With all the parts back from the powder-coaters, it’s time to start putting it all back together again. I’m reassembling using the engine from the original prototype, as the new engine is rather corroded in places, evidently from sitting outside in Scotland for several years. The other engine isn’t perfect but it’s much better (and I know it runs well from the Slovakia Ring test).
Rebuilding the bike was relatively painless, with only the electrical loom needing a bit of rerouting to make sure that there wouldn’t be any chafing on the frame anywhere. I’m pretty please with the way I’ve managed to package all the components that were once inside the original bike’s tail, inside the frame next to the engine. I think I’ve not described this up until now, so briefly…
In front of the airbox sits the fusebox and starter relay, attached by 2.5mm aluminium lazer-cut/folded brackets. On the right side of the engine, between it and the frame sits the Li-ion battery, ECU, reg/rec and tip-over sensor located in a bespoke housing. The housing is also constructed from 2.5mm aluminium lazer-cut and folded to shape. On the left side of the engine, the external fuel pump has now had to be moved away from the rear cylinder, and just squeezes into a gap in front of the coolant expansion tank. The problem I had was that on a hot day, when the bike sits at idle reaching 100ºC, it would boil the fuel in the fuel pump, and so cut the engine. It’s now been moved away from the engine and wrapped in head proofing material, which has solved this issue. It’s interesting that it never happened at the Slovakia Ring test, but I’m gad to have discovered and resolved this gremlin.
Anyway, here’s a timelapse video of the rebuild:
[coll_video][/coll_video]
