I bought the donor 2003 H-D 883 Sportster on December 31, 2010. On the next day, January 1st 2011, I began tearing it apart and started the reverse engineering process. I measured the parts I would keep and design around, like the engine, frame and a few others. The unneeded parts were donated to a moto club co-op in San Francisco, CA.

Six months later I had a rolling prototype, the SC3 Adventure, which consisted of the Sportster motor and the frame with some minor mods, a custom designed billet Aluminum swingarm, a KTM 525 front end, a small tracker gas tank, 18” rear wheel and 21” front wheel both with knobby tires, and a hand modified seat that looked pretty bad. The bike worked well, proving the concept and geometry.

I spent the first few months on the CAD system laying out the 2-D architecture side-view before designing and machining any parts. I nailed down the critical geometry: wheel base, rake, trail, rider position, foot controls and handlebar position, and instantaneous force center related to swingarm length and angle. All are key to the bike performing well on road and off.

Once the architecture was set, I began design engineering the components in 3D CAD solid modeling. I quickly had a complete solid model assembly of the entire bike along with fully documented detail drawings of every part and a complete Bill of Materials (BOM) down to the last nut, bolt, and washer.

The bike evolved over the next three years, consisting of refining and adding features like improved suspension, a larger gas tank for longer range, a better seat, a lighter and higher performance exhaust, better brakes, repositioned foot controls, a wind screen, hand guards, and a few other more minor details.

My goal was to build the best performing adventure dual sport around the H-D Sportster motor, and fully document it to be reproducible to spec. I accomplished my goal and have proven the reproducibility by building a second SC3 Adventure thru a controlled build. I bought another donor Sportster, ordered all the parts from our drawings and BOM, and then assembled the bike to spec. The entire process took only four months start to finish.

Now that both bikes are done, I’m riding them as much as I can, both on the road and in the dirt. On the asphalt, the SC3 Adventure handles the twisties well. It’s a neutral steering bike turning effortlessly and at high speeds is inherently stable. Off road in the dirt, the SC3 Adventure is confidence inspiring and loves the open desert and sand washes where high speeds are not a problem and the bike is very stable. Watch for our MotoGEO video to come out soon where Jamie Robinson pushes the SC3 Adventure’s limits in the Mojave Desert.

All my riding experiences to date have been positive and I’m having a blasting through many miles and showing it at motorcycle shows or during rides. The SC3 Adventure grabs a lot of attention everywhere I ride. The only negatives have been not being able to ride it as much as I want. A short-term voltage regulator grounding problem drained the battery and stranded me a few times until I solved the problem.

Now both bikes are finished, I have more time to go riding, so life is good, and my wife rides one of them

One of the most asked questions I get is, “Why did I design and build it?” I have a background in engineering disruptive technologies. I’ve been riding Harleys and adventure dual sports for as long as I can remember, and I wanted to combine the two.

I would ask myself and my friends and anyone else who would listen, “Why isn’t there a good American adventure dual sport?” And, “Will H-D make one?”

With my background and experience I knew I could build a good one based on the solid-mount Sportster chassis model years 1993 to 2003. Since the words “H-D” and “Dual Sport” are rarely spoken in the same sentence, once again I was engineering a disruptive product. I knew it would be a controversial build as it has proven to be. Some love it, some hate it, buyt it always draws plenty of extreme comments.

What’s next? A few things: Now that the SC3 Adventure design is complete and fully documented and patented, it is turn-key ready to be produced in volume. We are looking for a manufacturer to license the design and produce the SC3 Adventure parts, kits, and/or complete bikes, and make them available to purchase.

Following that, we will stick to our core competency of design engineering and prototyping of custom adventure dual sport motorcycles. We are moving on to the next adventure dual sport design … stay tuned for details!

The background story on why I designed and built the SC3 Adventure:

When I was 10 years old, my father’s friend gave me my first ride on a motorcycle – a Honda CB750. I sat in front of him on the gas tank, no helmet, and held on to the center of the handlebars for dear life. We rode on the freeway at a pretty high speed – at least it felt fast to me – and I was hooked from then on.

