Cafe Creme - my Boardtracker project.

john young said:
Beachcomber, Paghco makes a near perfect replica of the flat head 45 heavy duty motorcycle frame. Might be what your looking for just google it and you have your frame.
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Thanx for the info. John - I'll certainly check them out.

However - after many non starts and broken promises, I've now found a guy that is prepared to work with me to build a frame. He is a coded welder and more importantly - a bike enthusiast.

His "day job" is welding up chassis [ multi-tube affairs ] for C Type Jaguar replicas and welding up alloy tanks for same.
 
Lot's of non movement on this project !

Sadly, due to a recurring Kidney problem I have to cut back on my activities - and Cafe Creme is one of those to suffer as it's the furthest away from completion !

I'm keeping all the parts I have collected nice and safe, and will revisit the project in 12 months or so - with luck and a fair wind.

TJ
 
Well, just over a year.................health back on the positive side now, and time to start thinking about the project.

I'm still working on my other projects [ slowly ], but at least they are progressing.

I DID manage to keep from selling all the parts I'd collected [!], so now I'm looking for a suitable [ ie cheap ] 125 or 250 Yamaha Virago power unit.

I have a plan for a frame unit that will give me something basic to work with - and hopefully a V5 - as I intend the bike to be street legal.

Great to see all the other projects on here - true inspiration.dance1
 
Good to have you back in the land of the living. Go slow and enjoy your build. Looking forward to your show and tell.
SB
 
Look up Doug Pinkerton/Pinkerton Cycles. Global reputation one man band. Knows everything that needs to be known about archaic bicycle tech and how to build what you need.

Conveniently, in some funny Midlands place that starts with an R. Not far from the station.
 
Ludwig II said:
Look up Doug Pinkerton/Pinkerton Cycles. Global reputation one man band. Knows everything that needs to be known about archaic bicycle tech and how to build what you need.

Conveniently, in some funny Midlands place that starts with an R. Not far from the station.
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Silverbear - thanx for the kind thoughts ....... the final leg now, in lot's of ways !!.shft.

Ludwig - good to hear from you again - thanx for the headsup.

Ha,ha . I'm in town tomorrow collecting this month's sack of meds - I'll see if I can drop in.
 
Hello, Beachcomber,

Certainly glad to see you back here with us. Often wondered how you were doing but when they mention kidneys it's usually a long hard slog.

Steve.
 
fasteddy said:
Hello, Beachcomber,

Certainly glad to see you back here with us. Often wondered how you were doing but when they mention kidneys it's usually a long hard slog.

Steve.
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Thanx Steve,

yes it was touch and go for a while there ........ one of my meds [ for another condition ] had the side effects of "destroying your kidneys". I should have been on that med for 2 months - but the Doctor didn't pass the info on and the pharmacy just kept prescribing it ! It wasn't picked up until I went in for my annual check over, by which time the kidneys had both lost partial function. Fortunately it was picked up before any really serious damage was done - but has still left me with below par kidney function.
12 months now with no relapses.... fingers crossed. In the meantime, I need to get on with my projects - at three score and ten the grim reaper's getting a bit too close for comfort !
 
I might just have the rolling chassis in sight for the project ..... saying no more at this stage until I see if I win it or not [ German E-Bay ].

Although my original plan was for a vee twin [ latterly 125 / 250 Virago ], a pal has just offered me an early Royal Enfield Clipper [ 250cc ] engine and box. It definitely has the Olde Worlde look about it - we'll see.

Fingers crossed then ......................
 
The Royal Enfield Clipper engine and gearbox would be very nice indeed, - a true classic :)

I hope you're keeping well, my own kidneys aren't the best and I recently had problems with a medication I was on making them worse so I can very much sympathise.
 
Intrepid Wheelwoman said:
The Royal Enfield Clipper engine and gearbox would be very nice indeed, - a true classic :)

I hope you're keeping well, my own kidneys aren't the best and I recently had problems with a medication I was on making them worse so I can very much sympathise.
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Thanx for the good wishes. I won't know about the rolling chassis until next week, but it really IS the biz - could have been made to be a Boardtracker!

