Another traditional touch on our RocketBike is the spun-aluminum Moon Discs. From the early days of salt-flat racing Moons have been the standard means for reducing the aero drag of a racer's wheels. Inset at right is a new addition to the Moon line of fashion accessories- the Mooneyes USA cloisonne' enamel hat pin, which they are selling for a very reasonable $5 price. The photosketch shows a modification of the classic Mooneyes logo, with one eye shown, rather than the usual two. With the right deal, we might be willing to go with the standard version, even though a 4-eyed eagle might.look somewhat strange. (As if a rocket motor on a bike isn't sort of strange from the get-go.) |
Aside from the aero benefits, the full-frame composite fairing provides much greater surface area for team and sponsor livery. The Stars-and-Stripes motif has a long and honorable history in connection with special vehicles, including those of Evel Knievel, shown at right, and Craig Breedlove's Spirit Of America, below. |
Right after our interview with RocketBiker Glen May, we started thinking about how nice it would be if a RocketBike looked as spectacular as its mode of propulsion. Glen's first Rocket Ride, based upon a typical cruiser, seen on the cover page of issue 1_01, was almost dorky-looking. At the time of our interview, he had upgraded to a fairly macho-looking MTB. This was an improvement, but not exactly what we would expect a RocketBike to look like. We asked Glen if he would be interested in something which looked the part. Not surprisingly, he went for the idea. We started looking around for a basis for a hot-looking and functional chassis for the machine. We decided upon the Phat Cycles Chopper frame as our starting point. |
BR&K's RocketBike Project |
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Right after our interview with RocketBiker Glen May, we started thinking about how nice it would be if a RocketBike looked as spectacular as its mode of propulsion. Glen's first Rocket Ride, based upon a typical cruiser, seen on the cover page of issue 1_01, was almost dorky-looking. At the time of our interview, he had upgraded to a fairly macho-looking MTB. This was an improvement, but not exactly what we would expect a RocketBike to look like. We asked Glen if he would be interested in something which looked the part. Not surprisingly, he went for the idea. We started looking around for a basis for a hot-looking and functional chassis for the machine. We decided upon the Phat Cycles Chopper frame as our starting point. |
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The fade-away photosketch at left shows one of our chief reasons for this choice. Gary Silva's unique criss-cross frame design gives an ideal location for the bike's nitrous-oxide pressure bottle. Glen's current diamond-framed MTB bike is forced to have the nitrous bottle in an awkward location, above the top tube. This location is bad for streamlining purposes, and gives a very high center of gravity, not good for stability. |
Another handling benefit is the Phat Chopper's wheelbase, nearly a foot longer than a typical MTB's. This is very important for a vehicle which is pushed from the rear by160 pounds of thrust. In that situation, a shorter bike will exhibit oscillating yaw with only slight changes in steering input. This makes for a much trickier job of controlling the bike, at the speed of which the rocket motor is capable of delivering. The only modification to the Chopper frame is the addition of two inverted U-braces welded to the seat stays. These support the mounting for the rocket motor in the rear. The fairing which covers the frame is made of Kevlar Spandex. This is stretched over the frame and added panels made of paper-clad foam board. When saturated with epoxy resin, the Kevlar Spandex forms a rigid, lightweight composite shell, which is virtually indestructable. It weighs hardly any more than a thick coat of paint. Up front is a blow-formed Lexan windscreen/fairing. This helps reduce the aero drag of the piloto's upper body and arms. The front fork shown is the Phat Linkage, with a 20" disc-braked wheel. As the fairing's forward form follows the curvature of the frame's top tubes, the normal Phat Triple-Tree fork with a 26" wheel would interfere with the fairing's under-edge. The polished stainless-steel sheet semi-cylinder over the rear wheel, acts as a heat shield for the hot motor, and adds visual appeal. The sculpted firm foam seat is mounted to a removeable section of the fairing, giving access to the nitrous oxide pressure bottle and associated valves and fittings. The foam cushion is covered in leather. |
Aside from the aero benefits, the full-frame composite fairing provides much greater surface area for team and sponsor livery. The Stars-and-Stripes motif has a long and honorable history in connection with special vehicles, including those of Evel Knievel, shown at right, and Craig Breedlove's Spirit Of America, below. |
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Jim Wilson Collection |
Another traditional touch on our RocketBike is the spun-aluminum Moon Discs. From the early days of salt-flat racing Moons have been the standard means for reducing the aero drag of a racer's wheels. Inset at right is a new addition to the Moon line of fashion accessories- the Mooneyes USA cloisonne' enamel hat pin, which they are selling for a very reasonable $5 price. The photosketch shows a modification of the classic Mooneyes logo, with one eye shown, rather than the usual two. With the right deal, we might be willing to go with the standard version, even though a 4-eyed eagle might.look somewhat strange. (As if a rocket motor on a bike isn't sort of strange from the get-go.) |
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This page will be continuously updated as the project progresses. |