Old Guys Simplex moto-peddle bike

[indian22]

Hi Curtis & thanks for the complement ....Wheels came off Craig's List, double wall aluminum, 11 ga. I think. They both spin true & are painted with stainless spokes, small 70 mm Sturmey Archer drum & Hystop coaster. $100. total delivered with new tires tires the pair. Unused till I buggered the paint on install, but I'll pretty them up later. Fills the rear up nicely with the 2.125 NOLA Vee tire, but tire rub won't be a problem with chains on either side. The small front sprocket makes the pedal side chain run quite close to the chain stay adjusted with .5" of play. I may add a idler on the pedal side as well.

I mounted a bicycle seat when I installed the pedal side chain, and took the "peashooter" out for it's first slow ride...no kidding a fast walker would have passed me by. It does pedal easy as heck though. I ditched the Walmart looking seat after taking the photo, but it was quick to mount for the test ride.

Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

Seat looks cumfy, sure didn't take you long to build this once you got going. LOL........Curt

 

[indian22]

Curtis I have picked up the pace a small amount, but never know when I'll be laid up again for two or three weeks or even months. The Simplex took about a year and a half start to finish but only about 7 months of that time was actually spent doing any work on the build, kinda frustrating.

Right now things are happening so I'm a happy camper. Hope to get a couple of hours work in tonight on the bike. I'm liking what I see to this point especially that everything fits and seems to function. Exhaust system is it seems the last remaining challenge and that only a small one. The rest is purely cosmetic and time consuming but not difficult. Dealing with my new ideas is probably the biggest holdup to completion at this point.

The seat felt fine yet not close to flat track style I'm going for....next time you view the Peashooter it will have an appropriate saddle in place.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

I always heard about the good days and bad days from the elders in my family but no one mentioned that they could last for days and months. It's nice to have time to get at the build while you can. The tri car is benefiting from this run of them.

Nice that you got the first ride on the Chuckle Head even if you were supplying the motive power. Does it seem to you that the main build goes quickly and the details take forever to complete? I keep changing and refining thing and it slows everything up from waiting for parts to feeling well enough to actually do the work.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

This is the 90/10 law. 90% of the job takes the first 10% of the time, the remaining 10% of it takes the other 90% of the time.

I thought everyone knew that?

 

[indian22]

Steve I didn't believe old folks either, but now we are relics that prove the veracity of their insights both to degree and duration. I'm glad the tri-car is coming along & I understand your point of changing things as you go, but it often has to be done or your not going to be satisfied. I also go through that process & added to re-dos I major in add-ons as well, today's a case in point. I just went out to look at possible saddle positions in preparation for building brackets & supports for the HD & looked at the Copper Gator Simplex mount, if you recall I used a air shock & spring on the saddle, and it hit me. I need a shock on the Harley as well but I'll use a mono coil spring for this one. It hadn't occurred to me to use a saddle shock on the Chucklehead Harley Peashooter until today.

Used a 1" Harley tube clamp on the seat tube and made two 1/4" thick aluminum brackets with two holes in each, mirror image, and mounted the 300 lb. shock to the brackets and the other end of the brackets to the outside of the Harley clamp & bolted all. That end isn't going anywhere.

The nose of the saddle will mount to the stub of the seat tube, after I cut the stub as short as possible. This will place the back of the saddle out over the tire a good bit. I'm long armed and long waisted for my height and I'm used to a bent over riding style on not only my board track bikes but also my mountain bikes and road bicycles. This position takes the strain off my spine & eliminates the road jolts from going into the erect spine in a straight path.

Just an example of an add on that will take a little time but will make the Harley a little more friendly to the old guy & add to the long, low lines of the bike. The added structural benefit to the bike is that the smaller rear triangle tubes will not have to bear the task of supporting my weight & it's momentum generated on the saddle, but rather that load shock is transferred to the strongest frame member which is the seat tube. I've also sleeved the seat tube down past the two Harley clamps to the top of the bottom bracket lug. I don't think it possible to crush the DOM tube with a Harley clamp but it's added rigidity insurance.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

This is the 90/10 law. 90% of the job takes the first 10% of the time, the remaining 10% of it takes the other 90% of the time.

I thought everyone knew that?

Ludwig there are quite a few 10% builds ongoing at this time, including my own. Of my last five bike builds I only consider one complete & it's four years old. The Simplex Copper gator isn't complete and the Harley Peashooter is just now getting to the 80 % stage where progress really is normally just a crawl...do some work then step back and consider it. It's where redo's and add on's take up a lot of time. Some ideas just don't work and others look funky etc.

I really wanted the Peashooter completed by October for a car and bike show yet this isn't the Tuttle show, but it's true reality not TV and throwing wrenches... cussing doesn't get the cat fed or a bike built on schedule! My bikes get completed in due course which is the nature of building one offs. It's not building the same thing over and over again i.e. production manufacturing where parts are in stock and steps methodically followed. Most of us design on the fly but with a lot of thought involved along the way and a pinch of artistic inspiration thrown in for good measure. Building cause we love it and not for the $$ and sometimes in spite of the lack of money. In the end the 10% is what I remember best about each build cause that's the best part of it all! Rick C.

