Thanks!
Interesting. I didn't even look at the protrusion from the trans. I do believe that eliminating it would allow this battery to sit flat. I will have to check it out then. Thanks for the tip!
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Jato VRD Carbon
- Thread starter JatoTheRipper
- Start date
Interesting. I didn't even look at the protrusion from the trans. I do believe that eliminating it would allow this battery to sit flat. I will have to check it out then. Thanks for the tip!
The battery not sitting flat was the one thing that I did not like, but once I put that strip of velcro on, that problem went away. I double up on the battery hold downs. Had packs slide or pop out of the truck too many times.
You could probably just file that part of the transmission case though.
You could probably just file that part of the transmission case though.
I remember you giving me crap about mismatched hardware and here you are using cap heads right beside button heads.
You are SICK for pointing that out!
You know I hadn't noticed. I do know that the cap head screws were right there within reach, and more importantly, finding distance. Definitely going to have to switch these out for button heads now that you say it!
I've been RCing at lunch lately. Last week it was playing with my Yokomo RD2.0 drift build and this week I took my VRD Carbon to a local park for a very low-difficulty shakedown run. I wanted to drift my 4-Tec today, but rain cancelled that plan. 
rain!
This reminds me of a funny story. The last time I went trailing, my girlfriend was out of town. When she came back, the conversation went something like this...
"So I assume you have some of those RC cars that climb rocks too."
"Yes, I do. How do you know about those?"
"At the DC in Missouri, there was a guy who was always out climbing the rocks with his on his lunch break."
Jokingly I said, "And you always thought 'What a dork!'"
My girlfriend just laughed.
Yep, she found herself a dork!
I forget if I ever mentioned on this site that she hates engineers because of her dealings with them at work. So not only did she fall in love with a dork, but I'm an engineer too!
The VRD Carbon performed excellent on these rocks. It even climbed over downed telephone poles and a 10" or 12" plastic corrugated drain pipe with ease. I'm excited to get this one out on a real trail run. The tires may need some help with new inserts judging by this, but I'm going to run it this way first. And I definitely want to 3D print some sliders. The metal ones just aren't great. I understand why Vanquish did this. It is much easier and cheaper to have formed sheet metal rather than develop and pay for a super-expensive mold for plastic parts.
Last night, I listened to the advice from @svt923 and cut off the boss from the end of the transfer case. I forgot the screw was in there. It didn't turn out pretty, but it's gone. Would have been much cleaner if I removed the transmission from the chassis and finished it off with my rotary tool.
Battery tray installed with the standoff removed. I am not sure why Vanquish added this boss. Do any of you guys know?
Not pretty, but successful as this trim job does allow my GOLDBAT to now sit flat.
rain!This reminds me of a funny story. The last time I went trailing, my girlfriend was out of town. When she came back, the conversation went something like this...
"So I assume you have some of those RC cars that climb rocks too."
"Yes, I do. How do you know about those?"
"At the DC in Missouri, there was a guy who was always out climbing the rocks with his on his lunch break."
Jokingly I said, "And you always thought 'What a dork!'"
My girlfriend just laughed.
Yep, she found herself a dork!
I forget if I ever mentioned on this site that she hates engineers because of her dealings with them at work. So not only did she fall in love with a dork, but I'm an engineer too! The VRD Carbon performed excellent on these rocks. It even climbed over downed telephone poles and a 10" or 12" plastic corrugated drain pipe with ease. I'm excited to get this one out on a real trail run. The tires may need some help with new inserts judging by this, but I'm going to run it this way first. And I definitely want to 3D print some sliders. The metal ones just aren't great. I understand why Vanquish did this. It is much easier and cheaper to have formed sheet metal rather than develop and pay for a super-expensive mold for plastic parts.
Last night, I listened to the advice from @svt923 and cut off the boss from the end of the transfer case. I forgot the screw was in there. It didn't turn out pretty, but it's gone. Would have been much cleaner if I removed the transmission from the chassis and finished it off with my rotary tool.
Battery tray installed with the standoff removed. I am not sure why Vanquish added this boss. Do any of you guys know?
Not pretty, but successful as this trim job does allow my GOLDBAT to now sit flat.
