So we nailed down the general outline of the project in the previous post. Now, getting to the details. I've been all about simplicity lately, and my goal in this project has become more and more "keep it simple." I love the fact that the engine of this bike is a kick-start-only, single cylinder, air cooled, SOHC 25 horsepower engine. It doesn't get any simpler than that! (although I know there's more performance available... Racing versions are making 50-55 HP! That's good for about 125mph)
So, now for the rest of the bike. I like the old boardtrack racers from the 'teens to early 1920's and wanted to use that style and appearance for my project. Check these out:
 |
| 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer |
 |
| Indian Board Track Racer |
Notice there's no suspension. (or brakes, or transmissions for that matter) I love the skinny tires, brazed-lug frame construction, simplicity, etc. These were ridden flat out on wooden tracks back in the day. Some racers lost their lives, and it became a very popular spectator sport due to the danger involved. It didn't last too long however. The bikes still remain some of the greatest racing machines in motorcycling (in my opinion anyway)
So back to my project... kinda
My friend Dave Moore and I used to go cycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday mornings. There are some places where hitting 40 miles per hour (on road bicycles!) happens fairly easily, and because the Parkway has near-perfect asphalt, it's not too scary. Now, my bicycle is a Cannondale and it's made out of huge-diameter aluminum tubing. This makes it very rigid. The tires I roll on are 22mm wide and are run at 105 psi. This means that if I run over a bug, I feel it.
So who cares?!?!
I figured that if going 40 mph on my roadbike felt fine, then a fully rigid motorcycle going 45-50 on that same smooth asphalt would be ok too.
So it's final then...
A fully-rigid 25 horsepower motorcycle purpose built for the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding curvy roads it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment