1911 Indian

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cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
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sacramento ca
I received from bicycle-engines.com a rear freewheel 48 tooth sprocket. I thought it would stop my rear wheel broken spoke problem from the quick reverse torque from deceleration. I find I break spokes if I have a lot of sudden quick decelerations. When I let go of the throttle the comet clutch stops and the drive chain stops and I coast for a long time. I have a list of positives and negatives for this feature.

Negatives.
-The only way the bike can stop is the brakes. There is no engine braking at all. You have to have good brakes for this, or good long range eyesight. Lol.

-I wouldn't recommend this for areas with long downgrades.

-You need to accelerate from a standing stop gently or you might break the freewheel. No drag races, especially with 6.5 hp engines.

+Positives.
-Broken spoke problem gone.
-Better milage. Friction is totally gone. If I am going 30 mph I can coast for a half mile.
-If engine seizes or chain fails or gets hung up the rear wheel will not skid and cause an accident. This is a big deal. Think about it. If your chain gets hung up by breaking or something your rear wheel will not lock up and you will not crash.

It will take a while to get used to but I think the pluses outweigh the negatives. I'll give a long term use review in about a month or so.
 
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cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
Well I've had the rear engine freewheel sprocket on for a day and I really like it. It's a confidence builder that I know if the drive chain fails is some way I will coast to a stop without any issues. It's quite and smooth.
 
brett7777

brett7777

New Member
Aug 19, 2011
619
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Auckland, New Zealand
Ive been looking at heaps (probably too many, I think I better ease off & give my eyes a rest) of pics of boardtrackers; I hadnt seen this thread until you commented on another thread I was looking at. Happy to have found it.
Very authentic looking, you certainly have a real passion for vintage looking stuff. And the way you enjoy your build really comes across in the thread. And in the bike!
 
harry76

harry76

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2011
2,557
47
48
Brisbane, Australia
Nice Cobrafreak, that must be a load off your mind. Im very interested to know what speeds you get up to..... what is the rules for your bike, do you have a speed limit or is it the speed limit on the road?

The tyres look nice... but they look a little smaller (thinner & lower profile), is that right?

Do you still plan on painting the rims red? With the black tyres i think it would really pop..... having said that the black rim/tyre combo still looks awesome.

I must say ive watched your bike evolve and its been very inspiring. Awesome job and definitely one of the best around.
 
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cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
sportscarpat said:
So those must be the infamous Simplex tires, and look at that, they do mount on bicycle rims! Nice job. So, how do they ride?
Click to expand...
They ride no different than if you were to hop on the average full size motorcycle. Very solid, stiff, and robust. These tires fit great. If you have never installed a motorcycle tire, it is very hard to mount. You can't use bicycle tire irons as they snap. (I broke 3) You can use large screwdrivers but I recommend getting real steel motorcycle tire irons from a motorcycle shop. I think even Harbor Freight sells them online. The bead in this tire is two to three times stiffer than any bicycle tire I've ever dealt with. I believe this tire can go 92 mph without failing. I would be surprised if you ever got a flat in this tire unless it was a large nail or screw. You can use bicycle tubes for this tire as well as motorcycle tubes, your choice. The rubber is hard so I imagine something like a 3 or 6 thousand mile life for this tire, no kidding.
 
C

cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
harry76 said:
Nice Cobrafreak, that must be a load off your mind. Im very interested to know what speeds you get up to..... what is the rules for your bike, do you have a speed limit or is it the speed limit on the road?

The tyres look nice... but they look a little smaller (thinner & lower profile), is that right?

Do you still plan on painting the rims red? With the black tyres i think it would really pop..... having said that the black rim/tyre combo still looks awesome.

I must say ive watched your bike evolve and its been very inspiring. Awesome job and definitely one of the best around.
Click to expand...
I don't know the top speed yet. We have been having temp in the high 90's and that would not be good for measuring top speed as there is less Oxygen in the air. High humidity days are bad days too. I had to take off my new 48 tooth sprocket as the ratchet failed on the rear cog and I had to walk it home, but I was only a mile away. I have the old 50 tooth solid sprocket back on and I'm good to go. I haven't decided to paint the rims red yet. I like red rims, but I also like it the way it is. Thanks. I am going to put on the Sturmey Archer 90mm dynamo front drum brake to replace the 70 mm that I have on it for even better stopping power. That will come soon. Oh, yes, they are slightly narrower but taller than the Franks. That may be because I have them on thinner rims. You can mount these on 2" wide rims for a wider profile.
 
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cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
That is the best part, they fit regular 26" bicycle rims! It's the only motorcycle tire that I know of that does this. The size is called 26x2.5 for Simplex motorcycles. Coker Tire sells them. Don't get the 26x2 1/2 as it's a different tire and won't fit our rims.
 
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RickS

Member
Jan 30, 2011
86
5
8
Speonk, NY
cobrafreak said:
They ride no different than if you were to hop on the average full size motorcycle. Very solid, stiff, and robust. These tires fit great. If you have never installed a motorcycle tire, it is very hard to mount. You can't use bicycle tire irons as they snap. (I broke 3) You can use large screwdrivers but I recommend getting real steel motorcycle tire irons from a motorcycle shop. I think even Harbor Freight sells them online. The bead in this tire is two to three times stiffer than any bicycle tire I've ever dealt with. I believe this tire can go 92 mph without failing. I would be surprised if you ever got a flat in this tire unless it was a large nail or screw. You can use bicycle tubes for this tire as well as motorcycle tubes, your choice. The rubber is hard so I imagine something like a 3 or 6 thousand mile life for this tire, no kidding.
Click to expand...
I mounted these on my simplex rims without a problem. No tire irons needed. I just used soapy water to lube the rim and bead and leaned into it a little bit. I did use motorcycle tubes with screw in valve stems, I didn't want the tube to spin inside the rim.
 
C

cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
9
0
sacramento ca
RickS said:
I mounted these on my simplex rims without a problem. No tire irons needed. I just used soapy water to lube the rim and bead and leaned into it a little bit. I did use motorcycle tubes with screw in valve stems, I didn't want the tube to spin inside the rim.
Click to expand...
I watched the videos of Simplex owners putting their tires on. It looked really easy. Maybe it's my particular rims that makes mounting hard. I use downhill mountain bike racing rims which has a taller sidewall for better bead lock. I think you would be breaking sweat putting Simplex tires on my rims, Lol.
 
R

RickS

Member
Jan 30, 2011
86
5
8
Speonk, NY
cobrafreak said:
I watched the videos of Simplex owners putting their tires on. It looked really easy. Maybe it's my particular rims that makes mounting hard. I use downhill mountain bike racing rims which has a taller sidewall for better bead lock. I think you would be breaking sweat putting Simplex tires on my rims, Lol.
Click to expand...
Cobra, remember these:

A couple of hours a day and those tires go right on!! LOL!!
 

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