Indian Hiawatha

As mentioned before, my wanting to use a 26" wheel made for some changes in how to mount the sidecar to the worksman frame. Pictured below is what Steve came up with for the upper rear attachment point. Photos tell it all.

His frame uses a 20" wheel which needs to have a lower attachment point for the upper rear arm. I'll try to remember to take photos of his so you can see the difference.

While Steve made up this special clamp (which turned out great) I used the little rotary tool with a cutoff wheel and a sanding drum to clean up weld spatter and dress the welds a bit on other parts of the frame.
(Cont.)
SB

We set the sidecar on the frame to see how it looks and... woohoo! It's coming together. My neighbor and fishing buddy, Jim, stopped by with Aaniimoosh's friend Bree to see what the old bicycle boys were up to. He's a former aircraft guy and farmer so he appreciated Steve's work. Bree appreciated Steve's dog cookies and did not care at all about the sidecar. Aaniimoosh is interested in the sidecar since it is attached to one of her bikes. Ha!

Over a year ago I started thinking about a sidecar made from a canoe. I don't have Steve's woodworking skills, and have a great fondness for old Grumman canoes as they are part of my personal history. I started solo paddling a heavy 1940's Grumman (still made then from war surplus aircraft aluminum) when I was six, paddling from the front turned around and loading up the other end with rocks to keep from getting blown around on Ojibwa Lake north of Ely, where I grew up. So, I am fond of old Grummans and it is what I was picturing as a donor for a sidecar.

I bought this one last summer for 20 bucks. It had two gashes in the sides from a mishap in a rapids and the seller had no idea how to fix it or what it would cost. I could have patched it and used it as a canoe again, but wanted a sidecar, even if I didn't have a clear idea how to go about it.

Steve was passing through on his way east to visit his son, stopped by for a couple of days to visit, got interested in the sidecar project and stayed on for a couple weeks instead of days. Lucky for me he did, since he had some great ideas on how to go about narrowing it up and making the square stern rear end. We picked the worst end for this first attempt and it turned out much, much better than I ever imagined it would. I was also amazed at how well that battered old relic polished up. I'll get a second sidecar out of the other end next summer and will know how to do a better job of it now.

The sidecar is just sitting there and will get attached to the frame with aluminum plates above to spread out the points of attachment. I want to make it strong enough for an adult to sit in so that I have additional confidence it is safe for Moosh or for one of my grandchildren to ride in. I love it...

A word about the fore and aft wheel placement. I had noticed in looking at early motorcycle sidecars that they often if not always had the rear wheel in line with the rear wheel on the bike. I had thought to do the same, but Steve convinced me to move it forward more, that later designs for motorcycles usually place them more forward for better handling. So we compromised and it is more forward, but not midway. It will get a fender of it's own which is being worked on along with the Hiawatha fenders.

This brings us up to date. I'm free now to start making up control cables for throttle, clutch, front drum brake and decompression valve. Eventually the sidecar wheel will have a drum brake of it's own, in a week or so. I'll use a dual pull brake lever so the front and side brakes will pull together. Rear is a Bendix coaster brake. Between the three, braking should be adequate. Can't wait to start that motor... and am also looking forward to mounting up the leaf spring front fork Curtis fox is making up which we hope to pick up in a week or so before Steve heads back to Vancouver. How good it is to have such friends.
SB

You're welcome, Harry. Ask any questions you want about the sidecar frame. Steve will be willing and able to answer and advise.

My sister in law took these photos of me and Moosh checking out Steve's sidecar earlier this summer. I'm still coming up with her doggles so they are comfortable for her and don't drive her nuts. If she gets a dog treat each time I put them on her and praise for leaving them on then maybe it won't be a problem. Not only cool, of course, but she needs eye protection, too. I will have to make up a safety harness of some kind this winter so she can't dump out or jump out of the sidecar. Keep it safe.
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SB

I'm glad you guys like the bike and sidecar project. The positive comments really are a boost and give a smile. Many thanks for that. Of course the bike itself is the main gratification. Every time I look at it with the canoe sitting there I can't get over how satisfying it is and I haven't even run it yet. One of the greatest satisfactions is in figuring out solutions to problems, doing it all on a tight budget and scrounging this and that for it. So many things would be easier if you could just write a check and have someone else do it for you. Nothing wrong with that either, but it is never in my budget.

