Simplex new project

Bob Gurkin · Feb 3, 2011

re: Simplex new project

LOL Rick. Glad you got your stuff from Wayne. Heck of a nice guy. I last spoke to him 3 or 4 weeks ago and he was trying to get the piston prob solved at that time. Evidently he did. Gary was telling me that he picked up around a hundred pistons also. He must have gotten them about the same time so perhaps their piston problems are solved. Pls post some shots of your Simplex if you do the 3 wheeler. Bill Erickson at Bill Erickson's Servicycle.com has some great pics of his 3 wheeler during and after restoration. He was telling me that he has picked up another 3 wheeler recently and will be starting on that very shortly and posting pics as he goes thru the bike. It's great to have someone to talk Simplex with and I am so wanting to get mine here so I can tear into it.

camlifter · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

i have this as a project bike, not sure what it is. looks like a cross between a simplex and a monarch, the motors not original and the box of parts that came with it has a simplex belt drive clutch.

RickS · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Camlifter, that looks cool. Looks like a simplex front end on it. Post a pic of the transmission you have.

RickS · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob, I emailed Bill several months ago to ask if he took any detailed measurements when he restored his 3 wheeler, but he had not. He told me a guy in europe had asked him for some measurements to create a CAD file to build a replica. I wonder if he got a copy of the CAD file?

Bob Gurkin · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

That is a great looking bike Camlifter. Looks like a mixture of Simplex and home brew. Those springs are large for a Simplex, but the rest looks about right. How is that bad boy driven? I don't see any kind of tranny or pullys?
Rick, why not email Bill and ask? He just got that new 3 wheeler and maby he can get some measurements off that since it is in the raw.

RickS · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob Gurkin said:
That is a great looking bike Camlifter. Looks like a mixture of Simplex and home brew. Those springs are large for a Simplex, but the rest looks about right. How is that bad boy driven? I don't see any kind of tranny or pullys?
Rick, why not email Bill and ask? He just got that new 3 wheeler and maby he can get some measurements off that since it is in the raw.

Bob, I was planning on doing that. Bill's bikes are so nice, I wonder if he ever rides them!

Bob Gurkin · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Rick, Wait up a bit. I just emailed him after I wrote to you. Lets see what he does. I doubt that he ever rides his show bikes. His motors look like jewels and I can't ever imagine him starting one up. You have flung a craving on me and I am going to start acquiring the parts for a military bike. That stuff is expensive. The bags are $700+ and the windshield (with canvas) $300. The Thompson machine gun case is another $300. I'm going to have to do some serious shop work to save any money on this bike. If you have a spare Simplex motor I'm all ears

RickS · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob, no spare motors here. I just got into these simplexes after restoring and racing VW's for the last 25 years. I was burnt out on that and looking for something different to do. I just sent my last project to the United Kingdom back in december.
The 49 I have has no motor either. I'm on the lookout for one also.

Here's 2 pics of the car I sent to the UK:

Bob Gurkin · Feb 4, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Thats a beauty Rick. I've never restored an automobile. The closest I ever came to it was when I built a 1903 horseless carriage. The museum here let me have access to the one they have and it was really a carriage with a motor. I used a 1910-15 carriage for all the springs, ect and fabricated the rest. JW York had cut down this huge oak tree that sat on the courthouse lawn that was at least a hundred years old and he made furniture out of it but had quite a bit left over and he let me have enough oak to build it with. The widest board was 2 feet across. It came out really nice and when I left the country I let the great grandson of the the builder of the original car have it. He still has it in Newbern, NC. I missed out on restoring any of the older cars and when I finally had the inclination they had gone so high in price that I said the heck with it. I guess I will have to stick with these cheap bikes

LS614 · Feb 5, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Sorry, all I have to say is it is truly beautiful. You have a piece of history right there! Enjoy it!

RickS · Feb 6, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob, any word from Bill? Maybe he will post up some pics of his new project.

Bob Gurkin · Feb 6, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Yes. He said he would be happy to post some pictures and do the measurements. He said it will be awhile yet. He hasn't even gotten the bike yet. I have run into a shipping snag on my bike. It was supposed to have been shipped Thurs or Fri and I have already paid for the bike and shipping. Now the guy is making noises like...Well, I was not able to get it shipped by Fri. I have a guy coming over Sat to help me get it ready. I have to go into the hospital Mon due to heart probs. I can't get him to call me and he is not answering his phone and no reply to emails. Don't you just love that crap. He is wanting to strap it down on a pallet and I want it strapped upright and protected with a box and shrink wrap. I dunno. Just hoping this goes without a hitch. It would seem to me that if you had something for sale you would already have your shipping ready to execute.

