Way Back Machine

[wrenching4fun]

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.

 

[fasteddy]

I hope the bike is going to be riding as well as it looks. The paint it or not, mountain. Myself, if the look is what I want I'd leave it as it is. If the look gets old and boring in the future it can always be painted but once painted it's had to go back to the original look. Amazing that you found a bike like that, that hasn't been until it fell apart. A wonderful build indeed.

Steve

 

[Tony01]

Yeah that’s a real build. Nice. So you got a max torque belt clutch going to a chain in and chain out from a 3spd. Yeah I think the belt primary is the way to go for the small stuff we build that doesn’t have a primary chain in oil bath. Probably evens out the torque pulses from the engine for the hub. Only thing I’d change is moving the belt tensioner from the drive/tension side to the slack side. Everything looks right and well built. You got lucky with this find. I bet it’s a blast to ride!

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Man.... That thing looks complicated!!!

 

[Gordy]

That looks sweet! What happened to that old banana seat you had? I've got a sturmey archer hub and SBP shift kit I'm gonna put together on my old Columbia cruiser frame. I've got it all mocked up right now. I just need to get some good wheel hoops and a drum brake front up, lace it all together, and bolt it all together. It'll use the cheap dual spring fork I have until I get something else. I'm thinking of going woth 24" wheels on this one. Not quite decided yet.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Ok, what size pulleys are you using, what's the tooth count on the jackshaft sprocket driving the 3-speed, and what's the 3-speed input-output sprocket tooth count? Then I can give you reduction values for all 3 speeds. Depending on your weight you don't want to go below a 16\1 reduction in your highest gear for your particular engine . Most larger people shouldn't go below an 18\1 reduction.

 

[wrenching4fun]

Thanks for the help on gearing, Jerry. It'll take a while to pull the tooth count on the sprockets together. Meantime, the Max torque pulley is 2" and the driven pulley is 6" and the ratios for the hub are 0.733, 1.0, 1.364.

Good catch on the tensioner, Tony. Though an easy fix, it took all afternoon to fabricate the bracket, but it came out better because it's adjustable and fixed, no spring that can bounce.

Gordy, the vintage seat pan looked so good, the banana seat has been relegated to the parts bin for a future build.

 

[Tony01]

the Max torque pulley is 2" and the driven pulley is 6" and the ratios for the hub are 0.733, 1.0, 1.364.

Though an easy fix, it took all afternoon to fabricate the bracket, but it came out better because it's adjustable and fixed, no spring that can bounce.

Yeah it be like that sometimes with fabrication.

I don’t think Max Torque made a pulley clutch that small. The number I used in calculating gearing on mine was 3.2”. The diameter is measured on the outside of a brand new belt I think. A v-belt wears on the sides and sits deeper in the pulley over time requiring an adjustable tensioner, pulley spacing, or adjustable pulley.