Board Carrying Motorcycle

[cjthirkell]

Board Carrying Motorcycle

by cjthirkell » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:00 am

cjthirkell

White Belt

 

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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:39 pm

Hey,
I've undertaken a design and technology project for school with the aim of transporting a surfboard on a motorbike. I am at the stage that i have decided to build a trailer to be towed behind a motorcycle (as local regulations restrict other ideas such as sidecars and board racks).

So i was wondering if anybody had undertaken any similar projects? Does anyone have any advice for the design? And would anyone be able to give me any hints or tips for the design process in a practical or theoretical sense (a design portfolio is to be accompanied with the design).

Any help would very much be appreciated, so thanks in advance

-cj

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[JoeWaisman]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by JoeWaisman » Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:15 pm

JoeWaisman

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I've read accounts online indicating that carrying a surfboard on the side mounts of a motorcycle has little impact on handling or wind. That said googling "surfboard trailer" pulls up some interesting results, too many to list here.

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[cjthirkell]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by cjthirkell » Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:30 am

cjthirkell

White Belt

 

Posts: 4

Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:39 pm

thanks for your reply Joe. I had a look at your suggestion and found a couple of motorbike trailers that i hadnt seen before so thankyou It found me this blog: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/equipping-bike-whats-best-gear/travel-with-surfboard-24238-2
Unfortunately, Australian road rules dictate that objects cannot be carried on motorbikes that protrude past the very outer sides of the bike. So that means i'm not allowed to fit a rack.

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[JoeWaisman]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by JoeWaisman » Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:16 pm

JoeWaisman

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Things like this frustrate me. People inherently distrust that which they do not understand. Most of the population has never ridden a motorcycle long enough to become comfortable on one, and so in a sense they do not understand motorcycles. The reality is that after 2 years of riding the same bike, wearing proper gear and taking a safety course you are as likely to die riding a motorcycle as driving a car. I think the same misconceptions are being applied to surfboard transport on a motorcycle. Rant done.

What's your major? Perhaps there's something you could add to the project that would become a resume highlight.

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[cjthirkell]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by cjthirkell » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:02 am

cjthirkell

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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:39 pm

Haha, nice rant. I wish i was around in the days where you were responsible for your wellbeing, and were therefore free to do what you want. Seems the government has taken on that responsibility in the modern world.

At our school we don't have majors. What sort of things did you have in mind? It would be good to get something on my resume

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[JoeWaisman]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by JoeWaisman » Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:28 pm

JoeWaisman

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Haha, nice rant. I wish i was around in the days where you were responsible for your wellbeing, and were therefore free to do what you want. Seems the government has taken on that responsibility in the modern world.

A true darwinist, lol. I agree, especially in the cases where people make rules that exclude a better solution. A great example is catalytic converters being required for gas burning vehicles. Diesel burning vehicles can have a fluid that treats the exhaust more efficiently, which means more MPG, or in your case Kilometers per Liter and less CO2.

If you were going for mechanical engineering you could write about how you optimized the wheel width and diameter along with the rest of the design to minimize impact to the surfboard when bumps are encountered while still maintaining a low weight. If you're working towards being an electrical engineer, or computer science major you could program/wire integrated tail lights. An art major could create a sculpture that looks cool and replicate the shape in the surfboard trailer with fiberglass or carbon fiber. An art major could also airbrush the trailer.

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[cjthirkell]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by cjthirkell » Fri Feb 05, 2010 5:39 pm

cjthirkell

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Posts: 4

Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:39 pm

Yeah its a messed up world. Would be good to be president for a day (although i think you'd need longer to try solve the worst of the problems in the world).

I was actually kind of leaning towards civil engineering, haha. But yeh i see what you're saying. And i think there's a few of those options you listed that i might use.

Just to give you some indication of where i'm heading joe, i've attached a simple sketch of what the trailer might look like. The board sits on the bars on top, face down, fins at the rear. The body will be made from fibreglass and the internal frame from 25mm rhs. It should end up being about 1.5m high, 1.5m long and a metre wide. The drawing is a couple of months old, and i've moved onto a 60's cadillac theme for the trailer (caddy lights and fenders). Hopefully the trailer will total less than $1000 in costs, tho i think im being pretty optimistic. What wheels and tyres do you think i should use joe? Keeping the budget in mind, haha. I'll probs end up going to the wreckers to get them.

And have you had any experience with fibreglassing?

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[JoeWaisman]

Re: Board Carrying Motorcycle

by JoeWaisman » Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:20 pm

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Hopefully the trailer will total less than $1000 in costs, tho i think im being pretty optimistic. What wheels and tyres do you think i should use joe? Keeping the budget in mind, haha. I'll probs end up going to the wreckers to get them.

Not counting labor you should be able to come in underbudget. I don't know how difficult it is to register a trailer there though. The main expense might wind up being the tires and the mounting method and any suspension you include.

The lightest tires available that will support your load will do. For budgetary reasons it would make sense to use wheels that mount a common tire size. Personally I'd probably go to a junk yard and ask for two matching, small tires. While you're at it see if they'll throw in the mounting hardware at a reasonable price.

And have you had any experience with fibreglassing?

I've molded some custom things for my motorcycle and used fiberglass (PC resin) to patch fairing cracks and dents. I'm told that marine grade fiberglass will last longer when exposed to the weather, but it's also more expensive. Given the option I would use the cheap stuff if you plan to seal both sides with paint.

For custom shapes I 1) Create a base shape with cardboard, clay, expanding spray foam, and/or regular foam. 2) I then cover the base shape with painters tape and/or Glad Press'n'seal. It's the only thin plastic I've found that mostly blocks the resin out. Some will sweat through though so make sure the plastic wrap isn't protecting something valuable. 3) I put fiberglass over that shape. The more curvy the shape is the thinner the strips of fiberglass I use. I also use a criss cross pattern, so that one layer has fiberglass strips laid vertically and the ones above/below are laid out horizontally. Sometimes I put pigment in to color the resin; it depends upon the application.

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