Indian Tadpole

[fasteddy]

Hi Curt,

It is a beauty. I looked around to see what it sold for and Bonhams not Mecum's as I said first doesn't have anything posted for prices received at the auction. Checked all over the internet and found an article written by an British motorcycle magazine that when they asked Bonhams for a list of the prices and they were told that there wouldn't be one published and they were moving on to their next auction in a couple of months.

They did find out from someone that only a few of the better bikes met their low estimates and some of the bikes sold far below their low estimates and only a very few sold at or above their estimates.

The tri car didn't sell.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Here is a link to the article I mentioned. It's in two parts and you'll have to scroll down to see them. Second part has photos of some of the bikes that the auction was offering.

Steve.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...enews/&usg=AFQjCNHLgwTA99i4F0504uZsfj8fALusEg

 

[fasteddy]

Quite the snow fall happening outside at the moment with a foot of snow already over the past couple of days and more over the next two days. Then it's supposed to go into the 40's and it will all go away.

When to get the fittings for the gas tank and they seem to have disappeared into that magic place where all missing bit's go. I would have thought it would have been full by now but they obviously found room. Off to the parts store tomorrow.

Steve.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

Save the snow and use it in the ice-cream chest that is in front on the tri-car!

 

[fasteddy]

Your absolutely right MT. Doesn't look like I'll need to hurry though. The snow is supposed to be with us for a while. Might be more popular if I packed it around a couple of beer kegs instead.

My son and his friend built a two seat motorized sofa using a garden tiller for power with the wheels on the shaft for the tines. I could follow them around the different 4x4 and motorcycle meets they go to with the kegs on the tri car.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

The 3D Motorsport clutch arrived yesterday afternoon. Absolutely wonderful piece of equipment.

I asked Danny about modifying it to work as a pedal start like the owner of the Harley Davidson build on their web site did. He's put me in touch with the builder of the Harley who said he may be interested in supplying parts to modify the 3D clutches to fit Sportsman Flyer pedal crank shafts.

I sent him a email and I'll post what he replies in return.

Steve.

 

[silverbear]

The 3D Motorsport clutch arrived yesterday afternoon. Absolutely wonderful piece of equipment.

I asked Danny about modifying it to work as a pedal start like the owner of the Harley Davidson build on their web site did. He's put me in touch with the builder of the Harley who said he may be interested in supplying parts to modify the 3D clutches to fit Sportsman Flyer pedal crank shafts.

I sent him a email and I'll post what he replies in return.

Steve.

Wouldn't that be nice...
SB

 

[indian22]

I may be missing something (more likely than not) but what do you need from a vendor to mount a predator, if thst is your choice, to a 3 D manual clutch on a Sportsman frame, unless it is the wide pedal bottom bracket set and reduction drive? I have a Predator on the shelf with plans to put it in a Sportsman frame with the 3 D clutch and one of the main features that is made possible with that setup is pedal start/bump start ability..,no pull start for the Old Guy...ever. Looks like the clutch is proving out for Pat; so up to my side car epiphany that was to be the next project after the Peashooter Harley is complete. I will wait for you guys to sort through the problems on the first couple of builds.
Pat may also offer his own reduction gear setup spaced for the 3D and Predator match up which I think is a natural for his own builds, but offer parts to "qualified" builders, but if not the parts would need to be machined. Bottom line what parts are required?

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

What I'm after Rick, is pedal starting the tri car. I'll leave a link to a guy who has the clutch on Pat's pedal crank or at least one that looks like Pat's. On the other hand I'm wondering if your pedaling with the clutch pulled in the whole drive train will be rotating until you let the clutch out at which time the engine would turn over.

The fella that built the Harley in the video is a hot rod builder and he has built a number of very nice motorized bicycle as early motorcycle. He's on Facebook. Stichtersharpening for those of you that are on Facebook. I think he just put the clutch on the pedal shaft to be different and he likes a challenge. Who else would build a rat rod with a V4 Wisconsin engine and two transmissions?

I'll be in the garage tomorrow to line up the clutch and see what is going to happen with the sprocket carrier that I had planned out for the Bully clutch. I may be able to call the machinist next week and drop the whole thing in his lap.

Steve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx81T7GPtOs

 

[fasteddy]

Link to the Wisconsin powered Ford.

Steve.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...dK-3Xs&usg=AFQjCNG4-EbpIs5Jlk2VQ6Mp6NVmb7TyVg

 

[fasteddy]

Link to the bikes.