RickS · Feb 6, 2011

re: Simplex new project

I hear you. I bought the 49 from a guy in PA. He removed the wheels and front end and strapped it into a wood crate he built out of particle board. He charged me $50 to do this. It came by truck freight for $180. This was the way it always should be done. I could not have been happier.

I hope you get yours without too much BS!! If somebody is selling, they should be ready to ship as soon as it is paid for, IMO!

silverbear · Feb 6, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob Gurkin said:
Silverbear. Here are some shots of the "barn" bike. It is mostly complete and about the only parts missing are the guts of the headlight (Cushman is the same) the tail light glass (About $35) and of course the motor. Unless you are building a show bike I would not worry too much about the motor. Unfortunately the shipping is high. It's looking like I will have around $500-$550 in shipping alone on the bike I am having sent to me. Anyway, here are the pics and I have more if you want me to email them to you.

Bob,
That's a great start for building up a Simplex. If I were to do it I think I'd go for a 5 hsp Briggs & Stratton and keep it all American. Much as I like to engage in wishful thinking, this is beyond my means I think to buy the bike, do the shipping and then redo an engine. I wish I could, but this project should go to someone with the means to do it right. The bike deserves that. So I'd like to officially open it up to someone else and hope they will do a build thread here for me to follow along as a cheerleader. And I'll be watching what you do with yours, Bob. You lucky guys!
SB

Bob Gurkin · Feb 6, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Well Rick you know how it's done and I know how it's done, but this guy has a motorcycle shop and sells bikes all the time and doesn't know how it's done. He could have a crate made in a couple of hours and outta there the next day.

Silverbear, I had hoped you would do something with the bike and on a revision of the freight one could probably drop another $200 to $250 off the freight. It would not cost as much as I had thought. If you don't take the bike I will probably put it in the back of the shop and start assembling parts to build an "Army" bike.

silverbear · Feb 6, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob,
I haven't stopped thinking about it, but without really knowing what finances might allow this spring, I didn't want to make a verbal commitment to something and then not be able to follow up. Didn't seem right. So we will wait and see. If you have not at that time started on a military version, still are willing to sell it and I have the 'doremi' we can talk about it again. I don't think it would take all that much money to bring it back. I could reupholster the seat myself, redo the headlight, repair the fenders where they might need it, repaint and give it a new life. A nice five horse Briggs with a kick start would be just right, I think. Sigh... But it would also be fun to see you turn it into a military version of itself. Have fun with your "new" one.
SB

camlifter · Feb 7, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob Gurkin said:
That is a great looking bike Camlifter. Looks like a mixture of Simplex and home brew. Those springs are large for a Simplex, but the rest looks about right. How is that bad boy driven? I don't see any kind of tranny or pullys?
Rick, why not email Bill and ask? He just got that new 3 wheeler and maby he can get some measurements off that since it is in the raw.

the rear wheel has a 30 tooth sprocket on the right side. it looks like some one had a simplex, had the motor go bad and welded in a flat bottom so the could use a briggs type engine. the motor on it is an old pioneer, took that off and got it running the other day, sweet little motor. not sure what i'm going to do with this one yet.

RickS · Feb 7, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Camlifter, I'm not sure that the frame has much simplex left to it. Does it have the flat spring bar for the seat? Any idea what kind of tank that is? I can't see the rear brake under the fairing, is it a simplex drum? Good luck with it and keep us updated when you get it running!

RickS · Feb 7, 2011

re: Simplex new project

Bob, any word if they are going to start a simplex forum on here?

camlifter · Feb 7, 2011

re: Simplex new project

i'm not sure what any of it is, the wheels are 24" HD bicycle wheels. the tank kind of looks like a monarch, the frame only has one tube for the top loop instead of two. the head tube for the steering is adjustable so you can change the rake. the seat has coil springs and the front of the seat is mounted to the frame by a hinge. it also looks like at one time it had side car mounts that have been cut off. the rear fender is hinged and lifts up to remove the rear wheel. seat also has a relase clip to raise it up. the lower flat part of the frame where the engine mounts has holes for an engine that had a huge foot print, at one time it must of had a very large engine in it.

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