As I mentioned in my last post, we replaced Smutyanka’s air intake hoses today. This was our third, and finally successful, try. Our first attempt was with aircraft hose, which was too big (2in, when our diameter is 1.75in). Then, we bought rubber hosing (rated to the proper temperature) that was the right diameter, but it was too stiff and ended up crimping instead of curving. Marc was feeling somewhat at the end of his rope as to what to do about these hoses, when he suddenly had a breakthrough idea last night while I was out buying groceries: combine the two! Let me explain:
This is the original hose. Note how it is cracked and stiff-looking. We had already removed the pipe-clamps at this point.
Here's what the carburetor and air filter intake look like without the hose. The air filter actually has a manual override for the choke on it! It's that little tab on the hole on the right, and it's pretty nuts.
Marc decided to wedge a section of the smaller but stiffer rubber hose *inside* the larger, flexible aircraft hose at each end. It was a tight fit, but it's extremely secure.
Then he made sure that when cinched down with a pipe clamp, it doesn't crease. All clear!
Ta-da! Franken-hose!
Attaching the hose to the air filter first.
Man-handling the hose until it properly fits over the carburetor.
The new hose, properly clamped down around the two openings. Success!
Now onto hose #2!
The righthand-side hose is a little more difficult. The engine isn't 100% symmetrical, and so the carb is further forward than on the left, and the air filter opening is higher as well, meaning a longer hose is need, which also means there will be more tension on the hose.
The original righthand-side hose. Note the more extreme angle.
Whee mold!
Trying to wrench the hose into place.
More fussing. This one was really stubborn.
Ta-da! More curves than a Swiss mountain road, but it works!
Very industrial look. It fits in well!
Yeah. Unfortunately, our carbs are out of production, and thus so are the hoses for them, so we had to improvise.
[...] while Marc was running back to our apartment to get another section of hose for yesterday’s air intake hose project, I set the camera on the bike seat and took a couple of me resting in the sidecar. When I got [...]
Dear Kelsey:
I have to tell you how impressed I am with your perseverence. I get aggravated when I have to wait three days for the local BMW dealer to get something for me. Yet here you folks are out beating the bushes to find any combination of hardware to keep the bike running. I thought thios chapter was going to end with you guys getting what yuu needed from a washing machine repair shop.
I’m glad it had a happy ending though.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
http://jackriepe.blogspot.com/
Kelsey,
You & Mark have the right idea with this bike. I firmly believe that this is an example of primitive engineering at its best. As with so many pieces of equipment found in (and designed for) difficult, remote, economically deprived places on Earth, creativity is assumed. I’ve witnessed a Korean driver repair a vehicle tire with a bit of plastic raincoat and a wad of chewing gum. In Italy, after WWII, a few of the improvisations I saw were using a roll of bathroom tissue as an oil filter insert, rigging an exhaust pipe patch from a drink can, linkages fashioned from fence wire, any number of various parts from several models of vehicles from different countries, etc.
I’ve not been to Russia or the Soviet Union, but judging from some of the places that I have been (including remote areas of the USA, Mexico, and Canada) ingenuity is unlimited. The Russians seem to have a very practical perspective on problem solving.
In weightlessness, a fountain or normal ballpoint pen won’t work because gravity is required to move the ink to the nib. Changes in pressure can cause leakage or malfunction as well. That was the problem facing space exploration efforts early on.
The USA solution was to redesign the instrument to have a pressurized ink supply cartridge to drive the ink toward the nib. While developing the new instrument, the ink was also changed to flow more smoothly and formulated to write underwater and through grease! The cost of the R&D was about 1 million USD.
The Russians switched to indelible pencils; R&D costs, negligible.