 

[Ludwig II]

My Gravis et Lento is held up at the moment by availability of workers and time, and the likelihood of needing a modified inlet manifold to put the carb at a working angle. Currently it's about 20 degrees of updraught, and I think it's going to flood.

 

[indian22]

Ludwig I find many problems & some solutions, little time & lots of $$ & much time & no money, no help when needed & too much when it's unwarranted...wax on wax off Grasshopper. Big circle of life but I find great comfort in the certainty that pie is always about round and usually tastes great but it's circumference is always the diameter times 3.1416... though it's mass depends on the filling

Saddle came in...nice leather with thin gel pad & a lot of curl to the steel pan. I'll get the saddle mounted & see how it fits and looks. Rick C.

 

[culvercityclassic]

Hey Rick the bike is looking good, like that seat too.

I am going to have to steal that quote of yours: It's great

"I find many problems & some solutions, little time & lots of $$ & much time & no money, no help when needed & too much when it's unwarranted...wax on wax off Grasshopper. Big circle of life but I find great comfort in the certainty that pie is always about round and usually tastes great but it's circumference is always the diameter times 3.1416... though it's mass depends on the filling"

 

[indian22]

Thanks Jeff & use quote as you find appropriate for harmonious outcomes.
The seat kinda surprised me when mounted it looks rather nice and feel proper as well. It's been sitting on a shelf for years...don't remember how I came about it but think I've found a use for it at last.

You got my vote on the build off & well wishes too. No matter the ballot results it is a fine build! Forum members get out the vote for Jeff. Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Couple of photos showing saddle mounted. This position may change an inch or so but it's very close to where I want it. Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Just saw this on Facebook

Steve.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1080172608697437&set=gm.1250361821649837&type=3

 

[Ludwig II]

Those forks momentarily looked to me like old time speedway telescopics.

 

[Harold_B]

Great looking bike Rick. That is quite a cantilever you're creating with the seat pan and spring. It seems like the pan would flex (I'm also assuming you've thought this through pretty thoroughly since you always do). How much travel will the spring have before the pan touches the tire?

 

[indian22]

Those forks momentarily looked to me like old time speedway telescopics.

Sweet speedway J.A.P...

 

[indian22]

Great looking bike Rick. That is quite a cantilever you're creating with the seat pan and spring. It seems like the pan would flex (I'm also assuming you've thought this through pretty thoroughly since you always do). How much travel will the spring have before the pan touches the tire?

Correct Harold. The photo shows a mock up of the saddle that is attached at the seat post only with a block about 2" thick placed between tire and seat pan. I'm working on a greatly reinforced rib for the saddle mount to spring connection that will spread the load placed on the pan & increase the separation between tire and saddle pan to approximately 4" at the same time. I'll get back to this Monday as I ran out of time and energy late Saturday while fabricating the aluminum plates for the mount....the main rib plate was machined from 3/4" x 3" x 3" aluminum which attaches to the steel seat mount edge wise & bolted to the saddle pan. The spring is then bolted to and pivots on the aluminum rib to support the rear of the seat and the front of the saddle pivots at the seat post.

I think this will help take the strain off the pan mounting studs, as well as the steel pan itself. Spring compression is a touch over 2" after setting up pre- load so I'm pretty sure the low slung, flat track, saddle "look" will be there even without rider aboard.

Going with a spring is definitely not a vintage "race" look I'm aware, but it does take all the extra weight of the rider, in motion, off the rear triangle (seat and chain stays) & places it back on the traditional bicycles originally designed and strongest support... which is the seat tube. I like the way the spring fills the void between rear tire and seat tube as well, since I'm not a fan of fenders front or rear (rain is seldom an issue here in the Indian Territory), also I'll be riding the Harley a lot and I really want some cushion for a bad back.

I'll take some photos and post... oh almost forgot Harold sometimes I'm just wrong and screw things up without thinking. My bad! Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Parts for the front half of the spring/saddle bracket and support rib...to be drilled & bolted. This coupled with a re-enforced saddle bracket, rib, (not yet built) will tie into the rear pan spring supports. That full length support will control the flexing of the steel saddle pan. Rick C.

 

[Harold_B]

Thanks for the detailed explanation of your thought process Rick. Very helpful. I guess you're right that it's not vintage looking but then I'm all for making the ride more comfortable and safer. I think most of us build to an "inspired by" aesthetic within limitations. I really envy your ability to have a vision, make a plan and make it happen.

 

[indian22]

Really appreciate your comments Harold, very encouraging. Also glad you mastered the lace. I know that was satisfying.

Posting a couple of seat spring photos with the top mount bracket bolted together but not yet coupled with the saddle rib. Looks as though I will have plenty of vertical adjustment as well as structural strength for the pan.

Rick C.