Email correspondence with Beyss went like this:
Me: The evo is broken - the handlebar fell off.
Beyss: The console cannot be plucked off - we use yacht glue and have tested them.
Me: Mine failed and trashed the evo.
Beyss: The console cannot be plucked off.
Me: I can get the carbon repaired here in the UK. I need some new steering parts.
Beyss: The console cannot be plucked off. We can repair the evo here at your expense.
etc... (a week of similar messages)
Me: Can I just buy the new steering parts?
Beyss: The console cannot be plucked off - we use yacht glue and have tested them.
Me: Can I just buy the new steering parts?
Beyss: Parts shipped, €115 invoice attached.
So here we are... a new steering plate arrived today and I've got Kate back on her wheels. Lee Wakefield has volunteering to help with the carbon repair this weekend. At least one of the trackrods looks to be damaged and needs to be replaced.
At the moment I have two 'working' alu steering plates fitted which should be adequate to make evoKate rideable again but I've got no faith in them. As the next 'mechanical' job in rebuilding Kate I'll be looking at having some more resilient steering plates made.
I wish I'd stayed with the Boys from Dronten...
Very painful start of the relationship. But... is it not the other way around that the ball bearing of the tie-rod to the front came loose. Then the suspension strut swung back and destroyed the handlebar mount?
ReplyDeleteI don't know Harry - that is possible. The experience was that I was attempting to turn right, suddenly the right handlebar was lose in my hand and I impacted the pole moving sideways to the left even tho the left wheel was on full right lock (where it remained jammed in position).
ReplyDeleteTwo of the rod ends had failed so could have been cause rather than effect.
Turning right, the nose of the velo had cleared the pole yet the evo still struck it with the left wheel arch - which seems odd to me.
A tracking failure would explain the conflicting behaviour...
A rod end failure changing the feel of the (very light feeling) handlebar and a subsequent failure of the bar could have given the same feeling.
Now with added bolt and good coverage of fancy Araldite 420... Seems to be fixed :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that suspension strut, steering parts and so on exactly the same as those on the Quest ?
ReplyDeleteThose guys in Dronten supply those suspension struts with drum brake anchor plate and steering plate attachment to nearly every velomobile builder.
With such standarized parts you need not necessarily order them with Beyss...
Hi Quezzzt - yes, that was my first impression but Kate has 'panza' steering (side sticks) rather than the traditional joystick so, apparently, the steering plates are Evo-K-specific to include the handlebar link. I'm working on getting some copies made up locally for me in stainless so I can have a little more faith in them...
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