Hello everyone. glad to see this site is back. i won't have to use the wayback machine to get my Servi-cycle fix. I saw a Simplex Servi-cycle for my first time at a swap meet in Oley Pa. probably 25 years ago and was in awe. but I've never had the opportunity or funds to purchase one.
i'm 62 now. My small bike love started many years ago. My first "motorbike" was a 24" bicycle that i cobbled a 3-1/2 HP Briggs & Stratton self propelled lawmower engine on to it. It was maybe the summer of 1976 or 77 when i was 13 of 14. The self propelled of the time had a 9 to 1 cam driven worm drive shaft sticking out the side of the block with a 9 or 11 tooth sprocket on it. It was held to the frame with one bolt through an existing mounting hole for the motor, and multiple coat hangers wired to the shroud bolts strung up to the seat post and several more to the head tube of the frame. original mower throttle was attached to the seat post. the entire motor stuck out on the side of the frame, but i didn't affect the balance of things once it was moving. Even though it was held on with coat hangers, it was actually pretty secure.
Direct drive to a 3 speed wheel with the twist grip shifter. Tilting the bike on the kickstand to lift the rear tire off of the ground, pull the cord to start it, left idling, i could drop it off the kickstand and walk beside it and hop on. throttle up and go. I knew from riding a friends CT90 that without eye protection, you were ok at 35mph, but 45mph would make your eyes water. My homemade motorbike would make your eyes water, and the tire balance/untrue wheel combo would make your teeth chatter at speed. I sheared several sprocket roll pins, I found a hardened concrete nail wouldn't shear, but then i broke several case halves where the shaft came through. Also destroyed the 2nd, 3rd gears in the wheel, but 1st still worked, so i then had a "neutral". so i could do neutral drop burnouts until the spokes got so loose that the wheel rubbed the frame. So then I put a 20" 5 speed wheel on it with a derailleur. That was great, until a corn stalk wrapped in the chain and ripped it the whole way up to the engine. The final iteration was a single speed coaster brake wheel. ran it until the spokes started popping. then i got my first minibike at a yard sale for $20. had it running the next day.
I've owned many motorcycles since then. Still have a 63 FLH and an old Sportster, but my favorite bike to ride is my white 1966 Honda 90cc CM91. I've done some upgrades to it. 4 speed gears, S90 cam and bigger S90 carb, and I designed and cast my own intake to run the larger carb. I"ve had it over 60mph, but it's happy at 50. Before it struggled to maintain 43.
Since I've never had the chance to own a Servi-cycle, I've decided to fabricate one...but in1/4th or 1/5th scale as a display model.
Years ago I had downloaded "blueprints" of a Servi-cycle that was several pages with dimensions, but I've lost them somewhere along the way. I've spent a bit of time on the site here but haven't found them. I was hoping someone here could help me in my search of them.
Thanks, Blaine
