Indian Tadpole

[fasteddy]

Thank you Rick. I tried to stay as close to the original as possible. When they published the photos for the Meacum Auction I finally was able to get a close up of just what a real one looked like.

Every other photo I had seen was either from the side or taken twenty feet away so many of the fine details were mostly guess work on my part. When I did get a close up of a real one I was pleasantly surprised how close I was and I made adjustments or rebuilt what wasn't right like the gas tank.

Back at it tomorrow to finish some things that aren't right and add some others. I really want to see what it looks like on the ground.

Your correct about Art. Just as I was standing there with the work bench and the bike in mid air and it wouldn't move I'm absolutely certain I heard a voice say "Now what?"

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Visions of Daisy dancing in my head, flaming battery cells raining from the sky. That was a sobering video indeed. Mentioned a while back, I'll put the link below. I plan to use this battery kit. Looked at Luna Cycles as well but I think that this is a good and reasonably Steve proof set up. I'll build a 52v battery and run the Monark and sidecar with it as well.

Steve.

Battery kits


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjxkauekoXiAhVNtZ4KHb2pBicQwqsBMAB6BAgHEAQ&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDi1haA71Q&usg=AOvVaw2M1hyMB4SIzVq7M2Ydeu9y

 

[indian22]

Steve having purchased over $700. in lion packs recently along with their appropriate chargers I can see the wisdom of switching packs between bikes although one of mine runs 36 volts the other 48volts. Therefore I won't be switching these two but perhaps another build...like the sidecar motor which is 48 v. as well. The aluminum cases are slide mounted and lock in place on the slides but are quickly detachable, 15 seconds maybe.

Running the sidecar & the Monark with the pack you power the tri-car with is a great idea in my opinion.

Rick C.

 

[Mr.B.]

View attachment 100859 View attachment 100860

Wow!

 

[fasteddy]

Thank you Mr. B and thank you for staying with the project over all these years. Do you have any builds planned?

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Poor Daisy may she r.i.p. a Disney creation deserved a much better fate, yet the Duck's, Donald and Daisy escaped unscathed!

May battery tragedies be cut to none.

Rick C.

 

[Mr.B.]

Thank you Mr. B and thank you for staying with the project over all these years. Do you have any builds planned?

Steve.

Planned?
I'm not sure there's enough bandwidth left in the internet to discuss that! LOL!

Seriously I've come to realize i'm not getting nearly enough done, and I partly blame a bad habit i've developed of sitting down after supper and vegging out in front of the TV.

Soooo...

I'm dropping my cable one week from today. And I've set a goal of working on personal projects at least 2 hours every evening. I have many many non bike projects to do, but I am going to make my nearly finished "Quickie" 1903 Harley replica (tribute) a priority now. I hope to sell it to fund bigger and better things! Any Bike stuff I'll of course share here! And perhaps a couple of other non related things too that might be of interest (Curtiss has already helped me out with a key component for a "Horseless Buggy" scheme that I'm collecting parts for!).

Regardless, i'm sure looking forward to seeing a YouTube of your rig putt'n down the road! I've taken inspiration from your Stick-to-itiveness!

 

[fasteddy]

Rick, if sweet Daisy had been closer other than on the other side of the country I would have attempted to buy her. Nothing went wrong that time, ingenuity and sufficient cash couldn't have put right. A few sheets of premium grade plywood would help.

Probably the best news is that Daisy is that far away and it can't be proven I'm wrong.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Mr.B,
I dumped TV over 30 years ago. I always was a book reader and I found myself constantly turning channels and complaining about there being nothing worth watching.

Planned projects. If a list had to be printed out there would have to be a fresh package of paper put in the printer. I did ask that question with tongue in cheek.

A Horseless Buggy? I wanted to build one for years but it looks like the chances are slim for me so I'll be avidly watching yours and cheering from the sidelines.

I'm hoping that Silverbear and I will have videos on YouTube just to validate that we did indeed finish what we started out to do. We may even be ground breaker on YouTube since I haven't found any other home made tri cars on there.

My stick- to-itiveness as inspiration. Thank you, I beyond flattered.

So many times over the years I wanted to stick it in the corner and just purchase one of Pat's frames and engine mounts with the drive train parts to replace the frame I had and be done with it and I'm riding.

I stayed with it because of all the wonderful people who believed I could do it. There was no way you could be wrong so I pushed on and success is finally at our doorstep.

I was looking at the Electric Tri Car frame today and I'm hoping that I'll have it completed before I head off to bike camp this year. When I get back it will be putting on the wheels and adding the brakes, fenders ect and figuring out a front seat design.

