12-11-2009, 12:04 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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John Britten: the ultimate "modder"?
John Britten designed and built these amazing machines: they have (at least) 5 major design elements: "skin & bones" carbon fiber wheels, beam suspension with no "stiction" and controllable geometry, 4-valve hand cast stressed member engine in frame-less chassis, unique aerodynamics (dubbed "torpedo over blade"), and the fully ducted cooling system that made this narrow design possible. It weighs just 145kg (320 pounds).
John Britten on Wikipedia
These are especially delicious for us aspiring engineering types!
Front view showing cooling intake scoops:
Profile/side view showing all the goodness (carbon fiber wheels and beam suspension, stressed member engine, unique aerodynamics):
Rear cooling exhaust vent:
Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 12-11-2009 at 12:30 PM..
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12-12-2009, 06:36 AM
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#3 (permalink)
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Dartmouth 2010
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I like the look of those wheels, but aren't the hands still sticking out in the airflow?
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12-12-2009, 07:15 PM
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#4 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Hi Ben,
Maybe a little, but there is a bit of a "pocket" created by the fairing. I had a BMW K75S:
(that is NOT me...)
This fairing protected my hands pretty well and the air off of the top of the windscreen hit me in the middle of my face -- I'm 6'-4", so I am taller than this fellow. I had to chop off about 1 1/2" from the top so that the air hit me in the lower part of my neck, and the rumbling noise was MUCH better. |
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12-15-2009, 07:15 AM
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#5 (permalink)
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Curious....
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That's an awesome bike and a very cool story!
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12-15-2009, 09:29 AM
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#6 (permalink)
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Moderate your Moderation.
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As awesome as it would be to own one, I think I'd end up killing myself on it. I don't think I could resist lifting the front end up a little bit every time I hit the throttle, and that's what got me in trouble the last time I had a bike years ago... that and just speed in general.
That's why I bought a 180cc... 
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12-15-2009, 10:56 AM
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#7 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Hi,
I'm thinking that beyond the bike, which is awesome -- the fact that such an amazing machine was conceived of, designed, built from scratch in 11 months, and have it perform at such a high level is quite inspiring!
What sort of things are possible if one wants to build an uber-efficient EV in a backyard workshop?
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12-15-2009, 12:14 PM
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#8 (permalink)
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needs more cowbell
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the bikeness helps though, as it sweeps away most delusions about safety and the nannies don't even bother tearing it down based on its differences from other bikes.
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WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
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12-15-2009, 05:41 PM
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#9 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Some of the things that John Britten (and a small group of friends and associates) accomplished in ~11 months:
Redesigned his V1000 v-twin four valve engine to be an 1100cc, hand cast all the metal parts, heat treated & machined everything, flow tested, and on the dynamometer -- where it produced 170BHP.
Designed and build a front and rear girder suspension out of carbon fiber, that bolt to the engine.
Designed the aerodynamics of the whole motorcycle and cooling system, that has an intake port on the nose of the fairing, is ducted through to the radiator which is under the tail section -- that worked the first time. All this bodywork and the seat subframe are fabricated out of carbon fiber, natch!
Designed and built carbon fiber wheels, using a unique structural scheme, that is referred to as "skin & bones".
Designed and programmed a custom computer system that recorded all the important data from the engine (unique in motorcycle racing at the time).
The list of things that they did NOT build from scratch:
brakes
shocks/springs
transmission (sourced from Suzuki, IIANM)
battery and sparkplugs and other assorted electrical components
tires
[Edit: cylinder sleeves ]
Totally amazing, really! I see a lot of parallels between the Britten and the Aptera...
Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 12-15-2009 at 10:30 PM..
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12-15-2009, 05:57 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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Moderate your Moderation.
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Neil -
The project and finish times are nothing short of amazing, that's for sure. I'd be wifeless if I attempted anything remotely similar, the time invested.
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