Cobra Cycles Flat Track Racer

Hope you don’t mind a little photoshop fun at your expense... "-)

-Kirk
 

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Haha that photoshop pic is fun. I don't know if I would have enough balls to hang with those guys back in the day tho. However its always fun to pretend with photoshop.

A few people have asked about the helmet. If you search ebay for "outrider helmet" it should come up. Be warned tho it is nothing more than a glorified skate helmet. However that should be fine for most motorized bicycles. I bought the "leather" one, but I don't think its real leather. If it is real it's really cheap.
 
Cloud Rider set me a pm asking me a question. I am posting it here because I would like everyone to learn and help each other.

"size,s of tires, wheels,motor, brands of equipment,things you would do different. I am new at this no bike yet trying to get my ducks in a row.looking for a site with antiques looking parts,tanks,etc.thanks for getting back to me."
-Cloud Rider

First thing is First, you need a frame. I recommend you create a folder on you computer and start collecting photos of ever real btr you find. Study them and pay close attention to the geometry. the spend hours literally hours looking at bicycle frame and cross referencing the btr photos. no matter which frame you choose you will have to make major alterations to it, other wise it will just look like a bike with a engine. Her is a few I recommend

Worksman Cycles- These will be my next two
INB- almost same exact rear triangle as early HD's
M2600- similar to 1909 Flying Merkel.

Nirve
B1- long wheel base and straight rear triangle. This is what I used.

As for the wheels I use two 2.5 wide disk brake rims from choppersus.com with the rear axel converted to run a sprocket from King Sales and Service. He make really nice stuff I highly recommend him. I also used Fat Frank tires I do not recommend this setup as it is too wide. I am going to switch to Worksman wheels and tires from here jeraldsulky.com. We need to remember not all btrs had really wide tires look at the Reading Standard bike.

The engine is a Honda Gx200 clone. I chose this because all of the after market support and the high output potential of this engine. Check out Affordable Go Karts - Home page - AGK - http://www.affordablegokarts.com they have everything you need.

The tank and fork require you to be creative this is all custom work. Remember when building these bike you need to look at what is available what is similar and what can be modified to look like the real thing. Do lots of research and look at things like geometry, color, shape and visual weight. Be creative, resourceful and Innovative. If you guys have any more question please post them in this thread so other can learn and be inspired. I would love to see the quirky little bikes turn in to real fire breathing 100mph machines. At least that is what I'm going for.
 
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Love the boots! where can I get a pair? for the maiden voyage of this baby
 

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Hey Lurker,
Very cool build! The use of two bottom brackets is a great idea. Looks like a solid ride.
Pat
 
Lurker said:
A few people have asked about the helmet. If you search ebay for "outrider helmet" it should come up. Be warned tho it is nothing more than a glorified skate helmet. However that should be fine for most motorized bicycles. I bought the "leather" one, but I don't think its real leather. If it is real it's really cheap.
Click to expand...

This helmet is perfect... Thanks for the info. I found one w/ goggles @ motorcycle-retro-helmets.com. They actually have quite a few different styles of these helmets for cheap. Like you said, they are def just for looks but I'm totally going to rock one!! We don't have any helmet laws where I live(motorcycle or bicycle) so I should be good to go.
 
Lurker said:
Cloud Rider set me a pm asking me a question. I am posting it here because I would like everyone to learn and help each other.

"size,s of tires, wheels,motor, brands of equipment,things you would do different. I am new at this no bike yet trying to get my ducks in a row.looking for a site with antiques looking parts,tanks,etc.thanks for getting back to me."
-Cloud Rider

First thing is First, you need a frame. I recommend you create a folder on you computer and start collecting photos of ever real btr you find. Study them and pay close attention to the geometry. the spend hours literally hours looking at bicycle frame and cross referencing the btr photos. no matter which frame you choose you will have to make major alterations to it, other wise it will just look like a bike with a engine. Her is a few I recommend

Worksman Cycles- These will be my next two
INB- almost same exact rear triangle as early HD's
M2600- similar to 1909 Flying Merkel.

Nirve
B1- long wheel base and straight rear triangle. This is what I used.

As for the wheels I use two 2.5 wide disk brake rims from choppersus.com with the rear axel converted to run a sprocket from King Sales and Service. He make really nice stuff I highly recommend him. I also used Fat Frank tires I do not recommend this setup as it is too wide. I am going to switch to Worksman wheels and tires from here jeraldsulky.com. We need to remember not all btrs had really wide tires look at the Reading Standard bike.

