Monday, November 14, 2011

Front end assembly

Now that the spider machining is done I can bolt the legs on and hope the axle holes line up!
As expected both legs fit properly and the axle is a nice smooth sliding fit through both legs.  The assembly looks pretty cool, especially compared to the simple previous design.
Once I finalize the rim/brake rotor combination the radial caliper mounting holes can be machined in their proper places.  The calipers are the dual Brembo radial mount big pad CNC versions (with the radial caliper too) which will be total overkill for such a light bike, but we like overkill on the brakes, which should be the bike's strongest point.  Why Brembo?  They are the best.  Period. I got them from Fred Renz at Yoyodyne who has a huge selection of high end parts at good prices.  Rims, brakes, bodywork, slipper clutches, etc.  No waiting for drop shipping from the manufacturer, he's got it all in stock.

The rotors are Brake Tech Iron Rotors that use a different method than the usual round button to transmit the braking torque from the rotor blade to the carrier.  When we were running the Ducati/Rotax single which only had one front disc the buttons on various name brand rotors were constantly being galled and requiring replacement. Once I switched to the Brake Tech rotors all wear was eliminated.
In this photo you can see the flat surfaces that transfer the load.  The buttons are merely for axial retention.  All the parts are finished to a high level of detail with a nice even anodized finish.  The rotors are even cryo treated!

They are definitely a manufacturer I recommend when replacing brake rotors.  If you have deeper pockets they also make a ceramic matrix composite rotor that works great on the street.  It is super light and great for a track day bike but unfortunately not allowed by most race organizations.


Next post will be the 4th axis work on the steering stem, hopefully in a day or 2.

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