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Ian

Honda MadTrax V Twin Quad.. Nearly Finished.. Woo Hoo

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On 13/07/2016 at 9:34 AM, meadowfield said:

nice work, loving the welds :thumbs:

 

Thanks mate, it sure makes a difference when you have the right tools :thumbs:

 

The Honda MadTrax now has a backbone.. Sorry about the rubbish photo, my phone camera is starting to have problems now it's getting on a bit.

 

Honda FTX56.jpg

 

 

I'm sure all you bike folk know what these bit's of small tube are for..

 

Honda FTX57.jpg

 

 

These are old mounting rubber from a Ford P100 pick-up. After a bit of trimming..

 

Honda FTX58.jpg

 

 

They were perfect for mounting the fuel tank in the normal bike kinda way.

 

Honda FTX60.jpg

 

 

With some cutting, shaping, welding and adding a captive nut the rear tank mount was made.

 

Honda FTX61.jpg

 

 

The top engine mount taking shape, I just need to find a couple more bolts.

 

Honda FTX62.jpg

 

Honda FTX63.jpg

 

 

To finish off here's the latest MadTrax video.. Enjoy :thumbs:

 

 

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Not a great deal of progress, but I blame that on the heat as it's rather warm at the mo :lol:

 

A couple of extra tubes have gone in the frame just in front of the fuel tank. They partly add some extra strength to the back bone, but also divert the eyes from the engine mount under the tank.

 

Honda FTX67.jpg

 

 

We have been thinking about what to do about the exhaust and the lack of space to fit one in!

There is no space to run any pipes on the N/S without legs getting burnt, there isn't that much more space on the O/S but there is space to make some.. er... space :D

 

Anyway, to make the new system I needed to get some more pipe.. As the steel place is just over the road the GT came in handy :D

 

Honda FTX64.jpg

 

 

Where's the best place to start an exhaust system?  I trimmed down WN's 1st system till they were just stubbys sticking out the front of the engine (see the first photo) and then went straight to the back for a bit of exhaust box work.. 

 

To make them fit under the seat they needed a little trimming in length, so 2 1/2 inches came out.

 

Honda FTX65.jpg

 

 

Both cans welded up and welded together. They will go a tad more forward so just the pipes are sticking out the back..

 

Honda FTX66.jpg

 

 

I looked out the workshop door yesterday to see a gent looking at WN.. It tends to happen a lot so I didn't think anything of it..

But when the said Gent said, "It looks much better in real life" with a strong Irish accent the brain thought I'd better think something of this...

 

The said Gent was Noel who as you know is on holiday in the UK....

It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday Noel, sorry WN was not running for you to have a drive (pre book next time :D ).

And thank you for the humbling words yesterday, when I told my Wife we both got a bit choked up..

 

The hooligan on the left you know.. If you hadn't guessed (or are just not awake yet) the kindly Gent on the right is Noel..

 

Honda FTX68.jpg

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It was a pleasure to meet yourself and  Nigel the craic was mighty , I could have stayed much Longer but the handbrake was getting too warm sitting in the car so we had to move on. The levels of craftsmanship on WN was excellent,  the photos really don't do it justice. 

 

 

20160719_133941.jpg

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Working out where and how to run the exhaust has been rather fun and a bit taxing on the ol brain cells..

 

Due to the engine being off-set to the left there's no space to run any pipes without legs getting burnt, so up the right side it has to go..

After all the curves in the frame I wanted a more industrial look to the exhaust, so I bought some rather big pipe :D

 

Honda FTX69.jpg

 

 

Space on the right side is rather tight so to stop a leg getting fried or the right hand carb getting hot the pipe had to go through the frame! Thanks to Nigel's boy Karl who found me this rather big steel fitting which was welded into the frame..

It should be strong enough :lol:

 

Honda FTX70.jpg

 

 

I'm not quite sure how the down pipes will tie into the big tube yet, but I'm working on it.

 

Honda FTX71.jpg

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Another exhausting update, but only a small one..

 

Working out how to get the down pipes into the big pipe without having any pipes in front of the radiator and making sure the down pipes are the same length has been fun!

 

It's still work in progress but it's heading in the right direction :)

 

Honda FTX72.jpg

 

Honda FTX73.jpg

 

Honda FTX74.jpg

 

 

The down pipes almost look like part of the chassis/frame from the front, but it may just be a slightly blurred photo that's creating the illusion :lol:

 

Honda FTX75.jpg

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On 27/07/2016 at 8:50 AM, Stormin said:

That junction will play havoc with the gas flow I think.

 

You would be right Norm... Which is why I made this :)

 

Honda FTX79.jpg

 

Honda FTX81.jpg

 

 

Not perfect but it should help the gasses flow in the right direction now :)

 

Honda FTX80.jpg

 

 

Getting the down pipes from the engine to the 2 into 1 thingy was interesting, lot's of measuring, bending, welding and trimming a few mm's of here and there until it all fitted together..

 

Honda FTX82.jpg

 

Honda FTX83.jpg

 

Honda FTX84.jpg

 

 

The exhaust system is split into 3 parts so I can actually get it in and out of the frame.. Here's the front part on the bench getting fully welded up..

 

Honda FTX88.jpg

 

 

A couple of little holes like this to fill or it will be louder than I think it's going to be... Quite loud I'm guessing :lol:

 

Honda FTX89.jpg

 

 

The rear section with the two shortened silencer boxes and some 1 into 2 pipework..

 

Honda FTX90.jpg

 

 

Here's the completed system, me thinks it looks quite mad :D

 

Honda FTX91.jpg

 

Honda FTX92.jpg

 

Honda FTX93.jpg

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2 hours ago, Stormin said:

Great work, Ian. Will it be finished for when I'm down next week? I could do with another exhilarating ride after Why not. :D

Got the sp-z wagon for you to try out Norm:D

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On 07/08/2016 at 4:50 PM, Stormin said:

Great work, Ian. Will it be finished for when I'm down next week? I could do with another exhilarating ride after Why not. :D

 

No chance of it being finished for a while Norm, but you can have a good nose at it tomorrow when you drop by the workshop :thumbs:

 

On 07/08/2016 at 7:10 PM, nigel said:

Got the sp-z wagon for you to try out Norm:D

 

The sp-z wagon sounds like a Japanese import car :lol:

 

I guess it's about time for another update as it's been a while.

 

The fuel tank gained a couple of these strange looking brackets.

 

Honda FTX94.jpg

 

 

If your wondering what they are for, they hold the front of the seat down.

 

Honda FTX95.jpg

 

 

The rear of the seat has a couple of plastic spikes/pointy bits which fit into the rubbers.. I found a couple of washers which were the right size inside but too small on the outside..

 

Honda FTX96.jpg

 

 

So I cut a hole in some plate..

 

Honda FTX97.jpg

 

 

Dropped the washer in..

 

Honda FTX98.jpg

 

 

Then zapped it up..

 

Honda FTX99.jpg

 

 

Tack welded in place.. They will get fully zapped up when I pull the quad apart to finish all the welding..

 

Honda FTX102.jpg

 

Honda FTX103.jpg

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Next on the hit list was to tweak the frame so the engine could be removed.. So out came the hacksaw :D

 

Honda FTX101.jpg

 

 

Now you see it..

 

Honda FTX104.jpg

 

 

Now you don't..

 

Honda FTX105.jpg

 

 

It's back again..

 

Honda FTX106.jpg

 

 

But this time with a notched joint..

 

Honda FTX107.jpg

 

 

To stop the bolt crushing the tube some half moon steel bar was welded in place..  When I cap the ends it will also fill the gaps you can see in the photo above..

 

Honda FTX108.jpg

 

Honda FTX109.jpg

 

 

One join almost done, one to go..

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Afternoon all, for one reason and another progress as been a bit slow again but as long as something is happening then the build is going in the right direction..

 

The frame now has a removable member to aid getting the engine out when needs be.

 

Honda FTX112.jpg

 

 

A close up of the joins that only need a little tidying up.

 

Honda FTX110.jpg

 

Honda FTX111.jpg

 

 

The plan was to get MadTrax off the bench so I could have a seat to feel how she felt at ground level, the pull the engine out so the frame could be fully welded in the places the engine wouldn't let me reach...

 

Well that was the plan..

 

Off the bench she came..

 

Honda FTX113.jpg

 

Honda FTX114.jpg

 

 

As you can see from the above photo's there is something missing from the front end to balance it out looks wise.

Nigel and I had been wondering what could be done to even it out until I dug out the big army type spot lamp, gave it a very quick coat of black and hung it off the front with a bit of welding wire...

 

Yep, just the ticket and about the right size compared to the fuel tank :D  :D:thumbs:

 

Honda FTX115.jpg

 

Honda FTX118.jpg

 

Honda FTX117.jpg

 

 

This bracket used to hold the front bodywork/bull bar but not only was it not needed it also looked ugly!

 

Honda FTX119.jpg

 

 

So it was cut out and replaced by some more steel tube.. That looks better :thumbs:

 

Honda FTX123.jpg

 

 

The front two tubes were left open from the factory which didn't look right, so I extended them down into a point.. Much better.. The welds will be ground down when MadTrax  goes back up on the bench.

 

Honda FTX120.jpg

 

 

The big lamp was mounted using a bracket at the top which bolts onto the head stock.

 

Honda FTX121.jpg

 

 

And a smaller one at the bottom which will look better with a little trimming to shape.

