Worcester Massachusetts Build

[roger32849]

Erik:

I thought about using a back pack until I replaced the seat with the Tillett clone. I believe the Coocase (made in Singapore) resolves the issue of storage. Givi has a very nice line of tail trunks with their Monokey (Trunk Monkey) series. Mind you, Givi isn't shy about putting an outrageous price on their product. Considering both are plastic injected molded, the quality between the two is the same, or nearly so. I chose the Coocase for the price.

Over the years I have gathered a lot of downsized comfort items for camping, such as lights, chairs, cookers, tents and sleeping bags. With the new materials available, I can spend a few days out in a nice location, do some camping, carry my equipment and clothes all within my trunk. The tent would go in front of the seat. To be frank, I probably will not go a great distance away from the house... I figure 450 - 500K would be far enough. To travel on the US freeway system is probably considered a suicide gesture with the huge lorry traffic being ever present, but I would love to take on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is over 1000K long and is all 2 lane road over some of the most spectacular scenery in the US. I have ridden it twice and it gets better every time. For me, the trunk was necessary, and besides, I couldn't let Eddie be the only one out there with storage capability on his project.

Speaking of Ed, he bumped up the wow factor on his project. We are talking full custom GRP work on the nose, carbon fiber touches, full metal fenders on the front, wicked looking headlights, killer stereo system complete with iPod nano capability, he also has a new tuned exhaust system, K&N air filter and Power Commander engine management system. Did I mention a specially designed 4.5 US gallon fuel tank and custom built suspension and shocks tuned for the Eco-Exo??....okay Eddie, what's next, wheelie bars, low rider hydraulics, gold leaf paintwork, propeller and wings??... LOL, seriously, it looks fantastic and it hasn't even been fully painted yet.

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

Here is a quick video review of the Coocase S50. (CLICK THE IMAGE TO START)

[edvb]

Wow Roger keep talking like that and my head will explode! Thanks for all the kudos.

Since we talked I do have a few more tricks up my sleeve. The case does look great in the video. I think you made the right choice and will be happy with your decision.

Edward

[erik]

Nice vid. The case blends in real nice. I forgot I got an Givi along with my An400. Need to pick her up from my storage garage and see how it fits. Need to repaint the silver covers tough.

[roger32849]

Erik
The Givi is a good case, but the E30 model that I used really looked a little tall and narrow sitting on the back. It would have been nice to have the Monokey 55 liter case from Givi, but to tell the truth, the one I bought suits me quite well.

I spent the afternoon fabricating a shock spring compressor tool. I ordered a pair of 14" shocks and separate springs,. The set comes from Progressive Motorcycle Suspension and I need to mount the 90/130# springs onto the cartridge body. I did a knockoff of a compression tool from Dennis Kirk Inc. I should get the shocks and springs, mid to late this week.

It has been "WICKED COLD" here for the last week. Today was no different. No winter rides are scheduled, but may try to track down a good set of powered stereo all-weather speakers. That should take a bit of research and kill some time while do the on line browsing thing. J&P Cycle has a set of series 1 Cycle Sounds speakers for $184.00 USD. I may check further... Who knows what will flush out of the bushes...

Catch you later

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

link

link

I made an aluminum mount for my iPod. My speakers are the Series 1 made by Cycle Sounds. I got the last pair on the shelf from J &P cycle. They went out the door at nearly half off the OEM asking price. I love a bargain. They will be arriving Monday according to the tracking documents. I liked Ed 's setup with the remote for the iPod and his choice of speakers. I did some independent research on my own for the speakers and according to the reviews I read and the advertisements out there, Cycle Sounds has the best quality. I will be using an 8G iPod Nano 4 for the music source. I have the newer Nano 7, but I decided not to use it. It has built-in FM radio which was a nice feature but the "lightening" adapter cable was $40.00. (More than I paid for the Nano 4) ...Maybe later... If I leave the older Nano on the trike, and someone takes it or it gets damaged, I am only out $30.00 instead of $150.00. The iPod 7 showing in the photo is obviously just taped to the adapter for the photo and it is a bit crooked...

The power source for all of this will be a pair of accessory outlets with an Apple brand USB (dual) adapter installed. The other side will be open for standard cigar lighter styled power supplies. The speakers will be hard wired. Naturally all connections will be fused and come off he ignition switch with a secondary switch set to power on/off the outlets when not used while driving. I will have power for my GPS, IPod, cell phone and speakers. All low current draw components.

As a footnote, I discovered there is more absolute trash electronics out there for sale than imaginable. Most of the stuff is just cheaply made garbage, designed with a very high failure rate. If you find yourself looking at an item that says works with Apple... It probably won't. The cheap price is designed to separate you from your money on a gamble that it will work. The market (Especially eBay) is flooded with these items. If something sounds to good to be true... Yep... It probably is. Buy a quality product from a seller you know and trust and one that will stand behind what he sells.... okay, I will now step down from my soap box.



Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

I have the accessory outlet installed and wired in today. I still need to clean up some of the wiring. I wanted access to the power supply without the need to bend down and use a torch to see how to install a power/recharge cable. It is close to the key switch, but does not interfere with anything. There is plenty of space to tuck the extra wiring in and secure it with wire ties. Once I reinstall the bonnet and clean things up a bit, it will look as good as new.... (heck, it is new)

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

I have been doing some checking on shocks lately and thought I would pass along what I have found. Since my weight is near 215 Pounds, I need a longer shock and spring set to enable my Eco-Exo to ride level with the road. Currently the 13 inch stock shock has the nose of the trike sitting low by an inch or so with me sitting at the wheel. The wheel weight, both sprung and unsprung is about 165 pounds laden. I ordered Progressive shock cartridges model 12-1206B. They are 14-1/4 inches E/E. They come with metric eye inserts and come in chrome at no additional charge. I chose black. In my initial order I asked the company to send springs rated at 90/130 pounds. These proved to be to weak, excessive chassis roll and bump steering restricted my speed down to about 30 MPH. They did however give a great smooth ride and absorbed the bumps like a luxury car. This is not exactly what I wanted but close. I am in the process of ordering a stronger spring... 120/170 rated coil set. By the way, the original springs are the same length and outer diameter, but the tapered end will not pass over the Progressive cartridge body. If they did, problem solved... I will update this entry as I do more experimenting.

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[erik]

I don't know if you have a Hyperpro facility locally, but their shockservice is outstanding. They do the math for you and if the shock isn't as expected it will be swappedat no charged and tested again. Cheapest professional research one can buy.

[roger32849]

Erik

I know Hyperpro makes a great shock, but nothing here locally. They're quite expensive and really exceed what my budget is for a suspension. The Progressive line is a middle of the road, all purpose alternative to get a level comfortable ride. If I need to, I will continue to use the 13" shocks that came with the Eco-Exo kit.

Roger

[edvb]

Erik, we have an equivalent here called Race Tech that make G3-S Custom Shocks but are very pricey.

racetech.com/page/id/98

Roger will be able to do it at about a third of the cost and get 80-90 percent of what the Race Tech shock does. That is quite a savings if the new springs are a correct match for his weight.

We all have budgets so have to find the right compromise for our needs.

Roger did a fantastic job on his with the budget he had to work with. He made everything himself and bought a used lathe to machine the parts himself. He even made me a pair of solid front axles!

I hope the springs turn out well as that will help with my setup.

I also posted on Scott's post to comment between his and big brothers Eco Exo R as big brothers has a 14" shock and Scott's is a 13"

I think this is a key element we all need to have input on.

Regards

Edward

[Scott]

Hi,

I have requested some details from the supplier, but im not hopeful I will get what I need, I will let you know if I find anything out,,

The shock and set up and very weight dependant in the Eco-Exo, due to the nature of the steering geometry,

With me driving big bro's as im lighter the bottom wishbones are not level! this is very important, hence it feels more lively and you need to be cautious, which is why we fitted the longer shocks for his as he is lets say Beefy!! with him in it we spent a fair bit of time setting it up to ensure sits correctly and the results show a massive difference, this needs to be done with the main drivers weight positioned correctly!!

The shocks we use a standard rear shocks for the old Ducati / BMW bikes they are available in
335mm long or 365mm

We supply as standard 335mm and this work perfect for most, im 70kg / 160lbs and our demo trike with these is set up perfectly and im confidently relaxed whilst driving, with the exception on our crap roads we have with potholes and lorry tram lines etc,

Cheers Scott

[roger32849]

Scott:

The 335mm shocks were/are good for me to a point. I am "beefy" as well and the trike drives with its nose down with me seated behind the wheel. I am 6'-0" and 215 pounds.... Not a light weight. I am afraid my barbecuing and vacationing have put a little weight on my backside, which I am in the process of loosing, but still my normal weight isn't that much lighter. The 365mm shock in my case would have been a better option. They would have provided the ride height I needed and the spring support for proper suspension movement. Right now I have the 365mm/14-1/4" Progressive shock cylinders. The cartridge is larger in diameter than the shock that came with the Eco-Exo so I cannot use the springs. I ordered a pair of 90/130 pound springs initially, but returned them in exchange for a pair of 120/170 pound set. I have yet to receive the replacements. I also did one other thing. I found a pair of cheap used shocks on ebay. They are aftermarket shocks with removable springs. Figment is for the 75-79 Honda GL1000 Goldwing. I will (attempt) to harvest the springs and install them on the Progressive cartridges. OEM GL1000 springs are quite robust so I suspect the ones I got from ebay are equally matched to the OEM. In short, if the 120/170 progressive springs prove to weak, perhaps the GL1000 Linear type will work.

In short, I need ride height to increase by a little over 1 inch and I need the spring set to provide adequate support and naturally the cartridge to do the dampening on both the rebound and compression strokes.. I will let you know what happens. Bear in mind, it is winter here and we are up to our knees in snow. Any testing will need to wait for a good thaw day.

Roger

[Scott]

Sounds like a good plan Roger, let me know what you find,

[edvb]

Hi Scott

Can you elaborate al little more on this? I am trying for a level chassis fore and aft which is 13" eye to eye
centered on my trike. Both Roger and I have the front lower than that that will cause problems with speed bumps and such.

I know it is cold but is there any way you can measure the frame height in the rear and front and exactly where those points are with you seated in it to give us a baseline what will work? Too high and it gets squirrely.

We need to get some approximates so we can get our shocks tuned for us.

This will help all the future builds as this will be sorted out and no longer will be a problem.

Regards

Edward