As for my carbon fiber parts, I was able to produce a mold and a prototype part that I took with me and showed to a few people that seemed interested. I got back some interesting and useful criticisms, some of which I found very useful. Some new ideas were spawned during this trip as well.
In the mad rush to make something I could take with me to the show, I learned a lot about working with composites. I made a few mistakes that caused me to think harder about what this process needs to be successful and this week I'm committed to remaking a higher quality set of molds than what I had. I also learned about a neat little trick to achieve a better surface finish with epoxy. All in all, making these parts is going to be a lot more work than what I had imagined but I believe in making nothing but the best parts I can possibly produce otherwise I just don't want to do it. time will tell if I can support myself doing this but till then I am giving it my best shot.
After getting back to Austin I stopped by a friend's house and installed this prototype on his scooter for long term testing. The fit was excellent and the weight reduction from the stock part is amazing. I'll be making a few more for testing this week and start putting together my game plan for a legal business. I can't wait to make replacements of larger parts on the Vespa P-range to see how far I can push the envelope of weight reduction. The notion of making a full carbon fiber P frame is very attractive.
