Building a µGP racer. Day 1..

I teased some pictures at the end of the last post.  So lets dive in to building the first µGP bike.

The boxes that arrived today.  

Contained within the larger box is supposed to be a grey Sims Torch freestyle BMX bike.  The smaller box, is a motored bike engine kit.  Excuse me while I break out the boxcutters...

Uh. that doesn't look grey to me...  But hey, this is going to be a racebike.  Who actually cares?

Of passing interest, this is the second mail order bicycle I've unpacked and assembled in a week.  The packing job on this one is really quite good, and the carton arrived in good shape.  Good job Sports Authority.  

Five minutes later, lots of clipping of zip ties.  And the thing is nearly free.  

I missed taking a shot here.  I didn't install the front pegs, and I removed the crankarms.  We won't be needing either of those.  Technically, we won't need the saddle or handlebars either.  But bikes are quite inconvenient to move around if they're not at least mostly complete.  Even at my top build speed, this bike will still be BMX like for another week or two.  

Lets get to box number two.  

How about what's inside?

It came with some directions, but those aren't going to be very useful for us.  We're going to be driving the wrong side of the rear wheel, we won't have any pedals, and our frames won't even fit the motors.  I'd trash them, but they're color, and well done.  

Inside the largest box there's the motor.  Along with the handlebar controls, the chain, and sprocket.  

The skinny box at the top has the exhaust in it.  We're going to need that to do the mock-up   

I'm going to start with the bit that made me most proud.  Look at how well the drive sprocket lines up with the stock drive chain.

And then I messed up the settings on my camera, please excuse the blown out parts of the following images.  

Here's a view from the front.  The motor, mounted there, is almost exactly the same width as the footpegs.  

And here's what it looks like from the side.

It was 11:00pm, and I need to make a hardware store run.  So I quit for the night.  The next days work will be removing the bottom bracket entirely, and getting the drive sprocket in place.

So day 1: Built bike, mocked up engine.  

I really want to work on the fairing  but I need the mechanical bits sorted first.  

The µGP. MicroGP or YouGP. Racing for less than $500.

Racing is expensive.  Ruinously expensive.  Even the cheap classes are a thousand dollars a weekend.  That, is not ok.

That's where µGP comes into play.  20" bmx bikes, with motors, and fairings.  At least that's the concept.  I thought I might share my inspiration as well.  A gravity bike, with a 1970's style fairing, doing the gravity bike thing.

But that bike has no motor.  That's only fun on hills, and the speeds and energy that gravity bikes get is right up there with real motorcycle racing.  I don't want that.  I want to be able to make a mistake, stand up, brush myself off, and go do it again.

Lets set the scene.  It's the parking lot in an industrial park.  There's a few hundred cut in half tennis balls laid out to make a roadcourse on the dirty pavement.  The speeds wont' be high, but the lanes are wide, and the corners are tight.

You and your friend push start your bikes, then roll up to the start line.  The bicycle motors are manual clutch, and the motors are two stroke.  It's up to you to balance clutch slip and engine rpm to get the best start.  The new guy is kicking the ground, but seems to be going slower than you are.  The first corner is a dogpile.  The girl who's 100lbs lighter than you is trying to take the inside line, and bumps your fairing... You swing wide and cut back in.  You've lost two places, but the race goes on.

That sounds great, but what happens when things go wrong.  By limiting the bike speeds, you're limiting the energy that's potentially involved.  Also, by keeping seat heights low, and encouraging the hardcore racer body position, the vertical component is small.  The machines will also be less than 50lbs, so you're dancing with a very light dance partner.  If they step on your foot, you're likely to come out with it intact.

The other thing that happens when you're racing a motorcycle, is that when you wreck, you also wreck your ride.  Your $3-30,000 racing motorcycle just took $1-8000 in damage, just because you lowsided.  And lets not talk about what happens when you highside a bike with a 34" saddle height.  So lets not put that much on the line.

The Bikes:

These racing motorcycles are going to be cheap.  Fiendishly cheap, and easy to build.  No special tools, no welding, and nothing that you'll need to find that special store for.

Here's the what you need:

1. Find, or buy a 20" freestyle BMX bike.
2. Buy one of the many 66/80cc bicycle motor kits off of the internet, or ebay.
3. Buy 4' of 1" steel angle iron.  
4. 3' of 1" square steel tube.
5. 3' of 1/4" steel rod.
6. Some scrap 1/2" plywood.
7. Some fabric, and foam to cover the saddle.
8. Staples.
9. A handfull of 1/4-20 nuts, bolts, and washers.  Or m5 bolts, nuts and washers.  (if you prefer metric.)
10. Three U bolts that match the tubing diameters of your bike.
11. Some spraypaint.
12. An approved fairing.
13. Handlebars that match the fairing.

