How to make your own Carbon Fiber Handguards.......

[ebrabaek]

So yet again I`m at one of the last few projects.....he-he.....Come rain and 40mph wind in the desert southwest.....armed with heat lamps and not afraid to use`em.... I will take a deeper look into the composites, in regards to tensile and torsional strength. As with the prior threads I`ve started.....I tend to add a little more on each thread. So may I suggest that if you are new to Composites........Look up my other threads in chronological order..... That will serve as a background for this project. These hand guards will have 2 one watt luxeon led`s each serving as blinkers...... In stead of throwing out the old guards......I thought about showing how you can alter a CF project to suit your new need. Ironically these hand guards were the first CF project I posted here a few years back. It can be seen here....

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=525008&highlight=

First I did not like the way they clamped on to the handlebar, so I wanted to change that by using the mirror mounting hole....essentially sandwiching the new bracket under the mirror peg. I do have the mold for the original guard.....but I thought rather than make new ones, and throw these away.....why not just morph these.....?

First I build up the bracket by shaping a little sheet metal plate.....3 layers of CF (5.7 oz twill), and the usual Silmar249.

As you can see, it really don`t matter how you "sculpt" you piece.....Tape here.....block here....you get the picture.....

This need to dry.....Then the other side......?

Erling

Edited February 4, 2010 by ebrabaek

[Dr-ZnA]

Looking good! Nice work as usual Erling! To when a carbon fiber chassis?

[f2dog]

He-He..

Erling , you never stop.

What's next ; subframe or maybe sving arm ?

[ebrabaek]

And the other side......

?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

Looking good! Nice work as usual Erling! To when a carbon fiber chassis?

?.....If you are good at it.....You can save about 10% weight over an aluminum frame.......But that means some serious tools....inflatable bladder......Or wrapping a core with individual strands.....autoclave...etc.... Soooooo.... I quite enjoy making parts that if they break.....you don`t crash and die......?

The savings over cromolly steal though...would be in the neighbor of 75%..

It is something I would consider one day....If worked with/for a Composite Proshop.....School....etc...Boy that would be the CF course to take....Guy`s.....G`morning....Today we are starting a new project.....A Suzuki DRZ400 frame.....? After the defibrillation...we`l all have espresso

??

Erling

[ebrabaek]

He-He..

Erling , you never stop.

What's next ; subframe or maybe sving arm ?

?.....Det maa vaere trollene.....:p I think the sub-frame could be done.....but the savings ...10% in weight....would not be worth the trouble.

Swing arm could be done with the right tools, but again too much trouble for too little weight savings. I would love to do a set of CF wheels.....?

?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

Now I`m going to make that 3 layer`d bracket rigid. You can put down 10 layers of CF....And you will get an extremely strong brace....But it will flex, and is men`t to. So if you need something very stiff (CF...:p) you will need to honey comb sandwich it.....??? That is the method in which you sandwich a piece of corrugated cardboard material between two or more layers of CF.

You can get as fancy as you wan`t with the honey comb material, but you will be stomped when/if you see what two layers of CF and one piece from a cardboard box can do.....?

I cut a little piece of Cardboard....slightly bend it......

Then You wet it through with resin....stick it down.......then add 3 layers of CF....wetting them each before the next layer goes down........ It will be best if the overlapping CF gets pressed down on the bottom CF. It will tend to follow a not so curved edge....and so to make it I usually use a few aluminum strips to hold it in place.....

Then Put a weight on top till it hardens......

You can achieve the same with vacuum bagging......But if you have passed the grashopper ibbijibibbies....Then this is the easiest.......Let dry....

?

Erling

[Chrizzle]

Do you got a carbon suit? xD

[ebrabaek]

Do you got a carbon suit? xD

? Nej..

?

Erling

[Rock Monster]

I like it! Another fine job at sharing with the group your findings. I wish I had the materials and know how to do this. Although, I am a bit of an elitist, and don't think I could ever stop with that obsession. Look forward to seeing the rest of the build.

