Rick that is indeed cool. I hope it stays that way for you folks but who knows. Parts of B.C. that no one wanted are now worth a kings ransom.
They call it progress.
Steve.
They call it progress.
Steve.
Indian Tadpole
- Thread starter silverbear
- Start date
As I order parts Steve, spending money like a drunk sailor, and just barely starting to get into the build process. I recalled your above quoted post. I'm already anxious to see an end to my expenditures. This time round I'll first bench test the motor (engine & parts are all on the way) rather than wait 14 months to fire it up like I did with the Simplex.
Did you complete the jack shaft & has the Bully clutch arrived? Are you yet aware how truly special your Tadpole is turning out to be? I'd hazard a guess your answer to that interrogative is no. I'm excited at the prospect of a running Tadpole & I expect to see photos of "himself" (you Steve) astride & in control of this truly amazing "one off" build, like none other since Indian rolled the last one off their production line...a true thing of beauty & a joy forever... to those who witness! I'd buy the T shirt, cap & poster to commemorate the grand feat. Rick C.
Laughing at your, spending money like a drunken sailor, remark Rick. I keep thinking about the time in the early 80's that I went down to the marina about 8 blocks away and started looking at the sail boats that were for sale. I went into the office and asked about one and the marina owner asked if I had ever owned a boat.
When I told him no he said come with me and we walked down to the end of the wharf. He said to prepare myself for boat ownership I needed to come back down the the end of the wharf every month with a $1,000 in $100 dollar bills in my pocket and a pocket full on rocks and a length of string. I then had to tie each bill to a rock and throw it as hard as I could into the ocean.
It was this time of year and he told me to come back the end of August if I still wanted a boat because I would understand what owning a boat was like and they would be cheaper that time of year since the season would be ending.
I decided to build motor bikes instead.
Still wait for the clutch. Pat said that Bully was going to send them to him this week and after he checked them over he would send them on to people waiting. It's the old supply story. Everyone is waiting for the person supplying them and getting blamed.
I'm the guy who spent a large part of his life watching lacquer dry just so he could sand some of it off to apply more and watch it dry so he could repeat the process. Patience was forced upon me until it seemed like a life style.
Waiting for the clutch to plan out the jack shaft.
No, I have to confess that I don't see the tri car as anything special. When I was building reproduction antique furniture I had leading experts in their field tell me that if they didn't know who had built it they would have said it was real. All I ever saw was what I could or should have done to it. Much like the tri car.
I certainly appreciate your kind words and everyone Else's and it does keep pushing me forward. When this puppy is finally up and running like a big dog I may even break down and do a video. T shirt, cap and poster may follow.
Steve.
When I told him no he said come with me and we walked down to the end of the wharf. He said to prepare myself for boat ownership I needed to come back down the the end of the wharf every month with a $1,000 in $100 dollar bills in my pocket and a pocket full on rocks and a length of string. I then had to tie each bill to a rock and throw it as hard as I could into the ocean.
It was this time of year and he told me to come back the end of August if I still wanted a boat because I would understand what owning a boat was like and they would be cheaper that time of year since the season would be ending.
I decided to build motor bikes instead.
Still wait for the clutch. Pat said that Bully was going to send them to him this week and after he checked them over he would send them on to people waiting. It's the old supply story. Everyone is waiting for the person supplying them and getting blamed.
I'm the guy who spent a large part of his life watching lacquer dry just so he could sand some of it off to apply more and watch it dry so he could repeat the process. Patience was forced upon me until it seemed like a life style.
Waiting for the clutch to plan out the jack shaft.
No, I have to confess that I don't see the tri car as anything special. When I was building reproduction antique furniture I had leading experts in their field tell me that if they didn't know who had built it they would have said it was real. All I ever saw was what I could or should have done to it. Much like the tri car.
