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[Dan_Lockwood]

You all know about my boardtrack / custom bike project for this past winter, but what will I do next winter?

This is something like what I might think about doing.

To set the stage, I've always been a big Art Deco fan and have always liked the unusual odd type vehicles.  At one time I owned three Isettas.  To carry that just a bit further, at one time I had either running or in line for a restro project, the following.  I had the three Isettas (2 300's and 1 600), Lambretta 150, Vespa 100 Sport, '77 Triumph T-140 750cc twin, '65 Cushman Silver Eagle restored (last year of production), '65 Silver Eagle electric start perfect unrestored (for the wife), '77 GL-1000 Gold Wing excellent unrestored 20k miles, '41 Mercury convertible running to retro-rod, '33 Dodge 4dr sedan chopped 2" late Mopar running gear modified original frame.  I don't think I missed anything in that list.  I've had lots of other odd ball vehicles over my many years of driving etc, but these were all in my possesion at the same time.  At that time we were going to street rod shows and I was truly in love with building my dream car, a '40 Willys couple with a blown 392 hemi.  My wife told me to sell all my chit and build what I wanted.  What a wife, huh?  Well I built it, see my Picture Trail albums for photos, and then sold it two years later.  My wife is still VERY pissed at me for selling her favorite car.

Oh well, I digress as usual...   

So anyway, making something like the pictures below could be a big time fun project.









The above pictures are from Craig Vetter's website.  I think he used parts from a HD and then supplied his own main frame.  I can do all that here at work and make a jig for squareness.  I'd still need a donor bike, but I do have the take off wheels from my '76 FLH, 15 spoke cast wheels.  They might actually look pretty good on something like this.

I was thinking that an early "B" motor for smoothness and then a snowmobile drive clutch and torque converter would transfer the power without any issues.  My nephew has a snowmobile salvage in Michigan and I can get all the drive components I need for dirt cheap.  That's what Craig Vetter used for a transmission.

My wife would really like to ride by hereself, but she is a wussy.  She will admit it freely to anyone that might ask why she doesn't ride herself.  But I'm thinking this might be an option for her.

This would be an automatic trans and I would couple the front and rear brakes with a proportioning valve, like half of a car system.  Then my wife would only need to twist the throttle and press a pedal to stop.  All she needs to do is balance the scooter and twist the throttle.  It would be a Harley of sorts which would keep her happy.

Can you imagine one of these deep pounding thumping scooters pulling into the the local watering hole?  Like Craig said, he gets mobbed every place he went with this.  I can definitely make the frame and if I start with a donor bike, I can get all the front and rear suspension and then make all the interconnecting frame work to keep it a step through design.

I was thinking about adding some cooling last night.  Some of the centrifugal clutch systems that snowmobiles use have a starter ring gear on the back side.  I think something like that would be just right to start the motor.  At about the same point, or even on the outboard side of the clutch, I could mount a pulley and have a short belt running upward to a stationary fan assembly.  I'm envisioning something like a Type 1 VW.  I would build light sheetmetal duct work around the cylinders and heads for cooling.  The fan would run full time and all I would need is a couple louvers on the outside of the body to let the air in and out.  I would not use aluminum like the build project in the article on Craig's site, but I would build a mock up out of foam and then glass the outside and then cut away the inside foam.  This is how a lot of experimental airplanes are built when built from scratch.

Here's a link to Craig's original Defiant Scooter website.  There are links there to other sites on sheetmetal hand fabbing of the Art Deco body shown above.

http://www.defiantscooter.com/default.asp

I think it would be a somewhat quick project to do, easily one winter would do it.

This is just food for thought right now, but hey, what a project......     

[Trapperdog]

This could be a very interesting project. Looking forward to a pictorial next winter.

[Gecko]

Well, somebody's got to say it.  With all your projects and cool toys:   You sir, suck!

[miker]

Very cool, auto v twin....

[Dan_Lockwood]

Well, somebody's got to say it.  With all your projects and cool toys:    You sir, suck!

Gecko, all I have now are the three bikes. 

