Put Homemade Torque Arms On My X5

[xyster]

Took about 2 hours to cut both torque arms from a stainless steel tie using an old, wimpy 12V cordless drill and an 18v cordless reciprocating saw. Took about two days for their batteries to recharge between work sessions.

Still need to cut another hole for the 2nd bolt on the left side arm -- I missed the mark the first time.

Both arms have about 3-5 degrees of play around the axle -- more than I would have liked. But if nothing else, they should prevent the axle from spinning out the dropouts if the motor's torque ever manages to wreck the dropouts -- thereby preventing a catastrophic accident.

I've marked the nuts so I can quickly tell if they're loose.

Next structural project is to reinforce the rear triangle.

 

[Ypedal]

Good Idea !

Not as easy as it looks huh .. !

If we all had lazer CNC cutting machines it would be a walk in the park to stamp those out, but with simple hand tools it's a chore to cut strong metals.

About the V frame on your swingarm.. that's another pickle.. a clamp on solution would be the simplest, but not the best.. having the thing welded strong would be better but may require heat-treating etc.. not sure about that one..

Have you considered a new or different frame/bike ?

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

Anything is infinitely better than nothing. I don't know how people can ride with any kind of peace of mind without one, knowing that their butt is hanging in the balance.
The redundancy is good, if anything should happen you'll be telegraphed a warning.
Paint it to match & it'll look factory.

 

[Ypedal]

Tsk... Xyster don't use paint.... costs too much. :wink:

 

[xyster]

Good Idea !

Not as easy as it looks huh .. !

If we all had lazer CNC cutting machines it would be a walk in the park to stamp those out, but with simple hand tools it's a chore to cut strong metals.

Ain't that the truth. 12v is fine for a screwdriver, but not enough ooomph for a drill.

About the V frame on your swingarm.. that's another pickle.. a clamp on solution would be the simplest, but not the best.. having the thing welded strong would be better but may require heat-treating etc.. not sure about that one..

Have you considered a new or different frame/bike ?

I'm planning a bolt-on solution using long metal screws bolted to wood or metal plates. I'd love to buy a used Norco like yours and try to exchange the stem and handlebars with the super-comfy ones from this bike. But alas, insufficient cash.

 

[xyster]

Tsk... Xyster don't use paint.... costs too much. :wink:

Agreed. How does paint improve the functioning of stainless steel?

Turtle should know me a little better by now....

 

[Dingo]

Heck. Yes. Just about time for a certain someone to start retracting a certain back-hoe comment... hehe jk.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

Didn't you just say you're after stealth?
You want to blend in with the background.
Like the stealth fighter, everything a dull black finish.
The monkey brain is attracted to bright shiny bits.

 

[xyster]

Didn't you just say you're after stealth?
You want to blend in with the background.
Like the stealth fighter, everything a dull black finish.
The monkey brain is attracted to bright shiny bits.

No no no, Turtle. I'm trying to break up the bike's outline using an "urban camouflage" motif. That way, nobody but me will ever suspect it's a bike. Seems to be working -- I'm totally invisible to motorists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_camouflage

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

Yeah, nowhere in there does it recommend the use of brightmetal as suitable for camo. A gleam of reflected light is like a fork in the eye.

Mountbatten Pink? :?
talk about girlie!

 

[xyster]

Yeah, nowhere in there does it recommend the use of brightmetal as suitable for camo. A gleam of reflected light is like a fork in the eye.

It's camo in an environment of sparkling metal cars, fences, poles, etc.

Mountbatten Pink? :?
talk about girlie!

In the quest for stealth, I'm above no color. Besides, color taboos are silly, sometimes harmful social constructs with little functional use.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

It's camo in an environment of sparkling metal cars, fences, poles, etc.

Makes no difference. You never know where a stray photon is gonna bounce. Best to bounce as few as possible.

In the quest for stealth, I'm above no color. Besides, color taboos are silly, sometimes harmful social constructs with little functional use.

that's all well & good for you, but in what situation is an army gonna have need for pink battle dress, invading Holland?
Just to hold your feet to the fire, when was the last time you wore an all pink outfit anyway?

