time to fully enclose my bike

[Grant-53]

Check prices and availability for ABS .060" and sheet aluminum .016" thick. The aluminum bonds to plywood well with casein glue and pressure curing.

[bschloop]

it was a cold wet nasty day today, not at all good for fiberglassing in an unheated garage, so I was playing around on GIMP with various paint schemes.

I saw the thread on military themed eco cars on here, and it got me thinking. a quick search of fighter planes gave me some ideas, and here they are.





The full sides are a planned feature, and the caution tape outlines the "bomb bays" where my feet will stick out at a stop.

My wife likes the camo version better, but I'm not quite sure. I think the EM "flying wrench" might go in exchange for the traditional star, or this one off the other thread.

[sendler]

Since you are picking a new color from scratch, I would do whatever scheme you come up with in a modern 550 nm hi vis green so people won't hit you.

[PeterS]

I'd go all yellow but that's just me .

[bschloop]

I'm more likely to cause an accident because other motorists are staring at me than that they don't notice me.
That said I am definitely going to use reflective safety paint for the yellow stripes, and I'm looking for reflective black also. The fire Dept I was on up north had a truck with black accents that reflected bright white at night. The only time I am worried about visibility is at night, and with a wide reflective stripe front to rear, that shouldn't be a problem.

[bschloop]

The Tail is now hanging off the back of the bike!!!!







it's very solid up and down, but is wags a little side to side. I still have to put together the wheel well, so that might help stiffen it up. also, I am going to build passenger footboards into the mounts. I have some aluminum honeycomb that someone gave me which I used for the mounting points. I think I have enough to also make the footboards. this should help the side to side stability of the tail tremendously.

[gil]

Originally Posted by bschloop

The Tail is now hanging off the back of the bike!!!!







it's very solid up and down, but is wags a little side to side. I still have to put together the wheel well, so that might help stiffen it up. also, I am going to build passenger footboards into the mounts. I have some aluminum honeycomb that someone gave me which I used for the mounting points. I think I have enough to also make the footboards. this should help the side to side stability of the tail tremendously.

Nice Work On The Tail. I Like The Nicely Rounded Shape Of It. How Much Is The Aluminum Honey Come Material?

[renault_megane_dci]

Impressed by the «let's go and do it» spirit.

Also just noticed a top notch tool we seem to share : the steak knife

[bschloop]

The honeycomb material was given to me for free by a friend who got it from a friend who saved it from the dumpster at work, so I have no idea how much it costs. I also have a chunk of paper based honeycomb core that I want to play with.

The steak knife is the most effective foam cutting tool I have found to date. I use my 4' level to get straight square cuts with it.

[Grant-53]

Aluminum honecomb panels come in a variety of sizes and dimensions. A sheet of 3/8" x 24" x 48" lists for $162 USD at McMaster-Carr. You can search online for other sources near to your location. Consider using threaded inserts for attachment points and epoxy fillers for edging.
Serrated knives do work great on foam. We used an electric carving knife.
For a military paint job consider the P-51 Redtail fighter planes; bright silver with red rear quarter. Maybe some yellow or amber signage on the nose. This would follow standard running light colors.
I suggest reinforcing the joints at the rear bulkhead by the seat with vertical pieces of 1" aluminum angle stock bonded with epoxy for stiffness.
Looking great!