I think the frame idea is a little overboard in the aspect that if it did have some kind of failure or crack, the repair would be a complete replacement. I may be wrong on this but I can't imagine grinding, patching, reshaping, and repairing CF would be a legitimate repair. Like you mentioned, the cost would not make up for the invention.

Man, I love to watch these threads. Thanks again Erling! It's threads like these that inspire many other ideas.

[ebrabaek]

Here is the first one outta the press.....Don`t mind the rough looking piece....It`l be cleaned up.... You can make up the cardboard in the middle...

Second one in the works......

This will now rest till tomorrow........Then I`m gonna start on the Kevlar.......?

?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

I like it! Another fine job at sharing with the group your findings. I wish I had the materials and know how to do this. Although, I am a bit of an elitist, and don't think I could ever stop with that obsession. Look forward to seeing the rest of the build.

I think the frame idea is a little overboard in the aspect that if it did have some kind of failure or crack, the repair would be a complete replacement. I may be wrong on this but I can't imagine grinding, patching, reshaping, and repairing CF would be a legitimate repair. Like you mentioned, the cost would not make up for the invention.

Man, I love to watch these threads. Thanks again Erling! It's threads like these that inspire many other ideas.

Thanks Rock.....I had a blast with your new year expo trip as well...?... Actually the CF can be repaired easier than most people think........If I would ever build one.....You`d be able to roll the bike several times........without a frame failure.... What will kill it though is grinding it off the asphalt for a mile.... That`s when Kevlar comes in......?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

Day two....... I sanded the new brace`s down to shape, and as promised it is tremendously strong with no flex.

Right one in place.......

Left one in place......

Both.......

Another thing I wanted to address was the "real" protection of your hands, and brake clutch. I felt that most guards out there don`t give real protection of either hands, or brake/clutch handle in case of a crash. I went on a ride last year, and one rider tanked his bmw f1150gs. He fell to the right at 5 mph, and landed just right so the right mirror stabbed his hip really bad and when the bike fell, it crunched the right brake master cylinder.... rendering it inop. I wanted something so if I hit something hard....the guard will not collapse onto my hand or break the handles......It properly do other damage, But I`m confident my hand as well as the master cylinder/clutch lever will be intact..... Back in the shop...?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

Here they both are, with an additional layer of Kevlar, and Carbon fiber....

?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

So after doging blizzards....thunderstorms....hail....and other airplanes.....in several states.... I had some time to mount them......You can see the new bracket, and how they hold them in place......

They are very strong, and even when pushed on...don`t flex.....?

Part two of the project is to install and build the housing for the Luxeon high power LED`s.........?

Erling

[ebrabaek]

Sooooo.....Onward I go with the second part...... The electrical install/fab.

I had some prototype circuit board left from the shack....So I cut two squares....soldered in two Luxeon 1 watt emitters.....one 15 ohm/5watt resistor in a little "puck" They are connected in series......

And just for kicks....I fired`em up behind the lens.......Mind you the picture is taken under a 250 watt shop lamp...essentially at daylight....Still the camera cut the aperture down...making it look like night.... They are that bright...

Then I wrapped 2 layers of CF cloth around a "goo be gone" bottle......?:lol:....No need for sophistication here.....

First one on the foreground....last one hardening....

?

Erling

[packman]

You are one Carbon tart Erling , nice work and thats one pimped up Drz

[ebrabaek]

You are one Carbon tart Erling , nice work and thats one pimped up Drz

Thank you sir.....??

Erling

[Dr-ZnA]

Nice work! Looking great! I have never seen so much carbon fiber at once!

[ebrabaek]

Nice work! Looking great! I have never seen so much carbon fiber at once!?

I know....Kind of crazy.....Not sure that I`d have one, if I had to pay full retail.?

?

Erling