new build -lots of questions

[McBob]

Greetings
I am starting a new build. I would welcome any input to my plan.
I have a 1951 schwinn cantilever frame with Springer fork, autocycle whizzer fenders, and half moon handlebars. I'm thinking a SBP jackshaft with a sturmey archer 70.mm,5 speed rear hub and a 90mm front brake hub. I'm deciding between worksman alloy and steel rims. I want to place a ghx50 for the motor with a 4gt belt drive
What do you guys think?
Are the alloy rims worth the weight loss?
Enough power?
80 or 100 t belt?
What jack shaft gearing?
Final hub, sprocket should I use?
Will it stop good enough?
Just looking for ideas and some confirmation that the combination of parts will be successful
Thanks in advance for your thoughts guys
McBob

 

[monark]

hello mcbob! a sure bate to use when asking for advise is to post some pictures of the stuff you got, try it and you shall see! good luck

 

[McBob]

Thanks Monark I will post soon.

McBob

 

[McBob]

Monarch
Here are some pictures, I still need to get placing pictures down.
I have the 5 speed hub and front drum brake ordered. I hought that I woulduse some wheels I bought from the swap and shop from chainmaker, but the caliper does not fit on the front springer with the fenderstays.
When I saw barely awakes bike I thought that the drum setup looked cleaner.
I plan on recovering the seat and making an in fram tank or getting a whizzer tank.
So guys will the 50 cc honda have enough power with the 33% 1st gear reduction of the rear hub??
McBob

 

[curtisfox]

AWESOME bike. Check the priceses some times it cheeper to buy a copleat kit then indivual parts.......Curt

 

[BarelyAWake]

Welcome to the place McBob

I'm not familiar with the Honda as I've not had one, but I did want to mention that while the gearing supplied with the SBP jackshaft will be in the ballpark... the ratios you'll be most happy with isn't really something that can be advised as it's far too dependent on the specific build and your riding environment & preferences. No worries tho, as they use a 5/8" keyed shaft, swapping out gears is both easy and inexpensive and the parts are commonplace. Dialing in the gearing "perfectly" for your needs may take some experimentation, but it's so easy and has such an interesting results I figure it's all part of the fun lol

I'm flattered my ol' Rollfast helped your decision somewhat, I personally find the drum brakes both ascetically appealing on a vintage bike such as yours - but I also greatly appreciate their reliability & lack of maintenance needs. I would however recommend against a dual pull brake lever if you were thinking of one as I've never been quite satisfied with it's lackluster results - I'd far rather be able to apply greater force to the front brake than have it split 50/50 between the two on such a heavy bike *shrug* jus' a preference ofc & I think you'll be happy with the 90mm front vs my 70.

"Are the alloy rims worth the weight loss?"

This is a bit of a tricky question... worth the weight loss? On such a build as this, perhaps not. While "every ounce counts" a vintage bike is already so heavy such considerations might be like getting a diet soft drink with the triple quarter pounder w/cheese heh - but that's not to say a quality double walled aluminum rims don't have their advantages...

I ran the original steel rims my Rollfast came with only for their vintage appearance, they haven't the flat sidewalls for rim brakes that most/all modern rims have. While incredibly strong - they are somewhat flexy despite having been relaced with stainless 12ga spokes in a 4x pattern. Under "normal" riding conditions they're about bulletproof, even after 4000+ miles on our rough roads I still haven't needed to true them - where the problem arises is during a "high speed" gradual, prolonged turn... with a long curve in the road I believe the rear rim begins to deflect slightly out of true, resulting in a disconcerting oscillation, much like the dreaded "tank slapper" on a motorcycle with an out of balance front wheel - but the rear of the bike in this case ofc.

While not a huge problem as you really need to be moving while under very certain conditions and I could be mistaken (it may be tracking or even the tire) - you might want to consider the heaviest/widest double wall aluminum rim appropriate for your bike as they are far more rigid than any steel rim, the weight saved a secondary but welcome fringe benefit.

Jus' some thoughts

 

[McBob]

Thanks Curtisfox for the compliment and advice.
Ive looked so much at kits and individual parts I just bout have them memorized.