Harry, the sidecar will stay what it is, aluminum. Would there have been an aluminum canoe sidecar back in 1909 or whenever? No, I imagine not. It is one thing I don't like about restorations, restricting myself to what was or would have been. I keep using the expression "in the spirit of" and that is a good enough guideline for me. In the end I'm the one riding it, so it has to satisfy me before anyone else. So long as it comes together visually and mechanically and for a reasonable amount of money, I'm happy. I wanted it to have a look about it of an old time light motorcycle and it will do that for me.

The only thing different about the sidecar will be some new polishing with the buffer as it has dulled some since last summer. The seat cushions in black elk hide tend to dress it up a little and there will be four black raven feathers as a kind of "flag" at the top of the fishing rod "flagpole" at the right rear of the sidecar.

Steve found a neat chromed license plate light at the dump this summer from what must have been on a late forties or early fifties passenger car. The heavy chrome on it is still perfect, so I'm going to turn that into a tail light and add a copper 'jewel light' to each side of the license plate bracket to serve as turn signals. The lenses will be stained glass faceted 'jewels'. I'll document how to fabricate those lights when I make them this winter. That light assembly will go on the sidecar frame between the bike and sidecar. It will be a neat detail. I like it.

I may give the bow of the canoe the copper dragonfly light with amber lens I made last summer, as if it has landed there. Dragonflies have spiritual significance in the world of the American Indian, among other things admired for their predatory speed and agility, admirable traits for a warrior spirit. I'll set it in place and take a picture tomorrow to ask for your opinions (and end up doing what I want anyway).

Also thinking again about using the fake 'speedometer' which is actually an old water temperature gauge from the dump last summer. I would mount that under the front deck piece at the bow of the canoe. It goes from 0-60 degrees with a cool little arrow. Looks like an antique speedometer at a glance. I'll take a picture of that, too, and ask for advice. What fun this stuff is.

You mentioned the in frame gas tank. For now it will get the cylindrical tank I made last summer which is covered in harness leather. If Dan is up to helping me (actually me helping him) make a coffin shaped copper tank for it this winter, then that is what will go there. There will be a number of little copper do dahs on the bike (jewel lights, legs on the center stand), so it will fit in well enough visually, I think. Tim Boelner gave me a sheet of wonderful heavy copper last winter and that will be used to make the tank. Building this bike is not a solo endeavor. Fingerprints of my friends are all over this build.

Originally the bike was going to have a cream colored frame with black fenders, as it had last summer, but now with the addition of the Hiawatha fenders, rear rack and curved fender struts, the black doesn't seem right. I think it will all be cream colored and I'll look in to how to do black pin stripes this winter. Black would be nice as accents I think, and will pick up on the black in the engine, leather work and Indian logo on the back of the canoe. These are all things I think about in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping or dreaming about women, but I'm getting too old for that, I guess. Ha!

Thanks for following along on the thread.
SB

This is the copper jewel torpedo light with dragonfly wings I made last summer A dragonfly should have four wings, but this is not exactly a reproduction of a dragonfly, but a suggestion, right? So it has just two.

I have felt a sense of connection with dragonflies since I was a boy and would on occasion encounter one which had come too close to the lake surface in pursuit of winged insects and become stranded on the water and unable to take flight. I liked coming to the rescue (how else can a seven year old be a hero?) and lifting the bedraggled flyer out of harm's way. While the wings were drying off we would study each other up close, or at least I was studying the strange and wonderful flyboy. I wondered what it saw looking at this great monster of a two legged boy.

In time the dragonfly would regain it's strength and lift off into the sky, once more in search of our shared enemy, the mosquito. In my memory and heart, these winged ones and canoes go together.

I used to do stained glass windows on commission when I was younger and remembered the brass filigree wings artisans used in making reproduction Tiffany lamps. Dragonflies were a popular theme in art deco of the 1930's and 1940's. So that's what the wings are with white opalescent glass underneath which has copper foil edging the glass and is soldered to the brass wings which in turn are soldered to the copper 'body'. The lens looks dark until the light is on (nine led's inside) and then it is a nice amber. If I make another I will do a better job of the soldering, but I guess this is good enough.
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SB

First photo shows the "speedometer" (old water temperature gauge) I found at the dump last summer which I think I'll mount in the sidecar coming off the bow deck piece. 0 to 60 even... woohoo!

