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Here's a shot of the response trigger installed. Note the yellow line pointing to the piston installed behind the trigger. The stock banjo fitting is replaced with a 2 way "T" that feeds both the cyclone feeder and the trigger piston.
Tippmann A-5 with Response Trigger installed.
I'll be posting an Illustrated step-by-step guide to installing the RT soon...
Posted to the A5OG.
The long and short of this mod is it looks great but doesn't work well. The Q-loader pushes the balls into the TAC-CAP with sufficient force to either clog up the balls in the top, or after modding the feed tube to push them down, it clogs up the cyclone feeder.
A-5 with Q-loader (barrel mounted) and TAC-CAP mod.
This mod would still be possible to fix by adding some kind of a ball channel that directed the balls single file to the bottom near the breach. The only reason to use the Cyclone feeder with a Q-loader would be to have a reservoir of balls available when changing out Q-pods. So, this mod doesn't work. The good news is it only cost $14 to find out.
Close up of the TAC-CAP and feeder tube.
The only thing the A-5 really needs is a Q-loader (and a barrel). This also is one of the hardest markers to mount a Q-loader onto. So here's try # 2.
The idea:
* Quick load w/ the Q-loader
* Reduce the profile by replacing the stock hopper
Items required: straight feeder tube, Q-loader and a TAC-CAP (picture).
Pretty simple really, the Q-loader is mounted to the front handle, snug with the barrel thingy (that bit of metal hanging down under the barrel). Next up, break the TAC-CAP into two pieces (it's just a friction fit). Cut a whole in the cap (with the lid, open on the bottom) and the cylinder part at the top. As pictured, I don't have any glue on it yet, the friction fit is relatively tight. I had to leave two rings in the TAC-CAP and this is still about 1/2 of the stock hopper profile.
I left the Q-loader loader thingy in the office, so it'll be a few days before I can load up and test this out. Doh!
The goal is to have the quick change feature of the Q-loader with a reserve of balls in the TAC-CAP, even when changing Q-pods.
A view of the inside of the TAC-CAP.
Left side of the marker.
Somewhat lower profile of the TAC-CAP.
In the end I think I'll buy the RAP4 Q-loader mount when available, but for $14 it was a fun mod.
I recently sent in my BMW R1100S for service and borrowed a loaner F650GS Dakar from SJ BMW. The guys at SJ BMW are great, even if it costs me more than $500 every time I visit. :-)
The F650GS is another story.
The Dakar is a single cylinder 4 cycle offroad styled motorcycle. I'm sure this bike has a legion of fans, and fits a good niche somewhere too. But I wasn't impressed.
The bike is too heavy for offroad use, and too underpowered for on-road use. The engine has a nice throaty single cylinder sound, but at highway speeds you're at 5k RPMs and it's just screaming. And bloody hot too.
I'm 6'2" and I couldn't get comfortable riding this bike. When seated normally it's like having ape-hangers in front of your face. I ended up sitting on the back of the seat and streching my legs, this was slightly more comfortable but made for crappy balance around turns.
If you havn't already guessed, I ride a nice solid touring bike (R1100S) and yes, it's spoiled me rotten. But other than aggressive looks, this bike doesn't have much going for it. I wouldn't use it for around town and I prefer a full touring bike for touring.
Well, that's my $0.02 worth. Makes me appreciate my R1100s all that much more...
Here is a mock up of try #1. Rejected, no clearance between the back of the Q-loader pod and the face mask.
This is a mock up, a Simpson strong-tie was used to hold the Q-loader in place.
The mounting bracket attaches under the front handle.
A side view of the Q-loader on the A-5.
This would not be a bad mounting location if the Q-loader wasn't as long. The guys at RAP4 are making a custom Q-loader mounting bracket that would replace the Cyclone loader and mount directly to the right side of the A-5. This extends the width of the A-5 slightly giveing it a slightly larger horizontal profile, and probably requires the Q-loader custom mounting socket. Rumor is it'll be ready in a month or so @ about $30.
Coming soon - Part 2, Cyclone feeder + Q-loader
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