Steve.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...339015&usg=AFQjCNGk2_F6TcpoutZETvA-GgtSU4-rKg

 

[indian22]

Steve the guy builds nice bikes. The use of a centrifugal and a manual on the Harley is, I think , one of those, I can do it impulses, but which does follow the letter of the law on clutches in a lot of states down here.

Use of that same setup on the tri car is, however, genius as pedaling the. additional weight of the tri car to bump start would be prohibitive...the Harley should be an easy bump start for most, as it appears quite lite, but perhaps that little flat head has enough displacement and compression to require a solution other than compression relief valve or perhaps the intended rider is not physically able to pedal start pulling the entire weight of the bike etc.

I think it an excellent solution for your little beauty. My insight a few years back and dealing with some guys building a Simplex Servicycle delivery truck with China girl power, was to add a small electric front hub wheel for starting only and pulling from dead stops. Of course the Simplex didn't have pedal drive (had to build my own if you recall for the Copper Gator ) Most people thought the hub motor a drum brake and using an inexpensive battery pack was not a problem when using the hub for initial bump starting or from dead stops to ease the strain on the small CG clutch...it worked like a charm for them. Prior to the electric hub they had to push start or find a hill to let gravity turn her over.

Actually turned out to be a very nice looking, dependable build that I still see from time to time at parades and car shows and being set up with a 56 tooth final scoots along at town speeds, no problems. Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

This will indeed make it easier to start Rick. I'll make a fold down rear kick stand for it so I can get the rear wheel off the ground to pedal start it. With the clutch on the Sportsman Flyer pedal crank shaft it will make it easier to line the drive sprocket on the clutch up with the rear sprocket and then I can move the sprocket on the crank shaft to line up with the sprocket that was added to the clutch.

Just how to start the tri car has me wondering since I started building it. It would indeed be a beast to start by pushing and there is less than no chance I'd be able to run along side it until it started. I would imagine that I'll wind up holding the clutch in and turning a pedal over like the crank on a car and then letting the clutch out when it's up to speed.

The engine is only 103cc and I'm hoping there isn't a lot of resistance with an engine that size. Apparently Brian used a 1946 Briggs and Stratton to power the Harley. I told him I'd send a link to the photobucket account and when I went back to look for suitable photos to send him I couldn't find any out of the 800+ so I went out to the garage and took some that just showed the motor/pedal crank lay out. We'll see what he says in the next few days as to whether it's doable or not.

Steve.

http://s866.photobucket.com/user/sp...uild/DSC_0010_zpsdauknwcv.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

[indian22]

Steve a few posts back I actually thought you were planning on using the manual clutch on the next build...your Indian sidecar on a Sportsman frame, lol. I came back to the mothership finally.

So what you're needing are wide bottom bracket components with 3/4" shaft?

After seeing the video I'm certain this will work, even if you must employ your local machine shop in the effort. Nice eye in spotting the solution in that short video. I knew what I was looking for and still played it 3 times to verify it. Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

I just heard from Brian the chap who built the Harley and he's going to convert the clutch like he did his. I'll probably keep the clutch I have now and order another one from 3D Motorsports to be shipped to him to be converted. I'll keep this clutch for the Sportsman Indian.

I have a Sportsman Flyer bottom bracket on the tri car already so that part's good to go.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Sounds as though a significant obstacal has presented a very elegant solution in the form of the 3D clutch and an innovative tinkerer. Obstacal meets opportunity and the tricar advances to the finish, bet no one saw a two clutch powertrain on a Villers coming...including myself, fun stuff!

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

This has been like a dog chasing it's tail and when it finally caught it finding out it was another dog tail. First it was a Hillard clutch until Sportsman Flyer had the Bully clutch and finally it's a 3D Motorsport clutch that's being modified to work on a Sportsman Flyer bottom bracket.

It's been an interesting voyage and thank Heavens I think we can see the entrance to the port just ahead and we'll be able to anchor and go ashore.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

My son sent me a video of their latest spare time build. A motorized two seat leather sofa. I can't get it over to the thread but he sent me a video of it as they drove around the yard and it was hauling leather. They used a garden tiller with the wheels mounted on the shaft where the tines would go. It even has reverse.

Articulating tiller steering. The motorcycle and 4X4 meets just became a whole lot more fun.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

"I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay watchin' the tide roll in and away" when ...ahoy matey I spies me a tadpole on a dead heading! Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

The Captain said it looks like fair sailing from here on in. The 18" of snow is on the way out and the temperature is near 50F. I'll get the rest of the bike ready over the next week or so if it doesn't rain.

Steve.