Vintage looking board track racer project

[silverbear]

Thanks, to tell the truth, when I purchased the frame, in my head it completely looked like the same as now... Cream tires, engine, gas tank, handlebars, lights, etc. Just like you see a photo in a magazine. All I had to do is find the parts that corresponds to the image in my head... I work as web designer so visuall creativity is a must for me everyday...

It must be nice to have that kind of visualization skill. I sure don't, so I have to look at a project and wait for it to tell me what it wants. This takes time and lots of quiet staring for the ideas to come.
However we get there it sure is a rush to fire up yur engine and ride off into the sunset on a machine you made. It doesn't get any better than that. I imagine that your bike gets lots of admiring looks and questions.
SB

 

[truckd]

Got any pic's of that Indian ? here is mine,still working on it, my buddy says it's only 4hrs away from completion, Yah Right keep us up dated on the indian and thanks for the info on the light.
Merry Christmas

 

[jimmymc2286]

Thanks for the photos and instructions on the head lamp. As soon as mine gets here I will start the conversion.

 

[Indianfan]

Silverbear: OK I will, I will. Just started typing in Hungarian and what a **** I finished it. Sorry guys!
My Indian was at a local exhibition in April and sold afterwards. Now I am working on a couple of other ones.

Link to my first bike:

http://motorbicycling.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48533&d=1338483548[/URL]

Indianfan

 

[fasteddy]

Indianfan,

When I first saw your post this morning I was laughing because I thought someone here in North America was answering in Hungarian then I looked over and saw where you were from.

Many years ago I worked with a man from Hungary and he told me that he thought in Hungarian and spoke in English.

Welcome to the forum.

Steve.

 

[Indianfan]

I myself worked all over the world. As a matter of fact, lived in Canada for 15 odd years. Might go back to Calgary in January for a month or two.
Small world, last summer I bumped into a Canadian (from Vancouver) guy here. He was cycling from Serbia to Austria without money. He slept in bushes on the roadside. The bike he was riding on, was given for free by a Serbian farmer. He stopped me on the bike path, asking for directions. Tried his 3 word Hungarian vocabulary and much to his surprise I answered in English.

Don't wanna derail the forum though...
Keep up the good work guys!!!

indianfan

 

[davidberg]

My Indian was at a local exhibition in April and sold afterwards. Now I am working on a couple of other ones.

Link to my first bike:

http://motorbicycling.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48533&d=1338483548

Woow!!! What a fantastic build! It's an awesome craftmanship!!! Did you do that custom frame by yourself? Those are beautiful welded joints! The tank and oilbox is a masterpiece also! After this yaw-dropping work how on earth do you have problems with a frame ?

My favourites:
- it's wrapped in paper but it must be a beautiful carbide lamp on the handlebar.
- That must be a chrome finished springer fork, I see you sanded and painted its main fork to match the bike
- I guess you use the same twisted horn I do
- Chrome cover kit on the engine
- Copper fuel pipes beautitully bent
- Custom spring-loaded chain tensioner
- Custom bent muffler

All in all, a great work!!

 

[Indianfan]

Thanks!
The frame was a job from Mariusz. Talked to him before I started the second one. Would not do one again. He said if I order 20, sets up a jig and we go from there. The unit price he was asking, kinda steep!
The tank and oilbox done by someone else. The oilbox was actually a storage compartment.
I could do some of the work, but don't have shop or suitable space.
The new frame gonna be made from 0. No donor frame.

The picture was taken just hours before I took it to Hungexpo. The carbide lamp I bought from Vatera, 1920s. Planned to put LEDs in there just like yours, had no time to do it.
The fork was kind of a mistake that I bought it. It's the Chinese one, available all over the place, for around 60 USD. It was so dangerous, I had to modify and stiffen it. Just an advice to all of you guys: don't buy that fairly good looking, chromed springer fork. As you take it out of the box, IT IS GOOD FOR NOTHING! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RIDE YOUR BIKE WITH IT! IT WILL KILL YOU! Weak, poorly constructed, once installed wobbles sideways. feels like the fork is made out of chewing gum.
On the new build I'll try to replicate the leaf springer one. Custom made fork, spring, rockers etc. ...and just to be on the safe side, make a HD style springer as well.
The engine lids were just polished and lacquered, no chrome there.
Copper pipes bought at the local hardware shop, bent around 3 pencils.
The chain tensioner and the muffler were modified somewhat, to fit on this bike. Otherwise they were in the kit , that came with the engine.