Thanks BarelyAwake for the inspiration and advice.
sounds like whatever I can do to add strength will be good. single brake levers it is then.

anybody have expierence with the 4gT?
McBob

 

[Max_Power]

we seem to be on the same page as your bike sounds like the one I want to build. Must be in the Wisconsin water. errrr beer

 

[McBob]

Ok
Long time since I posted.
I have a lot of people on the forum to thank for help.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice to date both directly and through searches on the forum. if i use the search engine it really helps find answers to wonderments about how to proceed. thanks guys for leading the way.

Thanks to Chainmaker for the wheels I got last spring, although that plan kind of changed (My kid took the disc brake for his mountain bike and is running the tires on his cruiser) . Thanks Chain maker for getting the project rolling and getting me off dead center. the disc stops him alot better than his v brakes did.

Thanks to Silverbear for his inspiration and thread for the seat recover. I started working on that part and have to find padding.

I got the tank off e-bay from a suggestion on a thread. I went to a local vintage motorbike shop called, the shop, and the guy there said he would weld the spigot any where i wanted to make it work with the cantilevered frame.

Next I would like to thank Motomagz for his advice and for selling me his HS 142 motor and 4g 4 to one tranny and parts.

I got some rims and .120 spokes from worksman, and a sturmey 90 mm front hub and a 70mm 5 speed rear. A local bike shop south side cyclery drilled out the hubs and built the wheels. I put on hookworm 2.5 tires.

the fenders came from e-bay bicycle bones. they are 3 7/8" wide ( they just fit the hook worms and I have to spread the front indents around the springer fork. the front stays need to be shortened some too.

The front fork spring was weak so I got a repop and figured how to make the shorter length work. that has to be turned up though.

Just yesterday the parts came from sick bike parts: 4 stroke shift kit jackshaft and throttle..

AGK big bore carb, air filter, throttle linkage, and header and grips are on back order. (I got plenty to do before that comes).
so heres some pictures I will post a couple more right after:

 

[McBob]

Oh I forgot to add thanks Motomagz for kicking me one to night to restart the thread.

I made a gearing spread sheet on excel if anyone wants a copy let me know and I will send it to you. it has the formulas in the program you can play with gearing to see how it might work.

The bike is going to be called the Pulman after the head badge. hopefully it will pull my 210# body around well.

Heres some more pictures. I will post when i get the motor in. you guys think I should post in the 4stroke thread or is this thread good?

 

[McBob]

well thats all for now guys. I cant wait to get this thing together and take it for a ride. figure i will get it built and then take it apart to paint the frame im doing a coach green with cream in schwinn colors . got the stencils from e-bay.
Thanks again.

 

[JonnyR]

its going to be a nice bike when its done
did you order a honda engine or a Hueshang?
what trans did you go with the 100T 4G?

 

[McBob]

Thanks JonnyR
I got a HS and 80 tooth from Motomagz. After all I read about the HS it seemed like i could build alot more bike with the HS. Getting a good deal on it helps too!

 

[JonnyR]

yea i want to get myself a HS with the 100T 4G when you get the parts from AGK let us know how they work

 

[truckd]

My advice is to restore but yet motorize it at the same time, you have a nice piece of history and I wouldn't use that tank, get a Sportsman Flyer tank that attaches behind the seat a couple of dog collars to give it a vintage look that it is held by straps and keep the beauty of the frame you could even get the Faux tank that came with that style of bike( an in frame tank similar to the Phantom with a horn)

 

[McBob]

Thanks Truckd. thats a great look.
I want to try and weld a tank up to mimic the inframe tank. the whizzer repop is just to get it started. i still have to work around the spigot not working on the whizzer tank.
McBob

 

[MotoMagz]

McBob,lookin good should turn out sweet!!

 

[silverbear]

McBob,
Don't know how I missed this one... What a nice build you have going. That Pullman head badge is perfect. I have a similar build underway also using a 51 cantilever Schwinn frame. Mine is not trying to be historical, but is very much a nod of appreciation to the old Whizzer motorbikes I coveted as a boy. My build thread is called "kindalikeawhizzer".

I like the look of your fatty tires. Mine are 2.4 wide Cyclops. Your fender choice was good, too. The green & cream color scheme is going to look great. You've put a lot of thought and research into your project and it is already paying off. I'd like to see your first launch as you ride off into the sunset on your one of a kind Pullman, smiling, smiling. I think it will pull you just fine!

Whereabouts are you in Wisconsin? I'm a hundred miles inland of Duluth/Superior on the Minnesota side. Be nice to take our 51's for a ride sometime.
SB