VRD Looks Great ... I need to make sometime to build mine ... I like the battery tray centered location and the color choice looks good .... I painted a 24th scale body with this color but backed it with gunmetal rather than black and it sure looks a lot less green than yours .... love the look with the decals and wheels, the colors do pop for sure. Needs an interior and driver to complete it a bit (capra/bomber would look good there).
Thank you! It's a fun build and I'm liking the results. I don't have any "comp rigs" though so this is my benchmark.
89Industries
Pebble Pounder
Back in the late 90's we had a customer at our bike shop that rolled up in his Dodge Viper that had paint that looked just about like this. I think he paid a lot more and it looks better on your truck.
Fellow dork/engineer here as well
Fellow dork/engineer here as well
Rig looks killer! Paint job looks great! I have always liked that color and how it shifts when moved around.
I too have the Tusk's on my VRD. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure they'll do great. The Tusk knock-off tires I have on my Rock Pirates RC build do absolutely fantastic and the real deal Tusk should be great as well. I do have a set of the Injora silicone inserts in mine and they feel pretty good.
I too have the Tusk's on my VRD. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure they'll do great. The Tusk knock-off tires I have on my Rock Pirates RC build do absolutely fantastic and the real deal Tusk should be great as well. I do have a set of the Injora silicone inserts in mine and they feel pretty good.
Thanks guys!
On Sunday, I went for a trail run with @OSRC and the VRD Carbon was the only truck that I took. In certain situations, it was really impressive and in others, it was a huge letdown.
At first, the tires were less than impressive and they would slip on rocks where other tires would grab. As the day went on, the tires broke in and the tires got good. I'm a fan after one run. I think one could argue that there was maybe too much tire wear after one, relatively short run. I don't expect these tires to last as long as anything in the Proline G8 compound. The more fair comparison is to Proline Predator and I don't have enough memory of my experience with those to make this comparison.
OSRC has dubbed some different boulders "test rocks" because they are challenging and are good gauges of a truck's performance. I thought the VRD Carbon would walk right up Test Rock #1. I did not take any photos or videos here. The truck struggled at first. But the tires were still breaking in at this point. There is a tough line on this rock and the VRD Carbon kept lifting the front and falling backwards. Currently, the truck has a good weight balance for uphills and downhills so if I add more weight to the front, I will also want to do the same to the rear.
The tires need better foams and this should help.
OSRC pointed out that the stock springs seemed too soft. I increased the preload in the rear and reduced it in the front to test this and it certainly helped in some situations.
The second time we hit this test rock, the tires were broken-in and got traction on this rock, but the rig still fell over backwards.
Test Rock #2 has a gnarly uphill with a longitudinal crack in the rock. This is shown in the photo below. The VRD walked up this rock with little effort. This was pretty impressive. There is also an off-camber downhill on the side of this rock and the VRD rolled off the side multiple times. Again, the lightweight of the truck seems to hurt it in certain situations.
The VRD walked up these ostacles below and impressed me.
This route is completely impassible for most trail trucks. The Carbon made it look easy.
Fall is in the air and leaves have started to fall. They add their own challenges to crawling and trailing.
The Tusks were impressive when wet. This rock is right next to a creek. I got the tires wet on this truck and then climbed this rock. It starts off steeper right out of the creek bed and then gets easier. You can see this transition in the photo below. My truck didn't even sweat here.
The aftermath. The Stance body is massive. I don't know what Vanquish was thinking when designing this body for a "comp" chassis. It's like the short course of comp bodies. In its defense, it did seem to do a good job of protecting the chassis in some hard rollovers and some brutal impacts.
If you zoom into the tires on this pic, you can see some of the tire wear that, at least to me, seems a little extreme.
The only issue I had was that the left front wheel nut kept coming loose. I forget to pack an 8mm nut driver or the 7mm to 8mm adapter from Vanquish so I had to resort to using OSRC's Leatherman-style pliers to tighten the nut. I have to get a new Nyloc nut and hopefully the axle threads aren't damaged. I haven't been able to work on the truck since Sunday to assess the condition of the truck after the run.
Overally, a good first run. The truck just needs some tweaks.
