Simplex 5 speed build

[ndian22]

Pete I took your suggestion and dropped the bars about 4" & the bike seemed much more manageable on my short ride this afternoon. It was difficult not to let her run a bit, but the first three gears are indeed impressive. A UK rider shared his organized racing experiences riding a CG 125. His reflections centered on the excellent low end power generated by the small engine & it would seem he is correct. I'd hoped to build a moto that excelled at a slow pace but could also pull quickly to cross highways & not impede traffic at stop signs. Think I can check off on those as done deals.

Carry all half moon on the chain guard it will be, thanks for the input. I think it will look just right.  Rick C.

[carryall]

You as the artist/creator deserve all the credit due.  I just tossed out an idea.  The same/similar design may even work for the other sides chain guard possibly, if so inclined?  So many options when you combine the black & copper/brass elements your incorporating...Brazing rod is nice to use also.  It welds, solders, silver solders so well, and comes in many different thickness's too. 

[ndian22]

The brazing rod I used on the exhaust is Harris phos-copper silver...great rod. Have to use a lot of heat... acet. torch a must, coupled with patience. It runs beautifully with the correct amount (a lot) of heat & large heavy piece of copper really absorbs the heat, but will get ugly & bubble gum if you don't use good technique.

I have a sheet of 20 gauge brass which I will eventually form into accents for  the copper. I too have a hard time switching off a build sometimes starting another one will wean me off a current project, but not always. One of my passions is art and I paint and draw, usually wildlife, and I've the same problem with a painting. When is it complete? I came up with what I call wildlife selfie,lol.  Rick C.   

[ndian22]

Downward angle of the handle bars matches the angle of the top frame tubes as well as improving control. Of course that one simple adjustment dictated that mirrors, clutch and brake levers had to be changed as well. I also repressed the stem tube races & installed a different set of bearings. I didn't trust the top bearing as I had installed it upside down on one of the previous assemblies. Bottom line it felt right just pushing it across the shop floor and this afternoon's ride proved that it indeed takes rider input much better and smiles are in order.

Wasted most of the morning on an idea that wasn't that great to begin with, but the day turned out well in spite of myself lol. I'm getting a little road dust on the Gator though & that's a good thing. Rick C.

[ndian22]

Couple of todays photos.

[pd]

Starting to look a bit more like a rider .

Pete ..

[carryall]

Pretty cool.   The exhaust following the frame angle looks really good.  Be curious to see what "detailing" you may add, in time (IF you decide to add things like chain guards, fender(s), etc...) 

[ndian22]

Thanks guys I'm getting to the point that it's ride and discover, adjust & tighten etc. mundane but necessary. One off builds take some time to sort out. No major issues now that I found the top headset bearing was upside down. Old guy messed up. Ride is the best of all my bikes, long wheelbase, larger tires, saddle air shock all contribute to this.

GPS recorded 50 mph briefly yesterday. I don't recall feeling I was doing more than 40 at any given time. I'm running a 54 tooth rear sprocket & 1 st. gear isn't really necessary. 2nd. gear will easily "pull the wheel" and I suspect so would 3rd.  There is a noticeable gap going to 4th. which is common in MC gear boxes but I "lugged" it at what I estimated to be 30 mph without any bucking & it pulls smoothly from that speed upwards. I feature 5th. to be a non factor while running bicycle tires at this point.  The motor is easy starting, and the Harley clamp motor mounts are super. Other than the typical chain drive sound it runs up through the gears vibration free. It's super stable in straight line & balances well. I'm confident now in the turns as well. Power to weight ratio of under 10 to 1. 115 pound bike weight (wet) and 175 lb. rider. It's pretty quick & lively!

The braking with the 160 mm rotor and SRAM caliper is quite good. Didn't quite know what to expect from the disk brake combined with the Sunlite springer fork working with the aggressive rake angle of the Simplex head. Those things and the increased weight of the bike were questions going in, but seem to not be an issue at this point.

Carryall I will add a motor side chain guard, but never fenders...it's a style thing with me I want a board track/flat track look on this build...so minimal is the maxim. There will be style elements added, mainly in brass, but with a 9 day forecast in the 60 & 70 degree range I'm all about riding and adjusting at this point.  (can't wipe it off my face)

[ndian22]

Did a bunch of small things today and then took a one hour ride, didn't intend to but it was a perfect 77 degrees Feb. day with only a slight breeze. On return I found no problems and the ride itself was flawless. I found myself staying in second & third the majority of the ride. This bike is a pleasure to ride at low speeds, never wants to buck...just idles along. Also the exhaust isn't real loud till it revs a bit, which I'm thankful for. Looking at riding again tomorrow as the forecast is for continued good weather, unseasonably warm. Rick C.

[carryall]

Considering the H.P. to weight ratio, and the 26" or 27" tires, I'll bet it'd "go" over 80mph in 5th if you wanted to hold on to it. (that's about tops of what my GY150 enduro did with its on/off road rear sprocket)  What kind of "normal speeds" do you envision using it for?  Are you thinking of doing "highway speeds" on it occasionally?  (55-70mph)  Only reason I'm asking is because I was curious if you had considered changing the gear ratio (rear sprocket is easiest) to make full use of the engines rpm range and all 5 gears.  On the other hand, I doubt there's a "record speed" at Bonneville on a modified Servicycle yet?  (hint, hint...worlds fastest ndian22 LOL)  (BTW, one of the "guys" on another forum I belong to, got his license and was accepted to participate/race in the Isle of Mann race this year, and attends the  orientation in 3 weeks.  

