Flying Merkel.

GoldenMotor.com
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
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SE Idaho
Well, this might not fit here real well, but it seems like all the info I've been searching for can be found here! Great site.

I've wanted to build a custom bike for a long time. I've also always like the old board track racers, the Flying Merkel in particular. Having been unemployed, moved, started a new job as a teacher, and having access to some decent tools has finally led me to start on this dream.

I had a couple of rules. It has to be simple. It has to be street legal. It has to be cheap. AND the most important- it has to be COOL! (pretty easy with a board track racer!)

The bike of my dreams:



It took me a while to figure out the first two rules- simple and street legal. I have been collecting '70s Honda XL250's and 350s, and came up with this idea for the first build (I *do* hope to eventually build something a lot more accurate, but for the first, simple, cheap, street legal.)

I plan on hacking the top tube and back part of the XL350 frame off, use the headset, downtube, engine cradle, engine, and rear swingarm from the XL. The front will be a complete front end- shocks, hub, and disk brake- from a CB450 cause I have it laying around and cause it has disk brakes. I plan on lacing 26" rims to the CB450 front hub and the XL350 back hub and welding new top tubes, seat tube, and seat stays to recreate the look.

Rough sketch (I'm no artist, please dont laugh!)



Did some playing around with a ruler, compass, and dividers to get some measurements:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/turnymom/Flying%20Merkel/MerkelDrawings0001.jpg[
/IMG]

and started playing around in Google Sketchup (still trying to learn how to use it):

[IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/turnymom/Flying%20Merkel/Motorbike.jpg

Now the actual project, theoretically to scale:








So thats where I'm at so far. We are still in the process of buying a house / moving, but I'm hoping that with a summer off I will make some decent headway. I'm teaching metal shop... so I have access to some pretty decent tools.

I do have LOTS of questions, first and foremost at the moment- 26" rims. Where the heck would I find a set of them? And any other tire options that are cheaper than the $282 Coker repros!?

Suggestions and feedback welcomed!
 
lobsterboyx

lobsterboyx

New Member
Dec 20, 2008
49
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Los Angeles
Because you are using a real motorcycle engine, i guess that rules out using a bicycle wheels, your best bet would be to find a moped or motorcycle with big hoops. maybe not 26... or maybe lace a moped hub to a set of heavy duty bicycle hoops...

good luck, cant wait to see what comes of this one!
 
RedB66

RedB66

Active Member
Dec 28, 2007
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Sunshine State
Last edited:
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
12
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SE Idaho
Thanks for the info. The Worksman wheels look like they would work, but I really only need the hoops. I want to lace the hoops to the motorcycle hubs so I can use the original motorcycle brakes and sprockets. Save me a TON of work that way.

Anyone know where I could buy just the hoops? Any idea what Coker's are "speed rated" for? ;)
 
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
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SE Idaho
those may work, just was looking around on their website and it looks like I can buy just the hoop. They also sell heavy-ish duty spokes, so if I can figure out how long of spokes I need, I can probably even get those there too!
 
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dmar836

New Member
Jun 23, 2009
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KC
The hoops are available separately and are pretty reasonable. The best way (right way) is to first determine the hub you will use (XL or otherwise) and then call Buchanan in Ca. for info. They custom make spokes for all combos such as yours. They roll threads rather than cut them - the way they need to be done.
Great project idea!
JMO,
Dave
KC
 
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42blue15

New Member
Sep 18, 2008
136
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0
St Louis metro, USA
dorkpunch said:
Well, this might not fit here real well, but it seems like all the info I've been searching for can be found here! Great site.

I've wanted to build a custom bike for a long time. I've also always like the old board track racers, the Flying Merkel in particular. Having been unemployed, moved, started a new job as a teacher, and having access to some decent tools has finally led me to start on this dream.

I had a couple of rules. It has to be simple. It has to be street legal. It has to be cheap. AND the most important- it has to be COOL! (pretty easy with a board track racer!) ...
Click to expand...
First off I would warn that if you are using motorcycle frames, then you may need to register the thing as a motorcycle to ride it legally on public roads at all.

I don't know about anywhere else--but in Illinois, the state defines a "motor vehicle" as a vehicle that a federal-format VIN on its frame. And ALL motor vehicles operated on Illinois public roads must follow all laws that apply to them (traffic laws as well as titling, registration, licensing and insurance requirements) and furthermore........ there is no way to make a motor vehicle "not a motor vehicle". You cannot simply just file off the serial numbers and say "it's not a motorcycle now", because under federal law obliterating a VIN number is illegal.

So what you may be really building (from a legal standpoint) is a custom motorcycle, not a bicycle at all. And you need to go ask at your local drivers' license place about the rules for doing that.

