The Hodaka Club Forum

Gotta love wide angle lens distortion! Victor

Here's a mock-up for the recording GPS speedometer if I ever get to that point. I've been studying GPS speedometers/tachometers and several have a 60mm gauge hole and about the same depth. I'm not ready at this point to purchase this expensive unit but let's consider one. I was thinking a bend in the plate at first but the viewing is in your face in riding position. I put some fake digital numbers on the face to remind what this project is about and to make you laugh hopefully. The bolts need to have a little more class, maybe some Allen heads. Hmm, it doesn't look too bad for a piece of floor tile and a rattle can top.

Hey, unlikely that this will all come to be but one needs a path to follow on projects! We'll see.

Report,

Maxie

Why limit yourself to 102.6 mph? If a 50cc Honda can do 97, and a 100cc Daytona effort reached near 110, seems to me yours can do at least 103.

Ah, thanks for the encouragement Jack! One step at a time. The goal is to exceed 100MPH with my old race technology. It's good to set goal even if perhaps unachievable but does define a course. A few of the problems are evident. I weigh 165-170 pounds. We need someone much lighter to drive like a petite, less than 100 pound rider would be good. Next we'll need some streamlining and even more weight removed. My dual purpose land speed attempt/roadracer as made for some compromises. Big brakes for road racing has added several pounds and it needs narrower and lighter aluminum rims and tires. All still possible. I guess the primary goal to entertain me is working as I'm having a great time on the new project.

Thoughts,

Maxie

Max! It’s all about the fun! If it isn’t, why do it? I think I would change the speedo to read 108.997! LOL!!! ; D Victor

Max, remember Burt Munro. Bit by bit he accomplished miracles with bits and pieces.

I think I'm putting the cart before the horse worrying about a speedometer/tach when I haven't even started on an engine among other things. If I forego the tach part this unit would fit in the budget later on at $85. I'll probably build the final bracket and worry about instrumentation later First things first, still contemplating. This one also has a voltage check which would be really useful to monitor a battery ignition system. Check it out.

Max

It is not too early to be evaluating instrument placement. It looks do-able, with room for tweaking.

On the Wombat I fitted a Preston Petty front number plate around the stock headlight with intention of it working as a wind deflector to keep the wind blast out of my eyes. Not quite tall enough, but you get the idea.

Say, do you still have the early Webco head? If you do and would like to sell it contact me at [email protected] thanks

Yay! Back to the real world of motorcycle restoration. Yesterday, Eweleen, my wife and designated driver transported me to to Rod's Hot Rod Shop to check on exhaust modifications on the project. I had my head out the window all the way there as the family dog used to do with tongue flapping in the wind. All went well in the pipe surgery and even Rod was enthused. I think he really likes the challenge of fab work on custom devices.

Maxie

Pipe looks great! Which cone ended up on it? Victor

Thanks Victor. He used the 1/4'' bigger cone because some of the original seams were rough and he could cut more of the old weld out. He did have to trim the full length seam for his extra overlap. It certainly looks much better! He's the Doctor I tell him.

Maxie

Long as it goes together! That’s all that matters! Victor

This is quite a way down the road but something to start thinking about. The project will have a battery ignition and will also need the battery for the recording GPS. I envision some small light lithium type that is rechargeable and quick change such as in small power tools or electronic devices. I have the battery ignition cam and vague ideas. Some of my questions are about things like triggering points or just the old fashioned way of the points transferring full voltage. Some other thoughts would do away with points and use some triggering device from something like a weed eater.

As you can tell Max is several decades away from his battery ignition Hodaka and his dual point Corvette distributor from 1957 and open to new practical ideas from the present.

Something to ponder.

Maxie

A lithium (Lipo or LiFe tech) is used on power tools and is a brilliant idea.
I have a Harbor Freight cordless drill and a small (30-ish ft-lb) electric impact that are surprisinly powerful and have great battery life. Uses a compact 12v Lithium batt that costs under $30 as a spare. Extra chargers available. What I woukd do is get either or both tools and a spare battery and use the tools in the shop.and a spare batt on the bike.
Let me know if you need specifics on the HF tools.

But, dang good idea you have there.

Most pre-packaged batteries for power tools are not cost effective. Don't know about harbor freight other than they are Chinese imports, so they cost less. I would be surprised to find that the batteries inside the package are high quality.

There are a number of sources for the batteries found inside the power tool power source, with varying prices and quality. The radio control world uses high tech batteries in LiPo that perform well and last well. It would not be difficult to find whatever output range you need (amperage and current pass ability) and build your own power pack.