You said, you wanna build an Indian style for the next one. Maybe we can cooperate! I have several complete tanks, powder coated red, stainless steel caps. Gold lettered Indian logos set up on the computer, 5 sets printed out. 5 Shelby type handle bars, custom made, chromed. 5 sets of aluminum bar clamps waiting to be picked up from shop. Also sprocket adapters, good for coaster rear hubs. 3 sets of wheels, painted, stainless steel spokes laced, with white tires, front hubs Sturmey Archer drum brakes.
I have good sources from wholesalers, if you are interested below street prices.
Only the frame is missing.

Indianfan

 

[davidberg]

Dear Indianfan!

I'd like to build an Indian-styled bike, not exactly a clone, just to resemble this design, I'd like to add my sugar and spice to suit me most. It's an 1904 BTR:

but this design was picked up by other manufacturers of that era, like the 1909 Erie Semi-Racing, or the 1905 Jefferson BTRs.
I do have everything for it, except the wheelsets and the gas tank. I'm really interested in your wheels, are they 26"? Do they have red finish? If you don't mind, I might take a look at them, damn so hard to find red rims on reasonable prices... And yes, I'm interested the below-the-street prices

All I need to manufacture by an expert is the torpedo styled gas tank, won't be a hard task for Papa Joe (he's a custom chopper manufacturer). By the way, my seatpost and frame stretching for the black bike was also made by Mariusz, wasn't an easy task to make him understand I'm not Richie Rich

Anyway, if you're interested, please drop me a contact number here: [email protected]

 

[davidberg]

For this Indian project, I have the following:

- Schwinn Csepel Woodlands frame with stretched rear forks, sandblasted, ready for finishing.
- handlebars waiting for chop-up to ensure the famous Indian racing handlebar form
- custom leather springed seat
- custom seatpost with support rods
- 50ccm engine kit (must to modify: performance carb, short muffler pipe, chain tensioner)
- peddle kit
- V-brakes front/rear
- since there's no suspension on front fork on the original Indian, the one on the original Schwinn bike will make it.
- various chromed small parts to make it stylish

 

[silverbear]

You guys are having fun, aren't you! It is interesting to me that the early Indians are admired the world over. I guess it is like good music or a beautiful painting. It doesn't matter what language you speak, you know it when confronted with something awesome. I can never get enough of these early Indian inspired builds. Keep posting progress, both of you, and of course we all want pictures & lots of them!. Merry Christmas! Apparantly both of you were good boys this year. Santa Claus (St. Nicholas?) has brought lots of bike goodies!
SB

 

[davidberg]

You guys are having fun, aren't you! It is interesting to me that the early Indians are admired the world over. I guess it is like good music or a beautiful painting. It doesn't matter what language you speak, you know it when confronted with something awesome. I can never get enough of these early Indian inspired builds. Keep posting progress, both of you, and of course we all want pictures & lots of them!. Merry Christmas! Apparantly both of you were good boys this year. Santa Claus (St. Nicholas?) has brought lots of bike goodies!
SB

Thanks Silverbear, we managed to get the things straight with Santa at least like this:

Merry Xmas for you all!

 

[truckd]

If your looking for a Bicycle platform to start from try a Union Flyer by Gran Royale/ Easton bikes, you can't go wrong with the quality the wheels are 7ooc x 40mm/28 x1 1/2" rear hub Shimano CB E-110 front also Shimano,Weinnman aluminum tubular with drop loop center rims and 12 gauge spokes, I run Electra Cream colored Amsterdam tires,you won't find a better platform to work with for this type of build.
After I'm through with the Indian I'll start a 1913 Shaw MotoBike with this bicycle as my platform, Ive already changed out the Handle bars,seat,fenders,peddles and tires.
The bike was $149.99 + tx & ship total came to $202.oo the is Schwinn Quility of old (and I mean 60/70 yrs ago) got mine off Amazon/Nashbar
Check it out Guys you will spend 3 times that just searching and collecting parts. these bike usually run from $300.oo up

 

[davidberg]

