For those who have followed my Old guys Simplex & Harley "Peashooter builds, thanks for your continued support. It is a marathon post and with the V twin & sidecar thoughts thrown in it has become cluttered & perhaps it is past time to start a new thread for what I hope is an entertaining & fun build.
I'm glad I delayed starting a new thread because enough time has passed that I've consolidated my options and have settled on using the Yamaha V-Star 250 cc V twin 5 speed for power. My wheels are 17" custom DOT certified 36 spoke units to which I've mounted 2.25" front and 2.5" speed rated rear tires. The sidecar will also run the same wheel with a spare wheel and tire mounted on the sidecar as well. Disc brakes on all wheels. The car will also feature spring and shock suspension.
This will be a soft tail design, with a single spring over air mono shock. The fork is a single spring girder much in the style of many early British manufacturers. The main frame shop built.
I've begun this build by concentrating on getting the moving parts right. I'm still working on these and will be until I get them right. Both the Simplex and Harley builds are 80 mph bikes riding on bike tires. Scary ride even for a brief time at those speeds. I hold both at around 40 mph during rides, with the occasional brief burst to 60 mph. The V twin should be a 90 mph bike at the least & I'm building it with this in mind 'cause I'd like to feel safe cruising at a steady 70 mph. This is to be a light motorcycle that exhibits some early classic styling, but safety trumps classic when appropriate.
I'd think the bike will weigh in at 200 lbs. or less and the sidecar will add 75 lbs. or so. The stock V-Star Yamaha weighs in at 325 lbs. & no sidecar. The V-Star Yamaha is listed at a max speed of 85 mph so 90 mph is probably a conservative estimate for the bike solo. Daredevil's, from the land down under, Yamaha V twin build on this forum cites right at 100 mph speed by the current owner, but I don't recall the weight of that build being recorded in his posts.
As an Old guy I'm less concerned with me pressing the speed boundaries for more than the brief burst, but other owners might some day. So I plan on building strong with good handling...manners. Wheelbase of 60" or less (V-Star 250 is 58") should complement higher speed stability & I plan on running a steering stabilizer when running solo (no sidecar).
Hope this post catches new readers up without having to go back to the Old Guy's Simplex thread. I will post photos as I go. Rick C.
I'm glad I delayed starting a new thread because enough time has passed that I've consolidated my options and have settled on using the Yamaha V-Star 250 cc V twin 5 speed for power. My wheels are 17" custom DOT certified 36 spoke units to which I've mounted 2.25" front and 2.5" speed rated rear tires. The sidecar will also run the same wheel with a spare wheel and tire mounted on the sidecar as well. Disc brakes on all wheels. The car will also feature spring and shock suspension.
This will be a soft tail design, with a single spring over air mono shock. The fork is a single spring girder much in the style of many early British manufacturers. The main frame shop built.
I've begun this build by concentrating on getting the moving parts right. I'm still working on these and will be until I get them right. Both the Simplex and Harley builds are 80 mph bikes riding on bike tires. Scary ride even for a brief time at those speeds. I hold both at around 40 mph during rides, with the occasional brief burst to 60 mph. The V twin should be a 90 mph bike at the least & I'm building it with this in mind 'cause I'd like to feel safe cruising at a steady 70 mph. This is to be a light motorcycle that exhibits some early classic styling, but safety trumps classic when appropriate.
I'd think the bike will weigh in at 200 lbs. or less and the sidecar will add 75 lbs. or so. The stock V-Star Yamaha weighs in at 325 lbs. & no sidecar. The V-Star Yamaha is listed at a max speed of 85 mph so 90 mph is probably a conservative estimate for the bike solo. Daredevil's, from the land down under, Yamaha V twin build on this forum cites right at 100 mph speed by the current owner, but I don't recall the weight of that build being recorded in his posts.
As an Old guy I'm less concerned with me pressing the speed boundaries for more than the brief burst, but other owners might some day. So I plan on building strong with good handling...manners. Wheelbase of 60" or less (V-Star 250 is 58") should complement higher speed stability & I plan on running a steering stabilizer when running solo (no sidecar).
Hope this post catches new readers up without having to go back to the Old Guy's Simplex thread. I will post photos as I go. Rick C.
