Tank mockup

Most board track tanks are fairly simple. Some of the early ones were basically riveted boxes, others nicely contoured and soldered. Many early tanks contained a separate oil tank within them - some with oil on one side and fuel on the other. The Cyclone was simple in appearance but does have several unique curves. I mocked this up in hard cardboard(not corrugated) and a glue gun. Plenty of gussets keep it from flexing - important when trying to take measurements or fit a piece over a weird angle. In the end what this does is allow you to see the shape in 3D. Once the shape is acceptable, you can make templates by laying paper over the tank, adding creases, etc. to conform to the curves. Once unfolded, these templates allow you to see the shape needed in steel. The folds will show where shrinking and/or cuts should be made. This is just basic pattern making. You can also use the "buck" you just made to trial fit some of the new pieces although a buck is typically hardwood and would be used to form the metal. All in all, this tank won't require lots of shrinking or forming. A little rolling of a few parts is all that will be needed. These tanks were primarily long and skinny. Adding a baffle or two in there will help prevent sloshing fuel from upsetting the bike. Baffles would also limit cavitation at the stopcock when a low fuel level shifts around. Baffles could also limit flow a bit in a rupture situation(God forbid). It's unlikely that I would ever fill the tank completely but remember, 2 1/2 gallons of fuel is about 20lbs and if you have ridden lightweight motorcycles you know that a full tank can be felt by the rider. It's good practice to build it properly rather than doing just what's needed to get by. JMO I have also revisited the seat idea. The Mesinger "Motorcycle Racer" is the quintessential board tracker seat and maybe the most attractive but I am finding more and more examples that didn't use it. The picture below is of the Michaelson racing team(c. 1912-1914). These bikes are all wearing what looks like compound sprung saddles. I don't know the production years of the "Racer" seat so perhaps it wasn't even available at the time. Certainly it wasn't the only option. Brooks, in fact, made saddles, bags, and even rifle clips for motorcycles at times issueing separate catalogues for bicycles and motorcycles. They even list saddle models made for "speed work". If you are interested, go to http://www.brookssaddles.com/brooksengland.html These are pdf versions of most of Brooks old catalogues! Check out some of the options. Really cool stuff. The Mesinger isn't absolutely necessary and, based on these findings, I might feel justified to venture into another easier option. The proper look is still imperative so no everyday Schwinn seat will do.

Mounted the engine. A neighbor came over and we started it with the engine in the frame last weekend. It ran well. Still have to configure the jackshaft and Comet 40 series convertor. I'm a little disappointed that the motor is so wide but unless I scrap the twin idea, radically shift the motor, or put a smaller go cart clutch on there I will have to live with it. A buddy reminded me that it isn't really a close replica other than the overall shape/concept and he's right. It's the challenge of making it all work together with the Cyclone primarily as an inspiration. There are many things I would change already if trying to make it more accurate. I battled the idea of scrapping the frame and making a new more accurate one with better proportions to the 26" wheels but, come on, I would never finish it. I'll save those lessons for the next one! I did a little smoothing of the main tube intersections and added the spring perch/rear brake bellcrank mount to the bottom bracket/seat tube. This will act as more of a gusset than anything else. I've seen this perch on all Cyclone street bikes and BTRs and the only one that is without the perch is the Cyclone BTR that recently sold for over $500,000! I found the article that mentioned it's provenance and that, although very original, the rear end had been rebuilt at some point. The lack of the rear spring perch on this popularly photographed BTR had confused me until that explanation - it was unused so simply left off the rebuilt rear triangle. The seat was formed by bending plywood(original Mesenger seats had plywood bases) using the kerfing method. It isn't complete by any means as I will shape it before padding and covering it. I just wanted to see if it added to the lines of the bike. I have yet to see a bicycle seat that looked right and Mesenger repros are $500. I might spend that if building a full sized 28" wheel frame but don't want to drift from the DIY feel of the project....

Been a While!

Well, can you find it in there?
As usual, the bike work picked up a bit in the colder weather but dropped off as soon as it got warmer. We started cycling earlier this year so that and the other hobbies(mainly vintage racing bicycles) have kept me distracted. My fiance was in a cycling wreck recently and required surgery. Linda and I will be married in August and then be off to Italy for a while(cycling a bit I'm sure......... or I'm leaving!) Not sure if I'll get time to do much to it before then.

I have started getting e-mails about the project and I see why. I googled "board track racer replica" and my blog was the 4th listing. Trust me, I still want to see this beast finished so all is not lost. Anywho, I did end up finishing the kickstand and purchased a used B&S Vangaurd V-twin engine last fall. The project is currently displayed, bachelor-style, in my dining room(see above). It has been buried by a few vintage lightweight race bikes(other current hobby) and has gotten little attention.

As for the progress before the break.... here are a few pics of the front fork:



Here is a closeup of the front truss mount. I have seen a few similar to this on antique bikes but I still like the idea of a tripple tree.





The kickstand:




When not in use, it folds up and will lay under the seat. On the old factory road bikes, they would usually clip to the back of the fender













A little about the motor I'm using. I really wanted a twin, and if I couldn't be authentic in appearance, I'd be authentic in theory. I found a 12HP Vangaurd(read bulletproof!) on the local CL and decided that was it. The rear hub will not likely take that torque so I'm leaning toward a MTB hub, using the disk brake holes to mount a sprocket. That will be a project in itself. I also bought a Comet 40 series torque convertor and will need to fab a jackshaft mount onto the seat tube.
The twin was stripped of it's shrouds and what wasn't needed was removed completely. The electric start is a nice option that might have to stay! Of course, that will necessitate hiding a battery, etc. I have a trick or two in mind for that. I'm looking forward to fabricating pipes and such for it. The more I type, the more I realize how much there is to do. Depressing!
I ran the motor on the ground and I like the twin sound.
That flywheel sure is ugly, heavy, and dangerous. I need to think of a vintage looking shroud if I want to keep my pretty shins! There is a growing support network for racing these twins and racing parts are out there. Should I bother with a different flywheel? I think 12HP is way more than I need anyway so why add a bunch of billet shiney stuff and introduce a bunch of tuning woes? Just keeping it upright will be enough work!
Here's the motor in the frame. Can you say wide?! Looking like a chopper build! I will of course create an oil filter bypass and remove that.