On Sunday, I went for a trail run with @OSRC and the VRD Carbon was the only truck that I took. In certain situations, it was really impressive and in others, it was a huge letdown.
At first, the tires were less than impressive and they would slip on rocks where other tires would grab. As the day went on, the tires broke in and the tires got good. I'm a fan after one run. I think one could argue that there was maybe too much tire wear after one, relatively short run. I don't expect these tires to last as long as anything in the Proline G8 compound. The more fair comparison is to Proline Predator and I don't have enough memory of my experience with those to make this comparison.
OSRC has dubbed some different boulders "test rocks" because they are challenging and are good gauges of a truck's performance. I thought the VRD Carbon would walk right up Test Rock #1. I did not take any photos or videos here. The truck struggled at first. But the tires were still breaking in at this point. There is a tough line on this rock and the VRD Carbon kept lifting the front and falling backwards. Currently, the truck has a good weight balance for uphills and downhills so if I add more weight to the front, I will also want to do the same to the rear.
The tires need better foams and this should help.
OSRC pointed out that the stock springs seemed too soft. I increased the preload in the rear and reduced it in the front to test this and it certainly helped in some situations.
The second time we hit this test rock, the tires were broken-in and got traction on this rock, but the rig still fell over backwards.
Test Rock #2 has a gnarly uphill with a longitudinal crack in the rock. This is shown in the photo below. The VRD walked up this rock with little effort. This was pretty impressive. There is also an off-camber downhill on the side of this rock and the VRD rolled off the side multiple times. Again, the lightweight of the truck seems to hurt it in certain situations.
The VRD walked up these ostacles below and impressed me.
This route is completely impassible for most trail trucks. The Carbon made it look easy.
Fall is in the air and leaves have started to fall. They add their own challenges to crawling and trailing.
The Tusks were impressive when wet. This rock is right next to a creek. I got the tires wet on this truck and then climbed this rock. It starts off steeper right out of the creek bed and then gets easier. You can see this transition in the photo below. My truck didn't even sweat here.
The aftermath. The Stance body is massive. I don't know what Vanquish was thinking when designing this body for a "comp" chassis. It's like the short course of comp bodies. In its defense, it did seem to do a good job of protecting the chassis in some hard rollovers and some brutal impacts.
If you zoom into the tires on this pic, you can see some of the tire wear that, at least to me, seems a little extreme.
The only issue I had was that the left front wheel nut kept coming loose. I forget to pack an 8mm nut driver or the 7mm to 8mm adapter from Vanquish so I had to resort to using OSRC's Leatherman-style pliers to tighten the nut. I have to get a new Nyloc nut and hopefully the axle threads aren't damaged. I haven't been able to work on the truck since Sunday to assess the condition of the truck after the run.
Overally, a good first run. The truck just needs some tweaks.
89Industries
Pebble Pounder
Looks good. I miss east coast/Midwest leafy fall. Was always fun to slide around on the bike.
Have you tried any of the 3d printed tire inserts. I like them a lot. Even the ones that aren't quite right do better than my experience with dual density foams. Kind of a shame since CI seems to really support the crawler hobby and I like to support those kind of companies.
I've started using the loctite 248 stick (Link to loctite 248 stick) on my axle nuts plus the nylock nut. I had the same problem with my left front nuts coming loose. Enough that I lost one once and my 5 year old never lets me forget it when we go for a trail drive. I only put it on the first time and it works for a long time with repeated nut removal.
Have you tried any of the 3d printed tire inserts. I like them a lot. Even the ones that aren't quite right do better than my experience with dual density foams. Kind of a shame since CI seems to really support the crawler hobby and I like to support those kind of companies.
I've started using the loctite 248 stick (Link to loctite 248 stick) on my axle nuts plus the nylock nut. I had the same problem with my left front nuts coming loose. Enough that I lost one once and my 5 year old never lets me forget it when we go for a trail drive. I only put it on the first time and it works for a long time with repeated nut removal.
The Stance body is big. Should be about an inch narrower and shorter. If I hadn't paid to have a nice paint job on mine, I'd toss it and use a different body. Definitely going to ditch the sliders when I change bodies.
