Adventure bike?

[ON-RNR]

Thanks Tony. With retrovan confirming your memory I feel confident to use GL5 80 90.
The Gearbox and engine only hangs on three points? Two bolts on the back of the gearbox and on in front of the engine.
Only the two bolts on the gearbox would hold everything from turning sideways (left to right) during acceleration? This does not seem right.
Maybe I am wrong, when pulling of, what does the engine wants to do? In a normal back wheel drive vehicle the motor tends to lean to one side.
Today I am working on mounting the the drive train more securely so that I can accelerate with confidence.

[Dawie]

ON-RNR wrote: "Only the two bolts on the gearbox would hold everything from turning sideways (left to right) during acceleration?"

Torque output from a rear-engined VW drivetrain will try to lift the nosecone of the transmission. Front to back and not sideways.

Unlike a typical front-engine, rwd car, which will attempt to twist it's chassis sideways, in addition to the diff trying to also twist the rear leafsprings. (Propshaft counter-torque effects because then the diff assembly is not rigidly mounted to transmission casing).

By the way, how many wheels would your adventure bike have on the ground?

[ON-RNR]

On pull off two
In a turn two
On a straight gravel road anything to a maximum of four wheels.

[ON-RNR]

These worn out holes are responsible for keeping things together.


I have made a plate with holes the same size as the bolts, fit the bolts as well as the plate onto the gearbox and fit the gearbox back into place. Once this was done I tack welded this plate to the old one. Now the bolts fit snugly. Remove gearbox and do a proper weld on the new plate.

[ON-RNR]

Fitted all in place again, gearbox, engine and framework that support the back part of the engine to make the correct extra brackets to hold the engine and gearbox in place.
Once fitted and tack welded I wanted to remove gearbox but now the bolt, seen in pic, was to long to and I had to cut it of.

Now I have four angker points all with very little tolerances and this proves to be a tight fit. Not so easy for the co-pilot to swap the gearbox on the fly anymore!!
After fitting and removing the engine and gearbox a couple of times I should now be able to do this in the dark. Hope it found its final work place for the next couple of years?
Now the work starts on the cooling system? Hope that the radiator is still in working order?

[ON-RNR]

Right! This is not a quick fix. I was hoping to get this four wheel monster running.
I beginning to believe that nothing I bought was ever a family.
This is not a puzzle that has to be put together. To get the paddles to talk to the engine was a mission on its own.
This I have managed and now seem to work well.
Come to the drive shafts and they don’t fit. The cups on the gearbox is standard but the side shafts not. To manufacture these cups, I have been quoted R2200 each!
Asked around and found a guy that might have an old 1700 gearbox that was used in a race car. Hope I can get this gearbox for less then the four four I was quoted and that it has the right size cups.
The aeroplane was waiting and I had no time to give this guy a ring….

What needs to be done?
Bought a Donaldson air filter that needs to be fitted and joint to the air intake
Fuel tank needs to be cleaned brackets made to fit this inside.
Seats that is way to big needs to be fitted. (Very comfortable in line with the GSA the car mimic’s so like to keep them)
Roll cage need drastic attention to actually mean anything in a roll over as well as to the rigidity of the car. Also to serve as anker points for the 5 point safety belts.
Fuel management system which is still non existent.
A nice spry job that would help to make you think of a bike.……loony

C ya in two monts when the aeroplane brings me back with my harvest!!!