53 Schwinn Hornet

Pictured below is a bike I've been working on since before leaving Maryland and now that I've been home in Minnesota it is far enough along to be riding. I got this frame in the treasure hunt last summer and it is a 53 Schwinn which had "Hornet" on the chain guard. So Hornet it is. There's some recycling which has gone on here. Last winter I had a rider which was a 51 with the same frame design. It suffered poorly from road salt and I decided to redo the bike, but didn't want to be without a rider for any length of time. So, I prepared the frame and tank ahead of time and at the last moment before leaving for home, stripped the 51 of engine, wheels and seat. The frame got passed along to Tinsmith for a future build if he so chooses.
So this is a new to me bike with a few old parts... namely the rear sprocket which originally came off of a Schwinn exercise bike and has 65 teeth. The engine got repainted and I made a new cover for the air box, which I may yet change over to a leaping tuna air filter which is already made, but not yet tried for comparison. Tinsmith and I made a shroud for the EZ transmission out of electroplate tin, which I like very much. The exhaust on the 51 went behind the seat and under the rear rack... wrapped in asbestos exhaust manifold cloth. It rusted away from the snow and road salt, so I have replaced it in stainless steel flexible gas line with an exhaust manifold fitting made from a copper pipe elbow to redirect the exhaust to the front. I think this is a better exit point for the 79cc Greyhound exhaust.
(cont.)
SB

Front suspension fork is from a Tomos moped and the handlebar came from a BMX type of bike found at the dump. I made elk hide covered foam grips and the seat is covered in elk hide. Behind the seat is a V8 can tool box covered in harness leather... still needs velcro for the closure. Behind it is a combination tail/brake light I made from a can, covered it in harness leather and gave it a red lens with a neat little grill deal from an Alienware computer which originally covered the cooling fan. I've been hanging on to that thing for years and finally found a home for it. Still to come are fenders, I think. Front wheel is Sturmey Archer with a drum brake. Headlight is Puch. That's about it. I made a new and improved engine mounting plate which is adjustable from side to side and is like the old one for the 51 made from aluminum plate, angle iron and two hockey pucks. Works well. This Hornet flies right along...
SB

Thank you, guys. I'll reserve judgement on the Alenware touch until after I see how it looks lit up at night. A little whimsy. My former stepson had to have that danged computer which at the time was "cutting edge" supposedly, cost a small fortune and never did work right. The only thing I ever liked about it was that little grill. Believe me when I say it is the most expensive thing on the bike.
SB

I'm not crazy about the look of the handlebars, but wanted to try a different hand position having noticed some pain in my right wrist from the throttle, I suppose. This bar position does seem to be easier on my wrist, but will see over time if it is any improvement. If not, then maybe a different type of throttle is in order.
Today I'll mount a different air cleaner, one I had made last fall for the greyhound, but never used. It is the "Flying Dogfish" model made from a double size tuna can with stainless pot scrubber inside to act as a filter medium. I'm curious to see if it performs any differently from the stock box with the custom cover I made and which is shown in the photos. That retains the original foam filter After riding with it that way, then I want to try it with the smaller sized can, the "Leaping Tuna' model. If the small one works as well as the larger one, then that's the choice for me as it will tuck into the engine better and not run into my leg. I do not like the shape of the square box cover I have on it now. It seems out of place with all the curves of the bike frame, wheels, etc. I'll let you know the results when I know them...
This bike rides very nicely... smooth running and nice suspension. Moped forks make a big difference in your vintage ride. It is much superior to the 1950's Schwinn springer fork I had on the 51.
SB

Thanks for all of the nice comments. It means a lot to me. I didn't used to like the cantilever Schwinns all that much, but they have grown on me and I like this one very much. Special thanks to the help from Tinsmith this winter... the gas tank and transmission cover are really his doing and are central to the way this build looks. The leather is my contribution, but the tin work is his. Thanks, Bud!
SB

Frickard said:

The sprocket. . . D: I don't think I've seen one that size!

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Ha, yeah that's the mother of all sprockets, isn't it? Usually with the EZ transmission linked up to either a Hua Sheng or Greyhound engine you would use a 56 tooth sprocket. Where I spend my winters in Maryland and even here in northeastern Minnesota it is hilly and I often have in tow a kiddie trailer for my dog, Aaniimoosh. So, I need more hill climbing capability than most people would. On my other EZ transmission bike, a 50 Panther with the Hua Sheng engine, I have a 64 tooth sprocket from Pirate cycle with the manic mechanic adapter. On this budget Greyhound build I was looking for a big sprocket and found a Schwinn exercise bike at the dump, brought it home and drilled out holes for a happy time rag joint kit. It has 65 teeth and is made of chromed steel... an A1 sprocket. I don't know what my top end speed is, but am mounting up a mechanical Schwinn speedometer over the next few days and should get an idea. Probably in the range of 25 to 30mph which is about as fast as I want to go. I'm more interested in pulling hills without pedaling and being able to take off from a dead stop with the automatic transmission than I am in going too fast. So that great big old sprocket works for me.
SB

msrfan said:

Lots of nice work there, sb. A very fine bike. Probably as much fun to build as it is to ride. Keep the cool stuff coming.

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Well sir, whether you realize it or not, you have helped with this build. I never would have thought a moped fork would work with a 26" cruiser wheel until I saw your Briggs builds. Those looked so good to my eye and I determined then that I wanted to find a moped donor for this build. And I love the way the Puch headlight tucks right into those ears which come on the forks. So cool, and contribute much to the motorcycle look in my opinion. I may take the credit, but what I'm good at is recognizing other people's great ideas and examples. Rockenstein's apple juice gas tank led to gas tanks made for me and others and eventually to the V8 can tool box and the awareness of how a simple can could be made into something useful. Lights followed also made from cans. Your use of moped forks was an inspiration and on the tri-car build this summer it was your example of using moped hubs laced into vintage wheels which inspired me to try that, too. So the tri -car is getting 52 Schwinn rims, moped hubs with beefy drum brakes and heavy duty spokes. I just did what you did. And Bairdco... I saw what he did with building up vintage wheels and between the two of you have contributed to the delinquency of a geezer.
I love this forum and the free exchange of ideas. Thank you, sir!
SB

cobrafreak said:

Looks like something Iron Man or the Rocketeer would ride. Cool.

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Thanks, yeah it does have kind of an industrial look about it.

Today I removed the fenders from a 1939 ladies Hiawatha bike and sometime this summer will strip them down, clean up the dinks, dents and scratches, paint them black and see how they look on this bike. Cool little fender ornament rings my bells of course and says "Hiawatha". They used to have such cool junk on the bikes of the 30's to 50's... rocket headlights and such, fake gas tanks, shiny doo dahs. These fenders are very sturdy. I'll have to make up a special mount for the front fender in order to attach the high point of the fender to the moped fork so that it can move up and down with the shocks.
SB