Lurker's V-twin build

GoldenMotor.com

cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
Correction. There are two sizes and I was confusing them. There are 26x2.5 and 26x2 1/2. The Simplex tires are only in 26x2.5 and they are only in black rubber. The 26x2 1/2 need antique rims and these are the ones that are in black or white. My mistake.
 

harry76

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2011
2,557
47
48
Brisbane, Australia
OK thanks, so 26 x 2.5 is fifferent to 26 x 2 1/2. Why are bicycle tyre sizes so difficult?

I rode mountain bikes for a long time, then got into vintage bikes and was shocked when i found out there are different size 26" tyres all called 26" tyres with different widths

Now i find out that 26 x 2.5 is different to a 26 x 2 1/2........ GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does this confuse anyone else or am i a little slow LOL......... thankfully the rim diametre is also usually at the end or beginning of the size written on the tyre
 

Lurker

New Member
Jan 29, 2010
403
133
0
Pittsburgh
I am kind of at a standstill at this point. I need to get rid of the other bike so I can buy the parts I need for this one. I don't want make the fuel tank until I get the engine in place so I can make sure the bike will have a nice overall visual balance to it. I have a general idea of how the tank will look, but I want to make sure the distance between the tank an engine looks right.

I have however picked out a color scheme for the bike. The primary color will be charcoal gray with chocolate brown for a secondary color and black for the accent. I will include a jpg of the exact colors.

I am going to take my bike to a local motorcycle gathering tonight if the rain holds off, so hopefully I will be able to gather some interest in it and get it sold soon. I never thought I would be this antsy to get rid of that little guy, but better things are in the works.
 

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Lurker

New Member
Jan 29, 2010
403
133
0
Pittsburgh
Yeah I have thought about ebay but what about shipping? That bike must weight close to 80lbs. and it wont exactly fit in a box.
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,844
485
83
california
Ship the wheels separate. Go to a LBS and ask for a bicycle shipping box. My LBS is an Electra dealer and they always have big boxes kicking around and sometimes I get all the cool little packing pieces like the plastic brackets they mount between the frame and fork drop-outs, and the plastic axle caps they use on the rims. They act like I am doing them a favor so they don't have to break down the boxes to recycle.
 

cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
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sacramento ca
Simple, just make a crate for it and contact a shipping company. Buyer pays for shipping of course. I would make a long pallet, long enough to put the whole bike upon and strap it to the bottom and make a 2x4 frame around the pallet to form a box and plywood it in. It could ether be delivered to their doorstep or they would pick up at their closest local truck terminal. Probably the latter as it is usually cheaper to do it that way. (I used to be a truck driver).
 

GearNut

Active Member
Aug 19, 2009
5,104
11
38
San Diego, Kaliforgnia
UPS also has bicycle specific crates. Just bring in the bike (drained of all fluids of course) and an address and they will do all the rest. Choose "buyer pays shipping" in your ad, so ask UPS what to charge the new owner before the sale is final.
 

culvercityclassic

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2009
3,115
177
63
Culver City, Ca
Lurker...how is that frame coming along? I am curious about what thickness the tubing is you are using for your frame. I noticed that this motor you are going to use alone weighs close to 100 lbs. and appears to be quite wide. Do you have any new pictures?
 

Lurker

New Member
Jan 29, 2010
403
133
0
Pittsburgh
all of the tubing is 1/8 inch thick even the rear triangle. I would guess the frame itself weighs about 20lbs currently and it isn't even finished. I really wanted this to be a machine to feel very solid. Since I started with a bicycle frame for my last build the tubing was very thin and it feels slightly fragile to me. I know it's not, but with this build and the speeds I will be seeing I would just like to have piece of mind when I am going down the road.

As for the width. They measure it with all the shrouds and doodads on it, and i plan to strip it down and trim the fan blades on the flywheel. So I figure I can drop about 3 inches off of the factory measurements. It will still be a very wide engine but the lowness of the bike and the width of the tank, seat, fork, and frame should hide it fairly well. just to give you an idea the current width the rear triangle it 6 5/8 wide.

On a side note I just fond out that the Coker Simplex tires I plan on using have a P rating which means they are good for up to 92mph. This bike is gonna be so much fun when I get it done I cant wait.
 

cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
92mph, I'm sold. I'll get a pair in a month or so. Are these currently fresh tires? I know that rubber begins to break down the moment it leaves the mold and a tire that is three years old or older will wear considerably faster than a fresh tire. This is why it pays to be able to read the date codes on car tires you buy for your car. Fresh tires will always last longer. The only reason I am mentioning this is that I was surfing for info on this tire and one site said that the Simplex tires it sells is ten year old production, which would be garbage to anyone but a collector of bikes for static displays.
 

RickS

Member
Jan 30, 2011
86
5
8
Speonk, NY
92mph, I'm sold. I'll get a pair in a month or so. Are these currently fresh tires? I know that rubber begins to break down the moment it leaves the mold and a tire that is three years old or older will wear considerably faster than a fresh tire. This is why it pays to be able to read the date codes on car tires you buy for your car. Fresh tires will always last longer. The only reason I am mentioning this is that I was surfing for info on this tire and one site said that the Simplex tires it sells is ten year old production, which would be garbage to anyone but a collector of bikes for static displays.
If you saw that on the Coker tire site, and it was the 350x20 tire, that is not the tire you want. I'm not even sure those will mount on a 26" bike rim. The one you want is the 26x2.5 tire. That is the one to use on the bike rims. Be advised, the picture of the 26x2.5 simplex tire on the Coker website is NOT correct. The tire is a ribbed tire, no studded as shown. I've brought this to their attention twice, but they still haven't fixed it.

Here is the 26x2.5 simplex tire that I got several months ago. They are current production and are made in Vietnam.
 

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