My pal is trying to decide about the Clipper - at least I will have first refusal. It turns out he has a complete bike - more or less - and it even has a V5 [ registration doc. ] from 1957, which makes life a whole lot easier as I want to use the bike on the road [ occassionally anyway ! ]

I still have all the parts I originally collected - the La Diamont Francaise [ 1920 ] fuel tank, reversed Brass control levers, and various brass knick-knacks and so on.
 
Ah well .............. next time maybe. The bike I was bidding on went £200 over my meagre budget.

Here it is ............... 1929 Motobecane.

I have a couple of French pals currently on the look out in barns and farms in their regions.

There's always the 1957 Enfield Clipper I suppose !



 
Ludwig II said:
Have you spoken to Doug yet in Redditch?
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I called round the day after you alerted me, but there was no one in.

It is literally 10 mins from my house !

When I got back and checked out his details - I realised it said "by appointment only" ................. next week.
 
Are you a Facebookist? I have an alter ego there with contacts who may be able to help you find a suitable froggie frame.
 
Ludwig II said:
Are you a Facebookist? I have an alter ego there with contacts who may be able to help you find a suitable froggie frame.
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Ludwig ..... sadly not of the modern e-coms age. I DO have a Facebook thingy - but I never use it.

If you let me have the details I can get my kids to sort me out.

Thanx for your kind offer ........everything on hold while I search for another 1929 /30 Motobecane rolling chassis !!!
 
Thanx Ludwig for the various headsups. Thanx also for the tip on buying French bikes and parts.

I have a contact in France that was a customer of my pal who makes C Type replicas. I acted as interpreter [ very badly ! ] when he came over to buy the car and we have since become good friends.

The point ...... he is also into bikes so I sent him a pic of the Motobecane and asked the question. Seems that he has a pal with TWO, and might be persuaded to sell a rolling chassis. I am really into that particular model now - especially the forks do it for me.

I'm still looking at old timer Enfield and similar engine / gearboxes.

The lean to "Man-Cave" is nearly completed - major clearout / sortout of 30 odd years [ !! ] of "stuff". Benches now assembled, but certainly need beefing up before use. I'm looking out for some old kitchen worktops - should do the job. Then I can fit my "new" engineer's vice, bench grinder / sander,etc. Electrics being installed next week.

THEN ........... it's back with the serious stuff. .shft.
 
So where have I been for the past TWO years ??????? Sadly I had a relapse with the CKD [ Chronic Kidney Disease ] and it escalated to stage 3 [ of 5 ] which knocked me for 6 after I thought it had gone away.

Anyway - the good news is that 2 years, 6 stone lighter [ good for the performance ! ] and loads of different meds and trials I am now stabilised at just under stage 3. No real issues day to day, just need to restrain the alcohol intake !! During the scare, I foolishly culled more of my projects - quite honestly not knowing if I'd be around / in any state to finish them. Out the other side now and with a real determination to get projects underway again. My Kawasaki KZ750 twin Cafe Racer survived the cull, and well under way. The Board Tracker sadly took the back burner and all my plans to gather frame / engine bits stalled.

AGAIN - back on it !! I am really kicking myself that I missed that Motobecane rolling chassis, ah well. I also lost ALL my contacts due to the effing ransomeware my PC was attacked by at the beginning of the year - so having to do research over again. Also - only just found this site ! Plans are still to use a 125 / 250 Yamaha Virago power unit in a suitable frame. Frame MUST have "banana" girders. Fortunately I didn't sell off the La Diamont Francaise flat tank and other goodies and accessories.

It's down to catching up on a couple of years worth of posts [!!], and start trawling for parts again.

All in all - good to be back !
 
I have often thought about you and wondered what happened. Great to turn the computer on this morning and see your posting once again. Like everyone else I'm looking forward to your builds.

Steve.
 
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