But I think you will find that sealed lead acid batteries are sufficiently light, and have way more capacity than any LiPo pack you could build. Especially dollar for dollar. Depending on the drain your ignition system creates, you might find that tool power packs don't last any longer than do the power tools they drive. Experiment and find out.

Jack is right. I bought a Harbor Freight drill/light combo. It was around $20 when I bought it. I’ve replaced the batteries twice & the charging units 3 times in 3 years. Not dependable at all. And even following their reccomendations to run the battery down completely and not over charging it by leaving on the charger more than 4-6 hours, they still have a rapid fall off from initial full charge to what is perceived as full charge down the road.

If I were convinced (which I’m not) that this was the way to go, I would at least buy something from the DeWalt series chargers & batteries. Costs more than Harbor Freight, yes, but much more likely to be dependable. Andcthey don’t change their battery design & charging unit shapes & sizes as often as well. Victor

Harbor Freight is a great place for really inexpensive gear. As Victor points out, you can't expect a drill/driver you get from H.F. for $25 to perform as well as a DeWalt which costs $150. I have a H.F. bike lift table that works flawlessly. I have also bought H.F. hand tools with plating that will almost cut your fingers off when it begins to flake off. Like most things, you get what you pay for. Sometimes you don't need to pay for that much. Friends of mine who make their livings using tools generally feel that H.F. tools are better for occasional use but don't stand up to the daily punishment of continuous, industrial grade usage. Personally, I like H.F. and jumped for joy when one opened up in our town. Its just fine for some stuff, but don't expect most things from H.F. to work as well or last as long as the same tool purchased off a (insert your favorite pro-grade brand) truck.

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread.

I use Ryobi, Kobalt, Dewalt, Hitachi, and Mikita. I have been very impressed with lithium batteries. As I remember, I was not impressed with the lead acid battery powering the battery ignition back in the day. As harbor freight items are so reasonably cheap I would not mention their quality. --------------Clarence

Good point Re H.F. tools Clarence. Also, one way to look at the ignition conundrum is this - total loss ignitions predate Li batteries by decades. Good then - good now. There. I'm officially an old fuddyduddy.

Well, we are getting some discussion on the subject I claim to not know much about. I do notice that in the RC world, a lot of power comes from a very small source for several minutes. I assume that most batteries sold do have performance ratings to compare. Requirements and information on draw and capacity should be available one would think. I also notice that successful electric driven vehicles such as Prius other electric things don't use lead acid batteries any more. Another thing to consider is that we are only making ignition spark for minutes, not propelling large masses for great distances. Weight always seems insignificant when only a few pounds are considered but in this case could represent 1% of the vehicle mass. F=ma. It all adds up, whether you are drilling holes or putting in smaller batteries or on a diet for that matter. Adding mass requires more force for the same acceleration. All things to think about which is one of the reasons to do a project like this.

I think we are all on the right track of meeting the requirements for a hot spark for a somewhat short period of time with something innovative, reliable and weight saving. It's all number crunching and I was hoping someone had already done the work already.

One unknown is how much power does this this type of ignition draw and what rating components are needed for such requirements. It may be less than we think, as I said we are only making sparks. All food for thought.

Maxie

And, all fuddyduddyness aside, applying modern technology to a classic ignition scheme is just plain wise. Especially when designing a small-bore-go-very-fast bike. Here, ounces matter. Smart, Maxie.

Rule of thumb about HF tools in my area is that if you use a HF tool often enough to break it, go buy the name brand. Which almost paraphrases what Matt was saying. "Often enough" is still subjective but it's meaning is yours to determine.

Roger

The only thing that beats HF is a Montana yard sale, I just bought a Mack metric and SAE six point short and long socket set with ratchet and extensions for $5.00. I cleaned the case with WD40 and wiped down the sockets with Mothers. -------Clarence

Look closely at the Harbor Freight battery pack. At 12V it is very likely nickel cadmium, not lithium anything. Commonly, when the instructions tell you to fully discharge before recharging, it is a NiCad battery. NiCads will loose effective capacity if not fully cycled. Lithium batteries won't do that, so no need to warn to fully discharge.

Sealed lead acid batteries are very light. Until you pick one up, you may have the wrong idea based only on the word "lead."

Really small batteries including NiCads and LiPo are rated in milliamperes. SLA batteries are rated in amp hours and are as powerful as old school bike batteries.

Bottom line here I that without experience or data, it isn't clear just how much juice a total loss system needs to function well. If current is too low, you may have a weak spark, or one that fades at high rpm, high demand. Hodaka alternators aren't really all that weak, even if their watt ratings are not impressive, somspark isn't usually an issue.

Try different arrangements and see what works.