The tires do get a bit better after break in. Sometimes they hook better the way you have them facing now, other times they hook better going the other way. I rotate them periodically. What inserts are you running?
The tires do get a bit better after break in. Sometimes they hook better the way you have them facing now, other times they hook better going the other way. I rotate them periodically. What inserts are you running?
If you haven't added any weight to the front yet, I'll suggest the brass clamp rings as an easy and inexpensive option (or sintered if you are running vp wheels). Should get pretty close to 60/40 using those which is generally a good balance.
For wheel nuts, I use the serrated flange nylock nuts. Just have to chuck them up in a drill and turn a bit off the diameter so they'll fit into the wheel adapters. They are also taller so a normal nut driver will work instead of needing a special thin wall driver (unless using really wide adapters).
For wheel nuts, I use the serrated flange nylock nuts. Just have to chuck them up in a drill and turn a bit off the diameter so they'll fit into the wheel adapters. They are also taller so a normal nut driver will work instead of needing a special thin wall driver (unless using really wide adapters).
You can have fall. I hate it. Short days so it's dark when you wake up, dark when you leave work, cold, windy, often rainy and that means no motorcycles. You can gladly have it!
I have not tried any 3D printed foams. I bought TPU and have thought about taking that step, but just haven't printed any yet. I do wonder why CI hasn't ventured to try selling 3D printed inserts. I guess they are like me and not yet convinced that 3D printed foams are the way forward. But I will give them a shot.
Thanks for the reminder. I bought some of the Loctite stick at some point. I'll have to try to find it or buy another stick.
Agreed on the metal sliders. Mine already have paint scratched off after 1 run and they're starting to look like crap. Should have been powder coated if they were going to use metal. But these should be plastic IMO.
The front two wheels do have brass rings from Injora. I should break out the setup scale for this rig to see how it is currently balanced and weighted.
They're nice, but I'd definitely have to weight the rear if I used those. Thanks for the link.
89Industries
Pebble Pounder
I've bought 3d inserts from about 4 or 5 places I think, including a few from Etsy. They are kind of all over the place so doing your own is probably great and there are some files already available as a starting point. I should probably buy a printer, certainly save money in the long run.
I'm with you on the dark part of fall. Cooler temps around here are good though. We had a record number of days over 90 here this year and the sun is super intense due to elevation. Not looking forward to snow though.
When I lived in Minnesota I rode my motorcycle as daily transportation rain or shine until the first snow fell. Then started again as soon as they swept the streets in spring to get rid of all the sand and salt they dumped. Same in California going from San Jose to Santa Cruz for work even through winter (no snow).
I was an Aerostich kind of rider, full face helmet, heated vest, etc. ATGATT as they say.
Also did my first tour on a 73 honda cb350f through rainstorms and wind through Iowa. If I didn't learn my lesson from that I figure I never will. Moved on to a Suzuki SV650s for a bunch of other cross country tours and eventually a Triumph Tiger 1050.
I'd like to get out and do some track days again (still have a 1991 Honda RS125r 2smoker) but just too much time I don't really want to spend at this point.
But bad weather riding certainly isn't for everyone. I don't actually care to go out cruising on my motorcycle, I use bicycles for that. And I no longer commute and tours were most fun when I was single. With the wife and kid I now use a converted passenger van for that sort of stuff.
More power to you that you're still riding.
I'm with you on the dark part of fall. Cooler temps around here are good though. We had a record number of days over 90 here this year and the sun is super intense due to elevation. Not looking forward to snow though.
When I lived in Minnesota I rode my motorcycle as daily transportation rain or shine until the first snow fell. Then started again as soon as they swept the streets in spring to get rid of all the sand and salt they dumped. Same in California going from San Jose to Santa Cruz for work even through winter (no snow).
I was an Aerostich kind of rider, full face helmet, heated vest, etc. ATGATT as they say.
Also did my first tour on a 73 honda cb350f through rainstorms and wind through Iowa. If I didn't learn my lesson from that I figure I never will. Moved on to a Suzuki SV650s for a bunch of other cross country tours and eventually a Triumph Tiger 1050.
