Bonneville Flyer, chassis number four
- Thread starter itchybird
- Start date
It's not the best shot, but you can see the starter hiding under the front of the motor. These bikes are bigger/longer than they look, but the loop in the down tube is not as roomy as we'd like and there is not a lot of room for the starter. This required a revised motor mount that sets the motor back and up from it's original location.
Even with the new mount, things are tight.
Bonneville Flyer #4 by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
Even with the new mount, things are tight.
Bonneville Flyer #4 by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
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Lots of cool bikes in the shop right now, I counted six bikes in total today, from simple China motored bike, to Morini motored Racer model, and three Bonneville's. Having them all side by side you can really see the evolution the bikes have made over the last two years and #4 has the best features to date.
Some of the previous builds are getting some subtle changes as well, number 5 is getting the fork dampener a new rear fender and a bigger tool box. You can see it sitting there behind number 4. And off to the right you can see Bonneville #1, it's getting a new motor.
Bonneville Flyer #4 by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
Some of the previous builds are getting some subtle changes as well, number 5 is getting the fork dampener a new rear fender and a bigger tool box. You can see it sitting there behind number 4. And off to the right you can see Bonneville #1, it's getting a new motor.
Bonneville Flyer #4 by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
That's taking shape! I vote for full dress, because it would be kinda neat to see a bonneville as a cruiser. And plus, those skirted fenders look epic on there!
Yeah, I kinda like the full dress look as well and it's nice to see one of the bikes head an entirely different direction. Helps to keep things fresh.
The fenders were ebay items. A lot of the Harley guys run a similar sized tire up front, so there is a huge variety of fenders available and it if you take your time you can find some deals. I really like how the front fender hugs the tire, it fits the forks well and I like the length as it really comes low over the back of the tire. It looks like it was designed for this bike.
The skirted rear fender is cool, but it's a bit short and I may end up trimming this way down for the racer version then try to find another similar fender thats a bit longer. My buddy Carlos brought over some vintage tail lights to play with and I like the one I am holding against the fender, I've never seen another like it and it has super cool glass lenses. It was a garage sale item.
The fenders were ebay items. A lot of the Harley guys run a similar sized tire up front, so there is a huge variety of fenders available and it if you take your time you can find some deals. I really like how the front fender hugs the tire, it fits the forks well and I like the length as it really comes low over the back of the tire. It looks like it was designed for this bike.
The skirted rear fender is cool, but it's a bit short and I may end up trimming this way down for the racer version then try to find another similar fender thats a bit longer. My buddy Carlos brought over some vintage tail lights to play with and I like the one I am holding against the fender, I've never seen another like it and it has super cool glass lenses. It was a garage sale item.
A fresh bump to show the latest progress to the bike. After fitting the motor out, we decided the mounts needed one more tweak to better center the motor in the chassis. Pat tweaked the CAD drawings and the laser guy cut us a fresh set of mounts. Nothing like tig welded stainless! Pat's welds are looking good.
Revised Mount by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
Revised Mount by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
The new mounts will craddle the next generation of Sportsman Flyer motors with electric start. The Honda GX motors have significant performance potential, but to manage the added power the motors need some safetly upgrades including a billet connecting rod as well as a billet flywheel to cope with the higher RPM. The only bummer is that nobody sells a billet flywheel with the ring gear for the starter so we had to make some mods.
Here is a good picture of the motor, you can clearly see the starter, the billet flywheel and if you look close you can see the ring gear we added.
Electric Starter by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
This is just a clone motor for mock up purposes, the actual power plant is a genuine Honda unit.
Here is a good picture of the motor, you can clearly see the starter, the billet flywheel and if you look close you can see the ring gear we added.
Electric Starter by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
This is just a clone motor for mock up purposes, the actual power plant is a genuine Honda unit.
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And here is a link if you want to see the motor in action, it works great!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sportsmanflyer/8418013381/in/photostream/
This should put an end to rope starting. I have a freshly built GX140 ready to drop in the chassis which will serve as my street motor. I will share pics of the motor as the build progresses. After getting the new mounts and starting system dialed in, we pulled the bike apart to finish welding and brazing the various tabs and bungs needed for mounts and such. Bike will then be reassembled for the initial shake down cruise which is still a few weeks out. You never seem to get as much done in a day as you hope, but today was a big day for us and for the evolution of the bikes and we couldn't be happier with the progress so far.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sportsmanflyer/8418013381/in/photostream/
This should put an end to rope starting. I have a freshly built GX140 ready to drop in the chassis which will serve as my street motor. I will share pics of the motor as the build progresses. After getting the new mounts and starting system dialed in, we pulled the bike apart to finish welding and brazing the various tabs and bungs needed for mounts and such. Bike will then be reassembled for the initial shake down cruise which is still a few weeks out. You never seem to get as much done in a day as you hope, but today was a big day for us and for the evolution of the bikes and we couldn't be happier with the progress so far.
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Very cool, is the electric start motor specific or would it be adaptable to other similarily oriented motors like a predator 212?
I have never played with a Harbor Freight motor, but it fits the Honda and other clones, so I think it would likely fit the HF motors as well. The blocks carry the mounting holes, you tap the holes and starter motors bolt right on, then you just need a suitable flywheel.
You can buy complete e-start kits on ebay for about a hundred bucks and bare starters are available as well. The kits come with flywheels, but those flywheels are not safe for high RPM.
As for the rings, the ones we used were from donor cast iron flywheels. They can be removed if you are very careful, but the alum wheels need to be machined to accept the gears and once machined its a tricky operation to attach as its a press fit. It's not a garage operation and we had it done by a machinist.
As for the rings, the ones we used were from donor cast iron flywheels. They can be removed if you are very careful, but the alum wheels need to be machined to accept the gears and once machined its a tricky operation to attach as its a press fit. It's not a garage operation and we had it done by a machinist.
It's been awhile since I have posted progress on my build and with the bike progressing well, I thought I'd bring you all up to speed.
First up, we have a couple of Bonneville spec motors. These are pumped little 175cc race motors. The motor in the rear is the racer motor for my build (you can see the starter), while the the motor up front will go into Bonneville number 1. Bottom ends (cam/piston/crank/rod) are similar, but my motor has larger valves and a little more aggressive port work. They should come in around 20 HP or so.
Latest Engines by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
Shortly after the pic was taken, I buzzed off the mounting tabs at the front of the motors as they're not needed on our builds.
First up, we have a couple of Bonneville spec motors. These are pumped little 175cc race motors. The motor in the rear is the racer motor for my build (you can see the starter), while the the motor up front will go into Bonneville number 1. Bottom ends (cam/piston/crank/rod) are similar, but my motor has larger valves and a little more aggressive port work. They should come in around 20 HP or so.
Latest Engines by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
Shortly after the pic was taken, I buzzed off the mounting tabs at the front of the motors as they're not needed on our builds.
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At the time of the last post, I was working on the rear fender. I had a fender that was narrow enough to fit the frame, but it was too short so I ordered up a full rear fender, but the thing was so wide I could barely stuff it into the frame!
Way too big for what I needed.
Way too big for what I needed.
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Rather than buy another rear fender, I decided to reduce the size of the fender. I marked the fender so I could cut a strip out the middle. You can see where it's marked.
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