it's easier...

to move this one around the work shop

Wheels done!

Got my wheels back today, the standard Honda hubs laced to 21" rims. We have rigged the brakes up and everything works just lovely. Hopefully the tyres should be with us tomorrow so we can get it rolling!

more done

Made a little electrical box and mounted all the electric components in there, mounted the brake pedal and battery. Hopefully get my wheels tonight!

getting there

So Ive sent the honda hubs off to be rebuilt with 21" rims, in the meantime I have the front wheel out of my bike propping things up.

We made a steel tank, cut the bars down a little and mounted the seat.. so now you can sit on and it feels pretty cool, that exhaust is just the stock down pipe with an 8" piece welded on the . not sure what I'm going to put on the end yet.. I kinda like it like it is.

The standard honda footpegs bolt onto the bottom of the motor which is fantastic, we've put some Ariel rubbers on there for the moment.

It looks like we canuse most of the original Honda cables which is also a bit of good news.. they took a bit of modifying to fit but we have a working throttle and clutch.

Tank now has a filler cap and petrol tap, The headlight is half mounted and I think that the whole thing has pulled together a bit better now, it looks more in proportion.

So what's next? I need to make somewhere to house all the electrics and a battery and I need my wheels back so I can mount the mudguards.

pretty chuffed with the way it's going now

big wheels

so I'm feeling a bit happier about the whole thing today, I nicked acouple of 21" wheels out of some other bikes and mocked them up, that void for the tank was throwing my eye out so a carboard one was hastily put together to give the bike some solidity and now the bike is starting to form. I think the 21's have saved the day

I even like that front tyre tread!

So, it's just that rake now, half of me is thinking it isnt a replica of anything and with a little more rake it looks a bit sleeker, and the other half of me thinks it's got to come right in

plus although I can derake it easily we have already made a fixed jig so that's a bit of a bugger.

also think those bars are wrong, way to wide.

inspiration

and now I keep comming back to this bike and thinking how great it looks

My Racer

I built this Racer a few years back, once again this had a 30 degree which I was never totally happy with but it worked, plus with using the springers it didn't look bad.

The girders on the 125 give the impression of more rake and I think that's what's playing with my mind.

This racer also ran 21" front and back. I think this is what we need on the 125.

and then...

I put the roller together and mocked up some parts and got really dissapointed.

here's where I'm at, we set the rake to 30 degrees which should make the bike handle well which was the initial aim, this bike is meant to be a useable bike but in my honest opinion it just looks wrong... terribly wrong.

so, yes, i can bring the rake in a considerable amount and cure the aesthetics, that will tuck the front wheel in tighter to the frame and make the whole bike tighter and give the look of a twenties bike, that's what I set out to build but is Joe Public going to be happy riding around on a tight raked bike with quick steering? will they even notice the rake?

Do I leave it as it is?

it's always going to be difficult to make it look right with the little motor and wheels.. the motor I can live with.. this isn't a replica.. it is a bike with the feel of a veteran motorcycle.

But this brings me on to the wheels... on the plus side, the little honda comes with 18" wheels as stock, they will work well and the bike will handle well, plus there is a multitude of tyres available for 18" wheels, I already have the tyres in the shop.

keeping hold of the 18" wheels will keep the initial build cost down and therefore keep the retail price of the bike down.

but do I like them now the bike is rolling? NO, I don't. they look tiny, yes they would look better with the older pattern tyres I have.

some clincher rims would be ideal but the cost and the idea of running 28" button tread tyres on todays road is a bit too iffy.

what would I do? I would relace the wheel hubs to 21" inches and run some really cool vintage tyres.

but what are the options for 21" rear tyres? pretty non exisitent which means running two front tyres, this is something I'd be happy to do, I've done it with no issues.

granted, I wouldn't want to be running down the motorway on skinny 21's front and back but that's not what this bike is about.

and of course, rebuilt wheels cost money.. and how much can we ask for the completed bike?

so I am having a dilema, am I being anal about the whole thing? I'm used to building bikes that have to look and work perfectly and this is a whole different ball game.

do I have to be in love with the final product? does it have to be perfect in my eyes? or does it have to just be a useable bike sticking to the original aim?

could I finish the bike as it is? yes I could, maybe I would still derake it though.

would I be proud of the fnished bike with the current lines? no I don't think I would.

does it really matter what I think? oh, I don't know.

