29 July, 2010

Unnamed Project: extended leading links

One of the few modifications I'm doing to the C100 project bike is to give it more ground clearance. I have an extra set of Trail 70 rear shocks that are about two inches taller for the butt end, but I need a way to get the front end higher too.

I thought about trying to adapt a telescopic front fork setup off some of the parts bikes I have. I got so far as to walk out along the side of the house, beer in hand, and look. Then I moved on with life and decided part of the fun of the old C100s is the leading link setup. After some head scratching, I realized I could both raise the bike up, and give it more wheel travel by lengthening the leading links.

The stock arm is pictured to the right, the new raw piece to the left:


The upper hole is where the link pivots, anchored to the fork housing. The center hole is where the shock mounts. The end hole is where the front axle mounts. I did some quick maths and decided to lengthen the arm about "this much." Luckily I had a hunk of thick steel in the scrap bin to work with, so I cut two lengths about 7.5-inches long, and drilled three holes. I'm hoping to use all the stock bushings and spacers to give a range of motion.

Depending on how artsy I get, I hope to finish the arms up with some rounded corners. Most of the arm is hidden in the fork though, so I'll probably just make the end that sticks out pretty.

The only other thing I'll need to do is make a little post that sticks out toward the inside of the "passenger" side arm, to hold the brake drum face from spinning. I may be able to do this with a bolt poking through the inside at just the right spot.

C'

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