If your looking for a Bicycle platform to start from try a Union Flyer by Gran Royale/ Easton bikes, you can't go wrong with the quality the wheels are 7ooc x 40mm/28 x1 1/2" rear hub Shimano CB E-110 front also Shimano,Weinnman aluminum tubular with drop loop center rims and 12 gauge spokes, I run Electra Cream colored Amsterdam tires,you won't find a better platform to work with for this type of build.
After I'm through with the Indian I'll start a 1913 Shaw MotoBike with this bicycle as my platform, Ive already changed out the Handle bars,seat,fenders,peddles and tires.
The bike was $149.99 + tx & ship total came to $202.oo the is Schwinn Quility of old (and I mean 60/70 yrs ago) got mine off Amazon/Nashbar
Check it out Guys you will spend 3 times that just searching and collecting parts. these bike usually run from $300.oo up

Thank you for that info, the bike is beautiful. However the problem is we live in Hungary, Europe. The bike is about $150, shipping is at least $250... That's why we can't use Worksman frames here, I had a couple of mails with a representative from Worksman, he wrote that it simply doesn't pay off: shipping is four times the cost of the Newsboy frame!

 

[fasteddy]

Indianfan.
How much does your frame maker get for making a frame? I understand the cost of shipping even from the U.S. to Canada. When U.P.S. gets through adding fees to thier shipping costs for clearing it at our border customs office it can add almost as much as we paid to buy it in the first place.
I have a shipping drop off store in the U.S. where I pay a yearly fee and a few dollars a package. Since I live 20 minutes from the border I go over and pick it up and take advantage of the free in the U.S. shipping that a lot of companys offer.

It would be nice if you could find someone going to Hungary that could bring a couple of frames as luggage when they travel. Is your duty high there?

Calgary in January and February! Your a very brave man indeed.

Steve.

 

[truckd]

Here is a web store in Euro.I like maybe you've heard of them
www.classic-cycle.de webstore lots of real good stuff including frames, might be cheaper to ship too?

 

[davidberg]

Indianfan.
How much does your frame maker get for making a frame?
...
It would be nice if you could find someone going to Hungary that could bring a couple of frames as luggage when they travel. Is your duty high there?

The frame like Indianfan has runs about $350-400 at the maker. Note that he use cheap standard grade steel, not alloy, nor Reynolds or Columbus tubes.

Frames as a luggage... Gee, the duty for them might cost a brand new motorcycle right outta the saloon...

 

[davidberg]

Here is a web store in Euro.I like maybe you've heard of them
www.classic-cycle.de webstore lots of real good stuff including frames, might be cheaper to ship too?

Thanks, I checked that site earlier, almost ordered their BTR frame, then I started to measure its tube sizes and realized it's made for really tall guys... which I'm not...

 

[truckd]

24" wheels should lower it and then you could even modified the frame,
Have you tried www.chopperdome.nl
I beleive they are in the netherlands,holland?some where over there in yer neighborhood, and something else to consider is the pictures make the product look bigger.
I saw a Project346 and they're really not much bigger then a regular cruiser well I hope there is some help in the recommendations

 

[Indianfan]

Hi Guys!

Thanks for the tips! As Davidberg mentioned, we live in Hungary and that fact alone makes things much more difficult. While you guys in the US lucky enough to walk into Home Depot, specialty shops or order online, coupled with free or at least low shipping, here the prices at least 50% higher. Sometimes double. That is why we have to build everything or at least try.
The duty? HAHA. Shipping outrages. The bike I sent to Sweden was 500 USD with TNT. They were the only ones to take a bike sized package. Duty, well it's like whatever they wanna charge. A bike could be a bike, a pile of steel, decoration etc. and the rate goes up or down accordingly. Administration fee, even I don't know what this is. Handling fee. They charge this fee, from the customs office (it is like a black hole at the airport) to my house, even though I pay for a door to door service. Can't pick up personally, the place designated as a military installation. Couple of other fees that are really way beyond my understanding. .. and on the top of everything 27% VAT. Now within Europe the only extra is the shipping, but everything is way more expensive than in The US.

Before the borders came down I got hold of scrap aircraft seats from Germany. I was held up at the border for hours, because they could not decide if they were usable or U/S A/C seats, decoration, furniture or military stuff!!! I had official papers from a major airline clearly stating scrap status A/C seats.

Never the less we will complete these beauties, because we want them! Lots of talented guys can make this happen.
Yeah, the frame will be around 400 USD, like Davidberg mentioned. I'll try to get KO12 stainless steel for it. It's tensile strength pretty well the same as CROMO, around 1000. Ok it is a bit heavier.

Indianfan