Vintage Whippet racer

harry76

harry76

Well-Known Member
I restored this Australian made vintage Whippet bicycle racer. It had 28 rims. I made it into a fixie, added the flip flop 700c rims and white tyres, added the seat, bars and BSA crankset.

I saw fixies and thought id like to own one. Well i havent really become accustomed to riding a fixed gear bike and as a result ive only ridden this thing a few times in about 6 months. So im wondering if i should motorize this thing. I have a black Grubbee 50cc that im not using.

Im wondering if i could do a vintage racer style build with skinny race tyres.
I pick up a 98cc Villiers cylinder mower next weekend off EBay and it has a fuel tank that looks like the very early cigar style tank, that im hoping may fit under the toptube.

It would probably look better if i put the original 28" rims back on but they arent strong enough for a motorized bike, and i dont want to pay for another set.

Ive already got these rims so do you guys know, or have an opinion if theyd hold up? It also has the flip flop hub so i dont know if that can be used. I did have a quick look through the flip flop thread. I realise the other thread means the sprocket wants to spin off....

I do realise id need to be more careful as far as bumps, potholes but it wouldnt be my only MB so it would just be cool to have a fast, light ride.

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Oh and i would obviously need to add rim brakes if i go ahead with these wheels on this build
 
I would not motorize this bike as it looks cool the way it is and is probably more valuable is you don't mod it. Lot's of other bikes to put engines on. The handlebars are awesome.
 
Cobra is right. That is a nice early BSA and I would leave it as it is.
Just too many old unwanted bikes to be had.

Sweet looking bike by the way.

Steve.
 
Thanks guys....

Cobra the bars are available off EBay rather cheap. They are called moustache bars if my memory serves correctly.

Steve the bike isnt a BSA. I got the BSA crank off EBay from England. This bike is a "Whippet" brand, a locally made bike (year unknown) and to my knowledge not very collectable. I only paid $15 for it. And if i stick it on EBay i doubt it would fetch all that much.

I may rethink my decision, but i dont use this bike, thats why i considered it....
 
I'd use it then. Here they would have value and it looks a lot like a BSA so that's what I was working on. Sort of anothers man trash is someone elses treasure.
Kind of like Atco-Villiers motors.

Don't think that the wheels would get you far. Can you find heavier wheels locally?
I do think a 50cc motor would look great sitting in it and I will be putting the Villiers in a frame much like yours, I think, because I'd like the look of the earlier Indian circa 1906.

Just got the early motorcycle book today and it is a load of information that will really help.

Steve.
 
Yeah the wheels are brand new and look fairly strong and the 50cc has a little less takeoff power or torque so it may be alright. But like you said they may not last. Not to mention flat tyres may start being a issue. Not to mention i would have to add rim brakes which i am not a fan of.

Perhaps i should sell these rims or put them on a junk racer frame i have and sell that. And lace new rims to the original hubs as it had a coaster brake, or maybe i could get away with the original rims and hubs and get stronger spokes. 28" rims with skinny tyres (not as skinny was whats presently on it) would look nice.

And i was thinking much the same thing about the 1906ish Indian. I think the mower fuel tank im getting will be a close match. It would be a lot nicer if i threw in the 1 of the the other Villiers motors i have, but i think ill get away with riding it more reguarly if it has the 50cc. And the bike is fairly light so it would go fast enough.
 
Are moped wheels readily available there? Silverbear found some with 36 spoke hubs and that, laced into a good rim, with 11 or 12 gauge spokes would give you a tremendous wheel and drum brakes.

If you look on the electric thread you will see KiM/The Aussie Jesters bike. Not to sure where he got the wheels, rims, brakes for his but I'm sure he would tell you if it's not in his thread.

If you have a hard time getting parts let Silverbear or I know and we will see what we can get on this side of the lake.

Steve.
 
I keep looking at those mower gas tanks and think that if you cut the end off one and then another one and welded the two halves up you could have any length you wanted.

Steve.
 
On my other builds i have found cheap (new), but quality double wall downhill mountainbike rims. But on this build i think i want to use a skinnier rim and tyre, and the moped rims and brakes may be overkill for the 50cc.

