The Kandiru Lighting System:
Electrically, Kandiru is similar to our 2much!!! trike. It has an electronically-regulated high-intensity lamp from Radio Shack in the headlight. The tail light is an LED clearance unit we found in a truck stop's lighting and trim section. which was also the source for the chromed visor bezel for the headlight. Truck stops are an excellent source for all sorts of interesting lighting gear suitable for use on bikes.
For extra strength, Wearforce Kevlar/Spandex was used to make the two parts of the seat. After covering the relevant area of the fairing with kitchen cling wrap, Wearforce fabric was stretched over it, using wires through the edges. The fabric was then saturated with epoxy, in the usual way
The AERODISC process for Kandiru's 26" wheels:
From the beginning we visualized our AERODISC wheels on Kandiru. Previously, we'd used spandex fabric for this process on our Moon Rover trikes' smaller 20" wheels. After several failures on the larger 26" wheels of Kandiru, we realized that we would have to modify the process. A spandex composite membrane derives much of its rigidity from its shape. The flatter surface of the larger discs is very prone to surface deformation, even after the epoxy resin has cured. This is perhaps due to residual elasticity of the Lycra fibers, which is not as much of a factor in the smaller sizes, or in more complex surfaces.

Therefore, we experimented with several alternative fabrics, seeking one which behaved like spandex
(bi-directional stretching) but without the Lycra component. .What we finally used sucessfully was a thin polyester knit fabric called "POINTE", we found at a Hancock Fabrics store in Baton Rouge. Hancock is a national chain, so there may be one in your area. This fabric has a slightly coarser surface texture than spandex, but it remains hard and stable after the resin cures. We recommend this for many stretched composite applications, as a substitute for spandex. We also used it in our latest bike fairing project, with good results.
Left: Like any hand-made composite, the time-
consuming part of the process is sanding. Here, Dave is shown dry-sanding the Bondo- filled spandex surface. This is followed by coats of primer and extensive use of "spot" putty. This is wet-sanded in grits from 320 through 600, in stages. After a final, fine-sanded coat of "high-build" primer, the perfected surface is given a coat of primer-sealer, in preparation for the color finish coats, applied by spray gun. This was done in a backyard "spray booth" made of  polyethelyne roll "drop cloth" (top of page), duct-taped to the framework of a cheap portable
garden canopy from Harbor Freight. We got ours on sale for about $20.
Near Right: Tops of the front and rear fenders were cut to fit from craft-store styrofoam, with an average thickness of 1", using a hot-wire cutter. These pieces were Elmer's-glued to the basic forms, held in place with masking tape. After it dried, the foam was shaped with mesh abrasive, to give a curved cross-
section (far right). As we wanted a flared edge, we formed a recess for the springer fork, for clearance. This was done by cutting away the foamcore, leaving the fiberglass inside backing in place.
Left: We made a pair of routed wooden dies for this $50 Harbor Freight Co. hydraulic tubing bender. The two channels let us make two identical bent tubes at the same time. Needed on some other applications.
Kandiru, like John Youens' Salsa Verde, began as a design exercise starting from the "stretch" proportions of the Dyno Roadster. Whereas John aimed for an extremely interesting-looking sculptural frame, we aimed toward an extemely simple frame, designed to be fairly easy to make and comparatively lightweight. The minimal mass would make it suitable for fitting with a full-frame fairing and valenced (skirted) fenders. While the composite techniques I've developed are fairly lightweight, all those square inches add up quickly; making minimal frame weight desirable. However, there are reasons for light weight in a bike frame, other than easier pedalling of a machine wearing a "costume". Performance is another. Steel-framed bikes the length of this one are not normally noted for high performance. This frame design, executed in 1" .030 CroMoly tubing, which we call the Z4, was envisioned as having multiple applications: faired kustom "sled", semi-recumbent "hot rod", and high-powered motorbike, all having the same basic profile, but with differences in frame detail and components. Kandiru is the first of these applications, with the others to follow. Above are shown an early sketch of the Z4 frame and a digital rendering of its Kandiru application. The differences from the basic frame design are that this application dispenses with the curved mid-tube, and it has a more raked seat tube. It was also decided that the dropout be reshaped for production reasons, with the sharpened blade shape later executed in polished 6061 aluminum and mounted to steel dropouts. The finished frame weighs in at 6.5 pounds.
