Your tech knowhow is needed spinal cord injured
 

Hi

My name is Johnny hayden This may seem like an unusual request but all the same your industry can help me with a project I'm working on to improve the lives of high level spinal cord injured people

I used to down DH around the wicklow area in Ireland . I was told by doctors I can not do it any more after a surgery that went wrong in Barcelona a year ago sept 7 2012 I'm currently in Barcelona I Guttman institute rehabilitation hospital and have been for 4 months before that NRH Dublin before that hospitals

I suffered a c7 incomplete spinal injury, with intense rehab I can walk with Zimmer frame about 40 meters not pretty but a start. And swim/drown in a pool i have an idea that could help me and others like me and worse. I am designing a solution that can convert my current mountain bike into a safe 3 wheeler, I am year into my injury and with help getting on and off a stationary bike I can cycle a bit but I have just started it and I'm week, but I want to fight as hard as I can and I believe being on a bike will help me with balance and strength. I was a downhill biker before as I said before my injury and avid surfer so I'm not scared of much and know hard work, but one thing dose scare me which is not doing things I enjoy doing.

So it's been a year and I started looking for solutions and the problems that paraplegics quadriplegics and tetrapolegics have as some are more mobility than others because every injury is different in some way, but there are certain similarities. I think these disables can be worked around and the rider given the ability to controller a bike through new technology in the market, not all but some. I'm approaching different Downhill manufactures with my ideas. Of course they think I'm mad but some have responded koolstop breaks gave me a call and said there passing my ideas to the engineering team.

My goal is too help high level spinal injured patents to do the extreme sport of downhill riding. I'm designing a 3 wheal downhill bike with suspension On the back and front. With this! I have some guys that can pedal a bit and would like to be able to do it if possible with the assistance of an e-motor, i have others that can not! so the design is still a challenge but I'm working with a good friend with a similar injury to mine who is very excited to get this done.

I have a car/motorbike mechanic an engineer and a metal worker to help put together the bike. but my job is the plans! I need to draw up the dimensions measurements because us! the new riders will know what we need so its up to us to do it to talk and get the solution for each rider.

I want 3 wheels as it feels like 2 when your looking down the barrel and riders can get more of a thrill but some will have to have 4 wheels for stability. The bikes will be expensive to produce but I think it's worth it there is me that has a bit more mobility than my friend who will have less but I still want to design the two solutions to prove to others it can be done. I would very much like to pull knowledge from you guys as you know all there is about 4 wheel suspension and some of your products can really help me. I've listed bellow what I need and please excuse my ignorance on the subject

The AVT A-Arms look like they will really work for me as the bushings and all are real durable and high tech
The base back end of tricycle wheels for the DH bike will be 1000mm or 3.3 foot and the top of the wheels will be less like in wheel chair rugby wheelchairs this will give more stability to rider. Do you have an a-arm that could work for us. Maybe a junior ATV. They would need to be as light as posable but in saying that DH bikes are 40lb or more
The frame the a-arm will attach to will be part of the rear frame of the bike and we can make this as small or as large to fit the a-arm
This brings me to the shock! I'm not sure if I should copy the ATV style of shock mount or mount it further down. What I would like is each back arm and wheel to be independent for unforeseen or foreseen verges, rocks and the like so the wheel on the verge will go up and the other wheel will reman down giving stability so what type of shock is best and where in the frame should I place it?
Drive train! Do I need a differential in the centre of the bike where the chain will mount to the electric motor
To get torque from the peddler or motor I will need a small u-joint that can proved peddle power assisted by motor and others unassisted as they can't pedal but I need this to move with the assembly. Do I need a u-joint shifting assembled to do this keeping in mind the rear wheels may move more that an ATV
With the wheels I would like the rider to be able to change the base of the wheels, for example the bottom is say 1000mm and the top will be 700 or 800mm but they may want to change this for faster runs or more stability runs and I'm not sure how I will do this, I may have to design a whole new bracket attaching to the wheels also the wheels right and left will have disk breaks and i need to attach a callipers to the bracket, also I would like the breaks to be independent of each other to help with cornering but also to work together to stop. I'm thinking of having a smaller wheel in the middle I case the bike bottoms out?
The ball joints at the base of the a-arms would they need to be stiff or not sorry not sure
The other 4 wheel bike will be pretty much the same config but ideas and things I'm not thinking of is graciously received