The next year my mom bought me my first bike, a new 1974 Honda XR75. I’ll never forget it. I immediately took that bike apart all the way down to the frame just to see how it was made, then rebuilt it. That bike unfortunately was stolen in a house break-in and eventually the thief was caught – which led to my second bike.

The thief’s parents paid for the replacement cost of the bike since the bike was trashed. We put that money towards a new 1975 Yamaha DT100 – my first street legal dual sport. I didn’t have a driver’s license at the time, but I would ride it thru our neighborhood streets to get to local dirt areas to ride. Soon I ripped all the dual sport lights off the bike, added a plastic gas tank, and made it more off-road capable. That is when I started customizing motorcycles.

My third bike was a new 1977 Yamaha YZ125, which I started racing motocross at our local PAL (Police Athletic League) track. I raced it for a few years and made mods to the suspension and motor myself by making parts in my parent’s garage and buying motor parts with my allowance.

Back in the day, we didn’t have the internet, so I found parts from magazines and then bought them from our local motorcycle shops or thru the mail. The racing ended when I turned 15-1/2 years old and bought a 1978 Yamaha RD400 street bike. The serious customizations started when I transformed that into a café racer by doing mods and bolting on custom parts.

From that time on, I’ve had many bikes over the years and I’ve always liked Harleys for as long as I can remember. I’ve had a number of them, including a Buell X1. I’ve also been dual sport riding since I was a kid. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a Harley that was dual sport capable. Years ago, Harley made a dirt bike and also a 2-stroke dual sport, but I wanted to see their real Harley, maybe a Sportster turned into a dual sport. As a California kid, I remember watching the TV series, “Then Came Bronson,” where actor Michael Parks rode a Sportster around California. Parks was always riding it off-road when he could. I think that’s where the obsession of wanting to make my own Harley Sportster dual sport began, and also my desire to do rides like he did: Adventure Dual Sport riding.

BIKERNET EXTREME DUAL SPORT TECH CHART

Owner: Jim Carducci

Bike Name: Carducci Dual Sport SC3 Adventure

City/State: Sunnyvale, CA

Builder: Jim Carducci

City/state: Sunnyvale, CA

Company Info: Carducci Dual Sport LLC (CDS)
Address: 141 S Taaffe, #70312
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Phone:

Web site: www.carduccidualsport.com
E-mail: jim@carduccidualsport.com

Design: Jim Carducci

Fabrication: CDS, Evan Wilcox, Curt Winter of BTRmoto, Corbin seat.

Manufacturing: CDS

Machining: LUX Manufacturing for all CNC parts

Engine:

Year: 2003, Donor H-D 883 Sportster

Make: H-D

Model: 883 Sportster

Displacement:1250cc with NRHS kit

Builder or Rebuilder: Jim Carducci

Cases: OEM

Case finish: OEM

Barrels: NRHS 1250cc

Bore: NRHS 1250cc

Pistons: NRHS 1250cc

Barrel finish: Black exterior

Lower end: OEM

Stroke: OEM

Rods: OEM

Heads: OEM 883 Sportster

Head finish: OEM

Valves and springs: OEM

Pushrods: OEM

Cams: Andrews N4

Lifters: OEM

Carburetion: OEM CV carb rejetted

Air cleaner: K&N with ASB carbon fiber cover

Exhaust: BTRmoto 2 into 1 custom header

Mufflers: Leo Vince muffler with spark arrestor

Transmission

Year: 2003 H-D 883 Sportster

Make: H-D

Gear configuration: OEM 5-speed

Primary: OEM chain

Clutch: OEM with Mueller lever arm for light clutch pull

Final drive: RK Racing 530 o-ring chain conversion, 25/56 teeth front/rear sprockets

Frame

Year: 2003

Builder: H-D frame modified by Jim Carducci

Style or Model: OEM Sportster

Stretch: 62.5”wheel base. Swingarm extended 4”

Rake: 27 degrees

Modifications: Minor mods – some brackets removed. Added support gussets at swingarm pivots, steering damper post bracket, and gas tank mount

Front End

Make: Ohlins

Model: Offroad MX

Year: 2014

Length: Length reduced 2.5” inches for 9” travel. Stiffer springs

Risers: CDS custom designed – CNC machined billet Aluminum includes elastomer vibration dampers, height adjustment, and front/rear adjustment to accommodate rider preference.

