Croatian Boardtracker

[dule]

hello, it's time to start writting and posting pics of my build because today I've ordered my kit from boy go fast...hope it'll turn on my door soon

here's the story - I have a base for my project - it's a 2004 Felt RedBaron frame and rims+tires (24x3 Thick Brick) my concirn is the clearance for the chain, but i have the time to fix it before the engine arrives

I managed to get hold of an old NSU (German company that buildt both cars and bikes long time ago) front fork from their model Quick. I love this fork because you can't see many of these any more, currently I'm waiting for the new spring for the front end that I've ordered from this funny old guy that still makes those by hand (he's not a blacksmith, only thin that he does are the springs of all kinds)...

my plan is to start on the tank design (sth like Young's "Lakewood Special"), and to fix the seatpost to have it like those from Gent Cruisers..

the paint we'll be sth to match my light/baby ble custom Citroen 2cv - to look kewl on the roofrack one day hehe

whole project will be named "Der Fliegender Manfred" - to, sortof, keep the name of the bike - Red Baron was a WW1 ace pilot and his real name was Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, and the translation from German of the future name will be "the flying Manfred" ...hope U like it

if any of you has any ideas regarding the logo/custom sign for the tank feel free to suggest it to me

here are the pics the bike like it was (sorry for posting this again - thea are also in the part of the forum for introducing)

the bike and me last summer

the bike now

few days ago my new old grips arrived with a "reversed" controls - hopefully I'll manage to fix them with the clutch and throttle

and this is my slightly customized and dropped down a bit Citroen 2CV - the bike will have probably the same colour on the frame, fork, rear fender and hadlebar, black rims, seat, grips... what do ya think 'bout that?

 

[the paper boy]

Hope when the kit comes i hope it comes with everthing to help you put it on the bike your going to put it on including nuts, bults, parts, and s, etc...
I hope your next pictures include the motor on the bike

 

[dule]

hehe those are my hopes also

 

[Whizzerd]

9 hp car & 2 hp motorbike. In your case less is definately more. Good Luck w/ your Felt build. On the other forum, motoredbikes.com, 'Give me Vtec' has some nice pics of his RedBaron in the album section.

 

[simonjohnwilmer]

Thats a sexy front fork , I have seen them on mopeds before , only photos tho , best lookin 2CV Ive ever seen .

 

[dule]

@ Wizzered tnx man, in my case the car is astonishing 32hp maybe even a bit more because of lightened - machined flywheel from 9kg to about 5 and a bit tuned carburettor

@simonjohnwilmer - I also havent seen any of these forks in daily traffic - just on a oldtimer swap meets - mine was allegedly used on a moped that was curriers bike in a WW2 and since than it was rotting in a garage before taken a part and sold to pieces, nice to know that I'm breathing the life back into a pice of history.. glad that you like my car

here's a pic of a how the donor of the fork looked like - it's a NSU Quick from 1936 (it was the real MB bike frame with springer fork, small gas tank and a 98cc engine)

 

[silverbear]

Can't wait to see the bike sitting up there on the little 2CV. It'll be an eye catcher for sure. Great front fork on the bike.
SB

 

[dule]

tnx SB today I've picked up my new front spring for the fork, it looks nice, this week I'll probably start with the tank mould (should be a f/g thing)

in the meantime got some work done for my girl - repainted her's fuji shakalaka, was candyapple orange now it's dirty white with black flat details and wood inserts (hand made by yours truly)

 

[dule]

still waitin for the postman with my angine but in the meantime started to shape foam in the desired shape for the tank it'll be connected in the middle in the lower end and also there'll be the exit for gas line, still not sure of what kind of gascap to use, but maybe I'll just "import" the standar from the tank provided in the kit...

here are the pics (sorry for poor quality these were taken by mobile) - the shape cut and already smoothen a bit

from the side

from above

 

[dule]

and after a while held on the bike by some tape

and the whole bike

hopefulyl there'll be enough space under the tank to hide magneto...because it's the ugliest thing in the kit hehe and there shoul de the driest place

 

[bairdco]

lookin' good, that should hold a lot of fuel!

i hide my CDI box underneath the motor and run a longer plug wire up around the engine:

 

