Help with trim color, please

[Robertriley]

I'm picking up one of Pats "Sportsman Flyers" and want to change it up a tad so it doesn't look exactly like his other rides. I love the unpainted tank and tool box and don't want to paint them but I'd like to throw some pin striping on it. Please give me you opinion on colors or other details. I think I'm also getting a saddle made like the one seen on the "Blue Tracker".

Pat,
This bike had a 4 on it, does that mean anything to you or was it a number you just through on it? Just curious.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[harry76]

Man he builds nice bikes, i wouldnt change it, its perfect.

But i understand you wanting to change it a little to make it more yours. I have no suggestions on colors but will definitely be looking to see what you do..... good luck

 

[Robertriley]

I think a seat like these would gice it more of a antique look like a HD or Henderson. I talk to Pat a little while ago and he may start doing round tanks. That would be BAD. Dan at Taylar Bikes made the Blue one and is doing one for me. I was going to have him do it with th Morini but now that I have Pats I can get away wit the China motor. I'm sure Dan is going to put thet Morini to good use.[/I]

 

[Velodrome]

Im thinking I like the RED accent. And Ya; that seat is sweet wish I could find one.

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

I know that green bikes are a 'bad luck' superstition, but I've always been into green bikes!

My next personal Board Track Racer is gonna be emerald green with dual discs & a shift kit!

I need another Panther tank Pat!!

 

[sportscarpat]

Well, this looks like a fun thread. Norm, your always on the top of the list for Panther tanks but once in awhile I need to sell some to other people! All kidding aside I am just buried with tank orders and will do the best I can.

Chris,
Nice to see you picked up the Racer. I hope you scored it at a garage sale somewhere for next to nothing! There is some history to that bike already. It is actually #3. Racers 3 and 4 were shipping about the same time and I remember getting their build numbers mixed up on the stickers. I don't think I stamped a serial number into your frame, either. Check the right rear dropout. You should be SFRD003. I have a suggestion for your tank designs. If you look at Racer X, the prototype for the Racer model, we did a cool tank sticker along the lines of what your suggesting. Here is a picture of the tank.


Couple of Racers by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

I would suggest the same panel type sticker, it is a sticker, but change the silver inlay to a creme color. You can take the gas and oil tanks to a powder coating shop and get them coated in gloss black. I can supply the gas tank sticker just like on Racer X and then do the same treatment on the oil tank with the correct #3 and the Sportsman Racer text to match the gas tank. It's your build now, but the black and creme color would be pretty cool and the only one so far with that design. I also have a couple cool upgrades since Racer #3 that you might be interested in. Minor stuff, but I bet you'll want them.
Pat

 

[Robertriley]

Thanks Pat,

Great pointers, I'll hit you up when I get the bike. It was no YardSale find. I think I only saved about $500-700 buying used but I wanted it NOW! lol...
I'll ride it for a bit before I do any changes. Dan from Taylar is making me a bike and when I get that one I can do this one. Anything on Making the round (Indian style) tanks? Did you get any video of your bikes at the race? If so, can you upload them to YouTube and drop us a link?

Thanks Pat,
Chris (Robertriley)

Keep up the good work.

 

[sportscarpat]

Hi Chris,
Now I got it and who you are. If I recall your email was the same way. Anyway, I have been getting requests forever on the torpedo style tank. My current design has served me well and allows me to also keep the price within reason, although some may disagree. I have modeled the torpedo style tank to fit my custom frames and have it all printed out so I can do the poster board mock-up. I am not looking into buying an english wheel for making tanks and have figured out a way to build these tanks without it. I can see it will be a challenging tank to build on a production bases and will take longer to manufacture. It will be stainless steel, of course. I'll keep you posted. I do have some race video from practice and will try the whole youtube thing soon.
Pat

 

[Radfletcher]

I would watch the s**t out of that video

I pick green, the silver stainless background really makes it 'pop'

 

[truckd]

I too just got one of pats bikes and I've chosen a copper tone with cream colored spears at the front and back of the bikes frame, I'd like to get the sides of the tank and oil box a machined turned pattern and then paint the top and down the sides about a
1/2" with the copper color, my tires are cream color,seat is honey color,cables are carmel, grips will be carmel color as well and maybe inverted lever's, we'll see.
Have fun! with you're Flyer and welcome to the elite

 

[hoodoo]

I'm picking up one of Pats "Sportsman Flyers" and want to change it up a tad so it doesn't look exactly like his other rides. I love the unpainted tank and tool box and don't want to paint them but I'd like to throw some pin striping on it. Please give me you opinion on colors or other details. I think I'm also getting a saddle made like the one seen on the "Blue Tracker".

Pat,
This bike had a 4 on it, does that mean anything to you or was it a number you just through on it? Just curious.

