My latest build.

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caduceus

caduceus

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Feb 4, 2009
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Frostbite Falls, MN
Much as I love the Auffenauger, http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=48470 I do live in Northern Minnesota and it's going to be winter soon. I've found by experience that it's very difficult to maintain my cool when I've dumped the bike while riding over an icy puddle. Something about being flat on my back in a public parking lot with the bicycle spilling gasoline all over is just plain undignified. With that in mind, I cannibalized the Mad Martian Schwinn and my wife's unused-for-the-last-25-years 3-speed Columbia Trike. Here's the results of my third build so far.
 

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fasteddy

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Feb 13, 2009
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Caduceus,
It's not too dignified when you feel the rear wheel sliding out from under you and you know the landing will be any thing but soft and dignified. The trike looks great and really sturdy.
Will you run studded tires or chains on the rear wheels in winter?

Steve.
 
caduceus

caduceus

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Feb 4, 2009
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Frostbite Falls, MN
fasteddy said:
Caduceus,
It's not too dignified when you feel the rear wheel sliding out from under you and you know the landing will be any thing but soft and dignified. The trike looks great and really sturdy.
Will you run studded tires or chains on the rear wheels in winter?

Steve.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've got a pair of studly tires in the barn just waiting. I also have a set of chains, but I haven't used them in something like twenty two years. They take waste a lot more energy than studded tires do.
 
caduceus

caduceus

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Feb 4, 2009
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Frostbite Falls, MN
Project named: Peerless leader

I Setup the rear axle last night. Yesterday I ran down to the L&M Fleet in Bemidji - 110 miles one way - for a 40T "X" Sprocket for #40 Roller Chain and a couple of shaft stops for a 3/4" shaft. My ride of choice for a quick 220 mile trip: My Vespa 250ie.

Then I split the Peerless Differential and installed the 40T sprocket on the Port Side. I reassembled the axle and cut a keyway for the "X" hub and brake disc. Reassembled the whole shebang and fit it to the trike. Today I made up an engine mount out of the Old One from the Schwinn Mad Martian and set up the chain line.
 

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Dan

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Gotta get "Peerless Leader" decals, lol

Was trying to figure out how to do it but an easy way would be printable magnet sheets from any office store. Before the free decals thing here, from Paul, I experimented with them. Just printed from a regular office/home printer and they came out great.

Really would be funny.
 
caduceus

caduceus

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Feb 4, 2009
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Frostbite Falls, MN
This weekend on Peerless Leader I set up the chain drives and disk brake. I already realize that in order to more quickly pull the axle, I'll have to grind off the caliper mount. I'll have to make that a bolt-in piece eventually. Routing the pedal drive chain around the engine was a bit of a pain and took all Saturday. Once I could crank the rear wheels with the pedals I was able to see how badly the rear wheels wobbled - about 3/8" side to side. Since my first attempt at bushings was a bit on the shaky side, the first thing this morning I made up another, more precise, set of bushings for the rear wheels.

For other builds I have so far bought three Heavy Duty Rear Wheel kits with the reverse threading for the left-side freewheel. You know the ones that come with the wimpiest band brake this side of Saigon. I even relined the bands on these things with a good metallic brake lining from McMaster Carr and the increase in braking performance was perceptible, but still marginal overall. Anyway, I still have two of these monsters in working order so I removed the freewheels, brakes, bearings and axles and ended up with a nice pair of wheels with 12 ga. spokes, aluminum rims, and 26mm bores. So the first part of the morning was spent again machining bushings to downsize 26mm to .750". That done, the rear wheels spin up with almost no wobble.

Then - because I want things to stop when I pull the brake lever - a go-kart disk brake. I know, the disk will only stop the left-side wheel. But the 3-speed jackshaft has a coaster brake. And the two together will leave some awesome skid marks!
 