Any help offered is greatly received I have not got the use of my right hand to well for drawing but I'm using a program on ipad to start designing my bike as soon as I have drawings I can send them on. As I'm so ignoring of the ATV technology's drawings or pictures would really help. And products I should buy keeping in mind I'm doing two bikes for two different types of injuries and its going to be expensive


Thanks for reading my mail and I hope it finds you well

Kind regards
Jonathan hayden

Sorry for your injury,but if your heart's set on this have you ever ridden or seen the specs on the Piaggio MP3 lineup. Offers some of the same things you may be looking for in building something to fit your needs. Stability, locking upright stance at stops,cornering ability beyond belief. Even this old man was impressed when I rode my first 500 and what they were able to do. The 125 or 250 or even the hybrid that they came out with would be something to use as a guide.The technology on these machines is awesome...

Thanks for your reply iv never seen one or have never ridden one but I will certainly check out the tech on them as anything will help and the steering looks great. But stability is going to be the main thing as a a lot of the guys will be seated as they have no core some have a bit. But seat design is a whole other ball game

Cheers for the idea old P it is a great suspension system it looks like there is two u-joints in the wheel bracket that gives it that tilt efect also the frame the bushings move .if there was a way to cot role the tilt. As in it comes back to centre with rider weight it would be perfect. Pandora's box in my head has opened :-) any other good ideas are welcome

Thought that might give you some ideas. The cornering is awesome,plus coming to a stop,you can put your feet out like a motorcycle or with the push of a button the front shocks lock in an upright position and you can keep both feet inside. Italians! You gotta love their technology on scooters,Moto Guzzi motor cycles, and sports cars...

Yeah it's lead me down a road full of sweets :-) thinking combinations of stuff the one you have shown me and this one I have attached
Body height to lean angle study « Project Streetliner

Also this company I'm trying to see if they can help with the transition drive and steering
If you know of another please let me know?

Pailton

Another tool

tilting vehicle suspension systems

Thanks old P thankful for your time. Downloading pirate copy of cad as using Idesign on ipad for ruff sketchs but need to start building good database

Pandora
 

Yeah it's lead me down a road full of sweets :-) thinking combinations of stuff the one you have shown me and this one I have attached
Body height to lean angle study « Project Streetliner

Also this company I'm trying to see if they can help with the transition drive and steering
If you know of another please let me know?

Pailton

Another tool

tilting vehicle suspension systems

Thanks old P thankful for your time. Downloading pirate copy of cad as using Idesign on ipad for ruff sketchs but need to start building good database

There is only one way to do it and thats the right way. In this regard the Piaggio
Mp3 has done the correct thing and no doubt this is why the suspension on this
vehicle works so well.

Like many things its easy to see but its not obvious unless it is pointed out.




I like that good mention from your last link about the MP3. As far as anything else I can offer,what you've posted is way over this old man's head.. :) Keep us updated as to your health progression and your designs.. By the way we love pictures on the forum if you come up with something.. Good luck.

OPT, im not sure how to start a new thread and direct it towards you in particular....can I post here to get started and then someone maybe can give me some pointers on how to start a new one in specific for you? im new and hope im not breaking any rules. please forgive me fellow members.....

Dear Old Polaris Tech, OPT

Im having some issues and cant private message you, I hope this is ok. have a couple off concerns id like to ask about. I read through this entire thread from a couple years ago http://forums.atvconnection.com/polaris/346307-trailboss-250-help-9.html and I was just amazed with how much patience and dedication you had throughout, and I have to say, as I neared the end and read how much your skill and knowledge was unappreciated I was at a loss for words. unreal and sorry for that. I assure you any knowledge you can share with me will be more than greatly appreciated. thank you. im new here so please bare with me. thanks in advance.