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By Jim Wilson
Photos by Wizard Bros © 2004
Kandiru, like John Youens' Salsa Verde, began as a design exercise starting from the "stretch" proportions of the Dyno Roadster. Whereas John aimed for an extremely interesting-looking sculptural frame, we aimed toward an extemely simple frame, designed to be fairly easy to make and comparatively lightweight. The minimal mass would make it suitable for fitting with a full-frame fairing and valenced (skirted) fenders. While the composite techniques I've developed are fairly lightweight, all those square inches add up quickly; making minimal frame weight desirable. However, there are reasons for light weight in a bike frame, other than easier pedalling of a machine wearing a "costume". Performance is another. Steel-framed bikes the length of this one are not normally noted for high performance. This frame design, executed in 1" .030 CroMoly tubing, which we call the Z4, was envisioned as having multiple applications: faired kustom "sled", semi-recumbent "hot rod", and high-powered motorbike, all having the same basic profile, but with differences in frame detail and components. Kandiru is the first of these applications, with the others to follow. Above are shown an early sketch of the Z4 frame and a digital rendering of its Kandiru application. The differences from the basic frame design are that this application dispenses with the curved mid-tube, and it has a more raked seat tube. It was also decided that the dropout be reshaped for production reasons, with the sharpened blade shape later executed in polished 6061 aluminum and mounted to steel dropouts. The finished frame weighs in at 6.5 pounds.
Left: We made a pair of routed wooden dies for this $50 Harbor Freight Co. hydraulic tubing bender. The two channels let us make two identical bent tubes at the same time. Needed on some other applications.
Left: We drew the basic frame layout on a sheet of plywood, using the traditional grid transfer system used by artists. It was based upon the drawing at the top of this page. Above: We made a rail jig from a length of 2X4, with welded steel axle mounts fitted to it, for mounting the fork and rear dropouts. 4031 head and frame tubes were fitted to these and trued up.
Left: After tack-welding with a MIG
machine, all joints were fillet brazed.
Fillet brazing, the traditional method for
joining tubes in high-end racing frames, is easily as strong as welding, and, unlike MIG welding, will not tend to burn through the extremely thin-walled CrMo tubing. After brazing, joints were dressed with a right-angle grinder, and polished with a "flapper" (sandpaper) abrasive disc. As done by experienced frame artisans, fillet-brazing can result in a cosmetically perfect joint. Not being that experienced, we used epoxy putty to fair the joints, after road-testing..
Left: Immediately after brazing, the actual fork and parts-pile components were fitted, and the frame was road tested. Once its functionality was proven, the frame was stripped and cleaned in preparation for joint-fairing and priming. We made a wooden fixture to aid in painting. This
allowed rotating the frame for
access to all parts of the frame.
Above: Self-etching primer was applied by spray can, followed by DupliColor "Pewter" spray-can finish.
Far left: Panels for the fairing armature were cut from
3/16" foamcore mounting board with an X-Acto knife, then lightweight glass cloth was laminated to all faces with epoxy resin. After cure and trimming,
panels were assembled and joined together with fiberglass tape and epoxy resin. Epoxy resin was used rather than the cheaper polyester resin normally
used for glassing, as the epoxy will not attack the styrofoam core of the paper-clad panels. The resulting fabricated form is lightweight and rigid.
Near Right: Tops of the front and rear fenders were cut to fit from craft-store styrofoam, with an average thickness of 1", using a hot-wire cutter. These pieces were Elmer's-glued to the basic forms, held in place with masking tape. After it dried, the foam was shaped with mesh abrasive, to give a curved cross-
section (far right). As we wanted a flared edge, we formed a recess for the springer fork, for clearance. This was done by cutting away the foamcore, leaving the fiberglass inside backing in place.
Spandex fabric was stretched and stapled over the fender and body armatures, then saturated with epoxy resin.
We cut shapes from scrap plywood to form the recessed areas. Clamped to the armatures, these shapes force the stretchy fabric into the low areas. The plywood is covered in self-adhesive vinyl film, to prevent epoxy from sticking to it. After the epoxy cured, the recess forms were removed. After that, the now-hard and rigid spandex composite surface was given the usual Bondo surface fill, priming and painting. Final weight of the body and front fender is about 15 pounds, including Bondo and paint. The finished work looks and feels like molded fiberglass, but is lighter in weight.