So what's the total cost?  I found my bike for $148, my motor was $139.  That's with shipping, and taxes.  So I'm only $287 deep.  The miscellaneous bits will only cost $50 or so.  Then comes the fairing...  That's going to cost me some money.  But it will cost you a lot less.  If I get my way, they'll be $50, complete.  Total?  throw in a can of spraypaint and some number decals, we'll call it $400.

I will be publishing directions on how to make your own bike, as I document the construction of my own.

Lets set some rules:

As much fun as unlimited racing is, if there's no limit on the bikes, well then, there's no limit on the bikes.  Suddenly $400 carbon fairings show up, special cylinder heads, $200 carburators, $150 tuned pipes.  And engines that need ring replacement every race.  ....  That's not cheap, and will scare off new racers.  The rules are aimed at keeping things on a level.

• The bike must be a BMX style frame, with 20" wheels.  
• The saddle must be behind the seatpost, and mounted rigidly.  
• The engine must be stock.  Stock carb, exhaust, and all gaskets in place.  
• The bike must run an approved fairing   (12" wide, height still needs to be determined, and it should look like a 60's or 70's gp bike.)
• The bike must have operable front and rear brakes.
• No holes may be drilled in the seat, top, or downtubes on the frame.

So lets build one:

Well that's going to be the next post.  I will leave you with a tease or two though.

But what about doing it my way?

I'm one of those people who loves to find an advantage.  I'm always looking for loopholes, or places I can do something better.  ... I hope I have most of those closed on this.  But there are going to be a lot of places riders and mechanics could make their bike, theirs.

Rear brake position.  In the initial build, it will be on the left handlebar, with the clutch.  Just like on a motored bicycle.  But why not build a brake pedal?

How about a brake balance bar so you only need to use the right brake lever?

How about a steering damper?

Make that saddle look awesome.  Have your cafe racer dreams come true.

Paint that fairing, and be proud of it.  Come up with a color scheme that's uniquely yours, easy to replicate, and good to spot at a distance.  Make people notice you!

Mount your motor further forward, or backwards, to adjust the weight balance of your bike.

Collections moving..

I'll need to post pictures later. But so far I've sold the Razor Squeeze, and the Univega.  Both were bought by enthusiastic riders, so I hope they get used.

Cheap Aircraft Building Techniques.

First off, Bob Hoover is (well was.) awesome.  I first discovered his website a couple of years ago.  Sadly, mere weeks before his passing.  (Not entirely unlike my discovery of Sheldon Brown.  For those geniuses in the wings, you don't want me to find out about you..)

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/flying-on-cheap-wood.html

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/flying-on-cheap_16.html

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/cutting-aluminum.html

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/av-flying-on-cheap-fabric.html

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/av-air-brush-trick.html

Moving on to a sonari site, also recomedned by Bob Hoover.
http://users.lmi.net/~ryoung/Sonerai/Toolbox/Toolbox_Warmup_Project.htm

http://users.lmi.net/~ryoung/FBNKRBlog.html

And just inside the directory is good: http://users.lmi.net/~ryoung/Sonerai/

And amazingly, he even covers my favorite sandwich, the Ruben:
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/reuben-sandwich.html

Enough for now I think.

You can still buy a Sovereign? Proof is in the pudding, I now own one.

I was in a hard place, and I really wanted a new Autococker.  The last one I bought was a Chinese after run of the dye ultralight series... and while the Dye guns were trash, the Chinese ones are worse.

As of yesterday, I'm the proud owner of a Blue Sterling Sovereign. Yes, it's blue.  My paintball stuff is always blue.

I ordered it directly from the people here: http://www.powerball.co.uk/Sterling_pump_guns_sovereign.html  And paid full price.  With shipping, it cost me a few cents more than $300
Shipping was quick, three days to my door. 

See, seriously, made in england.

The pretty side.


The working side.


So here are the important bits:
Sliding trigger.
Wire nubbin detent.
WGP inline reg clone.
The ram is part of the bolt.



I did a unboxing, and kinda sorta review of it. 


I haven't shot it yet, that will need to wait for the weekend.  I have half a case of paint, and a chronograph, so we can really see what the gun does.

An unconventional Dishwasher Install

If it wasn't obvious by now, I have an unusual house.  It was originally built in 1949, and has had one or a few moderate remodels and reconfigurations over the years.  I'll cover some more of those in other posts. 

The kitchen has one of those "all in one" cast steel kitchen sinks, on a metal set of cabinets.  This, does not lend itself to a dishwasher install.  Especially with that steel cabinet butting up against the stove and a lazy susan in the corner. 

