Old Guys Simplex moto-peddle bike

[indian22]

Now that the Simplex forks are in place I'm willing to invest some more thought & effort into the look & feel I'm looking for up front. Top plate design to mount the half moon bar clamps is next I suppose & then I'll model some fork leg girders...which may not be used at all. The stock Simplex forks are quite appealing as they are...at least to me. I will probably remove the headlight bracket though. The bars I'll be using are Pat's turn down Harley bars 7/8" tube.

Sturmey XL 90 mm drum on black steel 26" x 2.125" rims with 11 gauge SS spokes & Schwalbe classic brick pattern tires will round out the front.

Rick C.

 

[sportscarpat]

Hey Rick, that looks pretty cool. Always liked the Simplex forks.

 

[indian22]

Thanks Pat & it looks like the forks feel pretty comfortable on the Sportsman Flyer frame as well. I know I will too!

I was concerned that I might have to extend the fork tube as a last resort cause my measurements correctly showed the new headset & lock ring probably wouldn't work, but the stock bearing nut saved the day being recessed and having the proper bearing diameter as well. Jamming the nut with a thread less headset "star nut" keeps it all locked in place. Blind pigs and all that. Rick C.

 

[indian22]

I mounted a matching Schwalbe Fat Frank on the rear so now the bikes level. Also pressed the bearings for the bottom bracket & removed the Simplex headlight bracket, which really did clean up the forks.

I've been viewing a 1925 Harley racer (not a Pea shooter) that used the small spring forks and girders & really like the look, so I'm doing some basic mock ups with scrap rod to help my visualization process. The 1925 is also a "Keystone" frame & the engine is mounted extremely low. Looks great on the original HD. Obviously I'm not rushing under a deadline, really want to be sure about the girders before I strike an arc or cut the frame for the Keystone engine mount.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Put the co axle, bottom bracket, sprockets and pedal levers together for accurate measurements & to validate the chain lines. Of course put a junk sprocket clam shell (and I mean junk...) & 44 tooth sprocket (also junk!) on the coaster hub rear wide wheel (trashed out) along with the 2.325" x 26" Schwalbe (new) tire. Though most of the parts are trash the sizes are correct for this mock up. I keep the parts I wasted money on, in order to save money, for modeling new bikes which will eventually receive quality parts. This re purposing of parts for early assembly makes me feel a little better about throwing away good money on crap!

I'm not seeing any major problems so the "keystone" engine to frame fit up to verify is high on my list of things that needed to be done last week and probably won't be completed this week either. Still having fun!

Rick C.

 

[silverbear]

...fun to watch this coming together!
SB

 

[curtisfox]

...fun to watch this coming together!
SB.............DIDO..........Looking good so far.........Curt

 

[indian22]

I'm glad guys, fun to build as well. Having a well built frame all squared away from Pat is a real time saver for sure. Few shots included that show what I'm looking at right now. Trying to finalize & balance how much I can lower the motor and not leave the frame looking empty. Photos are misleading 'cause it's about 9" outside of it's final balance point inside the game. Both exhaust studs will on the camera side of the frame when balanced. The right pedal crank will just clear the clutch cover by about an inch when the engine is installed.

Engine in the keystone cradle will have about 4.5" of ground clearance as it sits in the photo. I may raise it an inch or so to better fill the frame height wise. Creative stareing Silverbear & Curtis I got some things working on the fork as well.

Rick C

 

[fasteddy]

I think that you have a vast amount of people creatively staring along with you through your eyes. I know when I turn the computer on every morning I scan the email notices to see if you have posted so I can see what is new.

I agree that Pat's frame is a great start even if your qualified to build your own frame. The parts and materials have been sourced and the results are a quality and race proven frame for not a lot of money and you can get two levels of frame depending on what size of motor you are using. High quality accessories to complete the build and save the builder time as well as money since they don't have to build jack shafts and motor mounts, forks or gas tanks. The wheels are available as well all at one source.

Looking forward to seeing what you have in mind for the forks and the keystone frame. Perhaps Pat will offer a key stone frame based on these motors but I would imagine his plate is full as it is.

