This will almost certainly turn out to be a lie. A Lengthy Insanity is my presumptive project. It could be the result for me as well. I am too busy to do this. (Or should be.)
It’s long and bizarre, which means it will be heavy, UNLESS I can figure out the aluminum TIG process, and be clever in the construction.
So to make this work, the fender is reinforced to be structural, and welded in.
Ultimately, my chances of becoming a proficient aluminum welder in the in the next few months are slim. It might be I take advantage of the “change the bike once rule” and switch the design to steel or change the design a lot.
Something that didn’t come through on this drawing is the filler panel between the top tube and the bottom (down) tube of the forward frame.
Without that panel welded in (or at least some portions of it as gusseting) this will be too flimsy. This will need to have some reinforcement around the shifter position, or the bottom bracket could be wobbly.
Maybe a structural chain guard . . .
I’ve shown this with some drag bars mounted on tall dogbones and a custom style Earls Fork. I didn’t draw the trees.
It’s rigid down to the eyes which mount the back of the front fender, And it bends back a bit to meet the tail of the fender.
That fender is the structural rocker/fork, and is sprung from the rigid tubes.
The thing about the Earl’s fork is it carries the weight down very low, as the suspension units are right at the axle.
Unfortunately they are traditionally ugly, which is why I though “a pretty one would be a challenge.”
I think this would be a lot of fun to build but I’m right in the middle of building a frame for a car, which I interrupted to change the clutch on my motorcycle, and my truck needs some work, so maybe next year. LoL
