The point of no return
The point of cutting metal is the point of no return. It’s where the ideas meet steel and go from ideas on paper to forms in metal. The project has reached that point and Chris has once again broken the bike down after careful measurements to install the main components of the Christini AWD system that is being adapted to the Super Enduro.
Sparks fly, the factory finish is destroyed and there’s no going back to the pristine Super Enduro anymore. The first cuts are for the clearance of the AWD chain run which is a part designed by Cosentino to work with the Christini system. It’s tight integration. Next is the specially made jig created to ensure a perfect alignment of the gearbox to the headstock. Like any drive system, any misalignment compounds problems down the system so it’s essential to maintain precision to the thousands of an inch or tenths of a millimeter.
One of the misconceptions of bike building is that parts are “bolted” on and if your intention is to create a “look” and not a function then that might suffice. This build, one that reimagines the core of the machine, requires major changes to the structure and for every change there are innumerable jigs that must first be fabricated. Each jig serves one purpose and takes as much time to make as any part that might be bolted on. The smart engineer can make one jig serve two or more purposes and that is the case here as the head stock drilling jig also helps position the gearbox and it’s custom mounts that will become part of the frame.
While many of the parts are fabricated with designs imagined in the computer and carried out by CNC machines there are still minute adjustments that are only possible with the human eye and manual machines.
The team in NYC is working to get the drive line in place for the AWD components so that the bike can be reassembled in time for Gerbrandt to join the team in NYC. The plan is for the whole team to meet at Cosentino’s shop and start the physical mock up of the bodywork which will define the bike visually as well as physically. It will be where the design of REV’IT!’s gear meets the design of REV’IT!’s bike – a crucial interface that will define the bike and the team.
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