Next is the tail light/turn signal/brake light assembly I will mount on the sidecar frame between the bike and the canoe. It is from an old car, but don't know what. At each side end of the license plate bracket a copper jewel light with faceted ruby stained glass lens will go. The orignal license plate light will get some red finger nail polish on the glass... will see how that works to make it a red glowing tail light.

Last up is another Harbor Freight off road light which I will modify to use for the headlight. Won't know how to mount it until the front fork is done. Many of the early motorcycles had honker big headlights and so will this one. 32 led diodes will go into this one. The magneto puts our 5 watts, so should handle all of the lights with no trouble.

No more photos today, although I worked on the clutch cable and throttle cable... ran into a snag with each one which will hopefully get figured out by tomorrow. If not, then I can't start the motor until I locate parts in Germany, which is the downside of using an antique motor. I'll figure something out.
SB

charliechaindrive said:

Omg I'm in love!! There's a site where you can order faux indian chief fenders but I forgot the name /) and the coolest part is the frame shape I never knew hiawatha made a frame with that deep of a swoop this bike is awesom. mines a bit uf a turd. Dosnt look like any certain motorcycle but I plan to make my own chief frame and start from there

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I'm glad you like the build. Hiawatha never made a frame like this one. This is a Worksman NB which had the front down tube removed and a more swooping down tube welded in it's place from a 1960's Schwinn Corvette, girl's bike. It is a nice swoop and gives just enough room for the Sachs engine. The stock Worksman frame is pretty limited and even a China girl is tough to fit in there. The Hiawatha part is the fenders and fender ornament from a girl's 1939 model. I really like the fenders and they seem to compliment the lines of the bike well. So that's why I call the build an Indian Hiawatha.

I also like the idea of honoring the historical figure Hiawatha who is credited with creating the Iroquois confederacy which was much studied by Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson who incorporated principles of its form of government into our own democracy.

Earlier parts of this build are to be found in the "Indian Tadpole" thread with photos of before and after on the frame change. There are also photos of the Hiawatha fenders and fender ornament. Or be patient, and those fenders will show up on this thread again looking a little better after some dent work.

Some new pictures will come soon, maybe tomorrow. Steve finished modifying the handlebars so they have the extensions. I like it and think it looks like "old motorcycle". Cost nothing but the effort to do it.

I have the bike all apart to paint the sidecar frame and at least get the bike frame in primer, then will start re-assembling. Tomorrow Steve and I are going to try to make an exhaust pipe from another girl's frame. Don't have a pipe bender or oxy torch, so we have to look for the right shapes where we find them. Looks like I can use a front down tube from a JC Penny bike of unknown manufacture for the first section coming off the engine and curling under the frame... then weld in the straight seat tube for the straight run under the pedal sprocket and out back. I've already taken apart a happy time muffler for the last section, removed the catalytic crap and have some stainless steel wool stuffed in around the rear baffle. Will be interested to see how that works. A replacement exhaust for that motor from Germany would cost a couple hundred with shipping, at least. This one won't cost anything. I can always improve on it later if I want to.

Steve heads back to Vancouver in a couple of days. Looks like I'm going to have to teach myself how to weld over the course of the winter. Maybe Tinsmith can give me some pointers. Welding sure opens up a lot of possibilities. Steve really likes the Hobart 120 V welder which has already paid for itself.

Pretty soon I'll be pulling the dock at the lake, packing things away and preparing to drive 1300 miles to Maryland where work on the Indian will resume. Been a good summer. Light frost here last night and leaves are falling. Hoping for some Indian summer yet...
SB

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Curtis. I'm looking forward to seeing your leaf spring fork on the bike... it will add a lot!

The sidecar frame is getting paint and soon the bike will, too. I cobbled up an exhaust pipe out of copper water pipe odds and ends today to help me visualize things. Nothing is actually joined together and I could do it this way, but better I think will be making up one from the girl's bike frame so the curve comes under the bottom bracket and then a straight run to the muffler at the back. I'll paint the pipe in high temp black and leave the muffler alone. Hope it works out. Will know by the end of the day. The upper end at the exhaust manifold will be tricky because the pipe doesn't not bolt on, but has a fitting where the pipe is supposed to have a flange. We'll have to weld and grind a flange. The little rotary tool should help with that part. Note the extended handlebar... I like it.
SB