When I sold the Willys, that's when I bought my new project, the '55 Chevy Nomad.  At that time I bought the new 540" BBC and all the other 'stuff' to go with it.  I had clipped the front frame and converted it to a straight axle as a gasser style.  After moving here from Michigan, I didn't touch the Nomad for 6 years, that's when I decided to sell it and move on with my life.

I, as well as I suppose lots of other here, go in cycles so to speak.  There for some time cars were my life and all projects revolved around that.  With a great helper base of friends all in the same field of interest, it was easy to stay motivated.  But after the move here my friends were all gone and so was my interest in the Nomad.  Our new friends were into bikes and I ended up buying the '76 FLH from one of them and that's what started me going again.

I think that bike projects are shorter, but I built my Willys in just 7 months.  In general though, bikes are not as overwhelming as cars.  Just think, you work on a cycle fender or you work on a rear quarter panel on a car.  The bike thing just seems to be a lot simpler to me right now.

And as far as the cool stuff I had back in a previous life, it was cool to look at them, but insurance was a big drag then too.

I would still like to build a pro-street Isetta with just one big 18" x 30" rear pro-street tire dead center in the back.  I would chop the top at mid front windshield and have it an open air bike/car.  With just three wheels, it would be a bike registration.  I'm not sure if with a somewhat enclosed three wheeler, if helmets are required in helmet required states.  I'll check into that.

Anyway, I think my current project is moving along very well given I only work on it on the weekends, no work nights are spent on it.  I think the scooter project would be way cool and would turn heads just about anywhere one might go.

If I didn't have my dreams, I'd be lost.  Craig (Talon) said that he does his best thinking in bed.  I too do a lot of just laying there thinking.  For some reason my wife has gotten into the habit of staying up and watching TV and I have to get up early.  I go to bed and she tucks me in, tucks me in.... Then she comes to bed about midnight and sleeps in the next morning a bit.  Hey, it works for me because I at least get to sleep before she starts snoring.   

But just thinking about possible projects gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling, kind of a nostalgic feeling like your high school prom and your favorite song from back then.

So what if I'm a dreamer, it takes all kinds to make up this world.  I do on occasion get to actually have a project and that makes me feel good.  I work about 11 to 12 hrs/day and having something to do and look forward to, other than just riding, makes my weeks go fast and enjoy that a lot.

Sorry for rambling on, but hey, it is Dan writing this post.

    

[miker]

 

[Gecko]

Really cool, and unlike the Obamanation I'm not the type to be jealous or indignant of what somebody has - it's America babe.  I see people on TV whose job it is to mess with million dollar classic cars all day and say they suck, but actually I'm happy for them.  I have lots of plans and dreams for what I'd like to build or buy too.  Regarding a semi-open three-wheeler I'd think if is classified as a motorcycle then helmet laws would apply - the new HD trike, a Stallion, etc. 

[Dan_Lockwood]

Really cool, and unlike the Obamanation I'm not the type to be jealous or indignant of what somebody has - it's America babe.  I see people on TV whose job it is to mess with million dollar classic cars all day and say they suck, but actually I'm happy for them.  I have lots of plans and dreams for what I'd like to build or buy too.  Regarding a semi-open three-wheeler I'd think if is classified as a motorcycle then helmet laws would apply - the new HD trike, a Stallion, etc.  

Gecko, I took your comment strictly as it was meant, as a joke.  I know, it sucks to be Jay Leno with all his toys, but he's earned it and I'm happy for him.  What I don't appreciate is when things are just given to people without any sacrifice or any sweat in actually earning it. 

I remember as a kid, when I was about 15 or 16, I had two friends, (cousins they were, still are as far as I know  ), and their dads were both partners in a tractor / car dealership.  One of them worked at the dealership every summer doing car washes, restocking and cleaning all around the building, just doing flunky stuff.  The other had a boat on our lake and spent the summer riding around the lake pulling people waterskiing etc.  The were both given cars at 16.  I really had a lot of respect for the one that earned every penny of what he was given and to this day is still a great hard working guy and a good friend.  The other was a friend and we did things, but my respect for him was just not there.

