So, time for an update....This was built in March of 2014, I thrashed the **** out of that thing for a few years, then it met it's fate after I decided to ride it down a cow path through a farmer's field at full throttle. It all seemed good when I got home, then the next day both tires were flat and the carb was leaking fuel. It sat for about a year, where I put 2 new tubes in it and the carb was so packed full of dirt it wouldn't even run. Tore it apart cleaned it, got it running again and took it for a drive...got about 500 feet before I realized the rims were bent huge. Fast forward until now, it had been sitting since 2019 and I put well over 1000 km on it, which to me seems like a lot for a bicycle. I haven't been able to find rims at a decent price to fit the cranbrook as it is (Cheapest I found was $75 a piece for used ones).
I cleaned the engine up and put it on an electra townie frame, with stretched pedals. Had to make a bracket to make the engine fit as the frame is so long on that thing. Been driving it around all summer until yesterday when the one gas tank stud decided to leak. Going to try JB weld around all of the studs and maybe some rubber around where the tank mounts to try to isolate the tank from vibrating.
Over the winter I plan on refurbishing the cranbrook and putting the engine back on it. New paint, bearings, rims, disc brakes, run a jack shaft and a rear hub with 5 or 6 gears, as I don't like the spoke clamp design, even though it hasn't given me any problems. I also had "upgraded" to a spring tensioner that bolts to the cover of the engine which I'll probably do away with for a stock style tensioner, as as soon as you try to back up it just throws the tensioner off. Other plans include exhaust, head, some other performance mods and make it as street legal as possible, turn signals etc, as well as suspension. I am surprised though, at how reliable this bike has been. The first time it ever broke down on me was yesterday, and besides having to change the one seal where the mag goes and clean the carb from sitting it's never given me any problems. Will upload pics of it shortly.