Hercules Motor-bicycle
- Thread starter Intrepid Wheelwoman
- Start date
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Yes indeed Curt I'm with you all the way on that one 
I also own a New Zealand made 1980s Morrison Monark from the days when New Zealand still had its own bicycle industry. It's a classic ladies frame 10 speed which I spent time sympathetically restoring, but I think I've only ever taken it out for a ride three times so far in the five years I've owned it. I suppose for me it represents the kind of bicycles I rode back when I was a much younger woman. Agile, narrow tyred and fast it's definitely a young woman's bike which is why it spends all its time hung up in the garage.
Three speed bicycles are definitely my happy choice these days.
This one lady owner Raleigh Campus is actually in completely original condition and the original paint and decals are still in great shape so I'm going to give it a good clean and service and resist doing anything else to it. The rust on all the brightwork will look much better once I work on it with brass wire wool and metal polish. Using this bike as a test mule for motorised attachments and motorwheels won't do it's original state any harm and I can see it becoming an honoured member of my collection.
Silverbear you are quite right about these traditional English 3 speed bikes, they will make a comeback and be much sought after so I'm glad I'm getting in early before the rush.
I also own a New Zealand made 1980s Morrison Monark from the days when New Zealand still had its own bicycle industry. It's a classic ladies frame 10 speed which I spent time sympathetically restoring, but I think I've only ever taken it out for a ride three times so far in the five years I've owned it. I suppose for me it represents the kind of bicycles I rode back when I was a much younger woman. Agile, narrow tyred and fast it's definitely a young woman's bike which is why it spends all its time hung up in the garage.
Three speed bicycles are definitely my happy choice these days.
This one lady owner Raleigh Campus is actually in completely original condition and the original paint and decals are still in great shape so I'm going to give it a good clean and service and resist doing anything else to it. The rust on all the brightwork will look much better once I work on it with brass wire wool and metal polish. Using this bike as a test mule for motorised attachments and motorwheels won't do it's original state any harm and I can see it becoming an honoured member of my collection.
Silverbear you are quite right about these traditional English 3 speed bikes, they will make a comeback and be much sought after so I'm glad I'm getting in early before the rush.
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Well my order has gone in for one of these ........
...... for experimental purposes of course.
My plan of attack is to install the noisy wee thing on a motorwheel frame of my own devising so I can try it out on different bikes & etc. While digging about in my spare bits and pieces I discovered that I must've picked up a 12 inch diameter pit bike rear wheel with a useable tyre still on it from somewhere so I'll clean that up and put it to use.
I don't know how quiet it's possible to get one of these engines to run, but I'm hoping a big cylindrical muffler crammed full of stainless steel pot scrubbers should do the trick.
Now I have to decide whether to put a Villiers or a Velo Solex decal on the engine. Decisions, decisions.......
The local distributor for Pocket Bike bits annoyed me the other day because he's got a diaphragm carb on his auction site and when I asked him if it fitted the CAG engines he said 'No'. Well as it happens it does, it's just that he doesn't stock the intake manifold that's supposed to go with the carby. After a certain amount of research I finally tracked down the correct piece of kit and I'll be getting one once my pocket money fund recovers.
...... for experimental purposes of course.
My plan of attack is to install the noisy wee thing on a motorwheel frame of my own devising so I can try it out on different bikes & etc. While digging about in my spare bits and pieces I discovered that I must've picked up a 12 inch diameter pit bike rear wheel with a useable tyre still on it from somewhere so I'll clean that up and put it to use.
I don't know how quiet it's possible to get one of these engines to run, but I'm hoping a big cylindrical muffler crammed full of stainless steel pot scrubbers should do the trick.
Now I have to decide whether to put a Villiers or a Velo Solex decal on the engine. Decisions, decisions.......
The local distributor for Pocket Bike bits annoyed me the other day because he's got a diaphragm carb on his auction site and when I asked him if it fitted the CAG engines he said 'No'. Well as it happens it does, it's just that he doesn't stock the intake manifold that's supposed to go with the carby. After a certain amount of research I finally tracked down the correct piece of kit and I'll be getting one once my pocket money fund recovers.
cannonball2
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the club!
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
I decided on this decal artwork Ludwig. It's for the Hercules 'Grey Wolf' autocycle.
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
I like it. Maaingan (pronounced Mah ing gun) is Ojibwe (Chippewa) for grey wolf, of timber wolf. I hear them mostly in the winter. I used to have a dog that was half husky and half timber wolf. That's what I called him, Maaingan. I never quite trusted him around my kids and think it is a wrong thing to breed a dog with a wolf... not fair to either animal.
Anyway, that's a nice decal.
SB
Anyway, that's a nice decal.
SB
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Thanks Silverbear, I enjoy it so much when you bring a little of the worldscape where you live into your forum postings.
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
My Cagliari clone engine has arrived!!!!
It's so little and cute I want to take it to bed and cuddle it, put a nice wee knitted jumper and woolly hat on it and take it for a ride in a pram.
And they're soooo inexpensive and affordable, - I could have a dozen if I wanted to (and budgeted carefully).
Seriously though they are such a nice lightweight and compact engine I can already visualise so many motorised attachment ideas for them that I'm going to be having fun in my workshop for ages.
It's so little and cute I want to take it to bed and cuddle it, put a nice wee knitted jumper and woolly hat on it and take it for a ride in a pram.
