CT hauler / carrier done

govsux

Member
I got my hauler complete. The only thing I might add is a way to connect my small trailer so I can carry the CT and my small trailer at the same time. This was my first project with my new Mig welder. I go up north a lot in the summer with my beater station wagon and it will be nice to take the CT with me without burning up the space in the vehicle plus I can leave on the turn signals ect.

Anyway... just thought I post the pics. Can't wait for spring!
RK
 
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barry3308

Member
I'm an auto appraiser. All I can think about is someone rearending you and destroying your beautiful bike.

Seriously, though, nice work! You will turn alot of heads going down the road, too!
 

ckyle29

Member
Very nice. I've been thinking about making the same kind of thing. One thing I might change is your strapping point. Rule of thumb when using tie-down straps is never let them touch painted surfaces. No matter how tight the straps are, they still move around in the wind when you are going down the road and will quickly mess up your paint. You also have no backup if the strap breaks or comes loose.

I would run imaginary lines down each front fork and down each rear spring to the point where it intersects your bottom rail, then weld strapping mounts at those four points. Then I would use four straps (on for each side), hooked to the handlebars up front and the shock mounts or the luggage rack in the rear. This way no paint damage and if a strap breaks or comes loose, which they have been known to do, you still have three more holding the bike securely in place. Just my thoughts.

Still, a very nice setup.
 
Only problem I see with this carrier is someone paying too much :eek: attention to a very sweet Topaz Orange Minitrail and kissing it with their frontend of there vehicle!!!! OUCH :eek: Good Luck
 

MSZ

Moderator
Very nice. I've been thinking about making the same kind of thing. One thing I might change is your strapping point. Rule of thumb when using tie-down straps is never let them touch painted surfaces. No matter how tight the straps are, they still move around in the wind when you are going down the road and will quickly mess up your paint. You also have no backup if the strap breaks or comes loose.

I would run imaginary lines down each front fork and down each rear spring to the point where it intersects your bottom rail, then weld strapping mounts at those four points. Then I would use four straps (on for each side), hooked to the handlebars up front and the shock mounts or the luggage rack in the rear. This way no paint damage and if a strap breaks or comes loose, which they have been known to do, you still have three more holding the bike securely in place. Just my thoughts.

Still, a very nice setup.

This is my concern as well. The bottom of the engine guard is going to get hammered as well as the tube from the stresses of road travel.

I'd have 4 tie downs on the bike, 2 in the front, and 2 in the rear and let the suspension take some of the stress rather then the frame and rock guard itself.

My hat goes off to the builder, as those puppies are expensive to buy and the work looks excellent.
 

govsux

Member
Thanks for the input guys. I do have more than one strap on when using it. I agree I should have some back up!!!! I don't love it on the paint either your right. Maybe I will use 4 straps and or a shami to protect the paint.

PE I do not have to pull the straps very tight so I think the frame wll be ok... but I know what you mean. A little 'give' would be nice.

If someone runs into me I will have to take a long deep breath before I get out of the car!!!!!!!!
 
Govsux,
Where did you get those mirrors? I want to get some for my 74, and they look pretty good! :) since I WILL be cruising around town this summer I want to know what is behind me....:p
Also on a different note does your "screen name/handle" mean something about Gov. Granholm? I heard she sux's. I was originally from Northern Michigan until 2002 when we moved out west due to Michigans "enriching" economy...not.
Let me know about those mirrors,
Thanks Brian
 

govsux

Member
Hi Brian... One of the mirrors is stock the other one I had to buy. got it at dratv.com.

Yes the govsux is in reference to my general feeling towards government. Inept on a good day. I had to come up with a email name the same day I was doing my taxes. I'm self employed so that's kinda how that happened. ha It is bad here in Michigan. I just learned of yet another good friend losing his job of 15 years. The 350 jobs are moving to Ohio. Here in the great state of Mi [which is the only state in the country that has been in recession] what did Lansing do? ...... they just increased business taxes. Opps did I say increase taxes... I meant to say 'invest in our children' grrrr don't even et me going! haha

Rick
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
The best clamping points are the tires. There just aren't many places to secure these little bikes without damage. Your design looks to be well-executed and easily modified. I'd add a couple of .250" plates, cut to more-or-less match the front tire sidewalls. Attach them with two carriage bolts (using wingnuts) through the siderails at the bottom and add one at the top of the tire to get even clamping force and the front is secured for less than $20 in materials. At least Metal Superkarket is closeby;) For the rear tire, a ratchet strap should suffice and it should be dead-simple to add a couple of attaching points. I'd move the exisitng ratchet strap from its current location to the seat, with a couple of thicknesses of rebond carpet padding to absorb the friction. That will solve the paint contact issue. With the wheels securely clamped in place, it'd only be a backup anyway.

