Is there a correct answer?... Depends on application and what ever that means to the individual...... If it's just about the way it looks, and assuming that means you want to get the batt out of view with the side covers removed, then I'm with 'AW'..... i.e. Have you considered getting a small Li battery and putting it under the seat or somewhere other???.. Unless you are specifically chasing a "box under the sump" look and to heck with serviceability, batteries don't like the extremes of heat, cold or vibration. By placing under the engine you've just introduced extra vibrations, exposure and concentrated heat. Just stuff for thought is all. Good luck. ____________________ "The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory" (Joe Garcia) Check us out on facebook at "BMW Airheads Downunder", (The Australia and New Zealand Airhead Community). "B.A.D" http://www.facebook.com/groups/anzairheads/
Lol! Yes they are a bit agricultural. I'm buying some gear from eurobmw, looks like a great solution to me. Great feedback, and an interesting discussion. I respect all opinions whether I agree or not. Re: vibration, it will be attached to the frame, not touching the gearbox, surely that won't affect it? Re: lithium battery, maybe in SoCal, but I don't know if that would crank here in an Irish winter... Worth looking at though Re: weight distribution, what of BMW panniers? Solo seats? Fairings? Different handlebar layouts. Surely these all affect pitch axis and CoG, and weren't compensated for by Beemer. Would a battery in front of the cylinder reduce cooling performance, and maybe affect aerodynamics? Re: looking like a set of balls! Ok we're back to aesthetics, where a picture is worth a thousand words; this from untitled motorcycles:
OK, that looks good. The only thing you need to check is if you can drain the oil without taking the battery tray off.
I love the boxer and I love some of the little 'battles' we fans all get into over them. I personally like the look of a minimalist bike with a huge gas tank. And I have no clue what that would do to the CG or GQ or my IQ.
Great looking bike. Regards my earlier vibration comment; A bike frame has to absorb a lot of vibration and the main source of that vibration is the engine. Engine is mounted to the frame so do the sums for yourself. Try carrying a screwed together component (e.g. a pen) in a pannier for a few days and see how quickly it gets unwound by the vibrations. Which is why I only carry electronics, cameras or laptops (obviously not the battery hey!) etc in a back pack, or shoulder satchel to isolate the vibrations rather than wreck stuff. That said it's all about the application, and as yours limits you for space and options. you can only work with what you've got. I'm still thinking Li battery might be worth looking in to. Here is a link to an impressive video demonstrating Li durability. I'm not endorsing the brand, just the ridiculous performance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkKRqaNPIBE&feature=related If the cold is your concern perhaps you could insulate it and still be smaller than a regular battery. ____________________ "The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory" (Joe Garcia) Check us out on facebook at "BMW Airheads Downunder", (The Australia and New Zealand Airhead Community). "B.A.D" http://www.facebook.com/groups/anzairheads/
Love this thread, love the different opionions, especially how everybody think's they are right. As far as mounting the battery (that was the original question, right?) I don't think you would need your hardware that you showed in the picture. I like the idea of using the 4 rubberized hangers and using them. Try it and then go from their. That is part of the fun... try something, see if it works, revisit and work on it until you figure it out. Work it Bud, have fun... and I do like the bike...
I think this is the best solution - carry the battery in a backpack and just run a heavy duty connector to the batteries cables.
So, if we're talking about CG, if the fuel in the tank weighs in at 30 to 36 Lbs (gasoline weighs about 6 to 6.8 Lbs/gal depending on temp), does an airhead handle better on an empty tank or a full one? That's a huge difference in weight distribution. To be honest, I never thought about it before.
Less weight is always better. What weight there is is best kept as close to the pitch axis as possible. Honda engineers put their GP tanks beneath the engine. That moved the weight further from the pitch axis than is was to start with. They figured it out pretty quick and moved the tank back to where it was. Nowadays a lot of tanks store fuel right at the pitch axis and they use the area where tanks use to be for an airbox. Newer bikes have had a lot of the high weight lowered and a lot of the lower weight raised. It is not about low CG. It's about centralized CG. Low CG is for cars.