I certainly appreciate your kind words and everyone Else's and it does keep pushing me forward. When this puppy is finally up and running like a big dog I may even break down and do a video. T shirt, cap and poster may follow.
Steve.
Last edited:
Thanks Curt. I really want to have it running so I can see what I built. Seems that I may be the first guy breaking trail since Indian made them and at least they knew what they were doing..
Steve.
Steve.
I had too look back a ways to see on photo bucket some of the pictures where I can stand back and see more than a few parts at a time. But if you get photos of it complete lets see!
I came across this contraption that pickup truck convert to tank tread and ski thig-a-ma-gig.
http://purelocal.com/Video.aspx?vid...erm=track+n+go+wheel-driven+track+system&vx=0
Could maybe just use a non-powered front wheel on the Tadpole and two rear wheels with tank tread ski powered .... though a cover over the seating area may be warranted!
I came across this contraption that pickup truck convert to tank tread and ski thig-a-ma-gig.
http://purelocal.com/Video.aspx?vid...erm=track+n+go+wheel-driven+track+system&vx=0
Could maybe just use a non-powered front wheel on the Tadpole and two rear wheels with tank tread ski powered .... though a cover over the seating area may be warranted!
I'm going to try and get the seat on the front of the tri car this week M.T. My nephew will be over in a couple of days and I'll ask he and my brother to get it out of the trailer and set it in place. My arthritis is getting to the point where it's too hard to help. I'll try and get a photo of it where it's sitting in the garage.
It's up on saw horses so I can get at the running gear easily and once that's done I'll put it down on the ground and roll it outside and get photos of it. I'd like to see what it looks like all together myself but at least I get to see the parts for real and not just photos.
I like the truck with the powered skis. The only draw back is you would have to live somewhere that has snow to use them. That's not on my calendar.
Steve.
It's up on saw horses so I can get at the running gear easily and once that's done I'll put it down on the ground and roll it outside and get photos of it. I'd like to see what it looks like all together myself but at least I get to see the parts for real and not just photos.
I like the truck with the powered skis. The only draw back is you would have to live somewhere that has snow to use them. That's not on my calendar.
Steve.
As usual the one day that my nephew had free was the day that it rained steadily in the past two sunny weeks. Maybe next week. When I had the one photo to work from it showed the piece that the fender supports were on the outside at the bottom of the fenders. Every other photo had them under the fender so that has occupied a few hours redoing them.
Steve.
Steve.
Any even number of similar wrong installations that are done are right? Hey as long as you found out and your getting it done. I was out enjoying some strong winds. I would have been windsurfing, but I settled for rc land sailing in empty weekend parking lot. Started out ripping up the bottom of the sail, but made a quick repair with tape. I have some stronger sail material for the model, I'll have to copy a pattern and make a better one than what it came with. Of course I've only had the material for maybe 5 years now...yep I'll get to it.
If you want to give God a good laugh just share your plans with him Steve.
As to photos I've also been wrongly convinced on several occasions. I was into vintage restoration in a big way for years. Check my avatar; that old Chevy Texaco tanker restoration is a national winner 100 point truck in several major competitions. I've done several over the years along with firearms and various antique scientific instruments. My opinion is that excellent restoration is the most difficult to do well, with accurate "re-creation" closely following on the hardness scale. Customs are far less demanding, not easy, but less demanding. I liked doing each, but I'm having as much fun on the easy stuff (mostly involving collecting & assembly of parts) as I ever did on the more difficult projects. So I tip my hat to your dedication & sit back while watching your progress & remembering the occasional frustration of my own past efforts. Your Tadpole is happening!
Rick C.
M.T.
That's true. It was found and corrected and it was easy to do. it could have been a major problem and required a lot of work. Then again I could have painted over it and left it but that just isn't me.
You've only had the sail material for five years? That kind of fits in with the old joke about women not having to remind the men in their lives every six months that something needs to be repaired. They will get to it when they can.
Steve.
