Technology: new motorcycle frame concept

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Technology: new motorcycle frame concept
Melly Technologies

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Technology: new motorcycle frame concept

Technology: new motorcycle frame concept
Blockbusters

With the production of a motorcycle frame from a solid aluminum block, the Swiss ex-racing driver Gerard Melly blew up all traditional production methods.

Waldemar Schwarz

06/06/2003

Already in antiquity, sculptors chiseled their ideals of beauty from the solid. And sculptures made of solid stone are still being made today-
blocks. The creators of two-wheeled cult objects carried out this process there-
against not in their repertoire ?? until
recently the Swiss Gerard Melly taught the astonished experts wrong when presenting his latest two-wheeler creation. His “Melly Solid Block Frame” is a massive 450 kilos-
gram heavy aluminum block milled out and therefore consists of a one-
umpteenth part.
The former racing driver finds a coherent argument for his thoroughly unusual approach. “One of the basic comms-
components of the motorcycle is undoubtedly the frame, the heart of the ge, so to speak-
velvet structure. In addition to a wide range of functions such as the connection of the wheel suspension, the inclusion of the engine and transmission and the driver must
he combines conditions such as high rigidity and low weight. «He sees several advantages in the unconventional construction compared to conventional frame concepts:
O The omission of the welding process does not result in any structural changes in the material. It can be an Alu-
Use a aluminum alloy with special mechanical properties.
O gear housing and components of power-
transmission are integrated directly into the frame. On the one hand, this reduces the negative side effects emanating from such components, and on the other hand, they can be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily.
O The motor is elastically mounted in the chassis by means of rubber elements, independent of the gearbox, and thus closes
a completely independent assembly. This means that it is decoupled from the frame in terms of vibration and can be changed within a few minutes.
Arguments that cannot be dismissed out of hand and, like the idea, can only come from someone who is incurably infected by the two-wheeler bacillus.
Melly got infected with it over 30 years ago. The former Swiss champion competed with racing legends such as
Giacomo Agostini and Barry Sheene not only competed in Formula 750 races, but also competed in the World Endurance Championship, preferably at the legendary Bol d ?? Or. After he got his leather on the nail
had hung, Melly looked after the inter-
nationally successful Swiss pilot Yves Briguet as team manager.
After three decades in the racing circuit, he finally wanted to bundle his experience in a new project and founded the company Melly Tech in 1999 together with two other motorcycle enthusiasts-
nologies in Sierre in the canton of Valais. The first project was the development of a racing motorcycle with the unusual frame concept. It was no coincidence that they chose the Sierre location, as it is known worldwide for its aluminum industry. And that kindly provided the stuff Melly’s dreams are made of. Alcan Aluminum, an innovative supplier to the automotive industry, even produced a special aluminum-
nium alloy, its sister company Alcan CMIC machined the massive block weighing 450 kilograms on a CNC-controlled high-speed-
digkeits milling machine.
The crew chose a diaphragm-controlled two-cylinder two-stroke engine from Polaris, which otherwise does its job in snowmobiles. A toothed belt takes over the primary drive to the cassette gear. Its housing is integrated directly into the frame construction, so it is also milled out of the solid. Tried and tested components are used in the chassis. A Showa fork guides the front wheel, a Ducati single-sided swing arm ensures restraint on the hindquarters.
The result is impressive: With a total weight of 140 kilograms and ?? maybe a little optimistic estimated ?? 210 hp results in a power-to-weight ratio that is hardly inferior to modern MotoGP bikes. Soon it should
Prototype to prove the basic suitability of the concept in comparative tests on the racetrack.
The latter should not be the problem if the chassis design is appropriately designed. The decisive question is rather whether the use of materials and means of production is still halfway in relation to the end result. Of the initial 450 kilograms of aluminum alloy, around three percent are ultimately left over. In addition
a manufacturing process that exceeds the costs of ordinary components many times over, simply because of the endlessly long machine running times. The framework concept of the current Yamaha YZF-R6, for example, points exactly in the opposite direction. Yamaha welds two cast frame halves into one piece with minimal use of materials and production resources.
Due to the enormous effort, it is also written in the stars whether Gerard Melly’s visions will one day become reality, even if he looks to the future with optimism: »The concept of Melly Techno-
logies fulfills all the primary virtues of a frame in a single component. Therefore, this innovation can usher in a revolution in the construction of motorcycle frames. “
But his intentions do not seem to be entirely technically based. The faint hope of erecting a monument in the motorcycle builder’s hall of fame may resonate in the back of the mind. It is no coincidence that he compares his work with epoch-making constructions such as the feather bed frame by Rex Mc Candless, Lino Tonti’s tubular space frame or Fritz Egli’s tubular central frame. And maybe one day hopes, milled from the solid, so to speak, to go down as a legend in two-wheeled history.

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