1930's Colson Motor-bike. my new project.

[LAboy]

Baird, nice ride! Simple is the best.

 

[bairdco]

...I would of thought out the engineering a lil more than the usual 2 chain drive drop muffler chinese kit before installing the powertrain... QUOTE]

i was thinking about what you said, and since this bike's going up for sale, and after my brush with the law, i'm fine leaving this motor basically stock. as long as it runs smoothly at 30-35mph, i'm happy with it. California Law says it can't go over 30, so be it.

i also plan on a cool lighting system, mirror and horn.

i figure if i'm going to be selling bikes in Ca, i want them to be safe, legal, and ready to ride. there's ads all over craigslist that say "street legal, no license required!" and they're giving the buying public the wrong info.

just like a car, if someone wants to do their own mods, legal or not, it's up to them. i realize cars can easily break the speed limit, but for a bike, the law states "cannot be modified to go over 30." so my responsibility as a dealer, blah blah blah, y'know what i'm saying...

(i'm also not being a wuss about this. i rode alongside a vespa for 5 miles yesterday at 45-50mph on my other bike...)

 

[michaelgrav]

Sorry bairdco I didn't realize you were selling this bike. Great Job and I would like to see some work on elctrical horn, lites etc.. Keep up the good work

 

[bairdco]

just wanted to take a moment here and show you guys my "shop."

for any of you who think you need a bunch of specialty tools and a machine shop to build a cool bike, this is for you...

 

[diceman2004]

thats kinda like mine , sept ya can,t see the table .

best investment i ever made - one of those magnetic parts dishes .
A whopping $2.50 at the dollar store .
No more AH MANNNNN , I just set that screw down right there , where the tomato did it go ... cheese whiz ... kicks tool box ... stomps angily into the house ... ALRIGHT WHO TOOK MY M8 BOLT .

 

[bairdco]

that happens to me with big stuff like hammers. i'll set it down, and it disappears. after 30 minutes of kicking stuff, it shows right back up where i put it down. i just don't get it.

 

[BarelyAWake]

The hammer is right on top - where it should be

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

that happens to me with big stuff like hammers. i'll set it down, and it disappears. after 30 minutes of kicking stuff, it shows right back up where i put it down. i just don't get it.

I always figure it's a ghost!! (I tell 'em to "give it back, I need it!!") & it shows back up shortly after...

 

[Norman]

It ain't ghosts your infested with gremlins I got them little bastoids here at my shop.
You want to make your tanks look even nicer check into a tool that puts raised beads on metal panels that will up the bar on flat sided tanks. You can get that tool at harbor freight it comes with different dies for making different sized raised beads. they are on sale at times for about $75.00. the beading tool may be used for making the seams but I'm not sure.
I need to get one.
Did you use a large copper soldering iron on the tank the kind that you heat with a torch? Lot of sheet metal air ducts shops use them. The iron keeps the heat on the seam that way you don't have to put the torch on the tank and discolor it or warp it with too much heat.
Your tank is one of the better things home made made that I've seen of the forum in a while.
Just a though..... leather straps with buckles to hold the tank on would be kind of cool?!
nice one Bairdco.

 

[bairdco]

thanks Norman. i just used a bernzo propane torch. i soldered the bottom and the sides first, from the inside. haven't done any real soldering for awhile, so it came out pretty lumpy and ugly, but like i said, it's the bottom and the inside. plus, i laid it on pretty thick so it wouldn't leak. by the time i was ready for the top, my skills improved, so i didn't have to do a lot of grinding and polishing.

i'm pretty amazed at how simple it was. i mean, for about 50-60 bucks i have a totally custom tank. that i can say, "look mommy, i made it myself!"

i thought of some old timey straps or something, but it's basically on there for good now. i had some copper bolts left over from my tower climbing days, and had to slide the tank in and solder them on, so to remove it, you gotta break a bolt off, or un-solder it. but it's on there good.

 

[bairdco]

finished up the wheels. i was gonna leave them silver, but i just couldn't live with that, soooo,

un-laced them, painted the rims black and the hubs orange, laced them back up, and here they are.

(the dark garage with the cardboard background doesn't do them justice at all, wait till they're on the bike.)

i've got to finish and paint the custom fenders and touch up a little more paint, polish and clear coat the tank, make a rear drop stand, and put it all together.

since it's supposed to rain tomorrow, dunno about the paint. lots of other stuff i can do while i wait.

 

[perichbrothers]

Just out of curiousity,
how much are you thinking to get for your Colson?

I've been riding around the Shelby,
and am surprised by the attention it gets.
Lotsa guys ask how much,
and tell them they range from the $300 craigslist special to over $1000 for a *****in one.

Personally it would take alot to rip this one out of my hands,
just cause the hours and "soul" i've poured into it, however brief it was.
It just seems that you're going to be in the same predicament when this ones done.

Thanks,

TP

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Personally it would take alot to rip this one out of my hands,
just cause the hours and "soul" i've poured into it, however brief it was.
It just seems that you're going to be in the same predicament when this ones done.


TP

I wise man once told me, "The best time to sell something is when someone is offering you good money for it!! Because some day, when you really need to sell it, no one will give you what that person once offered you for it!!"

 

[bairdco]

it's getting harder to sell. i got the fenders done today, and the bicycle part of it put together. the thing rides like a dream. there's not a squeek, no rattles, no noise. it's a stealthy pedaler.

it tracks beautifully. the forks have a bit of a rake, so it's perfect for high speeds, and it's super comfortable.

just a bit more touch up, and then bolt on the motor. while i had it apart, i cleaned up the transfer ports, tweaked the engine a little, so it might be a little faster, a little smoother.

here's some pics in the dark. i'll take some more tomorrow when it's light out, and if it's raining all day, it should be more or less done, gotta adjust the angle on the fender struts, which is gonna kinda suck, since they're alumiwelded on, but whatevs, it ain't done till i'm satisfied with it, or someone comes along with cash and takes it away before it drives me nuts...

 

[bairdco]

got it all back together finally. just in time to ride it for an hour till it started sprinkling.

it's a beauty, handles like a cadillac.

just gotta do a few minor touch-ups, build a drop stand, and sell the bas*%#d before i get too attached to it...

now, for my next bike........

 

[azbill]

very nice

I hope it sells for large $$$, it deserves to !!!

 

[GearNut]

Wow! That came out N-I-C-E! bairdco, be proud, very proud. She looks like a million dollars and I hope you can get near that for her!

 

[bairdco]

thanks guys, i appreciate it.

 

[BarelyAWake]

Slick bairdco - defo very slick

Didja end up clearcoating the "anodizing" paint?

 

[bairdco]

thanks

yeah, i got some stuff from Mcfadden-dale hardware that's top notch. it's a nice hard coating. i'll post the name of it after i go in the garage and see.

(edit) Crown Kleer Koat 6004