It's starting to look like it belongs in the fleet! Here is one of the brackets. 5 all hand formed from 1/8 stock. Remarkably consistent considering I used no jigs or mandrels. I finished stitching up the tank, adding the filler neck, and fabbing the brackets. I'm off to find a NPT tap to add either the petcock I have or, if I find what I'm looking for, add that one. I want a small brass job but not the little cheapy ones with the stainless rod as a lever. We'll see. Next will be the jackshaft.

Now me with a sunburn, here is the new tank tacked up and sitting in the frame. I don't use the auto darkening helmet like I should for tacking. It's just too dark to see and when manipulating everthing between tack welds it's just too much of a hastle. As simple as the Cyclone tank looks, and it is, it still isn't easy to form those parts on all four corners. The hard part is done. I really dread welding it all up - maybe I should wait for a friend to move his tig to his new house as what I hate the most is grinding down all the mig welds. I have yet to install the fuel filler and and outlet bung. I altered the locations of the brackets from that of the original - no real reason other than to eliminate one. Remember this is not a perfect replica.............. it has a lawn mower engine! Not so funny story: Before tacking it, I took one of the rear side panels over to the bench sander to trim some of the front radius when I saw the tank(top, bottom, and middle sides tacked up) slide off the other end of the bench. It was sitting on plate steel with a 90 degree magnetic welding clamp holing it on it's side. It landed right on the nose and wadded it way out of shape... and after all that anal retentive prep. I had to cut a few tacks and dolly it all back. Still think it added some distortion. Only one bracket is made so far so I'm far from done with the tank portion if this thing. If anyone can make water decals let me know!

Tank and seat update

Well, I built the first tank with 20 gauge sheet. It fit really well but was warped a bit too much for my taste. A friend thougt it was salvageable but I felt I had learned too much from the first one not to apply it to another. The second one is cut from 18 gauge as it was a bit tricky to be consistent on the welds with the 20 gauge. With metal that thin and a MIG there is little room for error. Pulling gives a good bead but prevents you from seeing the fine joint. Pushing can give you a hole pretty quick. I don't like the idea of spotting the entire thing. a) cold starts = leak city, and b) it takes forever. Here are some pics of the second tank in progress: Above you can see all the panels cut, rolled, deburred, and cleaned. You can see the four spacers bolted to the bottom panel. They are center drilled and tapped on both ends for 1/4 20. There will be two more in the back but I wanted to get the tricky curve set before I made the last two bent spacers. Here are the top and bottom tacked together. You can see my dedicated powder coating oven under the workbench. Used to be an over/under. I compressed it into one oven. I ordered one of Brooks new B190 saddles. It's the largest now made and should fit the bill. It is a compound spring variety but unfortunately comes only in black. The site didn't mention it but it is now on backorder. I have since seen that it's that way anyplace I've looked so I might be waiting a bit..... 3 weeks so far but my card was charged the next business day. Cheap Chinese tool report: Well I bought another one. This time a 3-in-1 sheetmetal machine. Sliproll, sheer, and finger brake all in one. 350lbs of instant crap. Why don't I learn? I had to build a block to hold one end of the top roller in as it would jump out of it's channel under any pressure. The cam bolt that held it was completely inadequate. The roller works okay even on 12" of 18 gauge(typically rated for 22 gauge). The corners are more rolled than the center but that is easy to remedy. I have little expectation from the sheer but the finger brake could be very useful. Oh and the air shear cuts great when it doesn't lock up. I have disassembled it numerous times, filed the planetary gear teeth, and added a longer locator pin as the gasket would spin and block off the air orifaces. It is just amazing how close they(Chinese) get to a functional tool but equally amazing that they can't take that last little step to correct problems. Heck, even cleaning the casting sand/grinding dust out of the parts would be a huge inprovement and might even allow them to see that the tolerances are way too loose. JMO

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."