I'd like to get out and do some track days again (still have a 1991 Honda RS125r 2smoker) but just too much time I don't really want to spend at this point.
But bad weather riding certainly isn't for everyone. I don't actually care to go out cruising on my motorcycle, I use bicycles for that. And I no longer commute and tours were most fun when I was single. With the wife and kid I now use a converted passenger van for that sort of stuff.
More power to you that you're still riding.
I just gotta stop being lazy and model up my own anti-foam and go from there. You can't know where to start without trying. I just have much less free time these days with my girlfriend, her son, and the fact that she lives 45 minutes from my house. So during the few days I'm home each week, I'm trying to cram in all of my hobbies.
Do you ride street bikes any longer at all? I'd probably be into mountain bikes if it wasn't for the heart thing. Motorcycles are definitely my second love behind people and my mental therapy.
Man I'm jealous of your 2-smoker! I've never had the pleasure of riding a 2-stroke street bike. An RZ350 is one of my dream bikes. It's not the easiest to find a reasonably priced 2-stroke on-road bike any longer. Loved my 2-stroke QuadRacer when I had it.
My girlfriend's friend's husband turned out to be a guy I went to high school with. We weren't close, but knew each other. He offered me the use of one of his bikes at a track day. My girlfriend was all for setting it up...until I rolled my car and crushed my arm last year. She isn't a fan of the idea of me wrecking and potentially having to get more plates, screws or some other hardware added to my body...
89Industries
Pebble Pounder
I do not ride street bikes anymore mostly just because when I leave the house I either have my kid or my trucks or running errands that need more space than a motorcycle has available. I do the grocery shopping for 3 people now instead of one person or getting just enough for a day or so like we did before kid.
Also I have to admit there is a greater sense of mortality now that I have a 5 year old. My uncle was like me before kids and rode a lot, tours, going way to fast on twisty mountain roads, etc. Had his first kid, went for one ride and sold his bike. He rode one of mine about 20 years later after his second daughter was out of high school but didn't get back into it. I'm not quite to that level but I certainly see less need to take the risks I used to.
I am not sure what your heart issues or doctors orders are but my neighbors father has a-fib but was on the 1980 olympic cycling team that didn't go due to the boycott. When he was diagnosed he started riding e-bikes. My now 81 y.o. dad was diagnosed with the same a few years back and finally got an ebike as well. Might be an option.
My 2 stroke isn't street legal, track only. Only rode it at Thunderhill Raceway in NorCal a few times. I had converted my SV650s into a track only bike before that. I haven't actually ridden a 2 stroke street bike, or dirtbike for that matter, other than that. I tried a couple times to buy RZ350 and an RD400 but was never successful. Wanted too much or sold before I got the chance etc.
I was told about the lack of engine braking on the 2 stroke but boy did it still shock the hell out of me the first few corners. Then I started using too much brake and finally figured out that you could go through corners so much faster and easier on it that you didn't need as much brake or engine brake. Bike only weighs 150 lbs. And first gear is not meant for starting from a stop. Probably about 40 mph in first gear is what it likes but no speedo just a tach so not really sure.
I'm not saying riding track days on motorcycles is safe but I actually feel its more safe than riding on the street. Everybody is going the same direction, you wear lots of protective gear, there's lots of run off room if you crash, no idiot cagers looing at their cellphones, etc. After doing my first few trackdays I could no longer go ride fast in the twisty Santa Cruz mountains. I never got close to getting knee on the ground on the street before or after track days but after I started seeing all the trees and ditches and cliffs and guardrails at the edge of road. Sand in corners, cars, blind corners, etc. Knee on the ground at about 60 through turn 1 at Thunderhill no problem and I'm slow.
Also I have to admit there is a greater sense of mortality now that I have a 5 year old. My uncle was like me before kids and rode a lot, tours, going way to fast on twisty mountain roads, etc. Had his first kid, went for one ride and sold his bike. He rode one of mine about 20 years later after his second daughter was out of high school but didn't get back into it. I'm not quite to that level but I certainly see less need to take the risks I used to.
