Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket'

[chasdom]

Do please give a look at a project fairing I've invented and attached to a small block Guzzi. The idea behind the fairing is to give the super-efficiency and performance of the dustbins from the 1950's, but with complete lock to lock steering efficiency as with a conventional motorcycle, with even better aerodynamics than the historical dustbins. The ultimate goal is for a modern full-sized sportbike that can get REAL 100mpg.
Alas, give it a look, it is different, but it also WORKS. You can see my project page by clicking on pic below:

http://toytotransportation.com

 

[SgtCrump]

Wow...that is really cool!!!

Are you planning on fairing the rear end.....??

Are you going to test it at someplace like Bonneville?

 

[GrahamNZ]

chasdom

Well done with your energy and inventive thinking. I like the appearance too, but have a couple of concerns.

The reason why the early dustbin fairings - which I really liked the appearance of at the time - were banned was their dangerous behaviour in strong or gusty side winds. Your design has made that tendency even worse by also covering the front wheel even more effectively. In the early 1960s I rode a dustbin faired AJS 650CSR twin in a speed trial and was lucky to survive when gusty sidewind hit the bike after passing a tree lined section of the course and almost blew me off the road. In your case, adding fairings to the front wheel has also increased its un-sprung weight, unless the fairings are hinged and not moving up and down with the wheel.

A year or two after surviving that ride I designed and made this fairing, which I called a "Dustphin" because it had features part way between a dustbin and a dolphin. Steering lock wasn't a problem and nor was side windage because of the way the wheel was left largely exposed. I made two versions - one for road bikes, where the stock bike was simply wheeled into the fairing, bolted on, and the light still shone through the screen lower. It was very effective and the highly modified Norton Dominator in the photo achieved an 8% top speed gain. No idea what it did for fuel consumption because fuel was so inexpensive then.

The second version made in the early 1970s was for race bikes. It was was lower at the rear sides and narrower overall. It was controversial at the time, but passed our NZACU rules because the wheel was not covered and the fairing nose did not extend more than 4" in front of the tyre. Two Suzuki T20 based racers used them and were pretty fast.

So, my advice is to be extremely careful if riding in windy or gusty conditions, which can always be encounted on the road where not only running off the road is a risk but also the risk of a head-on collision is real. Best to keep bikes fitted out like that to speed trials where you can choose not to ride if the wind is likely to be an issue.

Graham

Graham

 

[chasdom]

Actually, I've also built and inclosed Kamm-tail fairing, and I've boy toying with the idea of perhaps taking it to the B.U.B. bring what you run (or whatever) just to get it out there.
Thanks for the compliment,
Charles

 

[chasdom]

Hi Graham,

thank you for your kind words and thoughtful advice. Actually, I've had the bike out in some VERY strongs winds, but although it was a little squirelly, nothing terrible. Actually, that's one of the reasons I have the disk on the back wheel - to move the 'center of pressure" to the rear, behind the center of gravity. I also have a larger Kamm style tail for the back to accomplish the same thing.
One of my ultimate goals is to get the fuel into the wheel nacelles, and thus move the center of gravity further forward. Admittedly, I've made a huge number of mistakes, but I do have an advantage you didn't have some years back - and that is the wealth of research done by "solar" racers - the guys who run the solar powered cars, usually across the SW U.S. or Australia every year. There's a book entitled THE LEADING EDGE by one Goro Tamai, covering that very subject and it's a wealth of information. My compliments on your fairings - you were a man well ahead of your time! Too bad you never got some fuel consumption numbers, as they may have been surprisingly good. Another site you may find of interest, is the mileage contest Craig Vetter did back in the early eighties. If you just type in Craig Vetter, it will come up on the net. Again, thanks for your well-thought-out input and experience, and do tell a friend or two.
Best Wishes,
Charles Bugni

 

[Christofero]

Re:Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket

That is certainly cool - my reaction was the same as Graham's but I've never ridden a dustbin so I have no direct experience.

Ford did an aerodynamic experimental car a while ago (the aero?) and their bright idea was to enclose the front wheels in a fairing and the wheel arch was enclosed with a piece of formed neoprene that deformed when you turned the wheel. Maybe a simpler idea than your ball and socket concept? I always thought the kneeler concept was something worth exploring but seems to have stagnated since the ELF X (Royce Creasey's FF exercises excepted). Anything that can reduce the frontal area is going to bring significant gains.

ChrisR

 

[RJVB]

Re:Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket

Nice project, Charles.

Wouldn't the side-wind susceptibility evoked by Graham be lesser if instead of a ball&socket concept, you used a sort of dome of the appropriate dimensions to allow the wheel to move within?

 

[GrahamNZ]

Re:Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket

chasdom

You're on the case IMHO to enclose the rear end and wheel to reduce the problematic side windage effect on the front end. If you look at the develpment of aircraft over the years one of the important changes has been the increasing size of the tail fin. (Vertical stabiliser.) That has been to increase lateral stability and increase the "weather cocking" effect when the aircraft is struck by a sudden side gust - it being best to turn into the wind than with it.

But with bikes the best way to cope with sidewinds is to present as little side area as possible and to make the bike as "transparent" to the wind as possible. The NZ-built Britten racers used that princiiple to cope with headwind too, the air being channeled "through" the bike and that allowed the frontal area to be minimised. And that 1000cc V-twin bike topped 300kph by a healthy margin.

Perhaps the best bike I've ridden in sidewinds was my Guzzi V11 Sport Naked. A fair bit of weight set quite low, not much side area and what there was also low down.

When expecting to be struck by a sudden sidewind, a useful ploy is to crouch low to reduce high side-area. One of my frequent routes involves a mountain crossing where the very winding road is subject to high winds and has many high banks beside the road which can make life interesting, especially on faired bikes. More than once I've opted to stay in a motel overnight than risk riding over that road to get home after a few days away. Having owned several faired bikes I now prefer them naked, partly because of the reduced susceptability to sidewinds. NZ is a long narrow country set in a big ocean and with prevailing winds constantly hitting it from the sides, making it often a windy place. The central mountain spine also has a big effect on windage at ground level and wind is often channeled through gaps in the mountains amking riding challenging when passing through the wind corridors.

Good luck with your inventiveness, but please be careful in windy conditions.
Graham

 

[RJVB]

Re:Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket

Having grown up on a bicycle in another windy country, I can see what you mean, Graham

Wind gusts can be annoying and dangerous, but in most cases they can be anticipated. And if you're in wide open country, you can hear (or see?!) them coming.

But this is getting us a bit OT.

 

[GrahamNZ]

Re:Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket

RJVB

I don't agree that the thread is getting off topic, because any talk about streamlining road bikes brings with it the downside of sidewind danger.

Graham

 

[RJVB]

Re:Guzzi V8 Fairing Improvement 'Sphere and Socket

I said a bit, Graham — referring to our personal ideas and experiences with side-winds, esp. my own last paragraph.