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Dan

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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"Peerless Leader", still cracking me up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi03bifJFTo (Rocky and Bullwinkle end up in Frostbite Falls)

I broke my glasses Cad and am not real sure but is that a Honda GXH 50? One of the best engines I know of! Really, really great little powerplant. Smooth, powerful and amazing RPM range.
 
caduceus

caduceus

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Feb 4, 2009
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Frostbite Falls, MN
Dan said:
"Peerless Leader", still cracking me up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi03bifJFTo (Rocky and Bullwinkle end up in Frostbite Falls)

I broke my glasses Cad and am not real sure but is that a Honda GXH 50? One of the best engines I know of! Really, really great little powerplant. Smooth, powerful and amazing RPM range.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link to Rocky & Bullwinkle!

About the engine: Da, ist capitalist swine Oriental Japanese power plant made by Honda. This one's been through the wars already. I had it on my first build, the Mad Martian and I rode a lot of hard miles and made an awful lot of mistakes on the thing. Two weeks ago I pulled it apart, rebuilt the carburetor and setup and thru-drilled crankshaft, crank bolt, key & bushing. Then I welded a zerk to to the crank bolt so I can grease the clutch bushing without opening the transmission case at all.

On der Auffenauger I just cross-drilled the bushing and welded a zerk to it. But with a zerk on the drilled crank bolt it's real simple to give a squeeze of grease now and then from the outside. More in detail if anyone's interested. I find if I grease the clutch bushing every three or fours of operation, clutch operation is flawless.
 
2door

2door

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Sep 15, 2008
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I'm curious about that rear caliper. What is it and how is it operated. I used an Airheart industrial disc brake on a trike a few years ago and after the pads wore in it would lock up the axle with only the pull I could get from a handlebar lever and cable.
Are you using linkage or cable, or is it hydraulic?

Tom


EDIT: Ooops, never mind. I see the cable now after a second, closer look.
 
caduceus

caduceus

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2door said:
I'm curious about that rear caliper. What is it and how is it operated. I used an Airheart industrial disc brake on a trike a few years ago and after the pads wore in it would lock up the axle with only the pull I could get from a handlebar lever and cable.
Are you using linkage or cable, or is it hydraulic?

Tom


EDIT: Ooops, never mind. I see the cable now after a second, closer look.
Click to expand...
Ahhh. Jump not to conclusions grasshopper! I purchased this caliper from Northern Hydraulics several years ago. I tried fitting it to a previous build that never left the barn floor, and cannibalized it for Peerless Leader. After trying to get it to work reliably over the last two days, I have come to the conclusions that; as sold, this caliper is useful only (and marginally) as a fishing weight, and second, prior to her death in 1994 at the age of 92, my grandmother could have designed a better disk brake caliper. However, since I live near Lake of the Woods I have many fishing weights. Therefore I tomorrow plan on disassembling the caliper again. I will discard the junk, keep the housings and pucks, and makeup some kind of a cable actuated bell crank to transfer and concentrate force to reliably stop this trike.
 
silverbear

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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I like your project very much and am seeing which ideas I can incorporate into a hybrid (pancake electric front wheel & China girl with pull start) using a 1960's Schwinn American girl's bike. Have not yet converted to a trike rear end, but have a differential axle set aside for it. I find your 3 speed jack shaft of great interest since I had already been thinking about one and will be following along to see how that works out.

What is your rear axle from, your wife's Columbia? You say the 3 speed for the jack shaft transmission had a coaster brake and that it acts as a brake... is that right? How do you activate the brake on it, or did I miss that?

Real interesting build. Thanks for sharing it with us all and for the many pictures. This will be a resource for me, so I thank you in advance.

You are north of Bemidji by a hundred miles. Wouldn't it be a grand thing to have a bike run someday up here by the Canadian border? I never get to ride with others in this neck of the woods so am envious of rallies I read about on the west and east coasts. Something to think about.
SB
 
caduceus

caduceus

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Feb 4, 2009
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Frostbite Falls, MN
I can see how a Pancake Electric motor would be of benefit given all the hills around where you are. Heck, even putting up the main street would be tough on a China Girl. Do those Pancake Motors regenerate on the downhills or while braking?

