Bairdco Built For Speed Bike...

bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
been putting a new bike together over the weekend.

the frame is an unknown 24" BMX cruiser i got at the swap meet for 50 bucks, and could possibly be an S&S (the same S&S that made Headers for cars for years, till finally going bust,) which would make it the only 24" Newport Cruiser known in existence, and worth a ton of money to nostalgic old BMX'rs.

but i don't care, i'm gonna wreck it by putting a motor in it (but i ain't gonna weld the frame or nuthin...)

i built me some handlebars out of some old... handlebars. this gave me a chance to use the reverse levers i've had laying around forever. if i can figure it out i might make an internal throttle.

welded up the front fork from an old 30's bike with truss rods.

worked on the tank all day. needs some more work.

built an HT motor that's gonna be really fast.

i'm gonna chain it up in the backyard near the sprinklers and sprinkle salt on it for paint.

i gotta go now. more later...
 

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Nice. I love patina cause I grew up in the salt belt (Chicago) and I never saw patina till I moved south. Up there, it has holes long before any patina forms....lol!
 
Don't rust out your fast bike, rust leads to frame failures. Well at least I wouldn't, maybe for a show cruiser that won't get pounded.
 
it's just gonna be surface rust, it's not like i'm gonna bury it in a swamp for 50 years, although i've had a few bikes that looked like that before...
 
dennis, unless it's for beers at the strip club, count me out...

the motor going into it is a china doll case, i don't even know what kind anymore, and it has an Aermacchi M50 head, one of Moonerdizzle's anodized pistons, new bearings, and some other mods.

also has allen head bolts instead of head-studs.

i got some real friction material from a place down the street and made some real clutch pucks. i'd like to get them to make pucks for me (and to sell,) 'cause it's a mess cutting and grinding them down to fit.

got this cool expansion chamber from a swap meet for 12 bucks, so i'm gonna modify that to fit.

dunno what i'm gonna do for a carb. i've got a few different ones to play with.

that's all for now.
 

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baird and nostyle

i hope you can make the beach ride this sunday march 3rd -- 10 am gather
end of washington blvd. beach parking lot
 
Baird,
Take the chain off before you salt that puppy :)
Try this: Mix up a batch of salt water in a bucket or can and wet a rag then wipe down the frame with it. Be sure to clean off any oily fingerprints, unless you want them, and let it sit for a few days. Guaranteed patina.

Keep us informed. Should be a cool looking ride.

Tom
 
Bleach will patina that in a real hurry.

Baird, are ya gonna oil it afterwords or do some sort of clear coat?
I understand the desire for the rust patina, but how ya gonna stop it after the perfect coat has been achieved?
 
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Guys,

I think patina has to be earned through use not made.

My opinion anyway, others may think differently!

Cheers,
DaveM.
 
i've got a few ideas i'm throwing at it. fire is one of them. :)

the thing about clear coating it to "protect" it, i my opinion and experience, is this bike probably won't be together forever. the amount of rust build up over a few years won't destroy it.

you've seen my other bikes, where i've resurrected them from 60+ years of neglect and they've turned out fine.

once the patina (i hate that word) settles in, a simple wipe down with wd40 should keep it fresh.

hopefully i finish the tank tomorrow. the rest after that is easy...
 
Hi Bairdco,

I love the word Patina, most probably because one of my ex girlfriends had the same name, I still have a place in my heart for her.

Clear coat over the frame would be enough for me, and then just enjoy it!

Oh, and as you said a simple wipe down with WD40.

Cheers,
Dave.
 
dave, i hear you on the "fauxtina" thing. i'm not a big fan of the fad of the cars and trucks that are made to look old (or the flat black "murdered out" look on new cars, either.)

my perspective on this bike is not a fake barn fresh look, but a beat-up, evil lookin' monster, that looks like it survived a bomb attack.

who knows how it'll turn out or what the general public thinks...
 
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