Something new and kinda sorta 100 years old looking

[fishguts]

erm... we delete duplicate threads as a matter of course so it was removed. We can ofc move threads w/e appropriate... but while your bike is defo sweet, it's also definitely not vintage or a boardtracker so it's prolly best here.

Sorry for any confusion

Just trying to do the right thing because this will end up looking vintage. I thought since it will not look like a beach cruiser when it is done I might get booted out of here! Sigh. I'm a rebel without a cause.

Hey I'm happy here anyway, so long as it's OK with others on this forum that my beach cruiser morfs into something else.

What I'm after is something like a 100-year-old street bike, not a board track bike. So it will have antique brass lighting, a truss supported fork, a layback seat, black wheels and spokes, white rubber and swept back handlebars and a round fuel tank behind the seat. The inspiration is an old family photo we came across of my wife's grandmother posing beside her brother's 1912 Harley street bike. I'l try to dig it up and post it on here.

 

[ObieJuanKanobee]

Just trying to do the right thing because this will end up looking vintage. I thought since it will not look like a beach cruiser when it is done I might get booted out of here! Sigh. I'm a rebel without a cause.

Hey I'm happy here anyway, so long as it's OK with others on this forum that my beach cruiser morfs into something else.

What I'm after is something like a 100-year-old street bike, not a board track bike. So it will have antique brass lighting, a truss supported fork, a layback seat, black wheels and spokes, white rubber and swept back handlebars and a round fuel tank behind the seat. The inspiration is an old family photo we came across of my wife's grandmother posing beside her brother's 1912 Harley street bike. I'l try to dig it up and post it on here.

That looks like 4 stroke engine your gonna use.

 

[ObieJuanKanobee]

wouldnt an old moped motor perform much better?

 

[ObieJuanKanobee]

puch also makes a little 40cc motor that would work well.

 

[fishguts]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I'm gonna take the tin and plastic cover off this motor (yep it's a 4-stroke). I have a lot of aircooled motor experience and I do believe it isn't necessary on a bike, especially if one doesn't let it sit and idle for long periods of time. This will make the motor look better IMHO. I'll probably paint the motor case but not the fins.

A bigger motor would be great but once it gets over 50cc's it becomes a motorcycle in MA. MA also requires an "automatic" transmission, and although I'm pretty sure the one I have is weak and should probably be replaced with something stouter, the 4-stroke did come with the proper trans to satisfy the law.

 

[silverbear]

I've been thinking about taking off the heat shields and plastic off my H.S. 4 stroke. I understand the plastic shroud could offer some protection from getting hurt by the flywheel, but don't see where it would do much for the engine. Same with the heat shields. Wouldn't it cool better by having all that removed? It will sure look better.
SB

 

[fishguts]

I've been thinking about taking off the heat shields and plastic off my H.S. 4 stroke. I understand the plastic shroud could offer some protection from getting hurt by the flywheel, but don't see where it would do much for the engine. Same with the heat shields. Wouldn't it cool better by having all that removed? It will sure look better.
SB

Well, I'll be able to tell you if this thing blows up! I don't expect that to happen, of course. I'm sure these motors are designed for multipurpose use and there are stationary applications that would require the shrouds, but on a bike they're out in the open and usually there's a lot of air flow. So we'll see. You'd have to reach around the pull start to get to the flywheel. Anybody that does that while it's running probably deserves to get their fingers nipped! I guess they could also reach down on the other side and see if the chain is moving!

 

[fishguts]

Here are the upper brackets for the truss rods. I cut them out of some 1/8" stock.

And here it is welded together. I'll be tying a headlight bracket into it later when I figure out how to hang a couple pounds of brass on it.

 

[fishguts]

Here's Grandma's picture taken in 1914. Bike is evidently a 1912 Harley.

Warning: Hot biker chick photo!

 

[silverbear]

Pretty cool to have that photo...
SB

 

[fishguts]

Cut up the seat post. Made a notch and folded it together and welded it. I had to make a couple more cuts after this photo to get the angle right.

Gussets are good.

I could get it lower without the gusset, but I'm 6' 3" so I'll probably need it higher than this, actually.

 

[fishguts]

Worked on the gas tank mount today. Bent up some 3/8" steel rod and fluted the ends so they'd fit nice on the seatstays.

 

[fishguts]

Then welded everything together. I used the fender as a guide (not the fender I'll be using). Nifty blue tape tank strap. I need to order some t-bolt band straps from McMaster-Carr.

 

[fishguts]

Here's a "big picture" shot. I'll be using full fenders with skirts.

 

[fishguts]

Cool tank clamps/straps showed up today.

 

[fishguts]

I do like the tank behind the seat ... but ... since I'm still in the experimentation stage I decided to build a fiberglass tank for the top bar and see which I like best. I don't know, what do you guys think?

Here's the first piece of foam board defining the basic shape. Next, I'll cut several more just like it and glue them together in a block. Well, two block I guess since it's going to be a saddle tank. Then I'll cut the tank to shape with a sanding block. If I still like the looks of it, I'll lay 'glass and epoxy over it and melt out the foam.

 

[corgi1]

It would look good ,or a good place for tool storage ,cdi hiding place and elect control area ,or a good place to hide the batterys and components for an electric front hub start-out/assest motor,,,, yeh,it looks good w/the frame

 

[fishguts]

Got the blocks together and shaped and positioned on the bike. I need to make a top piece yet to tie it all together. It will be intentionally too thick for stability until I get the underbelly fiberglassed. Then I'll thin it down before glassing the topside.

The pieces of cardboard are spacers to keep the blocks away from the top tube about 1/4", allowing room for laying fiberglass over the foam.

I'll be sanding a radius on all the corners because fiberglass cloth doesn't like to lay over a sharp edge.

 

[fishguts]

Here's the tank all glued up, shaped and ready for 'glass. I'll glass the bottom and then probably remove the top panel and glass the top.

 

[fishguts]

Sometimes you gotta laugh ... or cry.

As much fiberglassing as I've done over the years I thought I'd seen it all, epoxy and polyester. But today I saw epoxy eat up my styrofoam fuel tank plug. I switched to a faster hardener I hadn't used before and boy did it kick in - too fast and the heat shot up, melting the spray adhesive I used to assemble the blocks and then the foam as well. It basically all came apart and I ended up rolling it up in the plastic sheet I had on my workbench and taking it out to the driveway to cool off! Nice big mess.

Oh well, I'll make a new plug tomorrow. This time I'll lay in fewer layers at a time and allow it to flash off before adding more. Patience, patience. That should keep the heat down.