Was tempted to hang it up after my disastrous tandem build. Then a 1950 JC Higgins Beehive Springer caught my eye and the ole flame was rekindled. Was instantly bit by the nostalgia bug and swept back to my first Whizzer which had a springer front end and drum brakes. I loved how fluid the bike behaved on the bumpiest roads. This bike spent most of its life sitting under a tree enduring the elements. There was plenty of rust to be removed, but from the condition of the components suggest she wasn't ridden much. The pivots for the springer front end were still tight and all of the bearings were good, Most important, the bike was complete and unmolested.
I steel-wooled all of the rust before swapping out the rusted steel wheels for fine Arayas laced to drum brakes with 11 gauge spokes front and aft. A Sturmey Archer X-FD (90mm) front drum drives the speedometer gear. The gear cassette on the vintage Schwinn rear hub was replaced with an adapter that accommodates a 44-tooth sprocket. The SBP jackshaft was modified to house a Shimano silent clutch 3-speed hub to serve as a tranny using a belt primary drive. A Shimano single speed freewheel allows the jackshaft to turn without driving the pedals. A 3-speed suicide shifter is attached to the crossbar in front of the extended fuel tank.
The deteriorated padding was removed from the springer seat leaving a bare pan which looks vintage and works perfectly. Vintage brake levers preserve the vintage look of the original swept back handlebars. A throttle control from an ATV is currently in place, but might be replaced with a vintage moped twist throttle. The vintage speedometer is a good complement to the suicide shifter.
Still have to mount the fenders and lights before testing for proper gearing. Have mixed feelings bout painting the frame and seat since I like the rusty patina.
I steel-wooled all of the rust before swapping out the rusted steel wheels for fine Arayas laced to drum brakes with 11 gauge spokes front and aft. A Sturmey Archer X-FD (90mm) front drum drives the speedometer gear. The gear cassette on the vintage Schwinn rear hub was replaced with an adapter that accommodates a 44-tooth sprocket. The SBP jackshaft was modified to house a Shimano silent clutch 3-speed hub to serve as a tranny using a belt primary drive. A Shimano single speed freewheel allows the jackshaft to turn without driving the pedals. A 3-speed suicide shifter is attached to the crossbar in front of the extended fuel tank.
The deteriorated padding was removed from the springer seat leaving a bare pan which looks vintage and works perfectly. Vintage brake levers preserve the vintage look of the original swept back handlebars. A throttle control from an ATV is currently in place, but might be replaced with a vintage moped twist throttle. The vintage speedometer is a good complement to the suicide shifter.
Still have to mount the fenders and lights before testing for proper gearing. Have mixed feelings bout painting the frame and seat since I like the rusty patina.
