Saturday, January 11, 2020

EZ-RIDER Jack Stand **TWEAKS** (Phase 2)




TWEAKING EZ-RIDER's Jack Stands


Feeling a little dissatisfied (and unsafe) after using the original blocks that I fabricated for EZ-RIDER's Jack Stands, I turned to TaoBao (our local version of eBay & Amazon combined) to see if there wasn't some other means of getting enough clearance between the swingarm fitting and the extra long exhaust system on EZ-RIDER.

Many of the biggest problems I am having with EZ-RIDER revolve around the heavy amount of customization that it has undergone in its service lifetime.  A bunch of aftermarket "stuff" has been attached to EZ-RIDER - already thinly documented in ENGLISH as a vehicle to begin with (it's a Japanese edition of the Magna platform), the addition of 3rd party accessories and parts with NO HOPE of retrieving any documentation in English has further complicated matters.

EZ-RIDER has a very nice aftermarket exhaust with something called "salami cut" tailpipes, meaning they have been terminated at an extreme angle to reveal some of the interior of the pipe.  It's very attractive, and part of this style of exhaust system is that they are looooong, much longer than the stock Honda set of tailpipes (I have also been informed by the previous owner that they are also significantly louder than stock Honda tailpipes, but that remains to be seen).  

The rear tire of EZ-RIDER literally has no tread left in the center, and would never pass any kind of inspection.  The first part of getting the tire changed is getting the wheel off - and that means putting the motorcycle up in the air in a safe way.  Unfortunately, my first attempt at working around the lack of clearance between the swingarm attachment of the stock Jack Stand didn't turn out to be as safe as I wanted.

So off to TaoBao I went.  Fortunately, I was able to source 50mm x 50mm x 40mm solid rubber blocks that seemed perfect, so I ordered a set of four (to give me some experimentation leeway) and eagerly awaited their arrival.


Phase 2 TWEAK vs. Phase 1 TWEAK




As you can see, the rubber blocks I ordered for the Phase 2 TWEAK are significantly larger than the original blocks I developed in the Phase 1 TWEAK.  The original blocks were constructed of two thin sheet of rubber with a piece of scrap wood using some double-backed tape:



The problem with that method of construction was that the adhesive for the double-backed tape acted as a kind of lubricant under the weight of EZ-RIDER, which obviously overcame the stickiness of whatever glue is on the tape.

The Phase 2 TWEAK won't have that issue, because the rubber blocks are monolithic, so that particular risk factor goes away...but one problem remains - the rubber blocks are not currently attached to the swingarm lifters in any way.  The only thing holding them in place is gravity.  My big fear is that lateral energy  which happens when you work on a motorcycle, might cause them to shift horizontally and the motorcycle to fall off of the swingarm lifters, which would be quite dangerous.  

The obvious solution is to drill (and then countersink) a bolt and washer into the blocks that would pass through the swingarm lifter attachment of the jack stand.  Then, everything would be connected mechanically and much safer to work with.  Another optimization I would like to try is so somehow engineer a "shelf" into the rubber block so there's some kind of lip in place to further prevent lateral shifting.



So the new blocks are BETTER - but still not the BEST that they could be.  In my opinion, the BEST solution would feature:

1) A lag bolt securing the rubber blocks to the swingarm adapter

2) A "retaining shelf" cut into the rubber block to prevent lateral (horizontal) shifting


So, look for a Phase 3 set of TWEAKS coming soon!






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