Here’s a project that’s different, it’s the Zeppelin, Harley Davidson WR powered, hub center steering, board track racer. It’s the work of Roel van der Heide, a retired Dutch steelworker, who has been building the Chiqane series of motorcycles where he developed his hub center steering design.
After the article announcing that ISR was offering a hub center steering kit, Roel van der Heide left a comment about his hub center design, and then he contacted me about his latest project, called the Zeppelin Boardtracker. His Chiqane motorcyles, built in the late 1990s and early 2000s, were ridden by Alan Cathcart who was very impressed with the latest version and they seem to work quite well.
Jump ahead to the present and Roel is working on this design, powered by a WL 750 engine upgraded to a WR with a Mikuni carburetor and a 4 speed BSA gearbox, a Norton primary shaft and Norton dry clutch plus a home made belt driven primary, home made chassis and components, and all based on the Chiqane system.
Roel is not only working on this bike but is also planning to open Zeppelin Works, where he will be offering this Zeppelin boardtracker as a custom motorcycle with various options for engines, gearboxes and wheels. All, however, will be built with his unique hub center steered front end.
If this boardtracker handles as well as the Chiqane motorcycles evidently do, this could be very interesting, and as a custom motorcycle offering, it’s not something you see everyday.
Link: Zeppelin Works
Phoebe says
That looks awesome. I look forward to seeing the finished product.
nortley says
A fine looking concept but the spring/shock assemblies are too modern looking for the other parts. Maybe carbon fiber leaf springs and rotary action shocks built to look like friction dampers would tie the look together into one era.
Billy Pilgrim says
I agree with Nortley. The caption referring to “boardtracker steering” makes no sense. Pretty exotic suspension for a 20 HP sidevalve motor.
kneeslider says
@Billy Pilgrim: The caption was referring to the view of the steering, not as a type of steering, I changed it to “steering linkage closeup.”
Hugo says
nortley…sounds like a good plan. A carbon leaf spring and a rotary damper. Actually sachs made a rotary damper for Ferrari’s F1 car: http://www.zf.com/media/media/img/corporate/products/motorsport/f1_news/b1_zoom_rotationsdaempfer_formel1_zf.jpg
so combined with a carbon leaf spring you would have top notch suspension with a vintage look…
todd says
it would be cool if all the joints were brazed.
-todd
Rich says
I would suggest having a mechanical engineer take a look at the design. As it is, he is feeding bending loads from the control arms into the twin down tubes. I don’t think that’s prudent.
Cheers,
Rich
BoxerFanatic says
This one really does look like an overly complicated, predecessor to the Hossack suspension we were just discussing on the Harrier article.
This required three suspension arms, the lower two connected to a non-steering upgright, the upper having a ball-joint for the steering armature.
Combine the upright with the steering drop link, have two ball-jointed a-arms, and you pretty much have the Hossack design, with only 2 control arms, a similar coil-over damper. and a similar collapsing steering linkage to separate the steering handle bars from the suspension compression action.
Again, the wheel hub would be much simpler, with fewer precision parts, fewer clearances, and fewer parts in general.
But it is cool to see these things. Someone put a lot of thought into these things, and it is nice to see them.
Chris says
“You who do not appreciate this bike, or the looks of it, does not understand
the core of motorcycling, motorcycle technology or design of motorcycles.
Get a Harley engine and follow the given path of what is already in fashion
of bike builders and you are “home safe”.”
-Kneeslider commenting on the Harrier design
I chuckled because this machine uses a harley engine and the hub steering design.
—
Chris, my comments are signed kneeslider, see below – Paul – The real editor – I changed his pseudonym to make sure the mistake was not made again
BoxerFanatic says
@ Rich…
Good point… it does occur to me that if they located the damper on one of the lower swing arms, it would act more directly… and the steering linkage could be rotated 180 degrees, and fold inward toward the center of the bike.
I also kind of wonder what benefit four rear suspension links provide… is there really a need for rear uprights, and that sort of geometry control for a single wheel that just goes up and down?
This seems to be function for the sake of form… but interesting to look at and think about.
Simon says
I think the rear suspension design separates all forces acting on the rear, so the rear drive doesn’t influence the spring.
Rear suspension like this is more common on fully sprung mountain bikes, so you don’t use muscle to compress the rear spring. It’s also common on shaft-drive motorcycles to counter the effect of the rising rear when accelerating.
kneeslider says
@Chris: “You who do not appreciate this bike … etc.,” that was a comment left by someone else using the name “The Editor” and as you can see on this comment, that is not me. I changed his pseudonym to “a reader” to make sure the mistake is not made by anyone else.
Bolleke says
Power is nothing wihtout control thats wat it is al about it
SteveH says
What an interesting concept! And so appropriate for the motion control system I designed, patented and prototyped over the last ten years (U.S. patent #5,979,163). As a penniless gadgeteer, my efforts to bring it to market failed and I ran out of resources. One of my primary design exercises was application of this system to a sporting road motorcycle that utilized much the same configuration but also included critical hydraulic steering. I explored hydraulic two-wheel drive among other alternative drivelines. Also, an engine poppet valvetrain system that is variable-time, mechanical actuation, step-less and enables reduced valvehead height up to 50% – which also enables higher valve speeds with no clearance adjustment requirements. My research shows that these concepts are unique. It seems that someone out there in Kneesliderland might be interested in viewing my simple AutoCad drawings, which I am glad to share…
Paulinator says
I seem to remember that Chevy Vega cars had four-bar rear suspension linkages that carried a live axle. They had awful wheel-hop with minimal power. I don’t know what this set-up will do – but I’m curious.
p.s. You should build the bike out of Duralmin girders and goldbeater’s skin, then fuel it with Blaugas.