[ndian22]

What an adventure to run at such a storied event! God speed & a lot of it.

Rear tire stands right at 28" & I have several final drive sprockets on hand which fit; a 36 tooth, 44, 48 & the 56 tooth which is currently mounted.The 36 is extremely tall & would quite likely be a detriment to reaching high speeds in 5th. gear. As my racing days are behind me it's all academic. Highway speeds with DOT rated Cokers on Workman wheels mounted should be easy to  achieve with the current gearing, as I nudged a bit over sixty, GPS recorded, yesterday in 4th. (the engine had plenty of power left in that gear) in a very quick run up to check stability at higher speed & the bike felt solid and very smooth. Cruising at 70 wouldn't seem a problem at this point except for my using non-rated rubber. I don't feature riding on the highways much, except where access to a destination dictates. Just a few miles at a time & not often.

My use of the 56 tooth would seem my best option with the selection of sprockets I have on hand & for the type of riding I'll be enjoying at speeds under 40 mph. To use 5th. much at all I'd probably need to go for a 64 tooth rear & they look a bit funky when mounted. I did ride some in 5th. today at what I'd estimate at 45 mph & it was fine but would take a lot of time to reach 55 mph, say, by just turning the throttle Dropping to 4th I'd quickly get back on cam for acceleration, but I don't feature riding much in 5th at those low speeds.

I'm a tinkerer so who knows to what purpose I'll turn the Gator, but with all my moto bicycles I'm pretty content at the speed limit or under. World's fastest Indian, Burt did that and had the T-shirt, I'm just the Old guy having fun!

I've heard veteran land speed record chasers comment that a motorcycle capable of 100 mph on hard surface would have difficulty averaging 80 mph on salt...kinda puts LSR in a different perspective.   Enjoy the weekend!  Rick C.

[carryall]

I was just curious.  It actually sounds like your gearing isn't "off" by too much at all, if you consider/use 5th as just an "overdrive" for the occasional (smooth & well maintained) highway jaunt then.  The other option (as you know) is "dropping a tooth" on the engines drive sprocket, which is equal to adding approx. 3-4 teeth to the rear.  I've restored/altered some of the earlier Hondas (C100 series) which had dual rear sprockets (C105) to make them more "practical".  And of course, when I was young(er), I couldn't keep a front tire on the ground on a bike. LOL   

[ndian22]

Lowering the gearing to improve tractability in 4th. and especially 5th. will render 1st. useless, as it is now a 30 foot and shift catapult. Many 5 speed transmissions, especially on small displacement engines have a large gap between 4th. & 5th. for the overdrive effect for highway speeds while lowering the engine wear and fuel consumption, but the manufacturers also add speed rated tires and more robust wheels which is the answer to good utilization of all 5 speeds. Which will probably be what I do if I decide to register and tag it as a moped or if I find myself wanting to know how fast it will actually go. At any rate I'll want to use the Coker tires on 26"x 2" Workman wheels to preserve the early moto-bicycle look that I favor.

So you liked to pretend you could ride a uni-cycle too? I was king of the parking lot on a 125 cc Bultaco trials bike. Good times!! Rick C.

 

[ndian22]

Had some serious fun riding today. Before leaving the shop I fabricated a temporary aluminum shift knob extension 1.5" longer which I can now easily reach from the pedal. Adding pedals to the Simplex created a lot of problems that had to be overcome and hopefully this is the answer to the last of them, if so I'll make a permanent shift lever with altered dimensions. The ride took about 2 hours & was uneventful...pure fun.

Starting  the Gator is easy, but again a pedal comes into play. Open petcock, choke, find compression & fire with a light kick while standing by the bikes side. The right pedal is first rotated to the 12 o'clock position before the kick start which allows the start lever full travel without pedal interference and start lever is returned to it's home position after starting. Took me a few starts to get used to the procedure, but now is no problem at all.

Shifting from the left pedal is accomplish with the pedal in a 6 o'clock rotational position, took getting used to, but with the longer shift knob it's quite easy, just somewhat different.

Rear braking is via coaster brake, so the pedal chain becomes the "linkage" that controls rear braking. Braking is actively engaged by either foot "back pedaling" but because shifting is accomplished from the left side with the pedal at 6 o'clock, I find braking to be easier for me from the right pedal lever. Getting used to the controls isn't difficult just different. The front disc brake & springer fork have worked great to this point, but I haven't panicked tested them as of yet.

Really just having fun with the Copper Gator & as long as the weather stays nice I'm putting off further changes for now, just riding and smiling a lot! I'll attempt some photos outside & away from the shop for a change of setting & due to greatly increased mobility.  Rick C.

[ndian22]

Did some riding that involved a lot of hills and twisty sections and found myself using first gear a lot, not so much for acceleration but for the great engine compression braking that both 1st. & 2nd. gear provides. Brake balance between front and rear is really quite good when compression, proper gear selection and rear coaster are applied in combination with the front disc and stopping distance from 40 mph is pretty impressive. Rick C.