When I first got interested in all this, I had considered doing a "scooter" conversion using a street-legal Chinese scooter. Registering a custom motorcycle is a bigger hassle than registering a dealer-bought one because there's a bunch more rules that you have to follow--it has to have an inspection and a bunch of extra paperwork but a factory motorcycle is basically just pay the fees and that's it...... so what I had considered doing was buying a Chinese scooter that had the engine size I wanted, obtaining the title/registration and insurance on it, and then modifying the scooter AFTER all that. In my state, motorcycles aren't required to submit to any periodic inspections--so after the initial registration, the Dept of Motor Vehicles would have no way to know it had ever been changed from factory configuration.
But I did not do that at all. (yet)
I chose to play with bicycle parts first, and haven't had the time and funds to do any kind of second one yet.

---------

...I do have LOTS of questions, first and foremost at the moment- 26" rims. Where the heck would I find a set of them? And any other tire options that are cheaper than the $282 Coker repros!?
Click to expand...
Contact the two places that build repro board track racers--Timeless Motor Works is one, and Antique Motorcycle Works is another. Obviously they both know where to get the rims.

There is a safety issue with these tires and rims; they are "clinchers", but they are not as dependable as modern (steel-bead, drop-center-rim) clincher tires we know today. If they suffer punctures at high speeds the tire will often come off the rim completely, causing a crash. Unfortunately, if you want a "tall-tire" board-track-style ride, there's no other alternative.

This page goes into the issue in more detail:
the vintagent: 'BEADED EDGE' TIRES AND SAFETY
~
 
professor

professor

New Member
Oct 14, 2009
500
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Buffalo ny area
I would rather see you do a HT.
A 350 would likely rip the spokes out when you do full throttle in the lower gears. It is possible a real board track engine made as much power as the 350 but it did not have the gears to multiply engine torque!
You could adapt a bike frame like you see done here, you don't need a battery. You can place a tank between the top tubes. The parts will be correct for strength verses hp. It will still be a bike, so apparently legal where you are.
 
Quanah

Quanah

New Member
Dec 13, 2008
51
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Central, Illinois
Yes professor, the board track bikes had no gears, no throttle, no brakes. Being geared so high, for speed, there wouldn't have been too much torque on the hub...of course that was a totally different setup...sprocket on the hub, as opposed to sprocket attached to the spokes. Put too much power into the latter, and it would pull the rim/tire over into the chainstay.
 
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
12
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0
SE Idaho
42blue- that is exactly why I want to use the motorcycle frame. It is already titled, in Idaho there are no inspections and as far as what is required to make a motorcycle street legal, the requirements are minimal. So basically, my "Merkel" will really be a *slightly* modified XL350 (different wheels, tank, top tube, and seat).

For this first version, I've decided to go "motorcycle". I'm going to use a set of 23" rims from the later Honda XL 250's and 500's and lace them to the hubs i plan on using. Not much of a selection in tires (3) and none are white or even whitewall but I wont have to worry about flats and I can actually put miles on the thing when its done. I do still want to do a much more authentic Merkel sometime and while it may be rideable, it'll probably be just for fun / looks.

Dont expect much progress here for a while- we just closed on our house and we will be moving this weekend. May take a while to get set back up , but at least I've got my garage space back!
 
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
12
0
0
SE Idaho
Havent made much progress at all, other than finally getting in our house. At least I have a shop again! Spent a little time tinkering on sketchup, grafted a set of wheels on my frame. Its rough, they came off of a Dream 50 model and then got resized so it looks kinda funny, but you get the idea.

 
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
12
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0
SE Idaho
Man, sketchup is a pretty darn cool program. I discovered how to import pictures and build models over them, so I've been working on the XL frame. I dont think its anywhere close to accurate, but it gives me a lot better idea of what all I'm going to have to do...

Pick of the modeled XL frame:



Nuther Shot:



Built all that just to HACK It off!!!





And the problem I was kind of expecting.... The front wheel has some clearance issues. I plan on using the XL's stock front end or a CB450 front end, and a 23" honda rim, so it wont actually hit the frame but its going to change the way the bike sits for sure. Going to have to extend the swingarm a bit too I think... and I have no idea if its even close to scale with the picture.

 
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dorkpunch

New Member
Dec 19, 2009
12
0
0
SE Idaho
Played around a bit more today... Maybe I'll just have to be happy with 3D model of the thing. :cry Nah, I'll get to building it for real... Eventualy! :evil

Made a crappy engine and grafted the Merkel-esq frame on the top, and it turned out half decent. I think it will definately be do-able.

XLerkel over an XL pic:



And over the Merkel:




And a couple of "painted" pics of just the frame and engine:





 
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diegom

New Member
Nov 19, 2009
52
0
0
Cagliari, Italy
dorkpunch said:
I'm going to use a set of 23" rims from the later Honda XL 250's and 500's and lace them to the hubs i plan on using. Not much of a selection in tires (3) and none are white or even whitewall but I wont have to worry about flats and I can actually put miles on the thing when its done.
Click to expand...
could you please tell me which tires are available for 23" rims?

thanks!!

diego
 
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