Above: The "tank" form was also hot-wired from styrofoam.
Left: Like any hand-made composite, the time-
consuming part of the process is sanding. Here, Dave is shown dry-sanding the Bondo- filled spandex surface. This is followed by coats of primer and extensive use of "spot" putty. This is wet-sanded in grits from 320 through 600, in stages. After a final, fine-sanded coat of "high-build" primer, the perfected surface is given a coat of primer-sealer, in preparation for the color finish coats, applied by spray gun. This was done in a backyard "spray booth" made of  polyethelyne roll "drop cloth" (top of page), duct-taped to the framework of a cheap portable
garden canopy from Harbor Freight. We got ours on sale for about $20.
W A R N I N G!   Working inside a tent filled with toxic paint vapors can be extremely hazardous to your health. A good dual-cartridge organic-vapor mask is compulsory, if you want to avoid permanent damage to lungs, brain, and liver. If you can smell it, it's damaging you. The PPG Omni one-part Toreador Red acrylic color finish we used is not as toxic as their more expensive two-part finish; but it's plenty bad enough, and I didn't hang around in the booth after applying color coats. The two-part PPG clearcoat finish we applied over the color coats is even worse. For that process, I wore a Tyvek "moonsuit", as the chemistry of that finish can be absorbed by human skin, with the same result as breathing the fumes. Even with that level of protection, I would scamper out of the tent immediately after each spray application, allowing fumes and mist adequate time to dissipate before re-entering the enclosure for the next application. We can't stress safety procedures too much for using modern paint finishes. The stuff will literally kill you, if you're not  very careful.
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The AERODISC process for Kandiru's 26" wheels:
From the beginning we visualized our AERODISC wheels on Kandiru. Previously, we'd used spandex fabric for this process on our Moon Rover trikes' smaller 20" wheels. After several failures on the larger 26" wheels of Kandiru, we realized that we would have to modify the process. A spandex composite membrane derives much of its rigidity from its shape. The flatter surface of the larger discs is very prone to surface deformation, even after the epoxy resin has cured. This is perhaps due to residual elasticity of the Lycra fibers, which is not as much of a factor in the smaller sizes, or in more complex surfaces.

Therefore, we experimented with several alternative fabrics, seeking one which behaved like spandex
(bi-directional stretching) but without the Lycra component. .What we finally used sucessfully was a thin polyester knit fabric called "POINTE", we found at a Hancock Fabrics store in Baton Rouge. Hancock is a national chain, so there may be one in your area. This fabric has a slightly coarser surface texture than spandex, but it remains hard and stable after the resin cures. We recommend this for many stretched composite applications, as a substitute for spandex. We also used it in our latest bike fairing project, with good results.
We made a pair of plywood jigs, sized to the diameter of the rims. These have fixtures for keeping the rims centered. The cruciform wings are for use in clamping the fabric membrane over the wheel.
Using hole-saws, we made 1/4" plywood rings sized to cover the hub flanges. This gives a smoother surface in that area.
We cut a circle a couple of inches larger than the rim diameter, out of a 30" square of 5/8"plywood, for use as a membrane carrier/ clamping frame. The fabric is stretched over this and stapled around the edges. Two layers of the fabric were cut to 27" square, for this sized setup, with their weaves aligned 90 degrees to each other.
Using a straight edge from corner to corner of the carrier, we established the center point of the fabric membrane, and melted a hole in it with a soldering gun. This aids in centering the membrane over the wheel, and keeps the axle threads accessible.
We then clamped the membrane carrier down to the wings of the stretching jig. This procedure makes for more consistent tension in the membrane surface.
We used a plastic bottle cap and an axle nut to force the fabric down to the surface of the wooden hub-flange ring, then brushed on a coat of epoxy resin.
After the epoxy cured overnight, we trimmed the fabric from the carrier, then flipped the wheel over, and placed another wooden ring over this side of the hub.  Adjacent to the rim's valve stem opening, we placed a 3" disc of fiberglass cloth, to reinforce the rim of the valve stem access opening, which is cut out later with a Dremel tool. The glass cloth is saturated with epoxy before the next stretching operation begins.
We then repeated the stretching, clamping and saturation processes
for this side of the wheel. After cutting the valve stem access opening in the first side, we filled, sanded and primed the surface, in the usual way.
