Aia ka alumini ma nā wahi āpau e pono ai ke kūkulu māmā a i ʻole ke alakaʻi wela a me ka uila kiʻekiʻe. Loaʻa i ka paikikala haʻuki maʻamau kahi poloka cylinder alumini, ke poʻo, a me nā crankcases, me kahi chassis alumini i hoʻopaʻa ʻia a me ka swingarm. I loko o ka ʻenekini, ʻo ka hoʻohana alumini koʻikoʻi ʻo ia kona mau pistons, kahi e hiki ai ke ola ma o ka lawe ʻana i ka wela maikaʻi loa i ka hōʻike ʻana i nā mahana kuni ma luna o ko lākou wahi heheʻe. ʻO nā huila, nā radiators coolant a me ka ʻaila, nā levers lima a me kā lākou mau brackets, nā lei ʻōpae luna a me (pinepine) lalo, nā paipu ʻōpae luna (ma USD forks), nā calipers brake, a me nā cylinder master he alumini like.

Ua haka pono mākou a pau me ka mahalo i kahi chassis alumini nona nā wili e like me ka puʻu kaulana o nā ʻāpana poker. ʻO kekahi o kēia mau chassis a me nā swingarms, e like me nā mea hoʻokūkū 250 ʻelua-hahau o Aprilia, he mau hana noʻeau nani.

Hiki ke hoʻohuihui ʻia ka alumini a mālama ʻia i ka wela i nā ikaika ʻoi aku ka nui ma mua o ke kila palupalu (60,000 psi tensile), akā ʻo ka hapa nui o nā mea hana e hana wikiwiki a maʻalahi. Hiki ke hoʻoheheʻe ʻia, hoʻoheheʻe ʻia, a i ʻole extruded ʻia ka alumini (ʻo ia ke ʻano o ka hana ʻana o kekahi mau kaola ʻaoʻao chassis). ʻO ke alakaʻi wela kiʻekiʻe o ka alumini e koi ai i ka nui o ka amperage, a pono e pale ʻia ka metala wela mai ka oxygen lewa e ka pale ʻana inert-gas (TIG a i ʻole heli-arc).

ʻOiai ke koi nei ka alumini i ka nui o ka uila e lanakila ai mai kāna ore bauxite, i ka wā e kū ai i ke ʻano metala, ʻaʻole nui ke kumukūʻai e hana hou ai a ʻaʻole ia e nalowale i ka popo, e like me ke kila.

Ua hoʻohana koke nā mea hana mua o nā ʻenekini mokokaikala i ka metala hou no nā crankcases, kahi mea inā ʻaʻole pono e hana ʻia me ka hao i hoʻolei ʻia a ʻaneʻane ʻekolu manawa ke kaumaha. He palupalu loa ka alumini maʻemaʻe—ke hoʻomanaʻo nei au i ka huhū o koʻu makuahine i ka hoʻohana ʻana o koʻu makuakāne i kāna paila pālua 1,100-alloy ma ke ʻano he pahele BB improvised: Ua lilo kona lalo i puʻu o nā lua liʻiliʻi.

Ua ʻike koke ʻia ka ikaika i hoʻonui ʻia o kahi mea hoʻohuihui maʻalahi me ke keleawe, a he ʻano mea hoʻohuihui ia i hoʻohana ʻia e ka paionia kaʻa ʻo WO Bentley i kāna mau piston alumini hoʻokolohua ma mua o ke Kaua Honua Mua. I nā hoʻāʻo hope-a-hope e kūʻē i nā piston hao i hoʻolei ʻia i kēlā manawa, ua hoʻonui koke nā piston alumini hoʻāʻo mua a Bentley i ka mana. Ua holo lākou i kahi anuanu, hoʻomehana iki i ka hui wahie-ea e komo mai ana, a mālama i ka nui o kona nui. I kēia lā, hoʻohana nui ʻia nā piston alumini i nā mīkini kaʻa a me nā mokokaikala.

A hiki i ka hiki ʻana mai o ka mokulele Boeing 787 i hoʻoikaika ʻia me ke kalapona fiber-i hoʻoikaika ʻia, he ʻoiaʻiʻo maʻamau ia o ka mokulele ʻo ke kaumaha hakahaka o kēlā me kēia mokulele he 60 pakeneka o ka alumini. Ke nānā nei i nā kaumaha a me nā ikaika o ka alumini a me ke kila, ʻano ʻē kēia i ka wā mua. ʻAe, he 35 pakeneka wale nō ke kaumaha o ka alumini ma mua o ke kila, ka nui no ka nui, akā ʻoi aku ka ikaika o nā kila ikaika kiʻekiʻe ma ka liʻiliʻi he ʻekolu manawa ma mua o nā alumini ikaika kiʻekiʻe. No ke aha e kūkulu ʻole ai i nā mokulele mai ke kila lahilahi?

Ua iho ia i ke kū'ē ʻana i ka buckling o nā ʻano like o ka alumini a me ke kila. Inā hoʻomaka mākou me nā paipu alumini a me ke kila o ke kaumaha like no ka kapuaʻi, a hoʻemi mākou i ka mānoanoa o ka paia, e buckle mua ka paipu kila no ka mea, ʻo kona mea, hoʻokahi hapakolu wale nō ka mānoanoa o ka alumini, ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi o ka hiki ke hoʻopaʻa ponoʻī.

