2GodBDGlory

Now that I have transitioned into the bodywork of my bike, I realize how painful a wide bike can be! Mine is 11L wide at the engine, which is just tolerable, I think.

Nice! I came up with the basic idea quite a while ago, but I wasn't sure how I could make it strong enough for an RC car, so I never used it until now, where its compact nature is a huge plus and its weakness was not much of an issue! Your bracing does look pretty good, though, so I may try it in a future RC model As it is, I imagine it would work fine for one of Gray Gear's manual supercars, but I would feel better with a bit more reinforcement for the higher stress an RC car undergoes, but it shouldn't be too hard to do. I might give that a shot once I get off the computer...

Cool! That looks like the system used on the Rokon 2WD bikes, which I was considering modeling at first.

Yes, if the driving rings were at the normal 90 degree intervals it would result in the two opposite each other being engaged at the same time, stalling the gearbox.

For the time being, perhaps these images can clarify its working principle:

Well, mine only works because I was willing to ignore proper spacing. I have four axles (Shifter and three driving rings) arranged in a sort of rhombus shape, where each axle is about three studs away from both of its neighbors. In this way, the shifter can engage with all three rings at once. It requires careful shifting to avoid locking up, though, and I was forced to use 14T gears meshed with 20T gears to get the speeds in the right order. The best images I have of it are up at the top, but if you are still curious I could probably take some more once I am able to take the model apart.

I would imagine that "chase angle" is referring to the castor angle. With such an extreme angle, almost all steering motion is on a longitudinal axis rather than a vertical one, so it does rather look like the steering circle would be massive, but it is hard to know without testing. It does make an extreme styling statement, though!

I like it! The radial engine is very unique, as is the steering and suspension. The flex system is sure handy in motorcycles! I have already used up my only two cables on my bike.

Ok, no problem

I have now added the front brake and the clutch, and connected them to levers on the handlebars, so I think I have added all the functions I want. I am sure they will be refined a bit further, but I think I am ready to start on the bodywork now.

My model is using 6.5L shock absorber with hard springs and light blush grey housings. Is this legal? I don't think this combination was used in official sets, and mine are made from mixing parts from hard and soft shocks. I can switch to yellow housings if necessary, but the grey looks better.

The forum was down for me yesterday, and now the backgrounds are all for the Star Wars forum. Is this happening to anyone else?

Yep, that was the strongest way I could think of to obtain an extending axle with three studs travel.

Never mind about the clutch not fitting. I thought a bit more about it, found some space, and installed one!

Here's another update: The swing arms have been modified a lot to make them stronger and to make the wheelbase right. They have been attached to the drivetrain module, and shock absorbers have been added. The rear one has too much twist in it for now, and the front one was even worse, so I was forced to add a ugly vertical axle to keep it straight. The basic steering linkage has been added, as well as a pedal and flex system operated rear disc brake. My next plans are to work more on the brakes, improving the rear one and hopefully adding a front one. I will also need to install handlebars. Unfortunately, I have no room to install a stepper, so the pedal-operated shifter rotates an unrealistic 360 degrees, and I have nearly given up on finding the room to install a clutch. Here are some images of my progress: Thanks!

Looks interesting! A few weeks ago I built a messy copy of 8880 with my small studfull collection, and it is a great set!

This is another MOC I made last summer as a companion model to my Suzuki Sidekick (Vitara) at the same scale. Rather than attempt to model a complicated drivetrain as in the Sidekick, this model was built as a no-compromises trial truck. I am rather disappointed with the no-effort, boring aesthetic, but performance was good, and there may be some heavy duty off-road techniques of interest to others. Functions: -Drive with 3 XL motors -Steering with an L motor -Live axle suspension Drive was done using three XL motors, two of which were located on the rear axle, and the other of which is on the front axle. There was perpendicular 12:36 gearing in the axles, followed by 8:40 gearing in the homemade heavy duty portal axles, which use two O-frames and a nonsteered hub for each wheel. Steering was done with an L-motor through a large linear actuator, which made for a very simple and strong steering system. Too often, I have built 4x4s with steering that was too weak to lift the (tilted) model, as is often necessary when hunting for traction, so I took no chances with this one. The suspension was a four-link design with long shock absorbers, assisted by rubber bands, and a fair bit of travel. More images can be found at: https://bricksafe.com/pages/2GodBDGlory/suzuki-samarai

Looks good!

Well, I have strengthened it a fair bit already, and although it is definitely too wide, I am willing to sacrifice the aesthetic to add the functionality.

I've made some more progress on the model. The drivetrain assembly has been modified to strengthen it while making the engine horizontal, like the real one, and a stepper was added. I also built the swing arms for the front and rear. The rear one is quite simple, but the front one is much more complicated. It uses a virtual pivot steering system, as suggested by MinusAndy, and a complicated system of bevel gears, universal joints, and a sliding axle to drive it. There is also a small castor angle. Next I will focus on connecting the axles.

Good to know

I like that too! I have been planning on having some cable-operated controls on my entry using the semi-rigid hose, since I figured pneumatic hose would have too much friction, but if it works well enough I may have to switch to that, since I have a better supply of it. It looks like an interesting model!

I just got a Ducati, so the build can proceed with realistic tires!

Good work on the gearbox! I think designing your own gearbox is one of the most satisfying things to do in Technic. Here is an option for a stronger stepper: The image isn't ideal, but maybe you can figure it out.

My usual procedure is to start with the most complicated components first. Since I usually build cars, this means a gearbox and axles. Once these are done, I generally attach the gearbox to an axle, begin hooking up the rest of the drivetrain, and build some sort of frame between the axles. From there I flesh out the frame and add the rest of the purely mechanical functions. This is followed by the interior (Which is usually a bore for me), and then the exterior, with any functions relating to the body (lifting spoilers, opening hoods, opening doors, etc.) fitting in around this time.