Indian Tadpole

[fasteddy]

Pete Young's article about Pillion seats-
https://occhiolungo.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/pre-wwi-pillion-seats/

Thank's Mr. B.

Some first rate ideas there indeed. When I looked at the photo Ralph posted on page 161 of the Indian with the torpedo tank and the pillion I noticed that it appears who ever made the rear seat supports seems to have used bicycle forks to do it.

Most of the pillion seats seem to use flat steel for the supports.

At least the down tubes from the seat to the rear axle look like bike forks and I think that the support from the front seat to the rear seat look like bike forks as well but maybe a different make. Maybe time to check eBay to see what is available for bike forks.

Steve.

 

[Mr.B.]

Thank's Mr. B.

Some first rate ideas there indeed. When I looked at the photo Ralph posted on page 161 of the Indian with the torpedo tank and the pillion I noticed that it appears who ever made the rear seat supports seems to have used bicycle forks to do it.

Most of the pillion seats seem to use flat steel for the supports.

At least the down tubes from the seat to the rear axle look like bike forks and I think that the support from the front seat to the rear seat look like bike forks as well but maybe a different make. Maybe time to check eBay to see what is available for bike forks.

Steve.

Yep! My thoughts too, but looking at the link you posted there is a Indian manufactured one in the illustration that seems to match Ralph's photo closely. And perhaps is just a fork, that certainly would have been a effective and already tooled money saving part!

 

[Mr.B.]

btw: Kind of amazing that page 161 is already a couple of pages ago! LOL!
(Making post 3243!)

 

[Ralph hop]

I see both the seats have forward seat posts in that top diagram. It might feel cramped for the riders, something to consider in the application. It's something I'd like to try building some day. I'll have to go on a diet to put it in use though haha. Steve's bike looks so good already though and still haven't seen it with the middle seat. It's been a mild winter here so hopefully it will be an early spring.

 

[fasteddy]

Thank you Mr. B. I did look around for forks and they are available.Once the bike is on the ground I'll probably make up a Pillion seat. It would be fun to put it on the bike from time to time.

Surprised me when I went back to look at it as well.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Ralph,

Looking for a proper period seat. I have half a dozen seats but nothing that looks correct.

Steve.

 

[Ralph hop]

I would look at the European bikes for forks and seat, seen some close matches. 10 seats, there has got to be one you like to ride on.

 

[fasteddy]

Part of the problem is that the bike seats are rather small and other seat is rather large.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Steve thanks for posting the excellent photos of the Tadpole. It will be very helpful for visitors and our newer forum members to catch up on this wonderful build and for those of us who've been watching along it's a treat to see where the Indian tri-car currently sits without scrolling, though reading the whole thread is entertaining; it takes awhile!

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Thank you Rick. It does require some personal fortitude to read through ten years of posts and many are about life as it went by, not the tri car. I greatly admire those that do and all the people that contributed to the discussions.

I still have hope that someone will make one. Whether or not it's an Indian Tri Car or not is a personal choice. Anyone wanting information just has to join the forum and either private message me or ask questions here on the thread. As soon as it's on the ground I will have the entire list of photos here and what I would and wouldn't do to again. There is a long list of wouldn't.

I would buy a Sportsman Flyer frame and accessories as well as the wheels. Engine choice would be a 212cc Predator from Harbour Freight or a Honda 160cc. I think that's their size. Geared to a sensible speed. Then you have a solid base.

Expensive? No, because I have close to a $1,000 in the engine with the modifications and clutch with the modifications to a pedal start not to mention the weeks of work to get it working together. More like months of work. Predator engine and a stock 3D clutch would be about $300.

The tri car part is fairly straight forward. Like making the front half of a Go Kart and I would use Go Kart parts to do it. Suggest that spindles with springs be used. I copied the Indian style seat. A simple straight 3 sided seat with about a 2-3% rearward tilt in the back would be easy and work well. I may make one to show how it could be done.

Parts have been ordered for the electric tri car. Just time to start that moving along. Have to decide if it will be one cylinder or two.

Steve.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

There is no doubt Steve, of what a amazing thread you have brought forth and I hope it does not stop until you do. "No time soon".
I really only came into this thread when I finally mastered the Sportsman Flyer, and came in late but your build was by then near the end so to speak. And I had to as in "Escanaba in the Moonlight" "If You don't know where to start go back to de beginin" I did from post 1. It is a long haul but I am better for it and will take the adventure again.
Your post 3224 link has the best quartering photos of a TriCar this thread has seen yet.
Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Thank you Tom and thank you for wading through all those pages.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Silverbear who started this tread and I have built a couple of bikes together. I made two tri cars and we added one to his bike which he called and Indian Hiawatha using a Hiawatha bike frame.

I'll add a link to his thread which is mercifully shorter than mine. My suggestion is reading the whole thing. Tinsmith/Dan did a fantastic copper gas tank for it and a copper tool box. I converted a wicker chair to a seat for his tri car but haven't been able to get to Minnesota to deliver it to him because of health problems.

We are hoping this summer will be the charm.

You can read the full story or the chair build will be on the last page to see what I did. Chair build started on page 30. Some photos are on Photobucket until the held everyone up for money and they continued on the forum.

Steve.

https://motorbicycling.com/threads/indian-hiawatha.32998/

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Thank you Tom and thank you for wading through all those pages.

Steve.

Hi Steve,
It took three weeks, after work and weekends to read this thread through. A less costly kind of therapy than hiring a Pro and getting more.
Tom

 

[curtisfox]

LOL. Took me 10 years and still reading it, been fun journey........Curt

 

[fasteddy]

Thanks Tom, I was in the garage today trying to get the lock for the clutch lever figured out. Silverbear would have been proud. There was a lot of creative staring going on but nothing seemed to work just as it should. The levers are made so that there is really no perfect place for everything to line up.

The answer is there so I'll have to keep on trying.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Curt and thank you. It's hard to believe that it's been ten years. Harder to believe that this summer it will be six years since the last bike camp. We'll make it happen this year hopefully.

Steve.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Jeepers!
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/ca/Vancouver
You may not have to shovel it but how do you start a fire?
Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Fire? It's the Wet Coast. No fires until May.

The only time we see the sun is when the eye of the latest storm passes over us and when that happens it's pure luck.

Steve.

 

[PeteMcP]

Caught up with your full build thread Steve, along with a couple of other 'epic' builds, a couple of years back after I joined the forum and thoroughly enjoyed them all. What's not to enjoy about learning how such stuff is created from scratch? Long read? Sure, but well worth investing the time and effort - even if you cheat and just like looking at the photos. Doesn't come as any surprise to me to see how such builds don't happen overnight.

Footnote: Just looked at the BC weather forecast posted by Tom. Must have been lucky when the only time Jen and I visited Vancouver BC the weather was hot and sunny one early Sept. Recall visiting a guy's train layout at his home located high up on the mountainside with a panoramic view of the city and harbour. Another of life's fondly remembered 'small world' moments when it turned out the model train guy and his missus were university lecturers, originating from Cullercoats 10 miles from where I'm from here in NE England, before they emigrated to Vancouver.