Sheet metal

Tanks: Evan Wilcox hand formed Aluminum 6.3 gallon. I did the design, then CNC machined it out of Styrofoam for a test fit and plug for Evan to measure and make his patterns from.

Fenders: Rear – Aluminum fender subframe & utility rack including support for two 1/2 gallon gas containers. Front – plastic KTM fender.

Panels: Removed. Minimal design for weight reduction.

Oil tank: OEM

Other: Aluminum skid plate, fly screen, voltage regulator guard.

Paint: Old School Customs (OSC) Ron McRae.

Paint

Molding: 5.0 gallon IMS XLPE plastic gas tank offroad option is rotational molded; co-developed with IMS Products, Riverside, CA.

Base coat: Powder coated frame

Graphics: Designed by Brandon Rike, painted by Ron McRae of OSC

Frame Base coat: Powdercoated

Graphics or art: Rear fender and swingarm logos designed by Brandon Rike

Pinstriping: OSC Ron McRae on gas tank

Wheels

Front: Woodys Wheel Works

Make: Custom build – Excel rim, Rad hub, heavy gauge SST spokes

Size: 21” x 1.85” wide

Brake calipers: Beringer 6-piston radial caliper modified for bigger custom CDS rotor, CDS radial-to-axial adapter bracket

Brake rotor(s): 1x 380mm diameter floating custom designed and fabricated by CDS

Tire: Continental TKC80 90/90-21

Rear: Woodys Wheel Works

Make: Custom build – Excel rim, Billet Boys hub, heavy gauge SST spokes

Size: 18” x 3.5” wide

Brake calipers: Beringer 4-piston caliper & mounting bracket

Brake rotor: Beringer 291mm diameter floating

Pulley: N/A – 56 tooth chain sprocket

Tire: Continental TKC80 140/80-18

Controls

Foot controls: CDS custom design billet Aluminum shifter, brake, foot pegs, supports.

Finish: Anodized

Master cylinder: Beringer

Brake lines: Melvin custom SST braided per CDS specs

Handlebar controls: OEM H-D throttle and electronics, Beringer front brake and clutch levers.

Finish: Anodized

Clutch Cable: OEM

Brake Lines: Melvin custom SST braided per CDS specs

Shifting: CDS billet Aluminum machined linkage and shift lever.

Kickstand: CDS designed and fabricated chrome moly tubing with Aluminum adapter bracket to OEM H-D Sportster frame mount.

Electrical

Ignition: OEM

Ignition switch: OEM

Coils: OEM, relocated to side of motor for better access and cooling

Regulator: OEM

Charging: OEM

Starter: OEM

Wiring: OEM with minor mods for LED blinkers / tail light.

Harness: OEM

Headlight: Trail Tech 55watt halogen Baja flood light

Taillight: Acerbis LED

Accessory lights: None

Electrical accessories: Badlands electronic turn signal module for LED lights

Switches: OEM

Battery: Shorai Lithium-Ion. 10 lbs weight reduction

What’s Left

Seat: Custom Corbin hand formed to frame and gas tank

Mirror(s): DRC 161 off-road mirrors, adjustable height

Gas caps: No-Toil billet Aluminum, internal vented.

