thinking about getting titanium axle made for front. Any other axholesaround here?

[gtgt_bangbang]

A titanium front axle may be a decent add; could shed quite a bit of unsprung weight at a good spot.


seems easy enough part to fab,
theres a 20mm stock diameter of grade 5 round for $35 on the bay,
Then just needs turned down to 17 & threaded.

I dont have a machine shop in mind but I rather call around asking them to make a couple few , than a one off.

Any of you axholes want one ?

 

[20774]

Stainless steel is roughly twice as dense as titanium. What do you rekon would be the weight savings? I could see that it might be a positive for a racing bike.

There's been no mention of a titanium axle on this forum, Snowbum's website, or the Airheads archives. Looks like it's not been done much if at all.

 

[Visian]

Google is your friend.

https://www.dkdesign-global.com/product-page/dkdesign-titanium-front-axle

$300 worth of bling

 

[akbeemer]

Hard to imagine you will gain any noticeable benefit.

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

composite reply;

Possible to shed only ~1/2 pound of unsprung weight here . That aint life changing nor irrelevant ...
But the rotor bolts are off the shelf, so theres closer to pound to be reduced via couple fasteners below the spring.

Might be able to use a new axle anyway, which last I checked are not particularly free even in stainless .


If $300 is your lowest bid for just the work, then thanks & no thanks.. thats probably not the best bid I find, but ...
There are correct Ti rounds for ~$30. The machining work isnt too mind -bending ...
I enjoy getting stuff fabricated and not shy talking w acquaintances or randos willing to do short run. So... ?


Only trolling for interest. Silence is normally a pretty good indicator of the opposite, & completely acceptable, reply.
Criticisms of idea or course welcome & expected but so far none are revelations ....

"Snowbum never talked about it " OK. Please don't rat me out for Harboring Unapproved Thoughts.
I already put the right Hon. Mr Bum in the " undecided" category, unless he gets back to me ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

so I got a couple NO and a couple DUNNOS.

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

https://www.dkdesign-global.com/product-page/dkdesign-titanium-front-axle

$300 worth of bling

actually google is our profound enemy & I avoid them where ever feasible.

Plus that axle is vastly more complicated ( machining wise) than the Mdl 247 part.

and pic below is from the DK site;

IMhO, a ~1/2 gram axle might be worth $300 , if it existed , but I'm not holding up my build for one ...

So maybe this means their axle is 3 bucks, or $30,000. Hard to tell by their maths.

Hope they read mics better than scales !

 

[pauls1150]

I've never worked titanium, but my machinist friends agree that it's very hard to machine, broken bits and other cutters are very common. Speed and depth of cut must be tightly controlled.
There's a good reason why it's used for submarine hulls...

 

[kbasa]

I've been riding airheads for almost 45 years. If you want to build a performance bike, start with one, IMHO.

The single biggest improvement to my R100's suspension wasn't weight reduction, but installing RaceTech cartridge emulators, a billet SJ BMW top clamp and Continental ClassicAttack radials.

Saving a half a pound on your axle? I guess, but I started with getting the fork up to more modern standards and using modern tires. The difference is remarkable and now I'm looking around for a used pair Ohlins for the rear.

What do you believe the benefit will be of reducing the axle weight? If you're looking for better compliance, usually the objective of unsprung mass reduction, you'd do better, IMHO, to start with better suspension first so you can take advantage of it. Damper rod forks aren't doing you any favors, nor are old school bias ply tires, nor that skinny plate on top.

I think I paid about $300 for the RaceTech stuff, the top plate was $100 or so and the tires, well, stick them on at next tire change. Better controlled suspension is the starting point, IMHO.

 

[stevenrankin]

Conti Radial?

Dave, just out of curiosity what year is your 100 and what size tires did you install? Where did you get them? St.

 

[20774]

This was from kbasa some time ago:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?23840-It-s-time-to-switch-the-ratchet-over-to-tighten

 

[RPGR90s]

composite reply;

Possible to shed only ~1/2 pound of unsprung weight here . That aint life changing nor irrelevant ...
But the rotor bolts are off the shelf, so theres closer to pound to be reduced via couple fasteners below the spring.

Might be able to use a new axle anyway, which last I checked are not particularly free even in stainless .


If $300 is your lowest bid for just the work, then thanks & no thanks.. thats probably not the best bid I find, but ...
There are correct Ti rounds for ~$30. The machining work isnt too mind -bending ...
I enjoy getting stuff fabricated and not shy talking w acquaintances or randos willing to do short run. So... ?


Only trolling for interest. Silence is normally a pretty good indicator of the opposite, & completely acceptable, reply.
Criticisms of idea or course welcome & expected but so far none are revelations ....

"Snowbum never talked about it " OK. Please don't rat me out for Harboring Unapproved Thoughts.
I already put the right Hon. Mr Bum in the " undecided" category, unless he gets back to me ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

so I got a couple NO and a couple DUNNOS.

with all due respect, you're going to risk fabricating a front axle to save a very minimal amount of weight? And I emphasize the word risk, because if it snaps........

 

[kbasa]

with all due respect, you're going to risk fabricating a front axle to save a very minimal amount of weight? And I emphasize the word risk, because if it snaps........

titanium is brittle and not recommended for high strength fastening situations.

Got an '84 R100CS LE. 120/90R - 18 on the back. 100/90R-19 on the front. The 120 just fits, though I didn't play around with the spacer for the rear wheel at all.

At first, it felt nervous, but when I rebuilt the forks, so they actually worked, this bike feels connected to the pavement for the first time in my years of riding airheads.



That smudge on the tank is a reflection of the Beck's and Heineken neon signs in my garage.

 

[melville]

Saving weight starts with something other than a snowflake wheel. Bugger, they're heavy.

 

[69zeff65]

I just have to chuckle!

Gotta-bang bang (or whatever) gets a lot of attention for some pretty off the wall post's in the Airhead forum many that I just can't figure out or follow.

 

[cseltz]

I’m guessing the handle comes from Ian Fleming (Chitty Chitty (gtgt) Bang Bang)

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

emulators,

best -o- thread tip. I forgot all about emulators. hmmm


but ouch, airhead isnt the volume leader !
The usual markets show you equip a Harley with the genuine R.T. article for just over $100 but so far, the FEGV S3308 (for 36mm fork tubes, I presume this is a 33mm diameter ...) over $200.

It was worth reading Race Tech Emulator just to learn the stock Spring Rate was 0.6 kg/mm .

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

hey chuckles!

Gotta-bang bang (or whatever) ... many that I just can't figure out or follow.

My budds call me GT, so you can call me Mr. Whatever or whatever, assuming the original french is too tasking.
No worries - in net space, no one can see your lips mawing over the long posts.


I know man! its wild some times. z.B., check out the thread where I detailed the tricks for success for a novel , cheap easy way to make top-shelf reduced height headlight ears for top clamp installations that solved a couple problems like a boss (making the top perfect for standard Grommets is particularly worth its weight in steady headlights ! ) but i almost recall fur getting matted there too !

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

Ian Fleming (Chitty Chitty (gtgt) Bang Bang)

flemings Bang Bang is a little gnawn fact huh, even less remembered;

the OG GT GT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitty_Bang_Bang