You guys are getting away from the fun of building something that is yours, how cool something looks to you. Who care about CG our how big your butt is and how it makes your bike handle. Go build something of your own or go for a ride
No kidding... I'm not crazy about that 'battery-under-the-bike' trick for several reasons but if someone wants to do it, why not? Aint my bike and once I've seen it, I probably won't have to see it again for a long time! Modified bikes are kinda like the fine arts and phornography. We all kinda know each of those things when we see them but the difference between art and phornography can still be pretty foggy. The difference between a tasty Cafe/Moded bike and what might be called "an abomination" are similar but please don't forget the eye of the beholder! I've been around here for long enough now that I can frequently predict what some of you will say during some discussions and because the reverse is also probably true, more and more I just read the threads and move on. It saves everyone a lot of time and probably a little angst along the way!
For those of us who have dropped a bike on the odd occasion Looking back it's only ever been at a near stand still and when the tank was full. Kinda says something regards handing and confirms 'SS's' comment about CoG & Moment of Weight distribution. Perfect world I suppose we'd all be running baffled HPN GS tanks and only filling them 1/3. That said; the cafe in this thread isn't about weight distribution, or 'correct' anything, other than how the owner wants it to look. Do your own thing and suck it and see. One more basket case airhead back on the road... Well done & good luck. ____________________ "The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory" (Joe Garcia) Check us out on facebook at "BMW Airheads Downunder", (The Australia and New Zealand Airhead Community). "B.A.D" http://www.facebook.com/groups/anzairheads/
Please don't give the already confused guy any ideas 'Biebs' ....... While I wasn't actually suggesting a battery in the back pack, I have heard of some cafe 'artisans' doing exactly that with ultra small Li batteries in their seat strapped lunch bags. 'Sick' I know, but there's just no limits to where some folk will go ____________________ "The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory" (Joe Garcia) Check us out on facebook at "BMW Airheads Downunder", (The Australia and New Zealand Airhead Community). "B.A.D" http://www.facebook.com/groups/anzairheads/
now i know why the bike i'm riding always out handles everything else it's my cg ie my huge arse and i thought i was just a better rider than everybody else. just in fun.
Don't get me wrong. I am all for doing whatever you want to your own bike. I am hopefully just stopping someone from doing it for the wrong reasons. Because you just want to makes sense to me. Doing it to make your bike perform better doesn't. To me the whole point of a 'cafe' bike is to make it racier. Who cares how it makes your bike handle? I do for one but I like to haul ass on my airheads. Now THAT'S a challenge! Building stuff just for looks? That's what modsters do. Modsters and bikers. Although I am a huge fan of certain scooter chics, I say NEIN DANKE to rest of those two crowds. Looks are all too easy IMO. Look around at who is doing it for looks. Doesn't that tell you something? Well, at least with the motorcycle riding part of my joke. Polishing numbs the mind. Making it WORK is a worthy challenge!
So you Modsters with a large arse be careful on how you mod your bikes it might not be safe or politically correct
Bikes? Modsters ride scooters. What bikes are safe or politically correct? The closest I can think of is a Honda Pathetic Coast but they still have just two wheels.
No reason why a Cafe Bike can't be designed to handle as good, if not better than original. Clip-ons and rearsets, in my experience,improve the rider's ability to control the bike... if set up properly. Strip down the seat and fenders and it qualifies as a "Cafe". No need to be a basket case. Slinging the battery underneath is certainly a better option than putting it under the rear seat hump as far as CG goes. Of course with the tiny little LI batteries now available, I'd be trying to put it under the tank by modifying the top cover or.....replace your diode board with a remote rectifier, cut the top of the front cover off, and mount the little 2 lb battery there. Talk about short cables.
Now we're talkin'! How about replacing the diode board with the battery. That seems like a good place for the weight?