That's true. It was found and corrected and it was easy to do. it could have been a major problem and required a lot of work. Then again I could have painted over it and left it but that just isn't me.
You've only had the sail material for five years? That kind of fits in with the old joke about women not having to remind the men in their lives every six months that something needs to be repaired. They will get to it when they can.
Steve.
Rick,
It's the old saying, When man plans, God laughs. I have over the years provided Him with some real side splitters.
I could have let it go but restorer in me wouldnt let that happen. The curse of perfection is upon us. I have seen the Texaco tank truck in different magazines and wondered who did it. I'm happy now I know who it was. My first thought was that I hope it was all there because parts would be nearly non existent for the tank. So few made and fewer survived.
I find myself sitting in the garage looking at the tri car and wondering if I would do it again. The answer of course is yes. As with one hundred point restorations you don't go into it with the thought that your going to fail and it will be easy to do. If it was there would be restoration shops everywhere.
Your scale of difficulty is spot on of course. That is why I'm trying to get a reasonable facsimile and not a carbon copy. As an old fellow told me better than fifty years ago that a smart man knows his limitations and a smarter man listen to them.
Steve.
It's the old saying, When man plans, God laughs. I have over the years provided Him with some real side splitters.
I could have let it go but restorer in me wouldnt let that happen. The curse of perfection is upon us. I have seen the Texaco tank truck in different magazines and wondered who did it. I'm happy now I know who it was. My first thought was that I hope it was all there because parts would be nearly non existent for the tank. So few made and fewer survived.
I find myself sitting in the garage looking at the tri car and wondering if I would do it again. The answer of course is yes. As with one hundred point restorations you don't go into it with the thought that your going to fail and it will be easy to do. If it was there would be restoration shops everywhere.
Your scale of difficulty is spot on of course. That is why I'm trying to get a reasonable facsimile and not a carbon copy. As an old fellow told me better than fifty years ago that a smart man knows his limitations and a smarter man listen to them.
Steve.
Steve the discipline you cultivated as a restorer is a key ingredient of your Indian Tadpole re-creation not a carbon copy designed to fool the public but, "In the spirit of", the original and very similar in appearance to the real deal.
I'm reminded of the Schwinn Excelsior overhead cam reproductions that have sold for over $150,000. there are no known surviving originals, yet in motorcycling publications they are seldom referred to as copies, but "authentic" which is a tribute to the artist who fabricated each piece by hand & proudly he acknowledges that they aren't 100% accurate because no known photos exist of the "left side" of the engine by which to guide him. He just worked in the spirit till it satisfied him. Same with the engine internals...highly upgraded through the process of his vintage racing activities. He's actively racing (with success) one of these engines in order to refine the design. No vintage parts are used in bike or engine,drive train, all custom fabrication/copies.
I know you will keep after this till it suits you & that should be be way better than any of us could realistically expect. Rick C.
I'm reminded of the Schwinn Excelsior overhead cam reproductions that have sold for over $150,000. there are no known surviving originals, yet in motorcycling publications they are seldom referred to as copies, but "authentic" which is a tribute to the artist who fabricated each piece by hand & proudly he acknowledges that they aren't 100% accurate because no known photos exist of the "left side" of the engine by which to guide him. He just worked in the spirit till it satisfied him. Same with the engine internals...highly upgraded through the process of his vintage racing activities. He's actively racing (with success) one of these engines in order to refine the design. No vintage parts are used in bike or engine,drive train, all custom fabrication/copies.
I know you will keep after this till it suits you & that should be be way better than any of us could realistically expect. Rick C.
Forgot to credit Paul Brodie as the creator of the Excelsior repros. He is also a designer/builder of high quality bicycles & teaches frame building classes too. Quite well known in the two wheeled world on multiple fronts & himself a British import. Rick C.
I knew that Paul Brodie's name sounded familiar. He lives about 25 miles north of where I do. I looked up his building of the Excelsior and he started his build much like l started the tri car by wanting to see if it could be done. Of course he took it to a level far past what I did.