And they're soooo inexpensive and affordable, - I could have a dozen if I wanted to (and budgeted carefully).
Seriously though they are such a nice lightweight and compact engine I can already visualise so many motorised attachment ideas for them that I'm going to be having fun in my workshop for ages.
Attachments
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Well then, a little more about Maaingan. I was asked if I would take care of him as a puppy for a few days and said yes. The few days turned into months and then years as the fuzzy puppy became a wolf. He bonded with me and tried very hard to be a good dog, but it was also clear that he had wild blood and the instincts of a hunter. He liked sleeping out in the snow as most of the time indoors was too warm for him. He knew he was supposed to leave the herd of Indian ponies alone, but the wolf in him found that impossible to do. He liked to sneak up on them and make them run. If they broke loose out of the coral he would chase them off sometimes miles away into the forest. I spent a lot of time retrieving horses. Finally a time came when chasing and making them run wasn't enough, he began to go for the hamstring and I knew that the wolf in him had overtaken the dog. What started as playing became hunting, following his "call of the wild".
It broke my heart to do it, but I took his life with a shotgun. He died quickly, but it was a hard thing to do. I felt I could not give him away to anyone and had already been feeling uneasy with him being around my kids. As a puppy he was playful, but as a mature wolf he was bonded to me, but no one else. What if he killed a child? What if he turned on an adult? And as for the Indian ponies, the writing was on the wall.
I did a pipe ceremony for him, wishing him well on his spirit's journey home and thanking him for being my friend. I remember feeling anger along with sadness, that some people think it is cool and a kind of status symbol to breed a dog with a wolf. I think it is a crime against nature. He could not help being what he was. I doubt he ever would have been accepted into a wolf pack as he was too much dog. They would have killed and eaten him. And as a dog, he was too much a dangerous wolf to be trusted as a pet. It was an unfair thing to ask of a four legged. All these years later I still feel a sadness for Maaingan.
SB
It broke my heart to do it, but I took his life with a shotgun. He died quickly, but it was a hard thing to do. I felt I could not give him away to anyone and had already been feeling uneasy with him being around my kids. As a puppy he was playful, but as a mature wolf he was bonded to me, but no one else. What if he killed a child? What if he turned on an adult? And as for the Indian ponies, the writing was on the wall.
I did a pipe ceremony for him, wishing him well on his spirit's journey home and thanking him for being my friend. I remember feeling anger along with sadness, that some people think it is cool and a kind of status symbol to breed a dog with a wolf. I think it is a crime against nature. He could not help being what he was. I doubt he ever would have been accepted into a wolf pack as he was too much dog. They would have killed and eaten him. And as a dog, he was too much a dangerous wolf to be trusted as a pet. It was an unfair thing to ask of a four legged. All these years later I still feel a sadness for Maaingan.
SB
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Bless you and thank you my friend for sharing Maaingan's story with me.
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Enough about sad endings to magnificent creatures. How is your little motor doing? Cute little guy...
SB
SB
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Silverbear, what I find amazing about these engines is how compact and lightweight they are. I don't think they are the sort of engine that could be put to work in a heavy utility role, but as an engine to give a helpful push I think it's going to be just fine. My plan is to keep the engine in stock condition and not attempt to apply any of the tuning kits or big bore conversions in an effort to increase power. Hopefully that should go a long way towards increasing reliability.
Attachments
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
I'll be interested in seeing how it works out. What is the horsepower?
SB
SB
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
According to pocketbikeplanet.com they have 2.6 Hp in standard condition.
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Yay Hercules 
Things have been slow with my projects because I've been busy with household stuff which is boring, but necessary. I had some luck in that I was able to track down a proper 40 spoke 20 inch BMX wheel which I'd like to try using as the basis of a motorwheel. Compared with the cheapie wheels that get hung on kids faux BMX bikes this wheel is very much the real deal.
I was going to use a small diameter pit bike wheel, but I feel a lot happy about using this BMX wheel instead.
Things have been slow with my projects because I've been busy with household stuff which is boring, but necessary. I had some luck in that I was able to track down a proper 40 spoke 20 inch BMX wheel which I'd like to try using as the basis of a motorwheel. Compared with the cheapie wheels that get hung on kids faux BMX bikes this wheel is very much the real deal.
I was going to use a small diameter pit bike wheel, but I feel a lot happy about using this BMX wheel instead.
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
A good strong wheel is a wise foundation for the motor wheel. And the pocket bike engine combining compact, light weight and substantial power sounds promising. How will you transmit power to the wheel? Is there any way to use CB2's 3 speed hub/spoke drive? Does that engine have a clutch built in? So many questions...
SB
SB
Intrepid Wheelwoman
New Member
Yes Silverbear the CAG engine does have a clutch, a three shoe centrifugal clutch and I have a 3:1 reduction gearbox to go with it. I am hoping to use the CB hub spoke drive method on the motorwheel as it should make for a nice lightweight drive system.
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Well, this is shaping up into something with a lot of promise. To think that the motor wheel could used on any number of different bikes is exciting. For all of us following this adventure I wish you all success. The salvaged IGF hub, low cost engine and repurposed BMX wheel could make this an economical and highly versatile unit. "A Welborne Powerwheel, why it's the bee's knees!"
SB