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Topics - David Stinson

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Buy, Sell, Trade / Thinking about selling my 1958 Simplex Automatic.
« on: August 30, 2015, 02:23:17 PM »
I'm thinking about selling my 1958 Simplex Automatic.  I have had it about a year.  I thought I would put it out here first where a Simplex enthusiast would see it. 

The best I can tell it is near original.  The tank and fenders are the original paint.  The rims have been powder coated and it has new tires on it.  The throttle was non-functional when I got it and I replaced it with a mower style cable.  I replaced both drive belts and the bearings in the idler pulley.  I replaced the original tail light lens with one from Dennis Carpenter, still glass, looks the same as the original.  The tail light / brake light is not the original bulb but are now individual 4 cell flashlight bulbs which work well with the available voltage from the magneto.

I have the original title and it is currently titled in Georgia.  I have driven it a very limited amount, mostly in my yard but once a road trip of about 6 miles.

I have attached a couple of pictures.  If anyone would like to see anything in particular let me know and I will send a picture.  If you have questions I will answer them to the best of my ability.
 
If anyone is interested send me a message to rdavidstinson@gmail.com.

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Engine & Transmission / Original Breather & Filter
« on: September 17, 2014, 08:34:19 AM »
Are any of you guys running original engines using the original breather and copper pad filter media?

Do you feel that the original style media provides adequate protection for the engine?

If you are running something else, what are you using?

Thanks,
David

3
Other Things Simplex / Demonstrated Speeds With Original Drive Train
« on: September 03, 2014, 04:33:11 PM »
My 1958 Simplex has a speedometer that worked when I first started riding although it bounced around a lot.  On a recent road test it quit altogether.

Today I strapped my GPS on the handlebar and went for a ride.  On an uphill grade I got about 12 to 14 mph depending on the grade.  On relatively level ground I got up as high as 31 or 32 mph.  On a downhill grade I got as fast as 42 mph.

Based on a spreadsheet that I put together with the pitch diameters of the pulleys as best I could measure I would be turning about 1800 rpm’s at 32 mph.

Does anyone have any information regarding the running rpm’s of the 150 cc original engine or have any measured data to share?

4
Other Things Simplex / Purchased My Tag
« on: September 01, 2014, 01:54:35 PM »
I just purchased my tag so I can now ride my 1958 Simplex on the road.  I had a bill of sale from the seller, the title from the original purchase, and another title where it was transferred to another state.  Because it had never been registered in Georgia, I had to get a form and have a law enforcement officer come by and verify the VIN before I could get my tag.  When he came by and looked he was pretty adamant that the verification should be done using the number on the frame, which is different from the number on the motor.  After I pointed out that all previous paperwork referenced the motor number not the frame number he ran it under the motor number and it came back as not stolen.

Has anyone had an experience where your bike is registered under the frame number?  It seems odd to me that the bike would be registered under the engine, a component that you would expect may have been changed out over the last 56 years of use.

5
Wheels & Tires / Left Hand Fender Brace Hitting The Rear Wheel Drive Pulley
« on: August 14, 2014, 07:35:22 PM »
 I am looking for pictures showing the relationship of the rear fender braces and the cargo rack mounting brackets.  I just installed a new belt and put the braces on first, then the rack brackets.  I seem to have a clearance problem with the left fender brace and the pulley for the drive belt.  The fender braces look correct relative to the rack brackets so I'm not sure where I'm going wrong.  Can anyone point me in the right direction?  Any input is welcome.

For now I have installed some flat washers behind the complete brace and bracket stack.  I also noticed that my left brace hugs the wheel closer than the right hand brace making me think it may be on backwards.

Another day, something else to do.

6
Engine & Transmission / Drive Belts
« on: August 06, 2014, 04:59:42 AM »
My motorcycle is a 1958.  I was having some issues with belt slippage on the belt to the rear wheel.

Just want to share some information that I have learned while going through my clutch / transmission unit.  Mine has 2 bearings in it both being 6300 radial ball bearings available from any bearing supplier.  They are available from McMaster-Carr under part number 6661K121.  The idler pulley is machined aluminum and uses 1 each of the same bearing.  All three bearings had issues but the one in the idler was almost seized up.

My drive belt was worn to the point that it was seating all the way in the bottom of the drive pulley and slipping badly.

A suitable replacement for the long drive belt I have identified as a BX75, Gates number 90136075, also available from McMaster-Carr under their part number 6057K147.

I have not actually installed these items yet but will follow up to confirm that the belt is a fit.

What I need to know is has anyone identified the primary drive belt?  Mine appears to be the original with the original number.  I would prefer to have a new belt in hand prior to removing mine if possible.

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Frame, Tank, Seat, Controls, Etc / Throttle mechanism and cable
« on: July 22, 2014, 04:09:30 PM »
I have a 1958 Simplex with a non-working throttle.  I removed the grip and internal mechanism and found the cable is damaged.  It is similar in appearance and resistance to movement to a mower control cable, not free moving like the cable on my other motorcycle throttle.  Is this a design feature to allow throttle position to be maintained without holding it or should it return to the closed position when released?

Any input welcome.

8
Introductions / Simplex Automatic
« on: July 15, 2014, 05:25:06 AM »
Hello,

I had a Simplex Automatic frame that I bought from a junk yard for $8.00 when I was about 17 years old.  I put a Tecumseh engine on it and had way too much fun riding it on the country roads in my neighborhood.  It was push to start direct drive and drag your feet to stop.  After a while I dismantled it and probably sold it back for scrap to the same junk yard.  I have many fond memories of this time in my life and have thought about getting another one on several occasions.  I am currently looking at a bike and will potentially have it within a week.

I'm sure that I will have questions for some of you guys with more knowledge of these fine examples of American history.

Thanks,
David

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