 

[xyster]

that's all well & good for you, but in what situation is an army gonna have need for pink battle dress, invading Holland?

You're falsely associating color with gender and dress. If the army was doing battle in a pink forest, then don't you think they'd be wearing pink instead of green camouflage?

Just to hold your feet to the fire, when was the last time you wore an all pink outfit anyway?

Don't think I've ever worn an all-pink outfit...or an all-any-color outfit for that matter. After running out of clean underwater, I've worn my girlfriend's pink panties before. As I always say, "better fresh pink than smelly white and crusty" -- does that count?

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

You're falsely associating color with gender and dress. If the army was doing battle in a pink forest, then don't you think they'd be wearing pink instead of green camouflage?

No, I was associating it with flowers.
when was Louis Mountbatten doing battle in a pink forest?

Don't think I've ever worn an all-pink outfit...or an all-any-color outfit for that matter. After running out of clean underwater, I've worn my girlfriend's pink panties before. As I always say, "better fresh pink than smelly white and crusty" -- does that count?

Yes. I think I'll let that one stand on it's own merits.
As I said girly, friend.

 

[xyster]

Yes. I think I'll let that one stand on it's own merits.
As I said girly, friend.

You're a slave to your own silly taboos and false associations, Turtle. The underwear was clean -- and that's what mattered, not the color or style.

I should write this into an Aesopian fable somehow...

The Green Turtle Who Chose To Live In His Own Stinking Cage Instead of Being Seen With His Unpopular Friend, The Pink Panther.

By Xyster

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

You're a slave to your own silly taboos and false associations, Turtle.

Regardless, but as far as a being used as descriptor, you've just demonstrated the same.

 

[TylerDurden]

If you guys don't like pink, there's always magenta:

 

[xyster]

I think this thread bolted off-topic farther and faster than any other here, ever ... :lol:

 

[TylerDurden]

Ok, back to the subject... I think they're excellent!

 

[Malcolm]

Just came across this a couple of days ago:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12512-women-may-be-hardwired-to-prefer-pink.html

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

To re-iterate, nothing I can't back up.
thanx Malcolm.
Some biologists have proposed that our primate ancestors developed this advanced form of colour vision because it made it easier to pick out reddish, ripe fruit against a background of green vegetation.

Hurlbert believes her finding that women show a greater liking for redder hues supports this theory because females are thought to have done most of the fruit gathering


Girls like pink as sure as turtles are green

 

[xyster]

Just came across this a couple of days ago:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12512-women-may-be-hardwired-to-prefer-pink.html

I read that a few days ago too. I don't prefer pink; I like blue best. And painting my bike pink, or wearing pink, wouldn't exactly be stealthy. Ostentation and flamboyance is not in my nature. Function first; color taboos are stupid -- those are the points I was making. You guys go way overboard with the extrapolations sometimes...good for a laugh though. Nice job with the color overlay, TD. Ha Ha.

 

[TylerDurden]

The stainless looks beefy. I trashed a standard drillbit drillin stuff like that last week. Carbide-tip bits might be better.

:?

 

[Dingo]

If you guys don't like pink, there's always magenta:

Look out for Creepy Gay Jesus... yikes.

Staying on track is for those who stay on the beaten path!
For the record, I have a hard time believing anyone is hardwired for anything - not even sexual preference. People are blank slates, there are tons of stories to back it up... people raised by wolves act like wolves, or people left alone in a box for their whole lives have almost no thought at all it appears. I maintain that we are not like turtles who know what to do when they hatch. We're not even born with language, how can we prefer a color at birth? We can change anything about ourselves if we want to bad enough, or if we're not even paying attention we can be manipulated to mind-blowing extents.

Anyway, I think it's poppy cock. 100% a socialized condition that has be maintained for so long we start to think it's in our DNA. Bah. Show me real proof, not an opinion poll.

 

[Malcolm]

I have a hard time believing anyone is hardwired for anything

I disagree. I am hard-wired not to like cheese. I was brought up in a caring environment surrounded by people who loved cheese and extolled its virtues, but I still think it is made from the scrapings of people's feet. Explain that