Started off well today

well, today started off well, the new headstock stem works a treat with the 1" taper roller bearings and now the forks fit perfectly to our headstock.

colour choices

i've been having a bit of a think about colours.

The main frame, forks,wheels and mudguards are going to be black.

maybe a bit of nickle plating here and there.

I'm liking this green for the tank but I'm sure that will change at some point

Frame

So I went to check on the frame today, it seems a little has been lost in translation but nothing that can't be turned around,

with the engine being so small it has been difficult to design a proportional frame.

the back end was a little too long so we are going to shorten it by 2".

The top tube was meant to be horizontal so that is going to be dropped down level and the tube below will be dropped by 2" too, hopefully that should bring everything in tighter and get the look we are going for.... Reg's workshop is so small i couldn't get a side on shot. we are getting there though, exciting stuff to see it on wheels!

bits and bobs

forks

Telescopic forks just wouldn't do.

Girder forks are beautiful pieces of engineering, mechanical and functional.

The ones we are going to be for now are replica Triumph forks although we may look at making out own in the future.

With a carefull bit of preplanning we worked out our measurements so that we knew in advance that the Honda wheel would slot straight in... actually it was a complete fluke but the wheel fits just perfectly, we will need to shorten the axle, make some new spacers and weld on an anchor block for the
brake but all in all it's a good start.

Beating Heart

so we got the donor bike ( last post) and decided what we needed for the Victor ( working title)

well for starters we needed the wheels and brakes, lovely 18" rims, plenty of tyres coice there.

but most importantly we needed the motor. so out it came.

when we picked the bike up we rolled it into the shop and I gave it a kick... I say kick, more of a tickle, after kicking over old Harleys for the past fifteen years it was amazing to gently push the kicker down on the little Honda and here it burst into life and gently tick over.

With the motor out I couldn't believe how light it was and it's a pretty little lump and looks like an engine should, with a little attention to detail I think this is going to be a great looking little power plant.

what motor are we using?

we have been looking at various motors, remember this is not a replica vintage bike, it is a modern bike with the 'feel' of a vintage bike, check out the Black Douglas, a 2001 Harley Davidson Sportster engine in a classicly styled chassis, works well doesn't it?

So, what are we using for our bike? and why?

a Honda CG 125 of course.

a brilliantly reliable little motor that has been around in one form or another for a number of years, a favourite for commuting, a single cylinder engine that is easily maintained and wil last for ever, cheap to run, kick and electric start and there will never be any problems getting service or replacement parts.

plus, the CG has drums front and back, plenty of stopping power for a lightweight little bike and disc brakes just don't figure in our plans.

A motorcycle for the masses

So, what are we doing?

we are building a prototype small cc motorcycle that will be made available to everyone, a commuter, a sunday fun bike and a motorcycle to care for and be proud of.

but those loads of those about isn't there? those little scooters all the kids ride? they are small cc commuters aren't they?

yep, they are but they are also tasteless, cheap and plastic, badly constructed and most importantly have no soul.

mechanical engineering got pushed aside for injection molded plastic parts, stylish flowing items got exchanged for cheap mass production pieces cast from left over aluminium and the bikes became throw away items.

we want to build a motorcycle that harks back to the golden age of vehicle design.

so are we building replica vintage bikes?

No, we are building a modern interpretation of an pre 30's bike, vintage bikes are beautiful but we want our bike to be useable, for the general public a bike that anyone can own, not a bike that takes constant tinkering.

this isn't going to be a show standard custom bike with everysingle part being hand made either, we want to keep this bike affordable, a beautifully style machine that has ease of operation.

Affordable

Reliable

Easy to operate

Beautiful and stylish

This Norton is part of our inspiration, for sure, this one has been used at it should be and it has aged gracefully... ours will be new and clean just as this norton would have been straight from the factory.