MarkT]

After I get done packaging and shipping some adapters today I'm going to go ahead and set up a measurement of how much force it takes to bend those 1/2" sections on a hydraulic press.  Getting one to bend within the range of my scales could be a problem.  But I can use leverage if needed to keep it in range.

[MarkT]

OK I went ahead and set up a test of the 1/2" box tubing which extends under the belly tank.  This is for the concern if it is lifted there w/o being against a belly tank, is it strong enough.

So I set this test up, to see what it takes to bend the box tubing.  Welded a 4" piece of 1/2 tube to a 3/4 tube.  then welded the 3/4 tube to the top of my glasspack shaper 20 ton press.  Then placed a bathroom scale to weigh the force.  It has a higher range than my freight scale.  The placed wood and a socket to apply the force at the 2" point.  This is to simulate you attempting to place your jack lift arm too far back to see if it can bend the tubing.



Jacked the pressure to the top of the scale - 270#



At the top of the scale - no bending of the tubing per this view of the straight edge.  My scale doesn't go high enough to actually bend the tubing.  Now I'm going to see about adding some leverage...



And this is only one of the two 1/2" pieces of tubing.  So I conclude if you place your jack so the back arm is all the way to the end of the 1/2" tubing, you cannot bend the tubing even if the total on the back arm is 540#.  Which it cannot be because the front arm will be very close to the CG of the bike, while the standard is supposed to be about 700# total. Perhaps another 100# for the luggage and fairing of the IS?

OK, testing further.  I set up a lever to multiply the force.  The fulcrum is at 3", the scale at 12".  Set up a dial indicator to see ANY bending.



Now I could measure bending.  The dial moved slowly as I added force.  Didn't really start moving until I hit 125#.  The leverage is 4 to 1.  So that was 500# force at the 2 inch point that will bend it.  So if you can apply a thousand pounds to the back arm of your lift, and put all of it on the mid point of the 1/2" tubing, you could bend it.  But your lift pad is 2 inches wide.  Does your bike weigh a TON?  Per my tests, you are not going to bend it.

[RDKLL]

Got mine today, will be installing it after I go see Big BF for a replacement horn and an original cross member bracket for his horns.

Excited, I think I have found another benefit of this adapter, a bit more flexibility in positioning for a solid lift since there is so much weight gone from my bobber