11. Fish & Chips
After the rebore and all of the mechanical improvements to my standard 1978 748cc, 63hp Suzuki GS750 the next stage was to transform it into a futuristic motorcycle. This crazy project created a custom home made deep metallic blue fibreglass fairing measuring 7 feet long by 3 feet wide by 4 feet high, and a home designed and built computer that included all normal dash controls as well as acceleration timeout for 0-60mph, 0-100mph and standing start quarter mile. In its final form (below) it boasted LED lights, a solar cell trickle charger, and 4 magnetically levitated quartz halogen headlamps, and was on the road in the UK in 1992.
'Fish & Chips' is a reference to the full page spread it got in the 10th January 1996 issue of UK publication Motor Cycle News (MCN). On hearing my description of the shark gill-like cooling inlets at the front and that I had installed my own computerised dash, they ran the article under that title.
Below is the story of its construction and development.
It began when I attended the 15th October 1988 Earl's Court Motorcycle Show and discovered Suzuki's Nuda, a futuristic concept bike with a single-sided hub centre steered hydraulic drive, and a seat that extended up across the fuel tank. The smooth contours are noticeably similar to the later 1400cc Suzuki Hayabusa which was partly influenced by it. Ahead of its time, it also incorporated a carbon fibre monocoque body and it was powered by a Suzuki GSX-R750 engine, a bike I had always dreamed of owning.
I drooled over it, but there was no way I could afford it (I think the cost was around £100k), more info here: http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/suzu/suzuki_nudi.htm
I realised the only way I would get one would be if I made it myself, and I began to sketch a few thoughts. Like the Nuda, part of it would be conceptual to try out ideas and also like the Nuda, it was intended to be rideable.
I decided to build my own fibreglass fairing. I had never made anything from fibreglass, so read up all I could, and soon realised the impracticality of the above sketches - it would not be possible to make a single piece fairing that curved in circular fashion around the bike, because I would never be able to release it from its mould. Suzuki had in-house experience of carbon fibre but I was starting from scratch and I would have to compromise my design to ensure success: I had to simplify the contours so I could be sure of extracting it from the mould. The easiest way seemed to make a fairing for the top and another for the bottom; it might limit cornering clearance, but it should be manufacturable.
June 2020: I haven't had time to add this yet, so below are a few memorable snapshots from its development over time, including articles from a couple of UK bike journals. Motorcycle News was neutral but Performance Bikes hated it: they didn't seem to appreciate the difference between a concept vehicle and a race bike. However unlike most of their Reader's Specials, I did at least ride it to the studio.
Many more photos describing the entire project will follow, from frame and engine enhancements to the computer and of course the fairing.
At the bottom I've included the 2,400 line 80C31 Assembly Language program I wrote for the bike.
Above: 92hp, 0-60mph acceleration timed at 3.4 seconds.
Spec for 1978 GS750, says 63hp, 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds:
http://motoprofi.com/motospecspictures/suzuki/gs_750_e-1978.html
The file below is the complete 2,400 line Assembly Language code I wrote for the Intel 80C31 microcomputer based speedo and dash I designed and installed on the bike, see above photos.
ADD LOOKUP TABLES
This will eventually be described in detail in [Projects: LCD LED Auto Dash].