As I'm writing this I see it's getting long as I'm in my story telling mode again.  So please be patient with my ramblings. 

This ended up becoming a novel so there is part one and part two for your reading pleasure.

I had mini bikes when I was a kid, but my dad taught me how to braze and weld and how to bend tubing.  After he helped build my first mini, I did lots of things myself from then on.  I wanted to have a hydroplane on the lake we lived so I got plans and built one.  We were not that well off financially, but I don't remember it that way.  My dad early on with the fledgling motor repair and my gas pump on the lake, bartered to get me a Mercury outboard motor, a Mark 15.  My brother had been on the lake years before when my uncle had a small marina on the same lake and he was all over the lake and they ran all sorts of home made boats etc.  My uncle was really a card with stuff like that.  Well I had my hydro running with the stock old MK15 and it ran about 28 to 30 mph.  Lots of fun for a kid without a car or other wheels at the time.  Sorry I'm out of sequence here, but my brother was drafted in the mid '60s and was home on leave.  He took the boat out and had some fun.  He noticed another kid with a hydro not having too good of luck with his setup.  My brother knowing something about motor heights and transom setups, got to talking to me and asked if he could trade my MK15 away if he could replace it with something better.  I told him to go for it.  Hey, I was 15 and he was 23 so he was an old guy at the time.  He got with the other kid and asked him to bring his boat over to our dock, which he did.  My brother was up to something.  He took my motor off my hydro and put it on the kids boat.  Then my brother took it out and just flew across the lake.  The kid was just flabbergasted as to how well it worked.  So my brother talked the kid into trading him his motor for my motor, which he did without hesitation and with his parent's consent.

So I asked my brother why he did this and he told me it was all setup.  The kid's boat had a standard 15" transom and my MK15 was a 'standard' outboard requiring a 15" transom to get the prop where it needed to be.  The kid had a Mark 20 on a quickie lower unit and it was designed for racing and it required 11" for its transom height.  So everytime the kid would try to plane off his hydro, the prop would come up and it would cavitate like mad.  So it would just basically porpoise up and down.

Not to rub dirt in the kid's face, we waited till the next day and we cut down my 15" transom to 11".  I put a nice quote of polyester on it to seal it and we mounted the MK20 racing motor.  Also the standard motors back then and now for that matter, all had a ratio in the lower unit to provide a bit of thrust for take offs.  The MK20 racing motor and quickie lower unit was setup for a 1:1 ratio and used an entirely different type of prop.  The pitch was so steep it looked really weird.  So after the steering arm was reset and the steering worked properly, my bother fired up the new rig.  I noticed that when he took off, he had to lay up on the front deck of the hydro.  This was an 8' foot Popular Mechanics plan set.  So as he took off very slowly, the boat eventually broke over top and started to plane off.  At that time you could hear the exhaust on the quickie come up out of the water and get louder.  The exhaust on a quickie dumped out on top of the lower unit skeg rather than under water like a normal outboard, more power that way I guess.  So here my brother is with the boat just planning off and getting louder by the second, then boom he was off like a rocket.  Once that motor came up and the prop was about half out of the water, the rooster tail started to fly up.  Before you knew it he was up to about 45 mph and the rooster tail was flying proudly.  I couldn't see his smile, but I knew he was smiling ear to ear.

Stay tuned for part two in the next post.

    

[Dan_Lockwood]

Welcome to part two.


He brought the hydro back to the dock and let me take it out.  That was on a Monday and I had fun all that week with it.  That weekend the kid was back to the lake from the city.  He was having a ton of fun flying around at the 30'ish speed he couldn't get before and having a blast.  I took out my hydro with his old motor and we cruised side by side a bit and not wanting to really rub it in his face, I stayed back until he crotched down and wanted to race me.  All I did was push the deadman throttle forward and away I went.  I think he was a bit pissed, but hey, he was happy and so was I.  At least he was happy before I blew his doors off, so to speak.