On my 80cc Kroon i have a coaster rear brake, and the original drim hub. And i havent bothered yet to hook up my front drum brake as the coaster brake does a great job of pulling me up. I do realise dual brakes are advisable, but im used to riding my rear brake only hardtail mountainbike and besides that not having a front brake will help with that clean race look and a lot lighter. Im thinking of the 1907 Indian look. They dont have the balloon tyres like on the later boardtrack models
 
Yeah Steve you are right about the tanks. Im hoping its the right length and would save me cutting it up. Looks about the right length and looks like a very close match in the looks department. I cant wait to pick up my new mower this weekend and see how close it is to fitting.
 
It would look cool if i did cut a tunnel out of the fuel tank and mounted it over the toptube like the Indians do. But on my bike it would probably look better mounted under the toptube to fill in the deadspace above the motor, and save me a lot of work. We will see....
 
Mopeds are 50cc. Just my personal thing brakes are. I'm here because I had them on a few memorable occasions and a boyhood friend of mine laughed at me when I had them on my chopped Triumph. No one laughed when we buried him because he didn't have them.

It was a 20 mile crash that got him, helmet and all.

Looking forward to seeing this build come together. Have you thought of any more plans for the Villiers powered bike?
Had the motor in England sent to the Villiers repair shop along with the carburettor to be checked out.

Talked to a lawnmower repair shop here and they said no one repairs them now because the only part supplier is closed up. Figure it cost just as much to send a running motor as a dead one and I will still need to get parts. This will give us two runners and we can get more and repair them here at our own speed.

Steve.
 
Mopeds are 50cc but weigh considerably more then this bicycle when finished. I think the moped brakes idea is a very good idea, but maybe overkill, and a little heavy for this build. But ideal for the bigger motors. I think a coaster brake would do here, but a front drum brake is just good insurance i guess.

My 66cc Kroon is a LOT heavier then this, and maybe it just has a very high quality factory drum brake. It doesnt have the feel of a disc brake. But it stops nearly as well as my hydraulic 8" Hayes hydraulic brakes i have on a downhill mountainbike.

Im certainly not discounting your advice on the brakes and will consider it.

Yeah im waiting until next pay and im going to have to make a jackshaft to get the belt closer to the rear wheel. Got a good lead on where to get some cheap scrap steel (who wouldve thought it would be so hard) and can make my gas tank.

Im not certain but i think ive seen Villier parts on Ebay, gaskets, rings etc. And if you can get a manual it couldnt be too hard to rebuild one. The only experience i have with rebuilding motors is rebuilding my motorcross bikes (2 stroke) some years ago. Cant imagine doing a topend would be any different. This, and no spark would be the major causes of the motors not running and both arent too difficult to fix. Do you think?
 
Just thinking your light bike is going to go a lot faster with 50cc than a moped. Like I say, just my personal worry.

Yes, these things can eat up a pay cheque rather quickly.
I know what you mean about finding used steel. We have a few used metal places but with the price of scrap iron the way it is I think they ship it rather that save it to sell.

Lots of parts in England and people to repair them. That's how I found everything. Just by cruising the computer and asking questions.
Here we have Briggs and Stratton and Honda as the main suppliers as well as the Honda clones.
Some motors like Maytag have a huge following and the prices raise up accordingly.
A good used Briggs and Stratton is well under $50 here if you look. Just that the old Villiers give me a warm feeling. Hope it isn't from pushing it home.

The one thing I remember is that the coils and points were a problem when I had Villiers powered motorcycles, The engine it's self was rock solid.

God Bless Mr Lucas. The Prince of Darkness. The other shot always was, Why do the English drink warm beer? They all own Lucas refrigerators.
I think Villiers may have made their own electrics though.

I never rebuilt a Villiers motor but a lot of my friends had them open all the time trying to find a way to make them go just a little faster. I did a lot of watching and they didn't seem too complicated.

Our little motors don't have a key way cut in them on the crankshaft so I've seen that timing them can be a bit difficult since you have to make sure the flywheel doesn't move as you tighten it up.

I would think with all the years that they have been used and the acres of lawn that they have mowed and still mow, the amount we will use them won't be a problem and they will be going faster than someone mowing a lawn so they will be cooled better and the coils won't be cooked by the heat.

Steve.
 
I got my mower so i threw the tank on the Whippet to see what i thought, and if i would go ahead with this project..... i quite like the racer look and tempted to see how long i get away with these wheels before they fold in half lol


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Good going there, it is going to be a good looking bike. Are there many bikes being built in Oz? over in Perth there are a few of us puting bikes together. I live in NARROGIN W.A.if you want to drop me a line at [email protected] all the best Keith
 
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