I am not sure what your heart issues or doctors orders are but my neighbors father has a-fib but was on the 1980 olympic cycling team that didn't go due to the boycott. When he was diagnosed he started riding e-bikes. My now 81 y.o. dad was diagnosed with the same a few years back and finally got an ebike as well. Might be an option.
My 2 stroke isn't street legal, track only. Only rode it at Thunderhill Raceway in NorCal a few times. I had converted my SV650s into a track only bike before that. I haven't actually ridden a 2 stroke street bike, or dirtbike for that matter, other than that. I tried a couple times to buy RZ350 and an RD400 but was never successful. Wanted too much or sold before I got the chance etc.
I was told about the lack of engine braking on the 2 stroke but boy did it still shock the hell out of me the first few corners. Then I started using too much brake and finally figured out that you could go through corners so much faster and easier on it that you didn't need as much brake or engine brake. Bike only weighs 150 lbs. And first gear is not meant for starting from a stop. Probably about 40 mph in first gear is what it likes but no speedo just a tach so not really sure.
I'm not saying riding track days on motorcycles is safe but I actually feel its more safe than riding on the street. Everybody is going the same direction, you wear lots of protective gear, there's lots of run off room if you crash, no idiot cagers looing at their cellphones, etc. After doing my first few trackdays I could no longer go ride fast in the twisty Santa Cruz mountains. I never got close to getting knee on the ground on the street before or after track days but after I started seeing all the trees and ditches and cliffs and guardrails at the edge of road. Sand in corners, cars, blind corners, etc. Knee on the ground at about 60 through turn 1 at Thunderhill no problem and I'm slow.
I ride much less these days due to the inconvenience of having my Harley at home which is 45 minutes away from my girlfriend's house where I typically stay. She doesn't have a garage (yet) so I miss out on a bunch of riding, especially on weekends when most of my riding gets done. I will take it there over the weekend if the weather promises no rain, but meteorologists are as useless as it gets.
I have my girlfriend's son to worry about. And while I never want to hurt him nor my girlfriend, I don't think it'll ever be the same as having my own spawn to worry about. It seems like having a child changes a person - both men and women, but I'll never know that feeling. Or maybe it's just that my self-preservation instinct isn't as strong as that of others. Speed has never really scared me if I'm in control. And I've been called "crazy" on wheels many times before. I'm sadly bound to hurt people at some point when I leave this planet because of the hand I was dealt. That's why I warned my girlfriend to do her research after our second date and I gave her the out right away before too many feelings were clouding her judgement. She's a saint for staying, but she wouldn't take that credit. I certainly don't want any pity parties though! In a way, I got the gift of really knowing that life is short and valuable and appreciating my time here. So many people think "there's always tomorrow" and that isn't true. We never know when our time is up.
I had a full engine swap in 1999. Transplanted hearts age much faster than our own. Mine was defective though and I had no quality of life towards the end of its life. I was born with 3 "cylinders" (AKA chambers) instead of 4.
My girlfriend knows my addiction is speed, as in velocity, and that I would push the bike to the max on the track. My guess is that's her concern. I'm just glad she encourages my riding and knows that I absolutely love it.
89Industries
Pebble Pounder
Well your smart enough to not ride in the rain. And you have a Harley so all the chrome would rust (I'm just joking around). I didn't like leaving my bike out overnight but mostly for theft reasons but I did a whole bunch when I started dating my wife in 2006.
Your heart is a totally different case to anyone I've met. Sounds like both the original and the swap are in the right place though.
I've always been a bit cautious and knew my limits (well maybe a few hits to the head when I was a kid going full speed helped knock it into me, good thing my mom wouldn't get me a motorcycle or go-kart). But even still I always chose slightly slower bikes so you could ring it out to the max without getting into too much trouble. Ninja 250/300 were also really good for that, just sucked on the highway.
Your heart is a totally different case to anyone I've met. Sounds like both the original and the swap are in the right place though.
I've always been a bit cautious and knew my limits (well maybe a few hits to the head when I was a kid going full speed helped knock it into me, good thing my mom wouldn't get me a motorcycle or go-kart). But even still I always chose slightly slower bikes so you could ring it out to the max without getting into too much trouble. Ninja 250/300 were also really good for that, just sucked on the highway.