The other Larry says
How convenient for him to be so close to Amsterdam for that good dope he must be smokin’!
Bob says
Cool! I like the mash-up of modern and vintage (although Nessie and the Ner-a-car weren’t all that modern)… sort of like steam punk. It would look nicer if the suspension arms look more like iron castings from the turn of the last century. To my eye a boardtracker needs a single top tube running over the fuel tank. The downward scallop at the aft end of the tank doesn’t look like old school board trackers.
@Rich The down tubes could use some reinforcement, but, in this arrangement, the suspension arms just react fore-aft load… just braking with the majority going into the lower arm, near to the bend in the tube and the lower frame tubes that carry that fore-aft load.
@BoxerFanatic The parallel arms for the rear suspension were used on racing MV Agustas from back in the day and on Arturo Magni’s customs bikes. Braking loads that would impart a torque on a swing arm get coupled out as a pair of fore-aft loads in the each suspension arm. Also it also reduces the tendency for the rear end to jack up under acceleration from chain tension.
Bob says
Oh btw on the subject of retro hub-centered steering bikes… does anyone know anything about this bike:
Bob says
one more time:
http://s338.photobucket.com/albums/n432/vonsontag/?action=view¤t=3364234381_327660f83b_o.jpg
Pher says
Bob, no I don’t but it looks REALLY interesting.
I’m not sure about the loading in the boardtracker concept, but I LOVE how the design is carried over to the back end. Put a different engine in it, and I’d be all over it. As it is now, the parts don’t seem to mesh very well.
FREEMAN says
Interesting render. There’s something about it that just doesn’t look right though. The headlamp and rear fender look small and the tank and handlebars look enormous. Both the rear and front suspension look really heavy, too. Any chance of seeing it from different angles?
coho says
I like it. I like it a lot.
I like the Chiquane, too. That’s a fine looking machine. And I if Alan Cathcart liked it, that probably means that Roel knows a thing or two about swingarms and steering linkages.
I think it needs a boxer, though. In my head it looks right that way.
Matt S. says
How about someone putting a linkage style springer fork on a Hayabusa?Now that would be cool!Just kidding.To each his own I guess.
WRXr says
What makes this a board track racer…as opposed to a cruiser?
Ola says
FREEMAN:
If you look at pics of vintage board trackers, they kind of have the same looking tank and handlebars, so I just see it as a homage to that particular style, only exaggerated slightly.
FREEMAN says
@ Ola:
I took a look. Now it looks even worse. Many of the ones I checked out looked like bicycles with twin engines and single tube, triangular frames. Some even had pedals. Most didn’t have a suspension of any kind, unless I guess you count the springs under the seat. Oh well. It’s a nice render, just looks more like a war tank than a board track racer to me.
kneeslider says
@FREEMAN and WRXr: Whether this is called a board track racer or a custom motorcycle or any other name is besides the point, the hub center steering designed by the builder is what sets it apart. When you look at it, come up with your own name of choice and then forget it, concentrate on what the build represents in terms of the builder’s initiative, design skills and record of building other motorcycles using this technology.
He has, since this post appeared, sent me another drawing, a bit different, but also using this front suspension. It’s what he’s planning to build, and his past record already shows, he is a builder, not just someone who comes up with sketches or renders after which he stops, this guy actually builds his ideas.
FREEMAN says
@ thekneeslider:
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to demean the builder or his design. I meant no disrespect.
smithmotorwheel says
This is why I love custom motorcycles. There is no right or wrong and no end to what you can do. The flathead power in the high-tech (functionally) frame is an awesome contrast.
I look forward to seeing the latest drawings of Mr. Van der Heide’s creation.
Scotduke says
It’s a fascinating design study and I’m sure when he builds it, there will be plenty of interest. But with this engine (26hp) it’s a novelty and more for looking at than riding. The buyer would probably need a deep pocket for a bike that wouldn’t be ridden often. The Harley sidevalve engines have their appeal and I see a few on Sunday runs from time to time but as for powering a bike to ride more regularly, a 50 year old sidevalve isn’t going to cut it. Put a more modern engine in and it’d probably have greater sales appeal.
metric mofo says
stuff like this cracks me up. the engineering seems to be pretty intricate and i congratulate the designer. i like the idea of it, but the aesthetics don’t work.
i am no mechanical engineer, but my count is 7 pivot points on the front end. really? that’s quite a lot for such an old school motor and overall bike design. it’s got a very nice and relatively simple frame but all the trellis action front and back looks incongruent to the middle of the bike.
smithmotorwheel says
Who said this would be a stock flathead?
Tucker Mclean says
This is one wicked design. I dont know if it will work, but i like it. It looks uncomfortable to ride, but if i got it for free i would ride it. i bet it will catch everyone’s eye going down the road.
jim dorey says
personally… i say the front looks like difazio with lots of ‘things’ stuck on, but the rear is pretty interesting, it’d prevent chain length problems. heck, i think lots of people have designed their own hub centre steering system, i’ve designed several myself, it’s hard.