Thanks,
Chris

French gray or silver tanks were common in the era and all these trim colors look nice. Hard to pick, you can't lose. A thinner "double" line trim would look very classy and make the bike look even more refined, I mean this bike is very much a Rolls Royce of the motorized bicycle.

 

[hoodoo]

Hi Chris,
Now I got it and who you are. If I recall your email was the same way. Anyway, I have been getting requests forever on the torpedo style tank. My current design has served me well and allows me to also keep the price within reason, although some may disagree. I have modeled the torpedo style tank to fit my custom frames and have it all printed out so I can do the poster board mock-up. I am not looking into buying an english wheel for making tanks and have figured out a way to build these tanks without it. I can see it will be a challenging tank to build on a production bases and will take longer to manufacture. It will be stainless steel, of course. I'll keep you posted. I do have some race video from practice and will try the whole youtube thing soon.
Pat

I may have been the first to whine about the torpedo tank, well at least the curved tank like you see on the older Indians. And indeed when I built my bike I opted for the flat sided tanks for ease of build myself (I later turned my bike into a "Harley" so the flat tanks look better. MarkV built up his curved tank cover in sections but that is a cover and not the actual tank. Maybe you could produce a curved faux sides that could be affixed to your normal tank Pat? Would make the tanks slightly wider but you would not have to reinvent the wheel.

 

[sportscarpat]

Hi Hoodoo,
I could explore other designs if I had more time. I had three jobs, and quit one which was my favorite, being a rides pilot at a local glider operation. My boss came came by looking for me a couple days ago and busted me red handed building gas tanks. Now I am down to my day job and my weekend and evenings job. I have a finalized torpedo tank design which will be similar to my other tanks in that it is cad designed and laser cut stainless. It will cost more, too. It's just a matter of finding time to weld a few together. They will only be available for my custom frames. As for my current designs, I plan to keep them just the way they are, which is based on the Reading Standard shape and not the Indian.
Pat

 

[hoodoo]

Hi Hoodoo,
I could explore other designs if I had more time. I had three jobs, and quit one which was my favorite, being a rides pilot at a local glider operation. My boss came came by looking for me a couple days ago and busted me red handed building gas tanks. Now I am down to my day job and my weekend and evenings job. I have a finalized torpedo tank design which will be similar to my other tanks in that it is cad designed and laser cut stainless. It will cost more, too. It's just a matter of finding time to weld a few together. They will only be available for my custom frames. As for my current designs, I plan to keep them just the way they are, which is based on the Reading Standard shape and not the Indian.
Pat

Your tanks are great as they are. I have to watch out myself as I have so many irons in the fire that they are drifting into the job that pays for my house and food and I have to back off. Of course, there is an old saying that if you want to get something done, go to the busiest guy as they are the most productive. The least productive people always seem to have time on their hands. You have been producing an awesome product.

 

[truckd]

I'm kinda partial to dual stripes, you might try a carmel and green dual stripe it would bring out the stainless steel tank then add some spears on the top tube and the looped tube starting behind the lugged head tube as well as the upper frame stay tubes.
Don't be afraid to stripe the frame either, Pats bikes are lookers and if you stay withen the 1900's period color schemes it will look fantastic, but what ever you do,do something differant then what every one else is or has done, the common colors are red, black, grey, blue stay away from commonalities, stand out!

 

[truckd]

Hey! one more thing on seats, yes that is a nice seat on the Blue Tracker but a little pricey! see what Pat charges for his seat pans and go from there or go to one of these two sites
Home Page and then navigate to the Gyes products or
www.gyes .com.tw
I have 2- Gyes cruiser 11"x10" saddles and am thuroughly satified (better then brooks) and at $84.oo a pop for the real thing, they're 3 times less the the Brooks.
If you'd like to see the saddle go to the thread on this site titled "Ol' Blue"
Good luck! with the bike

 

[Robertriley]

I've used Gyes and Brooks before, both are good seats. Can you post a picture of one of your rides with your Gyes seat on it. Please include the model that you used.

Thanks

 

[truckd]

You can click on to my thread titled Ol' blue on this site under motorized bikes, should be between pages 2-4, another design elimate you might consider is to dress up you're forks with what ever design pattern you choose for the bike. Gyes GS-12 but look closely at the GS-112 and GS-113

 

[rustycase]

Gosh !
Pat sure does build nice bikes!

Hobby and craft stores sell a color wheel which could help you decide on a color scheme. They got small, and larger ones.

It will show you contrasting colors, a three way, or 4 way complimentary split.

You can buy an airbrush very inexpensively, and play forever, if you wish!
Mixing your own colors from the basics is also a lot of fun.

Of course, there's certainly impact in grabbing a small brush, a can of paint, and doing it up as in the old days! Do that in the shade, on a cool day.

Fun stuff !
rc

 

[Goat Herder]

Barbed Wire Pinstriping - Ford, Dodge,Chevy, extended on eBay!

Thought this was interesting.