Streamling a Polaris "Slingshot" 3 wheel motorcycle
 

Recently I bought a Polaris Slingshot 3 wheel motorcycle. (Information on this motorcycle is widely available on the Internet, so I won't bore you with a lot of words describing it, when a picture is worth a thousand words.)
The reason for my thread is to find out if anyone, or group, is interested in looking into designing a more streamlined body for it, (leaving the current stock tubular frame in tact), yet transforming the vehicle into one suitable for running at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the Streamliner motorcycle 3 wheel category. My problem is that I have no access to a "quality" incompressible CFD program.
This is also a hobby project, meaning no outside sponsor. I have the skill and machines to make the body, and a fair knowledge of aerodynamics as applied to vehicles. What I don't have is the CFD software and knowledge to apply it to any resulting improved design. Hence the my question here, "Is anyone else interested in this project, and also has the means to run a design analyses of whatever design that comes about?"
The motorcycle in stock form has a 2400 cc Ecotec 4 cylinder 175 hp engine. It is capable of 120 mph. However the stock body is made to produce a lot of down force and stick the vehicle to the road. (It'll pull your false teeth out of your mouth on its corning ability :), of over a "G".)
Yet the back half of the vehicle appears like the designer quit after designing the front half of the machine. Hence you can actually feel the drag that it produces.
However,.......one Slingshot has already been equipped with a turbo charger running only 6 lbs. of boost. In a quarter mile it accelerated to 131 mph in just 11.3 sec. Cleaned up with a better body design, and running a turbo with the same boost, I have no reservations that the vehicle could top out, in otherwise stock form, at 160 mph +.

Thanks for your time, and hopefully........your interest.

cliff20

Cliff,

Shoot me an email...

robert.strong@strongsimulationconsulting.com

I use ANSYS Fluent for all of my analysis.

Thanks,

Robert Strong

Hi Cliff,

Maybe Simu-K can make you a sponsorship.

You can contact me be e-mail for more information.

Best regards,

hello.

I'm an aerodynamicist from Russia. Working primarily with open-source and free codes. Have a possibility to use HPC.

Your challenge is quite interesting, but i'm not sure how serious your intentions. To be clear we're so far from each other to drink a couple of beer at friday. Need a contact, a dialog through FB, skype, linkedin or similar stuff.

Skeptic
 

Skeptic:

I appreciate the reply. However I don't use Skype, or any of the others due to security issues.
I would enjoy the beer, and the discussion, but as you mentioned, there is a distance issue.
A shame, as I've seen some fantastic Russian work in aerodynamics. Especially on ramjet engines, and in ground effect aircraft and vehicles.
Thanks again for the interest. That makes 4 of us out of 7 billion. At least I'm not alone ! http://www.cfd-online.com/Forums/images/icons/icon7.gif

Cliff20

Hi Cliff,

I'd happily take a look for you in OpenFOAM - I've got experience with external aero projects and this sounds quite niche and interesting. Drop me an email at info@momentum-analysis.co.uk if you like to talk more, or feel free to drop me some CAD and I'll get back to you with some thoughts and timescales.

Regards,

Simon.