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Post by nulldevice on Nov 25, 2013 22:59:20 GMT -5
wrote, in part;
The idea is neat enough though, that I may "give in"... I have an abandoned curb-edger that's just BEGGING to be made into a scooter trailer-chassis... AND a couple of high-speed light-plane tail-wheels...LOL! Really!
Leo in Texas
If you are making a trailer for a 1000 pound Harley or heavy Gold Wing tourer you may be on the right track. If you are making one for a light scooter consider taking a really old idea from the auto industry and make the trailer with a uni-body construction. You get strength and light weight that way. For safety I put a gross load limit of about 1/4 the weight of the scooter. 500 pound scooter allows about a 125 pound trailer curb weight. For cars the safe limit is about 1/3 the weight of the car for trailers without brakes but I have fewer wheels and thus the lower limit, and I don't go very far very fast when at the limit. YMMV. The box on my trailer is 17 inches wide, 48 inches long and 11 inch deep. It is made from 1/4 inch floor underlay and 1 x 2 stock with oak 3/4 inch plywood for the hitch points and wheel mounting. The box is the frame. For the test run I put a little over 100 pounds in it for a short test run on city streets and on the Interstate with no structural problems. Every pound the trailer weighs is one pound less you can safely haul. My trailer weighed in at forty (40) pounds when I got the license plate. |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 25, 2013 22:17:57 GMT -5
Both axles on my TMAX are hollow. I did have to drill it out to get a 5/16 inch rod through it. I wanted to go 3/8 but decided it wouldn't leave enough meat under the threads that hold it on. I'll get around to using a grade 5 or maybe grade 8 rod and nuts if I can find them. I eventually intend to have a solid axle made so I can use a pair of bolts to hitch up. It would make hitching up so much easier and I could use a bigger diameter bolt as well.
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 24, 2013 13:14:39 GMT -5
Here is a close up of the hitch where it connects to the trailer. The vertical rod lets the trailer swing left and right.  Here is a close up of the hitch where it connects to the motorcycle. The threaded rod goes all the way through the hollow axle.  This is a view of the scooter axle without the trailer on it.  |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 24, 2013 12:37:22 GMT -5
Hitch movement
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 23, 2013 20:56:10 GMT -5
Thanks for the pictures. I had to be a little more cautious in my construction. I take this trailer on the Interstates and it mostly gets towed however fast the traffic goes. I do back off when the speed exceeds 80 -  MPH. |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 23, 2013 20:48:27 GMT -5
Sounds like you got down pat!
Adjusting tire pressure WOULD make all the difference. Please DO post vids, pix, etc.!Also, how about info on title and licensing? In Texas, this trailer would require a title (as a home-built) and separate license-plate. They won't let it slide as a part of the scooter. Even though it's not a major expense, having to renew yet one more license has somewhat kept me from making a trailer myself. The idea is neat enough though, that I may "give in"... I have an abandoned curb-edger that's just BEGGING to be made into a scooter trailer-chassis... AND a couple of high-speed light-plane tail-wheels...LOL! Really!Leo in Texas I live in Ohio, so your mileage will vary. For example people from Pennsylvania act horrified about Ohio's vehicle inspection/safety laws but I know they are simply jealous. In Ohio light trailers don't require a title but do need a license plate and registration. For home made trailers you go to the license bureau and get a weight slip. You take the trailer and weight slip to a certified scale -- feed mill, sand and gravel seller, etc -- and get it weighed. Return to the license bureau, present the slip and $50 and you get a plate and registration. Home made trailers don't require inspections but you will need to conform to license, lighting, plate placement requirements and such. Any traffic stops and the police will check paper work and conformance to trailer regulations. Oh yes, the empty trailer weighs 40 pounds. |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 22, 2013 14:30:15 GMT -5
Oh, and I have replaced the fuel/vac lines, CDI, complete disassemble and clean of carb, fuel filter, and gas in tank. Check how you hooked up the fuel and vacuum lines. If you are sure they are right take the carb apart and make sure that is put together correctly. It's easy to miss something. Don't use the old gas filter, put a new one on. |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 22, 2013 13:45:00 GMT -5
Oh, the trailer works fine. I wasn't sure the link would work.
I have towed it almost 1000 miles over a few weekends this last summer and didn't really know it's back there, even when it bounces. I found adjusting the air pressure to the load can keep the bounce within reason and the hitch connects to the rear axle so that end of it is not suspended either. Since I changed the wheel recently I haven't had opportunity to play with the pressure. I figure it will run somewhere between 15 to 25 PSI when loaded to a gross weight of around 100 to at most150 pounds.
The big problem has been stiffening the hitch. I made it out of laminated lath strips and the trailer will wag from time to time but nothing excessive to make me afraid of it, but it is annoying. That is a winter project, to replace the hitch with one made of rectangular steel tubing.
Swivel wheel on this trailer? No way. That is for cars. The reason I went with no suspension was for simplicity and to eliminate any movement of the wheel between it and the chassis. The hitch allows vertical and left/right motion of the whole trailer body, but doesn't let it roll in relation to the scooter. Think of a U joint on a drive shaft. Pics and maybe video to follow . . .
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 22, 2013 13:15:32 GMT -5
Why the change over? Any electrical load you remove will be consumed by the voltage regulator.
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 22, 2013 12:58:24 GMT -5
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 22, 2013 0:56:17 GMT -5
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 22, 2013 0:10:47 GMT -5
Check the fit of your helmet. It sounds like it doesn't fit you in size and / or maybe shape. This is something you really can't do mail order.
Big bucks do not guarantee good fit or superior protection. Your expensive helmet is doing you no good hanging in the garage.
Use a helmet. I have a friend and his wife who used to ride with a dew rag on their heads until he went down at low speed. There was insignificant damage to the scooter and no visible damage above his ankle, which has been destroyed, but he was in a coma for weeks. Two years later he still isn't quite right in the head. He and his wife use helmets now. Learn by their example.
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 21, 2013 23:31:12 GMT -5
My favorite method is to add about a cup of motor oil per gallon to the fuel, completely fill tank and then drain the fuel lines and carburetor. I have had motors sit for years and start right up after a little priming the next time I used it. Yes, kind of smoky but only for one tank full.  |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 17, 2013 12:27:18 GMT -5
Must be liquid cooled. Dont see that often! Oh, you mean the scooter, not the trailer. The TMAX has a 500cc parallel twin water cooled motor. The radiator is in the tupperware behind the front wheel and the fan is behind that. Towing this trailer doesn't affect the performance very much since it only weighs 40 pounds and I don't put more than 50 pounds in it very often. Acceleration is a little slower but cruising and top speeds don't seem to be affected. It easily keeps up with rush hour 80+ MPH Interstate traffic, even up hill and into the wind. |
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Post by nulldevice on Nov 16, 2013 11:36:07 GMT -5
Cooling fan?
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MPH.