So.. that really leaves a portable dishwasher.  And.. as a gift, the household received one this year.  But portable dishwashers make me angry.  First, I don't like rolling a mini-fridge around the kitchen every time I want to run a load.  Second, they tie up the sink while they're running.  Third they tie up the middle of the kitchen. 

... Long story short, I wasn't having it.

Now, what my house DOES have, is a central utility closet.  In that closet there's the HVAC, water heater, and importantly, a utility sink.  The back of which faces exactly where I want to have my dishwasher. 

Well that means I have hot water, and a drain to hook up to.  Sounds easy doesn't it?  Well... in theory, yes.  But there were a few stumbling blocks.  First, since this dishwasher was the portable model, it didn't come with standard hoses.  And as we discovered, the fittings on the machine itself are non standard. 

That led to this:

Spliced hoses.  Those don't really instill confidence.  At least the hoses "I" provided are good.  The black hose is the hot water supply, and that is a washing machine hose.  The drain is normal fiber reinforced drain line.

Those run behind the fridge, to a hole we drilled.  And they pop out here:

I love how the spacing worked out.

While we're on this side of the wall, lets take a look at the supply line and return line.

See all that copper?  That's a result of all of the galvanized pipe being a big pile of problems.  I'll post about that some other time.  Lets just say that in the next year, I'm going all copper. 

I am quite proud of my hose clip.  That blue wire used to be a clothes hanger.  My buddy picked up the 90 deg pex clip to make it point in the right direction. 

And here's what the dishwasher looks like in it's proper place.  The top is being used for drink storage because.. well.. it's not rolling anywhere.

Not bad if you ask me. 

The Slow Carb Diet - Tim Ferriss's the 4 hour body.

First things first, I must give credit to the original author.  And here's a link to his original blog post:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/

Now we have that out of the way.  Here's the program with the fat trimmed.  (This is aimed specifically at one friend of mine, who's having trouble, uh... swallowing the plan.  I suppose I am too.)  This is trimmed down from about 30 pages from Ferriss's 4 hour body book. 

Follow all of this six days in a row:

Rule 1: Avoid white carbohydrates.  Or anything that can be white.  (potatoes, bread, rice, etc..)

Rule 2: Eat the same few meals over and over again. 

Rule 3: Don't drink calories.  Also, stay away from aspartame, as that can trick the body into acting as if something sweet was eaten.

Rule 4: Don't eat fruit. 

And on the seventh day, go nuts.  Eat a case of oranges.  Eat everything in sight.  Importantly, you CAN NOT skip the weekly cheat day.  It's important to keep your body from switching to starvation mode, and attempting to store calories again.

Some important notes: 

Since you're consuming mostly veggies and meat, you'll run into some problems.  First, protien, and veggies are less calorie dense.  A slice of bread is 75-150 calories, while a similar serving of spinach is more like 7 calories.  If you don't eat enough, you'll feel lazy, and tired.

Fat an salt are ok to consume. 

You will gain weight on your cheat day.  As much as 12lbs.  Most of it is water weight, and water that gets pulled in to process the mass of carbohydrates you sucked in.  If you feel the need, positive progress can be made if you have two cheat days a week.  Progress will be slower, but you will most likely still see progress

How about a quick list of foods that are ok:

Meat, anything really.  Pork, Beef, Chicken, Fish.  Breading is a no-no.  Sweet sauces are a no-no. 
Eggs, ideally organic. 

Veggies: Spinach, Asparagus, Peas, Green Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Sauerkraut, Kimchee, Avocados, Tomatoes, Onion.

Beans: Lentils (Dal, Daal), Pinto Beans, Black beans, Red Beans, Soybeans

Some sample meals from Tim:
Breakfast: Pourable egg whites, with one real egg, black beans, and mixed veggies heated and scrambled in a pyrex container.
Lunch: (Mexican restaurant) Beef, pinto beans, mixed veggies, and a lot of guacamole.
Dinner: A cut of organic beef, lentils, mixed veggies. 

A specific example that was brought to my attention was subway.  I can't say I have a recommendation for there, but along the same lines Jimmy Johns has their Unwich, which you could potentially order that doesn't have the bread.  Sadly, you'd need to order two if you planned on not having a hunger strike before the end of the day. 

A Chipolte meal:  Fajita Bol - peppers, onions, steak, tomato salsa, green tomatillo salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce.  (For the reader in question... take a Lactaid pill first.) 

And.. I'll add my specific recipes to this as I get going.  My friend wants to lose his gut, I want to be competitive on the bicycle.  Both would be solved by following this diet... I think.

While we at it, here's the Wikipedia link.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-Carb_Diet