Investing money in parts that don't live up to their promise. Then there's the buying of parts just because they have a potential use in the future. I was looking at my shelves this afternoon and it is in a way a great comfort to know that I have enough stored away until I'm 87 at least. Then there is the stash outside in the permanent, temporary garage.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Steve thanks for following & glad your feeling better...I'm a "wanna the Tadpole to proceed!

Parts seem to accumulate & are surprisingly used at some latter date, but time is wasted on order & wait, plus dollars sitting in dead inventory & more time & frustration trying to make it do, knowing it won't. Like you I have a lot of used stuff I've picked up for parts etc. The "knucklehead" that's being rebuilt, I've already received half up front money for it & the tranny on completion, but I'm frustrated with the lack of basic quality of some of this new stuff.

I can't say enough about not having to build a frame jig for the "peashooter" like I had to for the "Copper gator" just ordered from Pat & quickly it was and is sitting in my office at home!

I cut out a rough paper template for the "top of the tree" steering plate this A.M. shown below with a mock up set of bars and the "half moon" risers I've chosen. Bars wouldn't be bad if the grip section was straightened out...think I'll cut some metal for it & the girders today, just basic shapes I'll get around to adding the artistic touches to the forks latter lol.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Cut the top plate today...altered my paper template & added some curves.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Beautiful Memorial day here in Indian territory & I'll be taking the Simplex Copper Gator for a morning ride in a short while. I've decided to at least try adding some copper and brass to the forks & see what it looks like. I'm thinking hammered copper on the support plates & brass on just the upper most section of the large rear tube, between the top & second plate.

This afternoon I'll finally cut some steel rod to mock up at least one girder for the fork. In my mind the addition of girders seems an awesome idea, but at times my mind and eyes are in conflict.

I'll also look at expanding the springs through the top plate about 2" & housing those two spring sections in capped brass tubes from the middle tube, through the top plate & capped with brass just higher than the bar risers.
I plan on leaving the main springs exposed & not plated as I envision the raw steel, aluminum, copper & brass will work well together.

I still plan on satin clear coating both the forks & frame...raw steel look, black rims & stainless spokes. Black custom saddle from Rich Phillips & Sportsman fuel & oil tanks, probably won't paint or mirror polish the tanks either... stainless is nice in satin.

Fixing to have more fun! Rick C.

 

[indian22]

My first mock up of a truss (girder) element that I'm considering for the Simplex forks. Apex of the truss would be connected back to the bottom of the second plate with round rod 3/8". Duck tape & zip ties aid the creative process in a crude way. I haven't made my mind up but I'll stare at it for awhile, then decide.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Bars and controls mounted to give me some added visual perspective. I'll continue in this general direction with some fine tuning along the way.

Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

KOOOOOOOL , looks good so far, like the truss rods...............Curt

 

[butchl]

Dang you work fast!!!

 

[fasteddy]

I've been sitting here ever since you posted the photos going back and looking at the bike. It is coming together perfectly and little things like adding the controls improve the look.

I was looking around the internet and saw an ad for a 1917 Excelsior I think it was with what they described as a military front end that had two truss bars on each side. It was for sale in Belgium so it may well have been from WW!1

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Thanks guys I'm kinda" at the tipping point of this build. You know what I mean...you start to do this then think, "What will occur over there?" Or maybe, I can't do that if I do this. Real consequences occur on all changes and additions and all consequences aren't necessarily good! So it's model, measure, stare & make changes. Then do it all over again until it suits you.

I added a bicycle seat to help me get a feel for position. It helped even though the saddle I will use on this build is much longer, wider and lower than the seat pictured. It's mounting position will eventually be 5" lower and 6" farther back as well. The control position, while unusable with this seat will be fairly close with the new saddle and it's altered position. Racy look for short trips around town & absolutely not a cruising position. Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Steve the turn of the century builders locked into the truss fork early & a few stayed with some form of the design through the end of WW 2, pretty successful I'd say. I'd say it was also the most common fork design used in racing for the first four decades of the cycle sports of board track & flat track. Rick C.

 

[silverbear]

At this point the fork is the highlight of the build. Fun to look at as it is, but once the hammered copper and brass are added... wohoo!
SB