Old Guys Simplex moto-peddle bike

[indian22]

I always appreciate your comments Harold. I located part of my Harley parts stash purchased some months ago and the vintage red badgeing was among those items found. I then pulled the tank to do a proper placement of the HD logo. I also shortened the shift lever but by that time wind had shifted out of the West and gusting to forty so I remain indoors till it drops before sunset and then will remount the tank. Actually a beautiful day here except for the ill wind that blows. Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Wind went to dead calm at sunset Peashooter almost looks rideable....except for the work part I'm almost done. Rick C.

 

[culvercityclassic]

I must say that bike looks awesome, motor looks like you said 500cc. I was really holding my comments on a few things on the bike but you did right. I know by your changes you were seeing the same thing I was. Thats going to be one fine ride when completed. Impressive!!!!

 

[indian22]

Lol, Jeff I totally hear you and thanks for the props. I've posted previously that my builds get pretty ugly along the way and this build is no different. I do a lot of trial fits along the way examples: 5 different saddles, 3 handle bars and 4 different tire and wheel combinations shown in the Peashooter's photos. I don't always show the warts in photos, but I'm not shy about posting where I'm at during a build. Also I really don't try to complete a build along the way. Once I decide something works I move on to the next problem and at a certain point I go back and finish work on the grunt phase phase which is the finish, that is getting the details right, such as getting all the fasteners right, cut to length, uniform and locked etc. Extremely time consuming but rewarding, necessary...and kinda' boring.
I'm not trying to say others should build like this, but it is how one OldGuy does it and I appreciate a pro like yourself wondering how anyone could overlook glaring and ugly details before posting photos, but it's just me tinkering along to a finish that I hope is quite pleasant. Of course it might really be an oversight on my part so suggestions and comments are always appreciated. Rick C,

 

[indian22]

This will be a no shine, go to the track look..all that now glitters (not much) will be aged chemically and or mechanically...some of which has already started. Rick C.

 

[silverbear]

Wonderful machine... your peashooter whispers "ride me".
SB

 

[indian22]

Silverbear I hear it too.

I've started the ageing process on the clutch side, using muratic acid solution on both aluminum and brass components only. Steel components have a natural head start. The "keystone cradle" isn't painted, but retains the initial mill scale that's been brushed with a knotted steel bruch powered by an angle grinder. In just a few hours the non ferrous metals had noticeably toned down. I will not age the sprockets or hub adaptor so I have point of reference for the engine cases and other aluminum parts. By painting the jug and removing the silver paint from the rest of the motor with the knotted brush the engine had already taken on a less than new look, but the acid etching starts a whole different change to the aluminum. Time and repetition of the process changes the look as well. Working with any acid is dangerous so I'd strongly recommend not trying to duplicate this without training first. Using vinegar and or citric acid is a slower but safer course to follow. I also use gun blue, brass black and aluminum black chemicals for certain effects and they also contains acid and harsh chemicals.
I have used exterior architectural metallic coating to create some spectacular effects in the past, not an inexpensive or simple way, but in an artists hands it's an option. Though nothing beats real metal aging over time, chemicals speed things up...nature completes the strokes over time. Painted patina requires a lot of artistic talent which some have...

Rick C.

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Rick... I hear ya about the aging process; (both natural & man made).

I'm heavily into the vintage VW scene & 'patina' Volkswagens are all the rage right now.

There are tons of these VWs out there with awesome real patina paint; but there are also plenty of cars that had perfectly fine paint jobs that the owners did a fake patina that look absolutely amazing, (& also just as many that look like cr@p)...

There's a real art to making it look real.

 

[sportscarpat]

Really enjoying your build thread, Rick. Nice to see the creativity you put into each part.
Pat

 

[sportscarpat]

Oh, forgot to ask what tires your running.

 

[indian22]

Rick... I hear ya about the aging process; (both natural & man made).

I'm heavily into the vintage VW scene & 'patina' Volkswagens are all the rage right now.

There are tons of these VWs out there with awesome real patina paint; but there are also plenty of cars that had perfectly fine paint jobs that the owners did a fake patina that look absolutely amazing, (& also just as many that look like cr@p)...

There's a real art to making it look real.

Norm vintage VW's put a smile on my face...bug, bus or the beautiful Karmann-Ghia, all those wonderful time capsules filled with character and to some of us old timers, memories. Good on you for being a part of keeping these artifacts alive and showing, through the patina of time, their former glory days. When I see one I always check it out to see if the driver is a very pretty teenage girl I dated in 1963. Old guys good memories! Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Oh, forgot to ask what tires your running.

Thanks Pat. I'm running Vee NOLA 2.3" x 26" on dual wall 2.235" dual wall aluminum rims. Really difficult to mount, a flat away from the shop would be a tough task. A real multiple spoon three handed job! I used 2.5" and 3" Vee's on the Simplex on 2.125", steel single wall rims and that's an easy mount.
Rick C.

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Rick.... Here's a link to our Instagram VW club page.... Keep scrolling down & you'll see some pretty cool VWs from the So-Cal scene.

https://www.instagram.com/westsidevwclub/

 

[indian22]

Thanks for the link...quite a wonderful collection of eclectic motoring art. I noticed your wonderful Bonneville along with a beautiful 1914 Harley flat tank single in the mix.

