A new frame is required
As we detailed in the previous post, the chassis had quite a few shortcoming, some of which would be fairly straightforward to rectify, while others were not so. After a fair bit of considerations and discussions with our customer, it was decided building a new, bespoke frame was the only sensible way to get a satisfactory end product: A bike fit for the Isle of Man.
So, we spent the last couple of months:
- putting a comprehensive design together
- performing CAE chassis analysis with regards to engine position, weight distribution, and suspension behaviour
- creating a complete CAD model
The result is that we are confident in our design work to begin the metal fabrication process. Of course, being a YZR500 Replica, it needs a twin-spar beam frame fabricated from aluminium. Our Moto-2 bikes have been steel trellis frames in comparison.
And, after a bit of work, here is the initial result of fabricating a twin-spar beam frame from aluminium sheet. So far, it's been a rewarding phase of fabrication. Stay tuned to see if we can continue this way!
