Stretched Chopper with L-O-N-G Forks!

[CopperChopper]

Hey Guys:

First post. Glad I found this great forum with such a wealth of knowledge.

I have experience with building electric beach cruisers . . . but now I am interested in something a little different.

I considered the Nirve Chopper but it is not available in my country for a decent price so I ordered Southern Cali Custom's 26" Chrome Limo Frame on ebay.

I am thinking to do something which I have not seen before. I will install a 24x3 on the back and a thinner 26 on the front - as on the Nirve. But I want to use a long chopper fork such that it actually lifts the frame up in the front - riding with cranks raised up a good four inches higher than normal. Almost every part will be chromed, except the seat which will be a Brooks Leather B73 with triple spring suspension. I may also paint the rims jet black. Disk brake in front.

I have not received the parts yet and will post pics when I start the build.

However, in the interim, has anybody every seen a STRETCHED out frame such as the one above with long chopper forks (at least 30 inches)? Do you have links to pics? I am anxious to visualize what I am about to do.

Take care,

CopperChopper

 

[Crazy Horse]

Welcome CopperChopper,

Just in case you didn't already know after you posted here in the forum 3 times you can share some pic's of your build as it progress's.

Start posting as soon as you like, and don't forget to show us your pic's as you start this build!!!

Peace Crazy Horse.

 

[diceman2004]

look at the tread by DJEEPER in the ratrod section called ( my rat rod chopper )

that sounds like what you are looking for

 

[DJEEPER]

haha, yeah... maybe i should have posted my chopper in this forum too?

ugh, decisions decisions haha.

pm me if you have any questions!

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

Welcome to the forum.

I once made a set of long chopper forks out of two of my Mom's clotheline poles.

The results were just what one would expect.

 

[CopperChopper]

Thanks for the responses guys. I had a chopper when I was a kid that my neighbour made for me out of old chrome kitchen table legs. The weight was so much on the back wheel that it was hard to ride it and keep the front wheel on the ground.

I found a set of 30 inch chopper forks with integrated disk tabs. Since I will be using a 26 in the front and a 24 in the back, they may do the trick to give the bike a proper chopper look.

 

[DJEEPER]

my front fork is 4' long. i built it as a triple tree out of 1.5" Diameter .120 wall DOM steel roll cage tubing.

the fork itself weighs about 25 lbs. I have no problem keeping weight on it. BUT, with the SBP jackshaft kit, i have the ability to pull wheelies if i want to.

here is a pic of when i was almost done building it.

 

[Masterm222]

Now that looks like a wild ride!How dous it handle at speed?

 

[DJEEPER]

she handles GREAT.

only time when it is squirrely is at low speeds ~2mph. even then, its very controllable. you just have to compensate for the extra weight of the steering

 

[Masterm222]

I know with mine if I hit a bump and my I land with one cheek on the seat I change lanes instantly if I am not carefull! It was a learning curve on how to handle the bumps. The road I ride back and forth to work has a speed limit of 35 so you know that everyone is doing 40! Haven't got run over yet! Giant Stiletto - front and rear disc brakes, jackshaft with mega-range, ported to the max, Billit cyl head and expansion pipe. Good carb and custom tank are next! Been thinking about going from the 30" triple tree to a 36" springer from ChoppersUS. They look good but how do they handle I wonder?

 

[DJEEPER]

im sure they will handle much better than anything you can make yourself. i will be converting my front fork to a springer this summer... this will push the front wheel out further and help my trail (handling) some....

have any pics of your bike?

 

[limoo]

nice chopper

 

[Masterm222]

My plan is to buy a springer with the money I made building the HardRock. I need to build a custom gas tank also.

 

[HseLoMein]

Nice bike, i have the same but black /chrome giant stiletto chopper, once i finish my build i will post the pics

 

[Masterm222]

I would be interested on how you converted your jack-shaft on your stiletto. I went the machine shop way and it was expensive. Had a flange welded and turned to accept my 25t sprocket and had threads cut for the freewheel. I like my bushing mounted all aluminium motor mount though. Can't wait to see yours!

 

[CopperChopper]

Well, after a few false starts with parts not being in stock, I finally got it together from several different sources. Here are the general stats regarding The Chrome Roustabout:

Chrome Limo Frame
Chrome Chopper Forks (30 inch with disk brake tab)
24x3 Kenda Flame Rear
26x2.125 Flame Front (unknown brand)
44t Sword Chrome Chainring
Gold KMC Chain
18t Coaster Brake (Chrome) Sprocket
Brooks B-73 (triple spring) on spring suspension seatpost
Twisted Chrome pedals
20 inch Dyno Style Chrome Handbars with Woody grips
Japanese Brass bell
Avid Lever and Avid BB7 front disk brakes (185mm rotor) - Massive stopping power!