That MK20 racing outboard was way high on compression and it didn't have the normal throttle / spark arrangement that regular outboards had that synchronized the carb with the advancement of the spark.  So I sit on my hind side with my fee up on the motor cowling and I pulled the recoil with both hands.  If you had the spark too far advanced, it would kick back and rip the cord handle out of your hands and hurt like a bugger.  Kind of like the old HD when the spark was controlled by the twist grip on the left handlebar and you kicked with it too far advanced.

It's way too late to make a long story short, but in my younger days I either made or traded for my things.  I had lots of fun and the memories are priceless.  Even now telling the hydro story takes me back to a much simpler day.

Remember the kid that his dad had the dealership and he got things given to him, well our senior class party was held at the lake at that kid's house.  It was a Saturday and I had to be working at the marina.  All the kids would come into buy gas and then water ski away.  At the time, and even now, I do think that I should have been able to participate, but my dad said that we had work to do.  Then on our 5th class reunion there was a state land bike ride for those with dirt bikes.  This was in '72 and back then most of the bikes in our area were dual purpose bikes and they could be run on two track roads and the woods with little problems.  Well you guessed it, they all stopped by the marina while I was working and away they went to state land for the day.  I could have showed them a thing or two on getting around on state land, but again, I had to work.

Man oh man, I've got to stop and shut the heck up.      

So Gecko, I'm glad you do enjoy your projects as I enjoy mine.  I'm just getting some of my time back from doing nothing for the past 6 years, making up for lost time I guess.

More stories to follow when I remember them.  So as someone reminds me of something I may take you all off on a wild ride through my early day escapades.

Later dudes and dudettes.

    

[Dan_Lockwood]

Sounds like a cool project. I like the retro & classic look of yesterday...

I have a 67 Mustang GT fastback in progress, currently stripped down to the last nut & bolt waiting for sheet metal repair or replacement. Been working on it off & on for the last 8 years now, too many things going on but eventually I'l get there...

This has been the worst winter in the Northwest that I can remember, if I had a 2 wheel project it would be something like w4p2's winter ride:
http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=31875.0;all

Gotta love the knobby tires there Dark Eagle...     

Back in the late '60s, lots of people in our area, center part of lower Michigan, rode Sportsters with knobbies and rode all the state land around here.  They were holy terrors.  We sold one of them Dunlop Trials tires and he brought them back with big chunks of the tread missing.  Come to find out that over 100 mph the tread just wants to fly right off the base tire.  We gave him new tires once, before we actually found out he and his buddy were racing from home to work and going as fast as they could. 

Keep the snow up there.

I have a customer in the Yakima area and have been out there a few times.  That is some beautiful country.  The first time I was there back in '86, I flew into Seattle and drove down without the pass being open.  On my return to Seattle, the pass was open and we filled the rental cars up with snowballs and had snowball fights while we were driving up the mountain pass.  Those were some stupid times for sure.

Good luck on spring just being around the corner.

    

[Dan_Lockwood]

After reading back my own original post, I see that I hijacked my own thread.

I really appreciate ALL of the input. At least you guys stayed on topic. I can't believe how I can start a reply and then just take off on another subject.

Like what Gecko said and I might have said if you cut out all of bullchit, there are plenty of guys out there with very envious professions, and I say to that, good for them. 

Even though I may sound sometimes like I'm bragging or boasting about this or that thing I've had or done with my street rods or even my by bike project, that is the farthest thing from my intentions.

It truly joys me to share with people but sometimes my enthusiasm comes across the wrong way. I truly apologize if that's how it seems sometimes. 

But is that going to change how I post and reply, chit no..........

So now that's done, I'll say good bye for now and go turn up the furnace in the garage and see how rework I need to do on my oil tank because I bought a slightly larger battery than originally planned. But this new 11.5# Braille AGM battery at normal ambient temp has 501cca per the battery test sheet it came with. It's 5.8"x3.3"x5.8". That is still very small compared to motorcycle batteries. Just remember Jegs & Summit have lots of items at great prices that can be used in our bike projects.

So, later for now.