You live in the exact epicenter of where most motoring innovation occurs and trends begin. I started reading, no devouring each months edition of Hot Rod magazine during the 1950's & So Cal was where it happened...the rest of us just followed, usually 4 or 5 years later here in Indian Territory (birth place of the much maligned Okies...Grapes of Wrath, that swarmed California during the "dirty thirties") lancer hub caps, lakes pipes, reversed rims, shaved hoods and decks, chopped, channeled & lowered: check, check, check etc. all out of California. Clubs, timing associations, shows, rides drag/racing formats and rules the same. As an enthusiast big shout out to both the ancestors, old guys and gals as well as the current new breed of innovators that won't let go the traditions and future of motoring change.

To say I enjoyed seeing the VW clubs photos taken, I'd guess, primarily at the Santa Monica pier assembly point; is an understatement. You are correct about the finishes of course; some great others not so much, but each appealing and original. I personally favor the mostly original finish look coupled with a slammed and clean body style combined with unreal engine bay = power that surprises.

I saw at least one Porsche in the mix, 912 T VW 4 cylinder I'd guess, but no Porsche 914/4 cylinder "basket handles" that were built in the VW plant or the 914/S Porsche 6 cylinder (body by VW, but engine & drive train completed in the Porsche plant), though I may have overlooked them. I especially liked the various Ghias represented...so cool as were the bugs and the bus/truck as well. Are there any of the "so ugly they were adorable" VW "things" off road (kinda) roadsters in the mix? These were wildly popular South of the border for many decades and I drove and enjoyed them a lot when working down there.

Thanks for sharing Norm; as you can tell it sparked some memories and renewed my interest as well. Extremely worthwhile and cool club as well! To all your success. Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Your at my favorite part of the build Rick. What's not to like about noxious chemicals and watching as they transform the new into a time period years before. Unfortunately most of my favorite chemicals are highly restricted or not obtainable at all. Gone are the days of our youth when a quick trip to the drugstore or the local hardware store/co-op yielded everything you needed.

Fortunately I saw it happening and bought enough to last me until the end of my career and carried them around until I retired and they ran out at the same time. It is nice to give time a nudge in the right direction and watch as nature and time continue on with what you started.

Looking forward to seeing what you've done like everyone else is and you most of all. I feel privileged to watch you construct yet another wonderful bike.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

I worked at a place that sold paint strippers that would take epoxy off. I put some on a guitar body, the lacquer came off in ribbons and I swear you could hear the stripper snarling while it did it.

 

[indian22]

Steve down here if a chemical works well it's taken off the shelf and replaced with a more expensive item that smells good but doesn't work worth a ...so little Tommy can safey eat dirt and termites thrive etc. Hard for a working man to efficiently complete a task, but stocking up while one can does aid for awhile.

Ludwigs un named "stripper" reminds me of some of the ladies who performed at a bar I once worked, though that was considered a perfectly legal form of brass polishing in the early seventies...go figure.
It looks a day that photos of the chem ageing might show well and possibly make some progress on the build as well. Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Photos show the effects of muratic acid on aluminum and brass after a couple of days...after just one light acid application. I've applied the solution to only one side of the engine which is dramatically contrasted with the untreated metals shown on the opposite side of the motor. Natural oxidation is accelerated and the metals now will rapidly form a beautiful patina. I will not "stop" the residual acid action with baking soda wash at this time as I want to continue ageing at a fast pace, but can do so at any time. Using paint to mimic oxidation results in a twenty twenty patina that looks good at twenty feet only when passing by the observer at twenty miles per hour....or faster. Rick C.

 

[culvercityclassic]

Just for you Rick, from the Mecum auction...now i know why its called the Mecum auction...ha ha

 

[indian22]

It's a beauty Jeff, thanks. The Harley early period racers, which still exist, exhibit a great deal of variety and this little bike is a good example. The handle bars show more curvature than the more common bars and the wheel sizes are mixed tall and wide rear and smaller in both dimensions on the front...knobbies both. Harley offered both 26" and 28" on the road bikes, but I've never seen them both on and mixed large and small on the same machine. Racers whether factory or independant have also always wanted to go fast and have never backed off from going off the "brand" reservation to accomplish that goal. Most of the Peashooters were 350 cc but 500 cc class were also made and both OHV design engines and they both really filled up the tiny frame. This one looks to be a 350 and has the twin exhaust head. It of course doesn't feature the Keystone engine cradle favored by some of the HD factory teams, but still uses the unsprung girder style fork favored by most racers of the period and the factories they rode for be it HD, Indian etc. So this quite possibly is a factory team built racer. I suppose it could also be a nicely done road bike conversion. Though $40 grand is not chump change I'd expect a totally vetted original factory racing Peashooter to fetch quite a bit more at a Meacham auction (inside the house sale not outside the auction ring) sale.

It's a beautiful bike at any rate and I hope the new owner appreciates the history as well as the cycle itself.

Rick C.