As for Peerless Leader you got it first try. The Jackshaft is a 3-speed hub coming off the pedals with a coaster brake and a secondary, shorter chain that connects to the differential on the right side. The brake is activated by pedaling backwards. The differential was indeed off my wife's Columbia, though the internals look a lot more like a small to medium riding lawn mower.

Riding over to Ely seems like a reasonable goal after I work out the major bugs. Will need to avoid Moose and Squirrel while sneakingk through Frostbite Falls.
 
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silverbear

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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caduceus,
So you are also using the wheel set from the Columbia donor. Makes me wish I had a 3 speed trike rear end for a donor. Sure, you pedal backwards to activate the rear brake. Nice.
Without looking back over the photos... the engine then does not have three speeds. The three speeds just applies to pedal mode, is that right?

The pancake motor I have was purchased from Golden Motor and was an early one I bought some years ago. It had no front brake or accommodation for a brake to be added. At that time there was no claim to rengenerative braking, so I'm guessing that my controller is not set up that way. The controller I have is for 36 volts, although my understanding is that the motor can handle 48 volts. 36 is enough for my purposes and I'm trying to figure out a V brake addition so that I can have a good rim brake up front. That is made harder by my plan to use a moped type of suspension fork. Whatever. It will sort itself out as I go. I ended up not using the motor due to the weight of three 12 volt lead acid batteries which made the bicycle I had it on top heavy. With a trike I don't think the weight of the batteries will be an issue as they will be mounted low and centered over the rear axle. I'm figuring on low thirties for top speed so I think a China girl will be adequate with assist on take off and hills from the electric motor. Could also use the electric if on a bike trail. A three speed transmission as a jack shaft off of the motor would be nice, though. Lots of cold and snowy days are not far off, so there will be plenty
of time for creative staring and making plans. Part of what I'll be staring at is pictures of your build, so thanks again for that.

As for a ride this fall, it could happen and if it does that would be great. If not, then we have plenty of time to plan something out for next summer either in my neck of the woods or somewhere along the Canadian border between us. Charlie chaindrive lives over in Staples, Mn. and there is someone whose name I can't think of over at Two Harbours. Might be able to attract someone from Ontario to come down to join us or someone from the Twin cities who will co-ordinate vacation time with a bike run. Seems to me there's someone over by Fargo as well. Bearhead State Park is just down the road from me and is a great ride through the forest. Beautiful park on Bearhead Lake, nice beach and camp sites... twelve miles from Ely. Something to think about for next summer for sure whether we can manage a ride this fall or not.
Looking forward to more progress on your trike...
SB
 
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Dan

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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"Da, ist capitalist swine Oriental Japanese power plant made by Honda." Make beeg trouble ford Moose and skwarl.

LOL
 
silverbear

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Dan said:
"Da, ist capitalist swine Oriental Japanese power plant made by Honda." Make beeg trouble ford Moose and skwarl.

LOL
Click to expand...
I remember as a teenager watching the adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle... very different for that time and my brother and I found it hilarious. I remember seeing the muppets for the first time also around then... also very different from anything before. Early 1960's it must have been. Rocky & Bullwinkle are classics, still funny. Natasha and Boris, Fearless Leader of course and I can't think of the name of the Canadian Monty. There was some kind of professor, too, I believe. It put Frostbite Falls, Minnesnowta on the map, you might say.
SB
 
Dan

Dan

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LOL! I am just shy of 50 and just caught the joke of Nell's equestrian love interest.

Don't make fun of me as I am doubled over laughing at my own dang self.
 
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fasteddy

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2009
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British Columbia Canada
Dan,

Thank you. That was a trip back in time. When I was a lot younger, one of the worst and lowest insults you could hurl at someone was to call them Dudley Do-Right.
Depending on the alcohol content this was an eye gouging, ear biting, roll on the floor insult of the first order and I know of two lots of best friends who have never spoken to each other in over 50 years because of it.

Steve.
 
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