massdrive
New Member
So after the "last ride with the Risingsunn". http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=53781
I decided to take care of that troublesome equipment failure that I was experiencing, the tool bag was slipping off the rear rack and hanging off the side. The rack is 5.5 inches wide and the tool bag is 10 inches wide. Why are bicycle racks so narrow and bicycle tool bags so wide? I decided that a wider rack is needed, and its time for lights too.
I purchased a second identical aluminum bicycle rear rack and cut it into 3 pieces and welded the 2 outside pieces to the left and right edges of my existing rack expanding it to 10 inches wide. Obviously there was more involved than just cut and weld. After tacking it together it became apparent to me that grinding off the powder coat around the area's to be welded wasn't good enough. If I wanted decent weld's I'd have to get the rack media blasted to remove all of the powder coat and residue. Kudos' to Snail Motorsports here in Las Vegas for same day service at a reasonable price. After media blast I did a test fit before finish welding. As always had to do some twisting and give it a couple of whacks with a dead blow hammer to straighten it out. Did the same thing to a lesser extant after I finished welding it.
Now time to mount the lights. I bought 2 DC powered LED bicycle light kits. I mounted both headlights on the handlebars as they are designed to mount. Easy enough except I have tapered bars. The mounting clamps are flexible enough to stretch around the larger diameter center portion of the bar on either side of the stem, but the mounting screws where to short and had to be replaced with 40mm long screws. Ta da! Dual headlights.
I cut the seat post mounting rings off of the tail light mounting brackets and sanded the screw fittings round and set them aside for later use. I cut 4 short pieces of .5 inch aluminum round bar, two of them I faced, drilled & tapped for the M5 mounting screws that came with the light kits. The other two pieces I copped at an 18 degree angle to attach to the rack leg in a horizontal position. I copped the other ends at 90 degrees to vertical and welded each mounting bracket together and then welded the brackets to the rack legs under the top deck and attached the lights using the brackets I modified and the M5 mounting screws. Ta Da! I have dual tail lights.
I decided to take care of that troublesome equipment failure that I was experiencing, the tool bag was slipping off the rear rack and hanging off the side. The rack is 5.5 inches wide and the tool bag is 10 inches wide. Why are bicycle racks so narrow and bicycle tool bags so wide? I decided that a wider rack is needed, and its time for lights too.
I purchased a second identical aluminum bicycle rear rack and cut it into 3 pieces and welded the 2 outside pieces to the left and right edges of my existing rack expanding it to 10 inches wide. Obviously there was more involved than just cut and weld. After tacking it together it became apparent to me that grinding off the powder coat around the area's to be welded wasn't good enough. If I wanted decent weld's I'd have to get the rack media blasted to remove all of the powder coat and residue. Kudos' to Snail Motorsports here in Las Vegas for same day service at a reasonable price. After media blast I did a test fit before finish welding. As always had to do some twisting and give it a couple of whacks with a dead blow hammer to straighten it out. Did the same thing to a lesser extant after I finished welding it.
Now time to mount the lights. I bought 2 DC powered LED bicycle light kits. I mounted both headlights on the handlebars as they are designed to mount. Easy enough except I have tapered bars. The mounting clamps are flexible enough to stretch around the larger diameter center portion of the bar on either side of the stem, but the mounting screws where to short and had to be replaced with 40mm long screws. Ta da! Dual headlights.
I cut the seat post mounting rings off of the tail light mounting brackets and sanded the screw fittings round and set them aside for later use. I cut 4 short pieces of .5 inch aluminum round bar, two of them I faced, drilled & tapped for the M5 mounting screws that came with the light kits. The other two pieces I copped at an 18 degree angle to attach to the rack leg in a horizontal position. I copped the other ends at 90 degrees to vertical and welded each mounting bracket together and then welded the brackets to the rack legs under the top deck and attached the lights using the brackets I modified and the M5 mounting screws. Ta Da! I have dual tail lights.