While I was looking at the electrics frame I was envisioning a Sportsman Flyer Indian inspired tri car. Pat did all the work so how long could it take? We may well find out.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

I had a great private chat last night with another forum member and he expressed an excellent point, perfectly. He said that we don't do what we want to do because we have a Police Man in our heads that holds up their hand and says, Stop, you can't do that and we obey them.

This isn't just motorized bikes but life it's self. Fortunately for so many of us our Police Man is lying in the road of life with tire tracks up their backs and we are speeding off into the distance.

Steve.

 

[Tinsmith]

Steve, I can't add anything that the fellas haven't already expressed about this project. I check in on ya'll nearly daily and it's a wonderful bunch of followers. I was able to get my bike out today and fired right up. Hope to get her out for a ride tomorrow.

Looking forward to your big day with this. Hope you can post some video so we can hear and see her a runnin'.

Keep at it!

Dan

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Dan,

Wonderful to hear from you and there is telepathy. I was just looking at some parts and had planned to send you an email when I was finished and here's your post. I'll write you in a minute.

Thank you for the kind comments. Hard to believe it's almost done. It's been a hard pedal to get here and it was uphill both ways. I do have video recording on the Nikon and I do have a video camera so I'll get something recorded.

I was going to ask if you had the bike out yet. Great to hear that it started right up.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Spent the afternoon trying to figure out something cunning to work as chain adjusters. Keep wondering why they cut the axle slots from the front to the back on an angle instead of flat and cut in from the back. There are lots of adjusters for that style.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Steve these types of drops were designed as a safety feature to prevent the loss of the rear wheel if the axle nuts loosened. It also is intended to simplify adjustment for the rear wheel, all the way seated is adjusted and true, much the same concept as the forks drops function, firmly seated is true and no adjustment is necessary in a well machined fork or frame drops. The design was intended for and is still used in multispeed bikes where a wide range of chain length is necessary for multiple size cog function. The problem with this style of drop is when manufacturers used the same frame drop design (safety feature) for single speed (fixie or coaster) style bikes where no allowance is made for chain adjustment with wheel movement and therefore your problem. Half links I hate, so I now always use a tensioner. In the past I've also welded a small section of tube to the drop plates and used a washer & threaded rod to adjust the axle on both sides. Most drop plates aren't large enough to allow this without welding an extension to the plate to allow the adjustors to work. So I built larger plates to allow adjustment.

I personally allow this style drop to function as designed as a one position axle locator and run an idler, spring loaded is my favored option. Some really dislike the look of tensioners or fear them, but built right and properly installed they work great and have been used with both belt and chain for much longer than motors have even existed.

Of course a new pair of drop plates can be cut in the horizontal style and traditional adjusters employed.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Thanks Rick. Makes perfect sense having spit a few wheels out the back of the old CCM's when I was a kid. I have an idler on the bike and wouldn't be without one now they have them available.

I would have made new drop plates if I'd been a more savvy bike builder but now it's go back and try and get out of the jamb as best as I can. just about have the problem solved but have to work around the rear jack stand.

I'll get photos up tomorrow.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Took a while to come up with something I was happy with. Forgot the camera so I'll take some photos tomorrow but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Scrap bucket is a little richer for the effort and some of the neighbours didn't want to share the frustration so their closed their windows.

Hope this is the last " Have to go back and straighten it out."

Steve.

 

[indian22]

I started rebuilding a fellows moto bike yesterday & my day was surprise after surprise & I too will be straightening out & sorting out problems today. Hope we both make some progress and things go smoother.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Rick,

No neighbours were harmed in the making of the adjusters. I do have a habit of talking to myself however which gives my brother great delight in pointing that out. All I can say is that there are times when I feel a need to consult with an expert.

This build has been in a state of constant evolution since I started building it and now it's time for the pay up for not staying with the original plan. Also evident things become even more evident as I go along.

You are a brave man taking on someone else's build. I can only imagine what your finding and the nightmare levels. In all my years of antique furniture restoration the one thing that scared me was getting something come into the shop where the owner had the job halfway done. They would get a little touchy when I explained that the job wouldn't be any cheaper since I had to go back to the start so I knew what was done and correct the damage they had done.

I'll paint them up and install them tomorrow and once I have the chains set up properly that should be it.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

I made a pair of chain adjusters for the rear wheel. The small hole will accommodate a bolt that will hold it to the drop plate. The tabs on the back will prevent it from moving or slipping off the drop plate as it's tightened. Once they are on the bike I'll take some photo's of them and that should be the final part of the puzzle.

Due to having the rear jack stand on the bike I made the adjusters to fit on the outside of everything since the jack stand anchor points were in the way.

Steve.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Not bad for a amateur, even pretty good for a pro Steve.
Hang in there pardner, you'll get er done.
Think Orson Welles, "No wine before it's time".
Tom from Rubicon