Scored a West Coast copper today

[maniac57]

Riding to the hardware store and I see this Jesse James chopper sitting in the yard of a house looking pretty rough and rusty.
I decided to stop since I've been wanting to build a chopper. I ended up buying it for $50 bucks.
It's fairly rusty and needs a lot of tlc, but it's mechanically perfect with nice straight rims and good tires. Looks to me like it was ridden once or twice and stuck in someones back yard.

Gonna stick a 66cc china doll on it and paint it up nice and sell it.
These style bikes sell quite well here and I should easily get $5-600 for it when finished. I plan on welded motor mounts and tensioner for reliability.
Might build a pipe if I feel like it...
Opinions?
I figure a lot of you have built these and I'd like some input on problem areas like chain routing and such.

 

[2door]

I thought you were going to tell us you hit a police car.

Tom

 

[maniac57]

I avoid the police whenever possible.
We have history.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Nice bike, but yes I was starting to wonder if you had a kidnapped policewoman tied up in your closet or something

 

[maniac57]

Can't edit the title.
Doh!

 

[2door]

I'd edit it for you but then nobody would know what Intrepid and I were razzing you about.

Tom

 

[maniac57]

I'm not shy. If it gets people looking, leave it.

 

[xseler]

Shucks!! Thought I was gonna get to see a pict of Angie Dickinson..........


Nice project bike, though. Looks like rear wheel will take a rag joint --- unlike the front.

 

[scotto-]

You could almost sling a hammock between the stem and the nose of the saddle for naps in between rides lol. I almost acquired one once....definitely a challenging build, have fun!

 

[maniac57]

Got started mounting the engine today.
Fabbed a front HD mount


Cut a chunk out of an old frame for a rear mount tube(just a rough mock-up)

Got the sprocket mounted

 

[pedalslow]

I found one of those choppers for $25 maybe I should get it.

 

[CranbrookKid]

I need to find me one of these choppers. I've always wanted to do such a build.

 

[DaveC]

I think they'd be perfect for the Honda Cub 50 cc replica. Looks like there's enough room. 3 speed automatic, 4 stroke, too cool.

 

[fatdaddy]

I did 8 or 10 OCC builds, But only one Jesse James. They look wicked cool motorized. I welded in my own mount. They ride stiff, but sure look bad a$$ going down the road.
Fatdaddy.

 

[maniac57]

Got any close ups of your mount system? Looks like you have your motor mounted higher than mine...does your chain run over the rear top stay?
Mine is still in the prototype stage and I'm not real happy with where mine is mounting now.

 

[buba]

good score those ¨coppers¨ solid tubing

you can cut ém up and put a drop loop if you want or simply stretch ém out to your desired wheelbase

crazy horse can tell you all about it

 

[fatdaddy]

This is also how I did MOST of the OCC's. Just a peice of angle iron with steelpipe for the risers THese are the best pics I have . I used a tensioner wheel to loop it over the top of the frame,The sprocket style tensioner SUCKED as A chain tensioner but worked great as a Roller in this case. The chain had no problems at all.
fatdddy.

 

[DaveC]

Man, that's the cats' ass One of the best mounts I've seen. Makes the brain start working again

 

[maniac57]

Okay, I got the engine mounted today.
Had to swap to a tiny front pedal sprocket to allow the motor to sit low enough for the chain to run under the rear stay without rubbing.



Started by making a welded rear mount that bolts directly to the case with no spacer block.
Makes a nice strong cradle with the stout muffler clamp front mount. everything lines up off the rear mount bolts so there is NO slop. Solid as a rock, just the way I like them!
Also mounted the tank by welding some straps to the top tube to fit the tank studs. The intake needed flipped upside down so the carb fits with some grinding on the air filter cover.
Still need to mount the CDI, add a tensioner on the pedal chain , and I'm thinking about adding some V-brakes if they will clear these fat tires.
Should be testing tomorrow!
I must say, I'm a bit worried about the super low gearing of a 44 tooth sprocket on a 20" wheel...I think the smallest sprocket I've seen was a 31 tooth.

 

[DaveC]

There's a lot of torque on the back mount from the chain trying to get "shorter". That's the one place I'd keep an eye on. The resistance it has to twisting is the key and I'm just not sure. You might need an extra bar from the rear mount straight up to the upper tube. The straight bar would resist the tendency of the motor to twist in the frame under torque.