The engine is a Honda Gx200 clone. I chose this because all of the after market support and the high output potential of this engine. Check out Affordable Go Karts - Home page - AGK - http://www.affordablegokarts.com they have everything you need.

The tank and fork require you to be creative this is all custom work. Remember when building these bike you need to look at what is available what is similar and what can be modified to look like the real thing. Do lots of research and look at things like geometry, color, shape and visual weight. Be creative, resourceful and Innovative. If you guys have any more question please post them in this thread so other can learn and be inspired. I would love to see the quirky little bikes turn in to real fire breathing 100mph machines. At least that is what I'm going for.
Click to expand...

Outstanding, Lurker that is you sharing with the everyone your "Cobra Cycles Flat Track Racer's" BUILD LIST

Also builders remember this when board tracks died out, that's when the Flat Trackers became popular, don't quote me on this I read it somewhere that after Board Tracks died, the Flat Tracks flourished, and dirt flat track racing is still very popular especially in the USA!

Hence, Lurker's build titled " Cobra Cycles Flat Track Racer " !!!

One of my favorite build list's is Graucho's " Fat Tire Bicycle Chopper ", here's the link to his very detailed build list:
see his post#34

http://motorbicycling.com/f40/fat-tire-bicycle-chopper-6778-4.html

or

http://motorbicycling.com/f40/fat-tire-bicycle-chopper-6778.html

Thanks again Lurker for sharing with us all here at www.Motorbicycling.com

Peace Crazy Horse.
 
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Yes, I still have the bike but the more I looked at it the more unhappy I was with it. It looked a bit like a cross between a btr and a flat track racer so the bike is getting some major work done to it right now. I have a lot on my plate at the moment but I imagine it will be done in about two or three weeks. I will post some photos when I get it done. I am glad to see you all are still interested in it.
 
It's not 100% done yet, I still have to add the pinstripe, re paint the logo and adjust the saddle but this is the new look. I made a new gas tank and welded a new seat post on. On a side note for anyone thinking about using a gx200; I did have to put the fan shroud back on. I had done all of my testing in cooler weather but now that it is in the mid 70's here in Pittsburgh a heat shield is required. I'm going to try to fabricate my own that will give it a more vintage look but not for a while. Let me know that you guys think.


P.S. Here is a link to one of the bikes that really inspired me. My bike sounds almost exactly like this one. I will try to post a video of it at some point in the future.

YouTube - Hand starting of a 1926 Indian Flat Track Racer
 

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Hey Lurker, I have always liked that ride, it looks good either way. The tank looks sweet… I am sorry to hear about the fan shroud issue, I am building a bike with your ideas and was not planning on using the shroud at all. What did you notice with the warmer weather?

Looking forward to more pictures.
 
Normally when the engine has been run with the shroud the crank case gets warm to the touch but without the shroud it will actually burn your hand. Which lead me to believe it was running way to hot. I wish I had a inferred thermometer so i could actually see what the difference is. Another thing that could have been an issue is city traffic. I live right in the middle of the city so their is a lot of stop and go. But if you could keep the air moving you might be ok.
 
That new tank just makes the bike look perfect.....a great mod that sets it OFF!!!
Great job, nice powerplant and authenticity. Superb build!

dnut

EDIT: you could run a cheap temp gauge/monitor to keep an eye on temps, I think I paid $15 for one on sale that is very accurate.




Lurker said:
It's not 100% done yet, I still have to add the pinstripe, re paint the logo and adjust the saddle but this is the new look. I made a new gas tank and welded a new seat post on. On a side note for anyone thinking about using a gx200; I did have to put the fan shroud back on. I had done all of my testing in cooler weather but now that it is in the mid 70's here in Pittsburgh a heat shield is required. I'm going to try to fabricate my own that will give it a more vintage look but not for a while. Let me know that you guys think.


P.S. Here is a link to one of the bikes that really inspired me. My bike sounds almost exactly like this one. I will try to post a video of it at some point in the future.

YouTube - Hand starting of a 1926 Indian Flat Track Racer
Click to expand...
 
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Nice bike lurker !!
Just got mine from sportsmanflyer last Fri looking forward to getting greasy
 
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