finally building a BTR inspired motobike

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I have a pair of vintage trusses but they won't fit on the axel of the wheel and even if I did get them on, they're too thick and won't let the bolt tighten enough

 

[truckd]

Show us a pic of the forks and we can give some input to the situation,just play'n it by ear sounds like an longer front axle would be the best bet and there cheap!!

 

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heres the vintage fork with the trusses i was refering to:



the fork thats on right now has really grown on me, its heavy-duty-ness really fits with the bike as a whole.

anyway, the air filter had to go, asap...
i picked up an aluminum water botte, cut the top off and made an air filter out of it. i used the original air filter's foam pad to put inside the aluminum bottle. there are 1/4 inch spacers in the foam just around the bolts that are holding the air filter + carb on to prevent it from compressing once the filter is tightened onto the carburator. the foam is held in place by a tin cut out from a coffee can:

 

[truckd]

Here is what you can do with your forks, Dan has made 3 sets of these for me and one set is on the Indian, he says their pretty simple with minimal welding skills, and the tripple plate crown is right on for the period and style of your build.
Those forks that you have are getting harder to find in straight and true form.
Just get a longer axle.

 

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if im gonna go as far as custom making a fork, ill make sure to find a better set of forks than whati currently have. these arent sturdy enough for motoized bike (notice how theyre indented at the top for tire cearance?)

 

[truckd]

Those forks are perfect! if the structure is sound and the reason they are indented at the top is to fit a wider tire and for tire clearence, that indentation is believe it or not makes the fork stronger! it's called the Roman arch theory only verticlly insted of horizontal, the truss rods on a bicycle are using the same theory and only fortify extra strength.
Do a little visual research on the net of vintage and period bikes either motorcycles or bicycles and just study the forks make up.

 

[Velodrome]

Dono if this will help but: Fork and rods $75 http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72479 Cant tell from your pic if your existing fork has the support tabs for the trusses.

 

[TheOtherChris]

I have a pair of vintage trusses but they won't fit on the axel of the wheel and even if I did get them on, they're too thick and won't let the bolt tighten enough

If you're looking to offload those forks, let me know.
I could really use them for my Indian style build.

 

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If I don't end up using them, you have dibs

 

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ive been extremely busy but finally made some time to work on he bike, got the seat clamps made, all thats left to do is grind down the edges on the elbow joints that attach to the seat, also got the gas cap vented:

 

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[truckd]

I like the seat ! are you going to cover it? glove leather would work good with the early 1900's cavalry style flaps, not sure I understand ? the vent tube, most often all that is needed is a hole drilled in the cap but I'm sure you have a plan
Ahh it looks cool!

 

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I don't want any debris getting into the gas tank and I feel like a drilled hole would do just that, plus I can plug the 1 I have when I'm not riding so the gas won't evaporate

 

[truckd]

Micro drill bit the hole is so small nothing will get in it and if ????????? the filter will take care of it.

 

[silverbear]

Micro drill bit the hole is so small nothing will get in it and if ????????? the filter will take care of it.

That's what I do for my gas caps... just a wee hole is enough. I also make a little baffle out of plastic for inside the cap to keep any splashing at bay. No problems with anything getting into the tank.
SB

 

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I have a few extra caps so I'll play around with different ideas. I kind of like the fuel line at the top, can't remover where I've seen a similar vent, might've been a mod to a sportsman flyer

 

[truckd]

I think what you saw was a fuel level line attached to the side of the tank, probably 2" clear tube in length attached with brass fittings from the top to the bottom of the tank allowing you to monitor the fuel level.
Yer idea would be cool if you could just attach a small air (really small!)filter to the connection point on the cap.

 

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Nah I'm not talking about the fuel level monitor, some one had a fuel line come out of the cap for ventilation, I'll try to find a pic. A small air filter would look good, any idea where I can get a tiny 1?

 

[Tinsmith]

I know I'm way late to this game, but I just went through the whole thread and would like to compliment you on your good work. Your ideas are great and you've gotten some real good advice from others so keep at it!
Dan