So I decided since I did a little mousing and learned that you were active on this site as of today, I thought I'd go ahead and ask a couple of things in case Im not on when you get this. I have recently acquired a 2000 Polaris trailblazer 250 2x4 2 stroke. it belonged to my friends father since 2000. however he has since passed on and this thing has sat for a while.(garaged)firstly I have started with the basics, battery, plug, wire, coil, air filter, gas, etc. etc. today was my first attempt at starting it. I first thought something was wrong with the sylonoid because as I would push the start button I would only hear a click, and no movement of starter or motor. so I replaced the sylonoid. same result. I then decided, *process of elimination) to try to jump the starter at the sylonoid. nothing, not even an ark. that's when I assumed the starter was possibly seized. gave it a tap, tap with the ole hammer and block of wood, and poof, I hit the start button and its turning over. didn't get it started, so I let off of the starter, and checked some other things, pulled the fuel line to see if gas was getting through the line, checked for spark, etc. went to try and turn the starter again and same as before, nothing at all. tapped with a hammer again and got it going again, about 5 times later I wasn't so lucky and it just stopped responding to the hammer all together. so I figured well, no since in farting around, ill order a starter and in the meantime ill take this carb off, and yank the starter. so firstly, i began taking the bolts out of the recoil/crank side of the engine, as I started to split that case, gas began pouring out of the seam, it wasn't until I removed the fuel line from the carb that it actually stopped flowing out of this case, (apparently my petcock isn't working btw, it was in the off position, I plan to put a shut off valve before the carb) anyhow, it was quite obvious to me that the float or something similar was wrong in the carb allowing a steady flow of gas to go right through, but I didn't think it should end up here, maybe in the engine, but not In this flywheel case. that's where I learned on your previous post ( http://forums.atvconnection.com/polaris/346307-trailboss-250-help-9.html ) about the crank seals, and that a carb rebuild could get me by. great!!. sent the carb to a very well known shop in my area for a 70.00 rebuild. got the starter out without removing the front clutch to access the starter bolt behind the clutch cover, wasn't easy bolt, lol. didn't have a puller. anyways, before removing starter, the connection on the starter still had the red boot over it and underneath the connection was shiny and clean as new and very tight. so the starter defenetly was binding in some way. here's my question...(sorry for the mumbo, wanted to be as informative as possible) I bench tested the starter after removing, maybe 20 times, and let the starter spin for several seconds at a time, and other times I would continuiously keep feeding the starter power and then stop, then get right back on it again, trying to see if it would bind, or slow, or have a rough spot. bench tested absolutley fine. is it possible it may react differently while under strain?(turning the flywheel) is it something with the other starter gear? not sure what its called, one piece sits up to the flywheel, and the starter buts up against it. all of the teeth and gears on all of the parts look perfect. no mis-shaped or worn teeth. no metal fragments what so ever, id like some input on that if possible, also, just like the rude punk you were helping on a similar post a couple of years ago...my starter as well has gas in it, still. will that affect the performance when mounted and under strain? I have the new starter on its way and scheduled to be here Friday, as well as my carb rebuild, just hope I didn't waste time or money on the starter. hope to hear from you soon. thanks -Ted :thanks:

First off I'd do a compression check to see where you stand. Should have a minimum of 120 psi for it to run right. Also make sure the spark is good.Sounds like you needed the starter as it could possibly have a flat spot or dirt or worn out brushes.Plus gas in it doesn't help!If you haven't ordered it yet here's a cheap place on starters. Cheap enough that's it's not worth tearing into an old one to try to repair it along with just replacing the starter bendix also. DB Electrical - Polaris Sitting up all this time just about guarantees a gummed up carb. Read where you had that problem solved.
Seals also may pop up as a problem,but do the easy stuff first and see how it runs. Always premix the first tank of gas on a machine that's been sitting up. 50-1 ratio is fine. Will smoke a little extra,but better than seizing up a dry piston. On future posts just go to the Polaris normal threads or expert section and click on new threads to make posts. No need to duplicate posts in both sections..