Shock dyno (or Shock absorber dynamometer)

[tonyfoale]

......................
a suspension dyno would be a dream too ..................
thanks again. pete

Pete,
Now you are talking really serious money. As you said we make do with what we can, but good work can be achieved with thought in place of funds.
I have used my shock dyno for some top race teams because of its accuracy and because I have a lot of analysis features in my software that most commercial units don't have.

[penca]

hello tony i can`t imagine how much money and not sure i want to know! for the graphs you produced i think your software must be capable of making a lot of work and save a ton of money testing. now with the lean angles track tyres are capable of i don`t think there is one successful racing team without a software like yours and dynos of all types. i always wonder how they factor chassis flex at +50º lean and how in that limit rider feel becomes an indispensable tool (or not). my experience communicating with riders has always been miserable to the point i had to go out but then i couldn`t do half so ... haha. i hope you come out with a helmet transducer mind reader some time soon

[tonyfoale]

hello tony............... now with the lean angles track tyres are capable of i don`t think there is one successful racing team without a software like yours and dynos of all types.....

Pete,
In fact the race teams don't usually have shock dynos. That is left to the suspension companies who provide track support at races. So without the dynos the teams don't have or need the dyno software.
However, many top teams do use my software for suspension setup in general, rather than just specifically damper setup. I have sold a few thousand seats of my setup software to top race teams and most manufacturers down to the average enthusiast. See;
suskin_pages
I wrote the shock dyno software for my own dyno, although it could be applied to others.

..... i always wonder how they factor chassis flex at +50º lean and how in that limit rider feel becomes an indispensable tool (or not). ............

The high power available nowadays and the extreme lean angles possible have made chassis stiffness a very important variable in "on the limit" performance. Although companies like Honda and Yamaha have spent fortunes, trying to get a handle on this, it still comes down to testing on the track, trial and error in other words. Many teams have a choice of swingarms available for different tracks and conditions, all with different stiffness characteristics. Rider feel is very important and good riders can feel the difference between very small setup changes. Unless a rider feels happy with a bike he will not be fast.

[penca]

i agree on the "rider effect" not long ago i had a bit of an argument with a known journalist about that, he stood upon the idea that a rider must "adapt" and the "greatness" and all that...and me about the building a bike that makes the guy happy. i have not seen in all my years one rider unhappy with his bike getting the best of it or him for that matter. there were some talks about a torsion adjustable sort of chassis or chassis/swingarm but i can`t recall who was doing it (maybe you?)

[Schramm]

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Attachment 15977 Attachment 15978
Showing both motor and 25:1 reduction gearbox mounted to the part completed frame.
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Hi Tony, big fan of the book, very cool to see your build on a forum. Quick question: where did you source the gearbox for the 25:1 reduction of a 5hp motor? It looks neat and small, not like anything I've been finding on the used market.

I'm looking to build a dyno this winter, just need to source the more expensive bits before taking the plunge. I've toyed with the idea of a hydraulic setup as well, but finding a cheap linear proportioning valve hasn't been easy. I think it will come down to finding a good valve or reduction box that will determine the method.

[tonyfoale]

Hi Tony, big fan of the book, very cool to see your build on a forum. Quick question: where did you source the gearbox for the 25:1 reduction of a 5hp motor? It looks neat and small, not like anything I've been finding on the used market.

It was a scrap one from a Segway, originally it was 25:1 but I wanted to test at higher velocities and was after something like 10:1. The Segway box was a double stage device but I modified it to single stage and now have around 5:1. I was a bit worried that the motor wouldn't handle that gearing but it works fine and I can get high velocities at short strokes as well as the longest.
If I was doing it again, knowing now that the motor can handle 5:1, I would do it with pulleys and a toothed belt.

Click image for full size.

Here you can see a stock gearbox on the left and the modified one on the right. Note the different input shaft positions.

BTW. I have made several other posts on here about motorcycle related tools which might be of interest. Look here:
http://www.homemadetools.net/builder/tonyfoale