I ka wā o nā makahiki 1970, ua hana pū wau me ka mea hana mōlina ʻo Frank Camillieri. I koʻu nīnau ʻana iā ia no ke aha mākou i hoʻohana ʻole ai i nā paipu kila nui aʻe o ka paia lahilahi e hana i nā mōlina māmā a paʻa, ʻī maila ʻo ia, "Ke hana ʻoe i kēlā, ʻike ʻoe he pono ʻoe e hoʻohui i kahi puʻu mea i nā mea e like me nā kau mīkini e pale aku ai iā lākou mai ka haki ʻana, i nalowale ai ka mālama ʻana i ke kaumaha."

Ua hoʻohana mua ʻo Kawasaki i nā swingarms alumini ma kāna mau paikikala MX hale hana i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o nā makahiki 1970; ua ukali nā mea ʻē aʻe. A laila i ka makahiki 1980, ua kau ʻo Yamaha iā Kenny Roberts ma luna o kahi paikikala GP ʻelua-hahau 500 nona ka mōlina i hana ʻia mai ka paipu alumini extruded ʻāpana huinahā. Pono ka nui o ka hoʻokolohua hoʻolālā, akā i ka hopena, me ka hoʻohana ʻana i nā manaʻo o ka ʻenekinia Sepania ʻo Antonio Cobas, ua ulu nā mōlina heihei alanui GP a Yamaha i nā kaola alumini māhoe nui i maʻa mau i kēia lā.

ʻOiaʻiʻo nō he mau chassis holomua o nā ʻano ʻē aʻe—ʻo ka "trellis" paipu kila a Ducati no kekahi, a me ka chassis fiber kalapona "ʻili a me nā iwi" a John Britten o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o nā makahiki 1990. Akā, ua lilo nā chassis beam alumini māhoe i mea nui i kēia lā. Ke hilinaʻi nei au e hiki ke hana ʻia kahi chassis hana me ka plywood i hoʻoheheʻe ʻia, inā he mau kiko bolting paʻa a me ke ʻano geometry i hōʻoia ʻia.

ʻO kekahi ʻokoʻa koʻikoʻi ma waena o ke kila a me ka alumini, ʻo ia ka mea i kapa ʻia he palena luhi: kahi pae koʻikoʻi hana ma lalo iho nei ka palena ʻole o ke ola o ka ʻāpana. ʻAʻohe palena luhi o ka hapa nui o nā mea hoʻohui alumini, ʻo ia ke kumu e "ola" ai nā mokulele alumini no kahi helu i hoʻolālā ʻia o nā hola hoʻohana. Ma lalo o kēia palena, kala mai ke kila iā mākou i kā mākou mau hewa, akā hoʻomanaʻo ka alumini i nā hōʻino āpau ma ke ʻano o ka pōʻino luhi kūloko i ʻike ʻole ʻia.

ʻAʻole loa hiki i ke chassis GP nani o nā makahiki 1990 ke lilo i kumu no ka hana nui ʻana. ʻO kēlā mau chassis he mau ʻāpana i hoʻopili ʻia mai nā mea i mīkini ʻia, kaomi ʻia, a me nā mea alumini i hoʻoheheʻe ʻia. ʻAʻole wale ia he paʻakikī, akā koi ia e hiki ke hoʻopili ʻia nā mea hoʻohuihui ʻekolu. He kumukūʻai a me ka manawa ka hoʻopili ʻana, ʻoiai inā hana ʻia e nā robots hana.

ʻO ka ʻenehana i hiki ai i nā ʻenekini ʻehā-hahau māmā a me nā chassis i hoʻolei ʻia o kēia lā, ʻo ia nā ʻano hoʻopiha mold haʻahaʻa-turbulence ʻaʻole e hoʻopaʻa i nā kiʻiʻoniʻoni o ka alumini oxide e hana koke ʻia ma luna o ka alumini heheʻe. Hoʻokumu kēlā mau kiʻiʻoniʻoni i nā wahi nāwaliwali i loko o ka metala, i ka wā ma mua, pono nā hoʻolei ʻana e ʻoi aku ka mānoanoa e loaʻa ai ka ikaika kūpono. Hiki i nā ʻāpana i hoʻolei ʻia mai kēia mau kaʻina hana hou ke paʻakikī loa, akā hiki ke hoʻākoakoa ʻia nā chassis alumini o kēia lā me nā welds hiki ke helu ʻia ma ka lima hoʻokahi. Ua manaʻo ʻia e mālama nā ʻano hoʻolei hou i 30 a ʻoi aku paha paona o ke kaumaha i nā mokokaikala hana.

Me nā ʻano kila like ʻole, he lio hana nui ka alumini no ka nohona kanaka, akā ʻoi aku ia ma mua o kēlā no nā mokokaikala hou. ʻO ia ka ʻiʻo o kahi paikikala, no laila ua nui loa a ʻike ʻole mākou a ʻike paha i ka nui o ka hana o ka mīkini a mākou e aie ai iā ia.