The bumper location makes me cringe. MI law requires that drivers be yakking away on the cell phone, applying makeup, eating and scratching their nether regions at all times while driving:eek: Don't get me wrong, that's some very nice workmanship on your part. It's the road-going brain donors I don't trust.
 

govsux

Member
You mean like this? Thanks for the ideas.. I did add a pair of bolts for a plate. Sure as heck a trooper might pull me over without that.

Yea people drive horrible no doubt. I will not be in city traffic much. I have never been rear ended. I have taken the medium to avoid it a few times! But Murphy's law says now I will ...:eek: I swear I watch my rear view as much as out front! Maybe I should have a fake pair of sticks of dynamite on the back!! ha
RK
 
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govsux

Member
RX do you share PE concern with damage to the frame? I do understand that those straps can be way overdone. It is supported very evenly as you can see. Seems like as long as I don't over-do the straps the actual support from starts and braking should not be that hard on the frame..
RK
 
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69ST

Well-Known Member
The slickest wheel clamping arrangement (from my uniquely warped perspective) locks the wheels but leaves the bike's suspension completely free. The clamping force should be applied to the tires to avoid damage. I can understand the appeal of a rigid bracing point under the engine, but you really should think of a CT70 in terms of unibody construction. That means that the design, while very strong & light, has weak points. You wouldn't flatbed a car with a jackstand placed tightly beneath the engine and the suspension at the top of its travel, for obvious reasons. Nor would you attempt to lift a car using the floorpan, or transmission, as a lifting point. Likewise, these bikes are designed to take all loading through the wheels only. Yes, I agree with Dan that the rigid support point beneath the engine will be rough on the engine guard & engine cases. Will it fatally damage the bike? probably not. However, consider that the engine & frame take will the full hit of any vertical motion with the suspension removed from the system. Also, the frame is not designed to asbsorb shock loading from below.

When clamping the tires in place, working room becomes the deciding factor. That's why I recommend using the front wheel as the main clamping point; you can cradle the tire above and well below the centerline, preventing any wheel rotation and vertical movement. Configure the crude "vise jaws" to roughly resemble the letter "K", with the upper left section missing. Long carriage bolts go in the upper right and two lower points. With the lower front bolt firmly against the tire tread, the wheel is positively located fore & aft. Locate the upper RH bolt above the wheel centerline, such that it takes a bit of force to pivot the vise jaw into place to insert the bottom LH bolt and the wheel is locked into place vertically & horizontally. (This is described from the RH side of the bike. Obviously, the LH side would be a mirror image).

Clamping the rear wheel is more difficult, there's little working room. Your redlined concept should be very workable, though you may have to do some complicated trimming to clear the sprocket, chain & rear brake setup. That doesn't address vertical wheel retention and there's no easy way to locate a long bolt above the centerline of the rear wheel. For that, I'd use a ratchet strap over the tire tread. The tires are a nice failsafe in that the bike will be securely retained long before too much force is applied and the suspension takes all of the shock loading as you go down the road. This setup borders on overkill, you might be surprised at just how stable the bike is with the front wheel locked in place alone, but you still have to consider the black & white tax collectors. For that, I'd retain the ratchet strap you have over the frame but relocate it over the seat with extra some padding, and loosely (just tight enough to keep it from flailing around at speed), much like a trailer safety chain. An expansion spring, located on the leading edge of your carrier (where it can't be seen while driving), would allow your ratchet strap to have some "give", without compromising safety or legalities.

I hope this doesn't come across as suggesting that you reinvent the wheel. Your basic design is 85% of the way there, as-is. Adding four movable steel plates, five carriage bolts and eliminating the under-engine platform is what's involved. Best, I think, to do the work at the beginning and enjoy the fruits of the effort for years to come. Survivor bikes in that condition aren't easy to find.
 

clubford00

Member
One thing i did with my dirt bike might work in this case as well. Since you have the basic structure already there, heres my 2c.
What i did was get a long bolt with a BIG washer on it, drop it through the footpeg and down through the hole in your carrier frame, put another large washer and nut on the bottom and sinch it up. now its contained and its a very clean application. I did use a strap over it as a backup but the main containment was the bolts on either side through the pegs.
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
...get a long bolt with a BIG washer on it, drop it through the footpeg and down through the hole in your carrier frame,...



It's not possible to use through-bolts, as described, with CT70 footpegs of this vintage...they're solid.
 

govsux

Member
Thanks for the tips and they are not taken the wrong way at all. I will definitely add to / change a few things and post some pics when I'm done.

It's getting warmer outside!!!!!!:D
RK
 
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