Handlebars: Biltwell 1” chrome moly tracker bars

Grips: Biltwell Thruster grips 1” diameter

Pegs: Pivot Pegz

Oil filter: Pure Power SST screen pass thru oil filter

Oil cooler: None

Oil lines: OEM

Fuel filter: OEM

Fuel Lines: OEM

Throttle: OEM

Throttle cables: OEM

Fasteners: All SST and nylock nuts

Specialty items:
Swingarm: Billet Aluminum CNC machined truss structure for light weight and stiffness, extended 4”
Rear Shocks: Ohlins twin shocks, 8”+ travel at rear axel.
Foot Controls: Billet Aluminum CNC machined mounting brackets and levers.
Triple Clamps: Billet Aluminum CNC machined top & bottom, bar risers with vibration isolation, height and front/rear adjustment.
Steering Damper: Integrated Scotts damper with post mount welded to frame.

Credits:
Evan Wilcox – hand formed Aluminum gas tank
IMS – XLPE plastic gas tank
Curt Winter, BTRmoto – Hand welded exhaust header
LUX manufacturing – CNC machining
Corbin – Handmade seat
Graphics – Brandon Rike
Paint – Ron McRae, Old School Customs

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NCOM Coast To Coast Biker News for February 2016

/ Bikernet Rights News, Free Departments / February 22, 2016

THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

RIDING “OFF THE GRID” — HOW TO ESCAPE GPS TRACKING ON YOUR MOTORCYCLE
Freedom of the Road isn’t that free these days. “We often talk about what you can do to protect your privacy, but more often than not we accept the technology given to us by large corporations with government influence,” writes Gil Mellen, ABATE of California’s rep to the Southern California Confederation of Clubs (SCCOC), “And with that ease our phones store more than just our private information, they are a collection source for who we are, what we do and where we go 24/7.”

Turning your phone off or on airplane mode doesn’t cut it either, he explains. In order to truly be undetectable to ANYONE you must use a first line of defense on your phone, such as Silent Pocket. By employing a Silent Pocket “Faraday cage” (conductive material surrounding a piece of equipment to exclude electrostatic and electromagnetic influences) you can block all wireless signals to and from your mobile device.

Once placed inside the stylish leather case, your device is completely sealed — No GPS tracking, NO cellular, NO wifi, NO Bluetooth, and NO RFID scanning or NFC in all frequencies. Additionally, Silent Pocket cases protect your financial information from credit card skimming and scanning.

So if you’re heading to a large biker event and want no one to know your whereabouts, simply put your phone inside the case and wherever you go is OFF THE GRID. Once you remove your phone, any missed voicemails, data, or messages are downloaded. Your location is also known at that point.

“Silent Pocket is in the privacy accessory market for the long haul.” stated Aaron Zar, Silent Pocket Co-Founder. “As the methods hackers use to compromise security continue to evolve, so will our products.”

Silent Pocket is a proud supporter of SAVE THE PATCH and they offer an exclusive 15% off discount code for all BIKERS and ABATE MEMBERS at www.silent-pocket.com: patch16 or call 831-531-8199 or e-mail sales@silent-pocket.com for bulk order discounts.

BIKER ATTIRE ALLOWED IN NEW MEXICO COURTROOMS
Declaring “A great victory for our community,” Annette Torrez, chair of the New Mexico Motorcycle Rights Organization (NMMRO) and National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors, announced that; We received the following message from Chief Justice Judge Nash concerning motorcycle vests in District Courthouse, “Please be informed that the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department will NOT be requiring members of your organization to turn their vests inside out upon entry into the Second Judicial District Courthouse and its’ Courtrooms in the future.”

The NMMRO and the NNMCOC (Northern New Mexico Confederation of Clubs) sent Judge Nash a letter regarding an issue in which Bernalillo Sheriff Officers were asking the Guardians of the Children to remove their vests and turn them inside out so none of the patches were visible. “These vests and patches are what identify them to the abused children who they are there to support in court under difficult circumstance as these children have to face their perpetrators or have to sometimes testify,” explained Torrez. “While we can all benefit from this victory, it is the abused children from our community who will benefit most, as now members of motorcycle community can continue to support and accompany them in court. Your voices were heard as we united in support.”

