The Revolution RV 100 is based on what Martin refers to as a Parallel Plate Frame design, which is not unlike the stationary industrial machines that he makes in his day job. The idea of doing this with a motorcycle intrigued Martin as he felt it offered a lot of advantages as far as packaging and the ability to change the geometry of the design easily and quickly. “I use a lot of the same design techniques for designing industrial equipment. I’d been kicking this idea around enough, I thought I’d put it into hardware and send it up as a trial balloon to see what the reaction would be,” said Martin.
Punching the numbers into a CAD/CAM program gave Martin the go ahead to start the actual build using 3/8” thick fiberglass sheets for his sideplates which were cut out by water jet. This is not like monocoque construction where the fabricated shell carries the stress and parts are attached to it but is two parallel plates outside the drivetrain and are connected by different machined elements. “There’s a series of hard points on the sideplates where hardware goes through it with stand-offs connecting the two plates and bolted together,” said Martin. “Below the engine there’s a machined steel sub-frame that carries the engine and transmission and it also has the integral standoffs that span thetwo plates. Where the forks attach to the bike, there are two CNC machined fork yokes that carry the bearings and allow the forks to be mounted.” The lack of a downtube allows the front wheel to be tucked in for a wheelbase of only 59”. Martin said,” One of the things I really didn’t take advantage of was the elimination of a lot of the tubing between the engine and the transmission. I could’ve moved the transmission in closer to the engine because there was really nothing in between them that would’ve prevented that.” That’s all just part of what makes this design interesting as making adjustments like this along with geometry changes involves programming the cutting tools, whacking it out of stock, and bolting it back together.
Gas and oil are contained in a single steel tank, which Marin cut on a laser and welded up, and are not part of the structure, just containers for engine liquids. The view over the backbone is Martin’s favorite,” From certain angles I don’t like the way it looks. I don’t like the fiberglass plates coming down in front of the engine for instance. I’ve done some things to make it look less tank-like in other designs I’m working on.”
Revolution Motorcycles RV100 can be considered a work in progress that not only thinks outside the box, but could be the box you use to mount your parts inside of. Martin’s eagerly awaiting your reaction to it, so let us know what you think.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #66, December 2008.
Builder: Martin O’Toole
Revolution Motorcycles
Martin O’Toole, owner of Revolution Motorcycles in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is not your typical hardcore builder who lives, breathes, and eats American V-twins. Matter of fact, this is the first motorcycle he’s been involved with since his college years when he rode motorcycles he could buy on a student’s meager budget and loved them for that. “I do PLC programming for industrial machines for use in plants. I don’t know if I got tired of building things that just sat there,” said Martin. “I’ve always had an interest in motorcycles and when I was approached about this project, yeah I kind of took to it.” He’s straightforward about this being strictly a design study and how he would do things differently if this goes further, “I’ve been going through the numbers and if I did it again, I’d make it out of ¼” thick aluminum plates for a significant weight savings.” As far as public reaction to this design so far, he said,” Some people know what they’re looking at, some don’t. People either love or hate it. It’s a mixed reaction.” So where’s it going? “I’m talking with some people right now, but nobody’s in a hurry,” said Martin. Check out www.revmoco.com for more info.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
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Owner: | Martin O’Toole |
Year / Make: | 2006 RV 100 |
Fabrication/ Assembly: | Revolution Motorcycles |
Build time: | One month |
Engine: | 80″ H-D Evo |
Cases/ Flywheels: | Stock H-D |
Rods/ Pistons: | Stock H-D |
Cylinders/ Pistons: | Stock H-D |
Cam: | Stock H-D |
Pipes: | Revolution Motorcycles |
Air Cleaner: | Stock H-D |
Transmission: | 5-speed H-D |
Primary/ Clutch: | Stock H-D |
Frame: | Revolution Parallel Plate |
Rake: | 25-degrees |
Forks: | 37mm leading axle air assist |
Rear Suspension: | Revolution swingarm |
Wheels: | Honda CB900 |
Front Tire: | 120/90×18 Dunlop |
Rear Tire: | 140/70×16 Dunlop |
Front Brakes: | dual 2-piston/276mm disc |
Rear Brake: | 2-piston/ 276mm disc |
Fuel Tank: | 5-gallon Revolution |
Oil Tank: | Revolution |
Handlebars: | Revolution |
Headlight: | Swap meet |
Taillight: | Accessory |
Hand Controls: | Yes |
Grips: | Check ’em out |
Foot Controls: | Revolution |
Painter: | Revolution |
Color: | Charcoal gray/black |
Graphics: | Revolution |
Seat: | Revolution |
Special thanks to: | BID Automation Inc. |