Way Back Machine

Good eye, Tom. The Shimano hub is fitted with a 203mm disc. I matched it to an Avid mechanical caliper with adjustments for both the static and the sliding pad to minimize displacement of the disc. I panic-stopped a couple of days a go when a dog ran out in front of me and the brake grabbed so hard it spun the tire on the rim, nearly chopping the valve stem off and bringing me out of the seat! I have a drum in the front, to accommodate the springer front end, and a disc in the rear instead of the opposite which is more typical. I might go to a disc in the front later on. Drums look cool, but they are heavier and harder to service.
 
Back when I had my Monark twin, there was a big Germen Shepard that woulld come and try and bite my bike, so one day I got upon the seat and when he come out,I come down on top of him and sent him for a good roll, that ended his chasing me..............Curt
 
curtisfox said:
Back when I had my Monark twin, there was a big Germen Shepard that woulld come and try and bite my bike, so one day I got upon the seat and when he come out,I come down on top of him and sent him for a good roll, that ended his chasing me..............Curt
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An old trick motorcycle riders used in my home town in South Carolina was to put an ammonia and water mixture in a water pistol. If you avoid the eyes it won't hurt the dog but they definitely won't chase you anymore
 
Finally got my muffler bracket fabricated and installed. It's a piece of scrap metal with a 1/4" threaded hole for mounting to a frame clamp. One end wraps under the muffler body and is spot-welded. The slip-on feature of the muffler allows removal by loosening a clamp and removing the bracket bolt.
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wrenching4fun said:
How did that Monark run, Curt? Was it belt driven like Whizzers? I recall that either Monarks or the Marmans had problems with soft crankshafts. Both were cool looking bikes for sure.
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Man that was 68 years ago, LOL. But just like yesterday, I was 16 with paperroute. I was just like a Wizzer, had the same rear pulley, and about the same ratio. The really thing was the clutch, it was kind of like the china engines, but instead of pads it had 5 or 6 disks. I road the thing day and night for a couple years, untill a rod bolt come lose and twisted the rod off. I located a dealer, even sent the good piston it to match, all I got back was a different piston and not the oridgnal. I ended up selling what was left and built another a lot like yours, 1 1/2 hp Briggs with a V plex clutch., then trades, it plus $75 for a mode A, good old days.............Curt, Like your pipe setup.
 
Bet the bad rod put a hurt on your paper route! Hope you had a regular bike for backup. My brother and I delivered all the papers in our little town, about 80 customers each. We picked up the bundled papers every morning before school, rolled them with rubber bands for better throwing, and loaded them in our canvas bags. Every Saturday after we collected payments my mon would go through our change and swap out wheat pennies for Indian heads and steel pennies. It's funny looking back because she wasn't interested in silver coins or ones with rare markings.
 
wrenching4fun said:
Bet the bad rod put a hurt on your paper route! Hope you had a regular bike for backup. My brother and I delivered all the papers in our little town, about 80 customers each. We picked up the bundled papers every morning before school, rolled them with rubber bands for better throwing, and loaded them in our canvas bags. Every Saturday after we collected payments my mon would go through our change and swap out wheat pennies for Indian heads and steel pennies. It's funny looking back because she wasn't interested in silver coins or ones with rare markings.
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I forgot to mention the rod was solid Bronze, crazy. Mine was a later model because of all the crome. Here is what mine looked like, don't recall the big headlight.
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Mine also had the twin spring fork
 
If some bright aggressive entrepreneur reintroduced an engine like this, no one would have anything to do with Chinadolls. I would anti up serious cash for one. It's unfortunate that the only 2 sources for American products in our space was SBP and Staton, and one of them is now gone. The American entrepreneurial spirit is weak right now. Too many people are content to import instead of innovate. Bring back Monarks, Marmons, Mustangs, Cushmans, Simplex, Whizzers, and Safti-Cycles!
 
wrenching4fun said:
If some bright aggressive entrepreneur reintroduced an engine like this, no one would have anything to do with Chinadolls. I would anti up serious cash for one. It's unfortunate that the only 2 sources for American products in our space was SBP and Staton, and one of them is now gone. The American entrepreneurial spirit is weak right now. Too many people are content to import instead of innovate. Bring back Monarks, Marmons, Mustangs, Cushmans, Simplex, Whizzers, and Safti-Cycles!
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So true, was good going until the china came along, a 3hp Briggs would be kool if the reproduced one.
 
I saw a vintage two cylinder horizontally-opposed outboard engine in a marine supply house once. It was a 2 stroke air cooled unit much like the monark twin. Have been looking for one ever since in flea markets, thrift shops, etc. Would welcome the chance to throw one on a vintage frame. I've seen a couple of builds using Maytag Model 72 twins, but hit and miss engines run best at a constant speed. I'll probably find one of them when I'm too old to turn a wrench!
 
wrenching4fun said:
If some bright aggressive entrepreneur reintroduced an engine like this, no one would have anything to do with Chinadolls. I would anti up serious cash for one. It's unfortunate that the only 2 sources for American products in our space was SBP and Staton, and one of them is now gone. The American entrepreneurial spirit is weak right now. Too many people are content to import instead of innovate. Bring back Monarks, Marmons, Mustangs, Cushmans, Simplex, Whizzers, and Safti-Cycles!
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Even worse Staton is selling off remaining inventory
 
Extreme heat advisory has shut everything down. Too hot to ride, too hot to build. Guess I'll just sit and plan next steps on this build. Pulled out the original peaked fenders and knocked down some of the rust. Will need to completely sand or soak in vinegar to prep for coat of prime and fill. Can't decide on color of final coat, but am leaning toward cobalt blue with white trim. While torn down, I will spread the frame slightly to accommodate 2.35" Schwalbes on rear. Also might swap out front drum for disc ready hub to cut weight while maximizing functionality. Several other smaller adjustments need to be made like welding on permanent mounting points for the fuel tank, swapping out the heavy steel gooseneck for an aluminum BMX one, fabricate chainguards and beltguard, and moving the air cleaner under the seat and out of the way. The possibilities are endless. Would be simpler if I could get things right the first time around!
 
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