This bike is starting to look really uncomfortable! Thanks to those following along. Keep prodding me to finish!
Dave

Here's a shot or two with the engine plates and modified fork in place. You can see I made this frame "lugless". As it takes shape, I have to remember my goal - it will have the correct "lines" that so many motorized bicycles don't have but there are many, many details that have to be left out due to time and weight concerns...... okay mostly for impatience sake but I digress. Let's face it. I tell myself, the average Joe, even at a bike show, won't know what it is much less that it isn't a lugged and brazed frame. I do have to keep reminding myself how much more there is to do and decide where to stop. Should I now fabricate fake frame lugs? Replace the "engine plates" with bent tubing? It was never intended to be a knockoff to fool anyone - it is scaled down afterall. I still need the stand and fork trusses among many other things. Still considering finger gussets at critical frame joints or subtly boxing in some areas. My neighbor has been seeing it and hearing me talk about it all winter and when he saw it yeterday like this he was still thinking it was a bicycle project. All I could say was, "Well, I guess back then that's really what they were."

First mock up

I just had to put together what I had collected to see how it sits. The front end is lower than planned but I sort of like the look. I may just widen the fork and raise it a tad. Rake is only about 3" also. Wonder how a stearing damper disguised as the oiler would look? J/K. I have to trim the down and seat tubes and add the "cradle". I eventually want to make a yoke - get rid of the bike stem and make a better mount. A triple tree setup is an option and is seen on many racers. The stock Cyclone front end may not have had the fork tubes extend to the top yoke but this seems to have been retrofitted as an "indian-like" modification to many racers - not just the Cyclones. I picked a bike to model that has few examples and there aren't that many pics of the Cyclones for reference. I have seen several frame variations as well. Apparently there a handful of production racers, there were street models(even more rare today), and street models modded to racers(by the factory or by a privateer, I don't know). In addition, I sense the factory experimented with each racer built as each was a "one off" so few were identical in setup anyway. Good thing this isn't a very technical build. Truthfully, one could build a looped frame and, depending on motor, tank, and paint, call it anything. Remember this is not a Paul Brodie build! At one point or another just about all manufacturers crossed over the same points of style and technology. BTW, I'm up in the air on engines. Found a few old 30's Brit singles but I don't know if this is deserving of one of those. Perhaps the B&S single would be along the lines of the original scope of the project - to do what has been done over and over but to do it better with the "right" proportions and "correct" look.

Rear Wheel mounted!

Well mocked up anyway. I fretted about getting this thing lined up without a full frame jig but got it spot on the first time. Okay the calipers say it isn't spot on but it is way too close to alter - I might never get it closer! I guess all that measuring, marking, anglefinding, etc paid off. Here are some shots. First the dropouts tacked in(albeit poorly). Here you can see the seat stays mounted to the seat tube. I actually ended up grafting in the top bends of the donor bike's stays(about 6" down). I hated to do that as I had some nicely bent 3/4" tubing I had done myself BUT I fishmouthed them a bit too much and they appeared as if they would be too narrow for the balloon tire. I'm sure I can find plenty of reasons to bend different tubing aroud here. I will likely have to put a brace across the stays near the top(almost like a brake caliper mount) as I just don't trust anything from that donor bike! Hey, if I bend that, it might look like it was on the original 1915 version. Don't let me forget to do that! Here's what it looks like. Now I get to start on the fork and soon I will have a roller!

Some progess

It's been two months since I've posted. Hadn't really done too much until I got the top tube, chain stays, and seat stays bent. I used a standing heavy duty conduit bender and torched the .120 1 1/8" DOM for the top tube. I don't recommend this hack method but I got lucky. The 1" die was actually 1 1/8", the 3/4" die was 7/8", and who knows about the 1/2"! What junk some of these things are. I had to modify the smallest 1/2" die to fit the 3/4" tubing. The 3/4" tubing is thin wall so you have to be really careful with that unless you have a proper bender. Thin wall likes to crinkle on the inside of the radius. Here is the top tube. It's all just tacked for now. I hope to have a buddy tig it for me when I get it together. The mig might penetrate enough but if I'm riding it........ The bend doesn't look too bad considering. Here are some shots laying out the chain stays. The Workmate was leveled after the frame was secure. The plywood is only for marking and for horizontal layout. I struck lines on each side of the main tubes and reverse engineered what I needed from my known rear axle width of 4.227". Vertical setup will be off a known level surface that I'll set up then. The chainstays will actually be 10 degrees from horizontal and milled with slots for the dropouts. You can see the dropouts which themselveswill be oriented at about a 20 degree angle. It sure would be nice if it was all horizontal but I want it to look correct. Remember, those shortcuts add up and you end up with a generic looking bicycle mod IMO. Speaking of bicycles: Here is one of the few parts taken from a bicycle - the bottom bracket(for the crank). This and a 70's fork. I will gusset the bottom bracket well before it's done. Some racers had no gussets there and some did via some funky suspension brackets. I suspect these to be class C machines - racers prepped from street frames and not production racers. I welcome the bracket for the extra support. After I struggle through this part - mostly trying to keep it all even, I will address the fork mods. That will be a different headache for a different post.