Nash’s message specifically denotes “members of your organization” which is why “it is so important we as motorcyclists join and support the NMMRO, an organization that stands and fights for your rights, freedoms and liberties,” said Torrez, adding; “Thank you to Judge Nash for doing the right thing as we believe our 1st Amendment was being violated. We must also remember that we must be respectful at all times in our courthouse, we must be on our best behavior so that we may continue to wear our patches and motorcycle related attire in the courthouse. I want to thank the Guardians of the Children for bringing this to our attention. Thank you to Double D from The Motorcycle Profiling Project and Attorney Dan Sorey for their support and advice in addressing this issue.”

MANIFESTO ON THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY AND FREEDOM OF THE ROAD
“I read your recent (NCOM Biker Newsbytes) report and the piece about the NCOM board requesting input on motorcycle issues to discuss at the upcoming NCOM Convention,” writes Keith “Bandit” Ball of Bikernet.com and former editor of Easyriders magazine. “I have a major bitch and a project that could save the custom motorcycle aftermarket and place freedom at the forefront of our nation once more.”

WHEN YOU CAN’T GIVE UP, WRITE — A Brief Manifesto; “Sounds ominous but it’s not, then again it is a tough alteration to current government thinking. And I believe our industry could be at the forefront.

Why can’t we prove that Freedom always needs to be a consideration? Why can’t we prove that all the custom motorcycles in the country will never have any significant impact on the environment and agencies need to leave us alone?

If we were successful, this could place Freedom at the forefront in many applications from hot rods, to go carts, to speed boats.”

As evidence of governmental regulation usurping personal rights, Ball (Bandit@Bikernet.com) submitted the following news release on behalf of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) entitled “EPA Seeks to Prohibit Conversion of Vehicles into Racecars”:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a regulation to prohibit conversion of vehicles originally designed for on-road use into racecars and make the sale of certain products for use on such vehicles illegal. The proposed regulation was contained within a non-related proposed regulation entitled ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles – Phase 2’.

The regulation would impact all vehicle types, including the sports cars, sedans and hatch-backs commonly converted strictly for use at the track. While the Clean Air Act prohibits certain modifications to motor vehicles, it is clear that vehicles built or modified for racing, and not used on the streets, are not the ‘motor vehicles’ that Congress intended to regulate.

‘This proposed regulation represents overreaching by the agency, runs contrary to the law and defies decades of racing activity where EPA has acknowledged and allowed conversion of vehicles,’ said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting.

Working with other affected organizations, including those representing legions of professional and hobbyist racers and fans, SEMA will continue to oppose the regulation through the administrative process and will seek congressional support and judicial intervention as necessary. The EPA has indicated it expects to publish final regulations by July 2016.”

BILL IN WASHINGTON WOULD ALLOW MOTORCYCLES ON SHOULDERS IN TRAFFIC

Washington State might give motorcyclists preferential treatment on some highways during traffic jams under a bill that has the support of the state Senate. The measure would give motorcyclists permission to drive on the far left shoulders of divided highways when traffic is moving under 25 miles an hour.

“It really is about relieving congestion,” said State Senator Tim Sheldon (D-Mason County), the bill’s sponsor. He tried passing a bill last year that would have allowed what’s known as “lane splitting,” allowing bikers to ride between cars stopped in traffic, but that bill failed.

Sen. Sheldon told CBS King5 News in Olympia that his proposal would alleviate traffic and make highways safer for motorcycle riders in heavy traffic. ”When congestion basically stops traffic, a motorcyclist… they’re vulnerable to over-heating as well as being rear-ended.”

KANSAS HOUSE SPEAKER GIVES HORSEPOWER TO 3-WHEELER REFORM BILL
A House committee in Kansas kicked the tires of a bill creating a special driving examination and license for people who ride increasingly popular three-wheeled motorcycles. Under current Kansas law, individuals are required to take a test on a two-wheeled motorcycle even if they own and plan to ride a machine with three wheels. House Bill 2436 would establish a special class of motorcycle licensing that aligns the examination with the type of vehicle to be driven.