Power System
Ping 48V 10ah LIFEPO4 Battery in custom stitched vinyl case (thanks to my wife for this)
20 Amp weather proof controller
Ezee Hub laced into front chrome wheel
Half Twist Grip Throttle integrated into right woody grip

I inititally was going to go with gas but found out that it would be illegal in my jurisdiction so I went electric. E-bikes are restricted to 32km per hour here but this one will do 43 kph without the cycle analyst to limit it.

It rides super smooth and quiet and has enough juice to go between 30 and 50 km on one charge, depending on how hard I hammer the throttle. Since the front hub is geared, it has good torque and hill climbing ability.

I might move to a longer fork in the future but for now it feels right and is very rideable.

Cheers,

CopperChopper

 

[HseLoMein]

I would be interested on how you converted your jack-shaft on your stiletto. I went the machine shop way and it was expensive. Had a flange welded and turned to accept my 25t sprocket and had threads cut for the freewheel. I like my bushing mounted all aluminium motor mount though. Can't wait to see yours!

I thought about getting a sprocket machined, but i found that Staton, has a jackshaft kit that will replace the original jackshaft, and its longer so can align it anywhere. My bike build use the SBP shift kit, so i will have a total of 4 chains on my bike. It looks really cool watching all the chains. If you would like to see pic of the bike here is the link.

http://motorbicycling.com/f15/rise-phoenix-15196.html

this second build is a replacement for the first, unfortunately i was hit by a car a couple of months ago and the bike got destroyed. Thus still deserving of the name the Phoenix.

 

[Jhammer]

I would be interested on how you converted your jack-shaft on your stiletto. I went the machine shop way and it was expensive. Had a flange welded and turned to accept my 25t sprocket and had threads cut for the freewheel. I like my bushing mounted all aluminium motor mount though. Can't wait to see yours!

Hey guys:

i have just recently purchased a Gaint Stiletto Chromo, i am just looking at motorized the bike. I am curious about the custom work that you did on your jack-shaft, and if you could give me some tips and pointer going forward, i have not purchased anything but the bike because i want to optimize the money i have and not wasted on failed attempts due to bad planning. did you have to replace the current gears with two other that have and idler? im new to this and could use all the help i can get.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Brendan

 

[Masterm222]

HseLoMien used a SBP Jack shaft kit and I did not. I use the standard rear mega-range cassette on the rear wheel. You can get a kit from Staton to convert your jackshaft that is already there to accept the sprockets you need to make your bike be the fastest in town. the bigger the better on the left side to connect the motor to the jackshaft. As I said, I use a 25t aluminium BMX sprocket for this. On the right side you can also get from Staton adaptors to put your OEM 20t 3 prong back on to drive the rear wheel cassette. I had a 18t from another bike that I used to lower my gear ratio. You will also need an adaptor for your jackshaft to mount a freewheel to go to your pedals. I am able to just push off with one pedal and let the clutch out and go. I have hit 40mph in 2nd gear wound tight but I can cruise at 25mph just of of idle on the flat. Hope this helped even just a little. Good luck on your build and enjoy turning heads after it is done!

 

[Jhammer]

masterm222: thanks so much for your response, its very helpful seeing as i have no were near the knowlegde or expertise to complete this build alone i have to finish paying off the bike then i will most likely start my own thread, just for my bike because the more people the more discussion and the more brainstorming thta gets done on how to make this bike that best it can be??? i have a few question on your build if you wouldnt mind endugling me by answering them:

1. what companys are good motors?? no price is a problem as long as i get the bang for my buck in the matter? (i was looking at two sites for motors zoombicycyles.com and kingsmotorbikes.com) nopt sure if these are good ones i am looking for a engine that wont break down as much even if that mean sacing speed.
2. could you detail what you had done to your jack shaft??? i am sure you have done so above but i am new to this and i dont understand the lingo as well as ohters??
3. can the standrad stock deraulliar take the kind of rpms that this motor dishes out???
4. was wondering about your handle bar set up i think that i am going to either get a clutch lever and a doulbe bars lever. or two brake lever and a centrigul clutch like the one found on zoombicycles.com

thanks so much for your help
brendan