 

Honda FTX122.jpg

 

 

And that chaps brings this build thread up to date again other than I like the look from this angle sooo much I'm going to put the pic up again :lol:

 

Honda FTX115.jpg

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On 27/08/2016 at 9:02 PM, Stormin said:

Looking a real menacing beast. Just the job for going to church Sunday morning. :D

 

Thanks Norm, Church?  nah never heard of it..

 

 

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Hi Guy's, not much of an update as I've been away on holiday recharging the battery's and getting away from Nigel's singing :D:yankchain:

 

An expansion/overflow tank was needed, the trouble was there was not the space to fit a battery and the original CX expansion tank.. So I made my own :D
Yep, it's one of those paraffin engine cleaning things with the handle cut off that that you plug into an airline.. I have had it for 12 odd years and never used it, so I found a use for it :D
Water in at the top, breather/overflow pipe on the right and with a bit of clear pipe put between the two things at the front I will be able to see the water level..
 

Honda FTX125.jpg

 

 

A battery box/tray was needed so I quickly knocked this one up..

 

Honda FTX126.jpg

 

 

The next morning I looked at it and thought it was just too small... Battery tray 2.0 is much better but it will have to wait until MT is back on the bench and I don't have to get on my knees to fit it in the gap between the swing arm and carbs.

 

Honda FTX130.jpg

 

Honda FTX131.jpg

 

 

The time has come that I have been dreading... Sorting out this mess of a wiring loom and finding space to mount the coils, regulator etc.. Wish me luck!

 

Honda FTX129.jpg

 

Honda FTX128.jpg

 

Honda FTX127.jpg

 

 

 

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Evening all a bit of a MadTrax update for you..

 

The coils, regulator etc have been mounted under the gas tank, you might say space was tight!    Photo's to come when I remember to take some :hide:

To make enough space to get the ignition barrel in the right place and to stop my thumbs being crushed between the bar and the gas tank I made this handle bar riser thing..

 

Honda FTX136.jpg

 

Honda FTX135.jpg

 

 

The riser thingy in place.

 

Honda FTX146.jpg

 

Honda FTX147.jpg

 

 

While in the handle bar area I thought I should have a look at getting a rev counter, temp gauge and a couple of warning lights mounted.

 

Honda FTX138.jpg

 

 

With a bit of trimming of the mounting plate the temp gauge shrunk a bit in size.

 

Honda FTX139.jpg

 

 

Some thick-ish flat steel was needed so I decided it was time the last remaining part of my first Mig welder found a use.. I do have plans for the louvers :D

 

Honda FTX137.jpg

 

 

Not a bad fit..

 

Honda FTX140.jpg

 

 

The plan was to mount the temp gauge in a box, I even started to mark out the sheet to do so..

 

Honda FTX141.jpg

 

 

Then Nigel asked if I had thought of fitting the gauges in tube?
Not a bad idea I though and went of the search for a couple of big enough bit's of steel tube..
It was at that point that I found a pair of Gutbrod headlamps that have a rather nice shape to them.

 

Honda FTX142.jpg

 

Honda FTX143.jpg

 

 

Who would of thought a Honda rev counter would be such a good fit in a Gutbrod headlamp!!!
I just need to make them a bit longer :D

 

Honda FTX144.jpg

 

Honda FTX145.jpg

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Making the head lamp bowls 1 1/2 inches longer has been fun, here's the second one after tack welding.

 

Honda FTX151.jpg

 

 

And the first one part way through having the welds cleaned up..

 

Honda FTX153.jpg

 

 

As well as a temperature gauge the pod on the right will have a couple of warning lights fitted.. Neutral and low oil.

 

Honda FTX154.jpg

 

Honda FTX155.jpg

 

 

Only balanced in place here, but the shape and look of them do make me grin :D

 

Honda FTX156.jpg

 

Honda FTX157.jpg

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Evening all progress on MadTrax's gauges continues..

 

The temp gauge face plate had all the cut/other marks welded up..

To stop me blowing any holes through with the welder the face plate was clamped to a lump of brass.

 

Honda FTX158.jpg

 

 

The rear side, you can see where the weld has filled the gap without sticking to the brass plate.

 

Honda FTX159.jpg

 

 

Once the welds were smoothed a couple of small brackets were welded on which bolt to the temp gauge backing plate.. Quick, easy and does the job a treat.

 

Honda FTX160.jpg

 

 

It all started with a cardboard template.

 

Honda FTX161.jpg

 

 

The steel version with 4 captive nuts and two bit's of threaded stud welded on.

 

Honda FTX162.jpg

 

 

The threaded rod is for bolting the ignition barrel on.

 

Honda FTX163.jpg

 

 

The gauge pods/bowls gained a flange thingy, only tacked on at this point..