Three-wheel licenses issued under the proposed law would forbid the person from legally riding a two-wheeled motorcycle, but anyone passing the two-wheel test could ride both motorcycle variations.

House Speaker Ray Merrick (R-Stilwell) urged the House’s Vision 2020 Committee to endorse the “friendly, common-sense update to Kansas statutes.”

“Considering the vast differences in the physical requirements between two- and three-wheeled motorcycles,” Merrick said, “it is reasonable that a person who can only ride a three-wheeled motorcycle should be allowed to take their license training and test on the type of motorcycle they will be using.”

Brian Thompson, a lobbyist with ABATE of Kansas, said the reform proposed by the House bill would benefit young and old riders alike. “Those with less skills would be able to feel the independence and freedom of the road if they desire,” Thompson told the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper.

NEW MOTORCYCLE HAZARD – TEENS WALKING WHILE DISTRACTED
Motorcycle riders have a lot to watch for when cruising through an urban environment such as a city or town. While the first focus may be other vehicles, a new study shows bikers should watch for teens crossing the road while distracted by their smartphone.

According to research released by Safe Kids Worldwide, with support from FedEx, distraction plays a role as 50% of teens admit they cross streets while using a mobile device, and an alarming 40% admit to actually being hit or nearly hit by a car, bike or motorcycle while walking.

Of the teens who have been hit or nearly hit report crossing the street while: 47% listening to music, 20% talking on the phone, and 18% were texting.

“Every hour of every day, a teen is hit or killed while walking,” said Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “Texting and walking or driving can be fatal. That’s why we’re asking everyone to put phones down when crossing the street.”

TEENAGER CAUTIONED AFTER SERIOUSLY INJURING MOTORCYCLIST
A 14-year-old boy was recently “cautioned” by police after causing “life-changing injuries” to a motorcyclist by tying a rope between two trees on a woodland path. The 17-year-old rider was rushed to the hospital with serious neck and wind-pipe injuries after hitting the rope while riding in woods near St Neots, Cambridgeshire, UK, and he spent seven weeks in the hospital including two-and-a-half in an induced coma.

The boy, who admitted responsibility under questioning by police, was issued a youth caution for causing grievous bodily harm without intent. He must also attend sessions with the Youth Offending Service.

MOTORCYCLE SPEEDER WINS $180,000 IN CASE AGAINST COP WHO BEAT HIM UP
On Aug. 3, 2012, Justin Wilkens was speeding on his Aprilia motorcycle and unwittingly passed Oregon State Police Officer Rob Edwards in an unmarked cop Camaro. After a few minutes of chase, Edwards rammed Wilkens off the bike, pulled a gun on him and kicked him in the chest.

If you think that sounds egregious, a jury agrees with you.

Dash cam footage shows Wilkens’ motorcycle speeding past cars and crossing double-yellow (no passing zones) lines near Veneta, OR when the officer pulls up behind him at an intersection, hits the bike and knocks the biker to the ground. Edwards maintained this was unintentional; a result of “brake fade” from the Camaro’s discs being overworked. At this point in the footage, Edwards enters the frame and lands a kick to Wilkens’ chest while drawing down on him with his pistol before cuffing him.

In an interesting plot twist, Edwards stated he did not know the police car’s dashcam was running. Wilkens suffered a broken left clavicle, a fractured rib and other injuries in the incident.

After being apprehended, Wilkens brought an excessive-force claim against Edwards. As explained by local news, a jury of eight people “awarded Wilkens more than $31,000 in economic damages to reimburse his medical expenses and motorcycle repair bills; $100,000 in non¬economic damages for his injuries, pain and suffering; and $50,000 in punitive damages,” which Officer Edwards will be forced to pay.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “History does not entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid.” Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) WWII Military Commander & 34th President of the U.S.

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BIKERNET FEATURE, The Amazing Carducci Dual Sport

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