For this set of wheels, we added another step. The membrane adds to the rim's diameter, so we decided to remove the fabric from the rim's outer edge, to make tire>
<mounting and un-mounting easier. First, we mounted the wheel in a vise-clamped fork, then poured catalyzed epoxy resin through the valve access opening, and rotated the wheel until the resin gelled. We used an electric drill with a rubber roller as a drive source. The epoxy glues the membrane to the inside of the rim. After this, we used a belt-sander (left) to sand the fabric from  the rim edges and finished the priming and painting process..
Kandiru's Seating System
I wouldn't recommend this style of seating for running the Tour de Bloody France; but it sure looks cool, don't it? As far as the feel of it goes, you could compare it to getting a wedgie while wearing high-density foam underpants. Okay, it's not quite like that, but you get the idea. Kandiru isn't meant to be a "comfort" bike, by any means, but it hasn't caused any permanent damage, yet. It' s fine for running a parade route, which suffices for its job description.
For extra strength, Wearforce Kevlar/Spandex was used to make the two parts of the seat. After covering the relevant area of the fairing with kitchen cling wrap, Wearforce fabric was stretched over it, using wires through the edges. The fabric was then saturated with epoxy, in the usual way
After curing, the now-rigid form was removed and trimmed to shape with the bandsaw, so that it hugs the top of the tank and fender, The membrane was pulled into the seat tube opening by another wire. After the trimming, a hole was left for the seat post..
A length of 2" X 1/8" steel strap is formed to the desired contour of the seat and backrest, and a stub section of seat-post stock is welded to it. Then a shape of slit-contoured foamcore has glass cloth laminated to both sides. While the resin is curing, the piece is held to the strap by tape. After cure, a piece of styrofoam is shaped to fit between the backrest and the seat base, which is wrapped in cling film, for removeability.
A Wearforce membrane was then stretched and stapled over the seat pan armature, using a wooden framework made for the purpose.
As a smooth surface was desired, a second membrane of normal Lycra Spandex was stretched and stapled over that, with both being saturated with epoxy, at the same time.
After cure, the surface was filled and primed, and the styrofoam filling removed, leaving a hollow interior for the lighting system's battery pack.
At this point, wiring from the head and tail lights was led through the interior of the fairing, for connection to the lighting switch and the battery pack. At the same time, foam rubber was cut and bonded to the seat pan. The switch for lighting is mounted in the forward part of the seat pan, under the leather covering. It's invisible, but easily found by feel.
Black suede from a thrift-store jacket was sewn to cover the padded seat pan, which is secured to the seat base by two 1/4-20 flat head SS machine screws, screwed into nuts welded to the underside of the seat mount. The upholstery suede is affixed with contact cement, and wrapped under the edge- the chrome studs serve no function, and are purely a decorative element.
The Kandiru Lighting System:
Electrically, Kandiru is similar to our 2much!!! trike. It has an electronically-regulated high-intensity lamp from Radio Shack in the headlight. The tail light is an LED clearance unit we found in a truck stop's lighting and trim section. which was also the source for the chromed visor bezel for the headlight. Truck stops are an excellent source for all sorts of interesting lighting gear suitable for use on bikes.
This photo shows the various parts of the headlight, and the source for many of the components- a $3.99 battery lantern found at WalMart.  It has a very substantial plated plastic reflector, with a sturdy lamp-holder, a good switch, which we used, and a convex lens, to which we added a chrome stud for that classic Cibi look. The 1/4" plywood ring was cut to fit the truck stop visored chrome bezel, with the reflector and lens trimmed to fit the inner opening of the ring.
Above: 1/4" plywood was used to make the base of the headlight, with
spandex stretched over it and the bezel mounting ring, forming a hollow structure, which was painted. It mounts to the springer truss tubes, secured with self-tapping SS sheet metal screws.with chrome finishing washers.
Scrap cardboard is cut and assembled to make fitted "surface-frenched" surround for LED truck clearance light.
Taped to fender, it is secured by a bead of epoxy putty at edges. More putty is applied in layers, smoothed by a wet fingertip each time
After being sprayed with the first coat of primer, spot putty is applied, then sanded, then primed and sanded again. When it is perfectly blended with the fender surface, both are sprayed with primer-sealer, and tail-light is mounted with screws It is then removed again, in preparation for finish coats.

Total construction time required for building Kandiru was a little over two months.