 

Honda FTX167.jpg

 

 

To bolt the pods on I needed a M8 thread but with a bolt head smaller than 10mm, so I dug out a few allen key bolts..

 

Honda FTX164.jpg

 

 

Clamped one in a drill chuck then put the drill in the vice..

 

Honda FTX165.jpg

 

 

With the drill tuned on I fired up the grinder and totally failed to get a good photo of the allen bolt head being ground down to size! :hide:

 

Honda FTX166.jpg

 

 

A quick test fit, me likes.. :D:thumbs:

 

Honda FTX168.jpg

 

 

Working out how to mount the bracket that the gauge pods bolt onto has been fun!

In the end I made a couple of brackets that use the same bolts as the headlamp.

 

Honda FTX170.jpg

 

Honda FTX171.jpg

 

 

Other than cleaning up a few welds and adding a couple of captive nuts to stop the pod tops from opening, and adding a couple of warning lights the gauges are done.

 

Honda FTX172.jpg

 

Honda FTX173.jpg

 

 

A view from the seat..

 

Honda FTX174.jpg

 

 

You may of noticed in the above photo that the front brakes have gained a bigger master cylinder.. An upgrade that's needed me thinks..

 

Honda FTX175.jpg

 

 

And to finish off, the latest MT video... Enjoy :thumbs:

 

 

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Monday MadTrax went back up on the bench to do all those little jobs that I couldn't do on the ground.
Thank you Rob and Nigel for your help.

 

Honda FTX176.jpg

 

 

The exhaust system gained a guard to stop any legs from getting burnt..
The system will be heat wrapped also.

 

Honda FTX177.jpg

 

 

Recycling time.. This was part of a Wheel Horse cutting deck..

 

Honda FTX178.jpg

 

 

Lot's of chopping and welding later a battery box bracket was born.

 

Honda FTX182.jpg

 

 

A couple of captive nuts were welded to the bracket so the battery box can be welded on.

 

Honda FTX180.jpg

 

Honda FTX181.jpg

 

 

To hold the battery in the box I welded a couple of bike straps together.

 

Honda FTX184.jpg

 

Honda FTX185.jpg

 

 

Finally fitted...
Yes the battery does come in and out easy, and no the swing arm does not hit the battery on full compression despite how it looks in the photo :lol: 

 

Honda FTX186.jpg

 

 

 

 

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The foot peg mounts needed some strengthening.. They won't move now but I will add a bit more strength underneath.

 

Honda FTX187.jpg

 

 

Due to the engine being offset to the left, the frame rails are not the same which meant the left side foot peg stuck out a bit more than the other side..


Chopped..

 

Honda FTX188.jpg

 

 

Push the ends together..

 

Honda FTX189.jpg

 

 

And weld it up.. I have welded the joins inside as well.

 

Honda FTX190.jpg

 

Honda FTX191.jpg

 

 

With the foot pegs now sticking out the same amount both sides I needed to think about something to stop me running over my own legs with the rear wheels...

So more recycling, some steel mesh and a mower handle.. The section of small louvers I will use later..

 

Honda FTX192.jpg

 

 

I needed to bend a couple of slight but long bends in the tube (mower handle now swapped out for a better one which also turned out to be Honda.. In keeping eh :) ).

Running it over with the quad and even my Gt-14 didn't work, so something heavier was needed..

Please note Nigel busy eating to add to the weight :lol:

 

Honda FTX193.jpg

 

 

I'm sure there was a length of tube there a second ago :scratchhead:

 

Honda FTX194.jpg

 

 

I think Nigel's truck did the bending trick :lol:

 

Honda FTX195.jpg

 

 

As it turned out we decided not to use the long bends in the end and went for something shorter.

 

Honda FTX196.jpg

 

 

Mostly welded on each side. The photo's do make the angles look a bit strange.. The tube heads towards the wheel before bending up..

 

Honda FTX197.jpg

 

Honda FTX198.jpg

 

 

It's hard to tell but I think they both look the same each side..

Once some steel mesh is welded in the feet shouldn't go through.

 

Honda FTX199.jpg

 

 

And that's this thread up to date again..

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On 14/10/2016 at 7:55 PM, Anglo Traction said:

Great to see it close up the other day Ian. Your welds are looking real good too:bow:.  Your gonna need a set of Oil Skins n Wellies to ride that in the wet/mud :)

 

Thanks Richard, having a "proper" Mig welder certainly has helped with the welds. My old "hobby" Mig just didn't have the oompphh behind it.

 

Not much to report, both er... foot/leg guards have had an extra bit of tube welded in making sure the shape matched the outer tube.

And one side has been treated to a coating of steel mesh...   That should do the trick. :thumbs:

 

Honda FTX200.jpg

 

Honda FTX201.jpg

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