Vintage Whippet racer

[harry76]

Good going there, it is going to be a good looking bike. Are there many bikes being built in Oz? over in Perth there are a few of us puting bikes together. I live in NARROGIN W.A.if you want to drop me a line at [email protected] all the best Keith

Theres a few very nice bikes ive seen come from Australia. If they were totally legal maybe we would see more....

 

[harry76]

I stripped my tank and was going to paint it today but unfortunately there is a hole in it. I dont have a welder so will have to wait until i go to a friends and use his welder. Its also pretty dirty inside so ill need to give it a good flush out.

On the upside i had no idea the petcock would come up so nice.... it will look nice against the black of the tank.

Its a "Whippet" bicycle, so i may get some decals made and call it "The Whippet" and fits nicely with the skinny tyres.

Before:

After:

The hole i need to repair:

 

[fasteddy]

Harry,
Heard from England and he is getting another motor ready for me. Guess the other one is scuppered. Such is life.

Steve.

 

[ducedave]

I got my mower so i threw the tank on the Whippet to see what i thought, and if i would go ahead with this project..... i quite like the racer look and tempted to see how long i get away with these wheels before they fold in half lol


just a little trick for your wheels-wrap wire around were the spokes cross I use 4 strands of copper wire form striped electrical wire and wrap twist tight and solder it toughens the wheels more than you know!

 

[harry76]

I got my mower so i threw the tank on the Whippet to see what i thought, and if i would go ahead with this project..... i quite like the racer look and tempted to see how long i get away with these wheels before they fold in half lol


just a little trick for your wheels-wrap wire around were the spokes cross I use 4 strands of copper wire form striped electrical wire and wrap twist tight and solder it toughens the wheels more than you know!

Thanks for the heads up. i will try that. It would be good if i could get away with running these wheels.

Ill just need to watch out for potholes, and rig up some brakes. And a mounting point. Im not a fan of the kit chain tensioner so i will weld one to the chainstay. And also weld in mounting points for the tank. Ill see about welding or bolting the sprocket to the flip flop hub rather then the clamshell spoke setup if i can. I also need a slightly wider bottom bracket to clear the motor.

 

[harry76]

Harry,
Heard from England and he is getting another motor ready for me. Guess the other one is scuppered. Such is life.

Steve.

Hope you get one soon, if not i have a spare one here that i got with the mower. Although like you said the freight is a killer

 

[ducedave]

Thanks for the heads up. i will try that. It would be good if i could get away with running these wheels.

Ill just need to watch out for potholes, and rig up some brakes. And a mounting point. Im not a fan of the kit chain tensioner so i will weld one to the chainstay. And also weld in mounting points for the tank. Ill see about welding or bolting the sprocket to the flip flop hub rather then the clamshell spoke setup if i can. I also need a slightly wider bottom bracket to clear the motor.

if you were to be able to lower the motor maybe you could clear the chain stays and not need the tensioner on the motor side I use 10 speed tensioner on the crank side instead and while your friends house maybe you could heat and bend your cranks to clear your motor

 

[harry76]

if you were to be able to lower the motor maybe you could clear the chain stays and not need the tensioner on the motor side I use 10 speed tensioner on the crank side instead and while your friends house maybe you could heat and bend your cranks to clear your motor

I could lower the motor a little but not enough to run under the chainstay, and i quite like how it fills the space up. And i have a single speed flip flop hub so i dont have the 10 speed tensioner, but i could put a tensioner on the peddle side chainstay.

And im not heating BSA cranks..... NO WAY. It would probably damage the chrome finish a little. Longer bottom brackets are cheap enough

 

[harry76]

Im wodering if i can just drill through my hub flange and bolt a sprocket to the hub. I have a 52 tooth front sprocket i could bolt on. Id like to, it looks real good but thats geared a little low, plus im not sure how MB chain is with bicycle sprockets? But they look good. But i can do the same with a standard sprocket. Ill have to look at some threads to see if this is strong enough.....

 

[harry76]

I fitted these reverse levers. One will be for the clutch and the other will be a front brake, i will only be running a front brake. I know thats not ideal but i wont be riding it all the time and many racers/fixies run front brake only. Having the reverse levers means ill be able hide the cables in the bars. I will either use a lever throttle i have or a trigger throttle.

 

[fixwheelmad]

really nice looking, question i want to use reverse brakes as well, how are you going to deal with the clutch spring? i have looked at getting it machined but there's not enough metal on those levers? like the tank...

 

[fixwheelmad]

the rear sprocket, off a TA cranks? how are u going to fix, really like the look, i have some in a bin somewhere, going to pull them out...

 

[darkhawk22]

Looking real good so far!

 

[Kris Blake]

Hey, I have an idea!
Sell me your 15 dollar bike for 100 bucks (you can keep your wheels), you can buy a complete used Worksman bicycle and everyone is happy!
?-
Kris

 

[harry76]

Hey, I have an idea!
Sell me your 15 dollar bike for 100 bucks (you can keep your wheels), you can buy a complete used Worksman bicycle and everyone is happy!
?-
Kris

LOL....I would happily sell you the frame for $100, in Australian dollars please lol. And i would happily go and buy a Worksman bicycle to replace it, that is if i ever seen one of those in Australia for sale.

This type frame is far more common then the bikes found in the U.S

 

[harry76]

really nice looking, question i want to use reverse brakes as well, how are you going to deal with the clutch spring? i have looked at getting it machined but there's not enough metal on those levers? like the tank...

Thanks, im not quite sure what you mean about the reverse levers, i havent hooked the cables to them yet so i havent encountered any problems yet.

 

[flatblack]

The build is looking great! Keep at it! I think we've got similar tastes in build aesthetic and the need for speed! Keep scratching your head! You'll figure it out! That'll be one smooth rolling, quick bike!

 

[Kris Blake]

LOL....I would happily sell you the frame for $100, in Australian dollars please lol. And i would happily go and buy a Worksman bicycle to replace it, that is if i ever seen one of those in Australia for sale.

This type frame is far more common then the bikes found in the U.S

Hi Harry,
I apologize, I didnt know you were in Australia. It's tough to make out accents on this forum
When I write on this forum I just type. I just ASSume that I'm writing to the guy down the street!
Your bicycle looks really great the way she sits. I agree with the others, dont add a motor. It doesnt have the right bones. It would be like putting a skull tattoo on Jessica Alba. (I love her)

Anyway, have a good day! Or is it night there?

 

[flatblack]

Who would get a skull tattoo anyways? Next up, tribal band around the bicep, followed by a Taz on your lower back...just saying.

Motorize that light piece of work! If it doesn't work, take it off! No harm done!

 

[Kris Blake]

Ha! I have all three of those tatoos. What's wrong with tribal art? JK!
You forgot Chinese writing, butterflies in ridiculous places and the ever so famous, rose. All great choices for those without a mind of their own. I better quit before I insult someone.