Windscreen and heaters VW trikes

[ea81slush]

Experimenting with sub-windscreens seems an endless excercise for me but I'm getting there.

I recently had lower fairings that I made myself by bending 6mm perspex with a heat gun. the unit would move forward and up as the brake pedal was operated. But it was making a bit too much drag.

When I thought of a heater up front I thought that if I could allow forced air to pass through to my legs and regulate the heat of such air...then that would be a better plan.

So a second radiator has been ordered for a Kawasaki kz250f on ebay (2 sections and its the one without a radiator cap). The two radiators will be mounted vertically just ahead of my lower legs. and heat us both.

So when this has been done I'll post some pics.

you can see the lower fairing here



and this is fair game



oh yeh!!!!



now where was I?

[frankentrike]

Attachment 4648more of a suggestion really than a practical item.not much of an effect on the wind that i can tell,although it looks good.

[ea81slush]

A few pics below depicting Tweety's new heater/leg warmer.

I used two Kawasaki radiators (ebay) and plumbed them in series. Test ride was very encouraging. I need to plan some defectors so some hot air is pointed upwards but our legs should be really warm in winter. And thats with an 82 degree thermostat....if needed can replace with the 88 degree one I took out.

On the test ride the temperature remained at 76 degrees. Think it will work perfectly even towing in hot days to be problem free.

I know I need to wash Tweety!!!

Both have rock screens made from one section of gutter guard from Bunnings and trimmed with very small door trim (cant recall the name) that has rubber on one side.

[ea81slush]

I've fiddled and farted over my heater radiators for too long. I had them horizontal then on the brake pedal etc etc. Today I finalised my decision.

They wouldnt be mounted on the brake pedal after all. Just behind it was ideal.



This pic depicts the radiators with the gutter guard protection. Goog bug catcher too as I found out and better to catch them before they hit the fins. And can you find in the picture a sheet of roof capping???



yes, used to divide the air to each radiator.

Now my legs are very warm. If I want to avoid the hot air all I have to do is move them out of that airstream further.



Couple of strips of alloy flat and I'm happy with the result.

[ea81slush]

I decided to attach vents on the hot side of these radiators. To direct the hot air to ground when its hot weather.

Finished the vent for the heaters tonight. They are made from floor vents.



The vents closed



Vents open



Holes at the bottom allow heat to go to ground when doors closed.

[rmrc51]

Very impressive setup up! (I meant the heater, not the girl.. Yeah right,, I really meant the both of them, lol)

[ea81slush]

Yeh, the girl. Didnt get her name...didnt want her hanging around em while I was drooling.

[ea81slush]

gutter guard (leaf stopper) and red paint on vents

[ea81slush]

"Moving forward"...achieving, etc. words to describe a sense of value from a project.

But when you search high and low to find material to help complete a project and find it in the most unusual places, that sense of achievement is doubled.

Tweety is full of bits and pieces sourced from the internet, the air vents from boating accessory sites where stainless steel items abound. Yesterday I had a problem with making a heater box. The Alfa radiator had been mounted on the front -



With two 12 inch thermatic fans behind the radiator when they go on they just about blast me off my seat! Not so good for my legs in summer. So heater boxes to direct the heat are required. I'd already carried out the task when I had two motorcycle radiators up front but I wasnt happy with the end result in regards to the overall cooling system. When a mild to warm day arrived the thermo fans would come on under the passenger seat where the Alfa radiator was located. cruising at 100kph with fans coming on. Not ideal.

Scouting around my shed for a square shaped item that would make a nice heater box each side of the fuel tank I looked into my large rubbish bin to find a mini suitcase container that a large angle grinder came in.

Made from double plastic I tested the material with a heat gun. It took an amazing amount of heat to even just bend it let alone melt it. Far in excess of what forced hot air from a boiling radiaotr would produced I guessed.

This is a picture of the case without the lid. Its the lid I used.



The angle grinder had gone to heaven, a cheap unit that was dropped.

4 hours later...



The floor vents that I'd previously used on the motorcycle radiators were reused but shortened in height. A small vent is on top of each heater box. At idle if the windscreen fogs up some hot air might assist this situation besides, some air has to escape and not be trapped on top of the fans. I learned a while ago to direct forced air rather than control it, if you get my meaning. Efficiency of the cooling system is paramount. When the vents are closed there must be sufficient gaps to the air to escape.

In this case hot air can exit via those small top vents and under the unit finding its way under the trike.




I get a real buzz when I complete a project like this when no money is spent and trash to the dump is reduced.