He wasn't swayed by the "It must be totally original." when he built the motor. Like the Indian twin that produced something like 15 horse power out of a 1,000cc motor in street form it just wasn't practical not to build a modern motor while making it look like an original as much as possible.
It's interesting that no photos of the left side of the engine exist. I wonder if that is because the left side didn't have anything of interest like the right side that had the carb and the valve train showing. I ran into this with the first couple of photos I had of the tri car to work from. Everyone took photos of the sides of the bike but no one took a photo head on so I could see how the steering and the spindles were set up.
It was hard to get an idea of the lay out of the spindles through the spokes when the photographer was 15 or 20 feet away. As usual as soon as I had the front axle welded up a photo of the bike shot head on showed up and I got a chance to see what I should of done. What's new there.
Time to go and cut out the metal for the chain guard.
Steve.
He wasn't swayed by the "It must be totally original." when he built the motor. Like the Indian twin that produced something like 15 horse power out of a 1,000cc motor in street form it just wasn't practical not to build a modern motor while making it look like an original as much as possible.
It's interesting that no photos of the left side of the engine exist. I wonder if that is because the left side didn't have anything of interest like the right side that had the carb and the valve train showing. I ran into this with the first couple of photos I had of the tri car to work from. Everyone took photos of the sides of the bike but no one took a photo head on so I could see how the steering and the spindles were set up.
It was hard to get an idea of the lay out of the spindles through the spokes when the photographer was 15 or 20 feet away. As usual as soon as I had the front axle welded up a photo of the bike shot head on showed up and I got a chance to see what I should of done. What's new there.
Time to go and cut out the metal for the chain guard.
Steve.
Brodie's the real deal fabricator and so diverse. Ground up reproductions, straight restorations, big and small cycles, as well as world class bicycles. Racing & development, design of frames and engines coupled with machining his own parts. Generally he can and does it all...quite well and puts to shame most of the reality TV bike builders/posers.
Your correct in that building back to exact specs would fly in the face of new materials, techniques and updated design practices & engineering advances. Building a better safer transport in the process while essentially duplicating the look should be the goal of the re-creator not blind and unthinking duplication. Face the reality and deal with it...critics seldom build anything but their own sense of self importance!
Lack of information, at the right moment is frustrating. Turn down the wrong road and later back up, develops character I suppose, yet hinders progress towards a harmonious outcome. You've got a good handle on your Indian Tadpole Steve just stay real.
Rick C.
Your correct in that building back to exact specs would fly in the face of new materials, techniques and updated design practices & engineering advances. Building a better safer transport in the process while essentially duplicating the look should be the goal of the re-creator not blind and unthinking duplication. Face the reality and deal with it...critics seldom build anything but their own sense of self importance!
Lack of information, at the right moment is frustrating. Turn down the wrong road and later back up, develops character I suppose, yet hinders progress towards a harmonious outcome. You've got a good handle on your Indian Tadpole Steve just stay real.
Rick C.
Have to comment here that the level of discourse and depth of thought one would not expect to find on a motor bicycling forum. At least I would not have thought it likely. Happily, the quality of our membership shines through and somehow this forum brings out some of the best in people through appreciating and respecting each other, sharing what we know and admitting what we don't... this is the best forum I have found on the internet. Keep talking and building, you guys.
SB
SB
Silver bear your threads and posts set a great example for us to follow: civil, humble & insightful laced with wit & a well developed sense of humor (most at your own expense). Your posts aren't centered on you or your builds, but an interest in others & learning more, even as you instruct us all with your life experience in general & specifically your broad knowledge of 2 & 3 wheeled transports & the devices which power them. You my friend are an encouragement & I count you as a mentor of the first caliber & not just you but those fine forum contributors who share in that same spirit of growth.
Rick C.
Rick C.
