BO15 ITZARAT - 1928 Schwinn Motorbike (WALK-AROUND + RIDE VIDEO!!!)

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Hey RRB builders...

I have been into bikes for longer than I'd like to admit, and have been admiring the entries of the RRB build-offs for many years. Such talent here, especially with the scratch builds. As many of us are building bikes during this pandemic, I thought I would enter mine into Class 1 - my first but not last build off. It is fun to be involved, to be a part of this!

This is a 1928 Schwinn Motorbike I am building with a couple of Rat Rod twists, shown are a few early progress photos taken today. The 28" clad wooden wheels (shown) are being swapped out with aluminum Velocity Blunt 35's that will be laced with double-butted SS spokes, a Nexus 3-speed with a skip tooth in the rear, and a Sturmey Archer drum in the front.

Still need to dial in the wheels, making head and tail light mounts, wiring LED lighting with Lipo power, Woodys compound curve wooden fender mounts, some pin striping and shifter set-up. Parts are coming together finally.

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Killer bike, parts, and ideas.
Welcome to the fun.
I especially like the battery tube made from a car tag. That gives me an idea for future use with a cool beat up tag that I got from Bali on vacation.
 
Ooooooooh, I'm liking this. I'm ratrodding a Pope 1893 ladies safety and have a solid lead on a 1928 Liberty/Schwinn diamond frame. Ancient steel brings its own kind of cool.
 
Killer bike, parts, and ideas.
Welcome to the fun.
I especially like the battery tube made from a car tag. That gives me an idea for future use with a cool beat up tag that I got from Bali on vacation.

Thanks for the nod! Mike
 
Ooooooooh, I'm liking this. I'm ratrodding a Pope 1893 ladies safety and have a solid lead on a 1928 Liberty/Schwinn diamond frame. Ancient steel brings its own kind of cool.

Cool thanks! I agree!
 
White, coke bottle jeweled grips were added today that will match the tires, also was playing with placement for the sweet Boxkars 3 speed Nexus shifter that came in the mail today. I may move it to a few different places before I'm through...

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Welcome to the best vintage custom rat rod bike site on the internet! Cool project you have in the works~!
Couple of q's; is that an actual battery tube underneath the license plate? What was your process for wrapping that? And what are 'Lipo powered' LED lights?
RaT oN~!
 
Welcome to the best vintage custom rat rod bike site on the internet! Cool project you have in the works~!
Couple of q's; is that an actual battery tube underneath the license plate? What was your process for wrapping that? And what are 'Lipo powered' LED lights?
RaT oN~!

Thanks for the kind words, I agree! Much coolness here on this site for sure.
  • Yes, it is a repro "6v" battery can, the type that accepted the old dry cells. There is a seller on eBay who sells what look like 6v batteries, but they are configured to put modern D-cells inside, with the idea of putting the whole unit in the battery can, a cool idea but you are still running a 3v bulb. Not very bright.

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  • I am doing a bit of an experiment (for me) with trying out LED lighting with Lipo batteries. It has been done (hacked) before by guys on road bikes, but they usually run their lights and have a Lipo battery in a backpack, with wires running into it, I am gonna have the Lipo battery in the can. Slick, LED lights exist for modern bicycles (using rechargeable Ni-cad batteries and other off the shelf batteries, and for motorcycles running a 12v system, but I am trying to wire up 12v LEDs and run them off of a Lipo (Lithium-ion polymer - shown) battery that are commonly used in Radio control cars and airplanes. They come in different configurations, one with an output of 11.1 volts, are compact and perfect for running 12v LEDs. There are pros and cons; Lipos can be very dangerous if overcharged, you need a special charger and have to learn how to balance cells during charging, but you can ride every other night for weeks or even months without a recharge - with very bright lights.
  • I will expand on the process here or maybe do another thread when I get into wiring the lights, and share what I have learned...

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- I just started rough forming by hand and then used a urethane-tipped hammer and slowly formed the license plate around something solid with a similar diameter after making a couple of cuts with some tin snips. The old plate just happened to be the same length. Still needs a little more attention on some stubborn flat spots, as some parts of the plate bend more easily than others.

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More to come...
 
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Great goodies there! Love the grips and always wanted a Boxcars shifter. I like the contrast of that modern stick shift on that classic frame.
Cool faux batteries too.
 
Got some "modern" fender stay mounts in the mail today, one more box checked off. Now I can adjust and trim off the excess.

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Never seen those before.
 
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