[dule]

a small OT - i'd like to show you the final pics of my girl's bike transormation - it's not a MB but still a nice lookin' bike

as i've mentined earlier these past few days I was doing some work on her's cruiser. She wanted a new colour (the metalic orange with the silver tribal "tatoo" was a bit too much in the first place),

so i came up with this (she wanted some light colours on the frame) Ivory gloss and flat black details, all the work was, again, done in my flat(on the 12th floor hehe) some of that (painting and sanding and wood works) at the balcony and all the rest in the dining room hehe...she's now abroad on her masters scolarship untill 1st of march and I'm home alone with our bikes and the dog - so the flat turned to a bike shop really quickly

must do some final touches like connecting the lights, and putting the chain back on and pumping some air into the tires but i must say that I like the result..

 

[azbill]

nice job !!!
I really like the wood accents
she is going to love it when she gets back

 

[Cannonfish]

The black and white bike definitely looks nice too, but what really captured my interest was the tank you're making for your red bike!

I've been reading a lot online about the fiberglass-and-foam method of casting a gastank, and I'm now I'm planning to make an under-tube tank much like what you have. Let us know how yours turns out - did you already cut the filler cap and fuel line connection out from your standard kit tank?

Any more hints to give out before I start carving on this block of styrofoam? I hope you can post more photos soon Good luck!!

 

[dule]

still have no original tank to cut, still waitin' for my kit to arrive it's been only a week since my order (for example today I've helped a friend mount his wide pedal set that he just recieved in the post - he ordered it from boygofast about 4 weeks ago ) but don't ya worry the pics will follow a.s.a.p.

been thinking of using not so usual fittings for the filler cap and the fuel exit...be patient and you'll find out hehe

 

[perichbrothers]

Tanks lookin good!
Since you're working with fiberglass,
I think rounding those edges more would look sleeker.

You do this on the balcony?

TP

 

[dule]

well since I don't have garage here yup, I'm working on balcony but fiberglass will be done elswhere (my neighbours will be very happy about that)

as far as the tank goes I've changed it shape a bit - it's not that boxy and is more rounded as you suggested PB but I thik that you'll find'em still a bit to blockish when looknig from the top side, will post pics later today for your judgement

 

[dule]

so, the pisc of the tank - again taken with my mobile sorry

I kinnda like it like this because it looks (in my oppinion) more period correct (could be that I'm mistaken though), it'll go nice with the paintscheme that I'm planing for it... maybe it'll be narrow at the bottom but not sure just yet

I think I've mentioned earlier I'm going for the idea of how the tank on "the Lakewood Special" was made I really like that look (have noticed it on one of the episodes of biker buildoff)

 

[perichbrothers]

It'll look good either way Dule.
I was just thinking that since you're using fiberglass you could go with smoother shapes,
that are harder to do with steel.
Also FG is harder to lay up on sharp edges, not impossible though just tricky.

Not sure if you know how to fiberglass yet,
but there is a trick you might try-
-lay up some fiberglass/resin on a piece of glass or formica
-after it cures you'll have a sheet that can be cut into those flat shapes, with scissors even.
-than like a piece of sheetmetal you can just "tape" the edges with strips of fiberglass.

Anyway hope you take my criticism lightly,
blame it on my austrian grandfather!

travis aka TP

 

[dule]

It'll look good either way Dule.
I was just thinking that since you're using fiberglass you could go with smoother shapes,
that are harder to do with steel.
Also FG is harder to lay up on sharp edges, not impossible though just tricky.

Not sure if you know how to fiberglass yet,
but there is a trick you might try-
-lay up some fiberglass/resin on a piece of glass or formica
-after it cures you'll have a sheet that can be cut into those flat shapes, with scissors even.
-than like a piece of sheetmetal you can just "tape" the edges with strips of fiberglass.

Anyway hope you take my criticism lightly,
blame it on my austrian grandfather!

travis aka TP

hey, dont you worry, no harm done (sorry if my post "sounds" like I'm angry), tnx for the tips I have done some things wit FG, usually I have a guy that does a bigger pieces for me but he's damn slow so I'm thinking of starting this tank by myself and your advices are really good - never would'ev think of that myself will try it it sounds much easier than laying the foam wit waterbased paint than primer and all the stuff that would prevent FG resin to stick/dissolve the foam mould!

d.