Apes and bananas

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Since I was bored, I decided to build another bike. Took me a while to find something I liked, but there it is.
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I love the bent springer forks, but I wanted to make one instead of just buy it. Also by making it you learn stuff... (plus, they are harder to get by here in the netherlands).
I started with cutting up the fork
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And adding some stuff again
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Then I bent some tubing to get a mock up version of the fork
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add some dropouts
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and check the stance/lines
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The seat tube was a bit too long imho, so I cut it a bit shorter, bent/cut the seat stays and welded everything back together
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What I still need to do:
-Clean up that weld :)
-Finish the fork (find a spring, spacers and making the bracket that holds the spring)
-Ape hangers (easiest is buying, but is there a (good) way to make em?)
-Banana seat (using an old skateboard, padding and a cover)
-And the rest (paintjob, crankset etc)
 
Just a little photoshop mockup of what I think it should look like, for as far as the model goes, not the colours...

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Couldn't do too much the last days, but I cleaned the weld, and had to do some rewelding too, because I grinded through the tubing
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And the keeper of the workshop had some springs for me. I started on the bracket, but I probably have to redo it since it got messed up bigtime...
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Still curious for advice and opinions ;)
 
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Colour mockup of what I think it should look like when done
 
I made the bracket again, looks a lot cleaner now
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Also I made the other bracket, which goes on the other side of the springs. I'm gonna plug the fork tubes with some iron bar, and drill holes into them, so I can just bolt the bracket on.
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Gonna make it look prettier, don't worry ;)
 
Allright, got to do the final parts. It's now put together, but still needs some finishing touches (nuts n bolts, washers)

First drilled and fancied up the U shaped bracket
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I made 2 plugs which fitted the end of the fork, welded 'em in and drilled holes to tap m8 thread into, these were to bolt the bracket to the fork. I forgot to make picture of the process, but here it is all together:
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Next, buying ape hangers (40cm) and making a banana seat.
 
Again, that is an awesome homemade springer fork! Why buy when you can make it yourself?!? Is that a pugeot frame?
 
Thanks guys, Im not quite sure about the frame, but I think its something else but Ill check it this week.
Im going to order 40cm high ape hangers at chopperdome in amsterdam (check their website) because its the only dutch shop for as far as I know where I can get high ape hangers.
 
Allright, got to some small things today.
I made the trussrods, which are going to give the fork a bit more strength, I didn't quite trust it yet.
I made em out of an old fender bracket and some metal pipe

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I slided the old parts into the pipe, but I haven't welded em yet

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and thats what it looks like

I've been searching some ape hangers, and I found the perfect ones at an online bikeshop, but he ran out of em and can't order new ones. Still searching therefore, I just might have to visit Amsterdam for em. Also a classmate has an old skateboard for me, for the banana seat. But since I got a week off of school, I can't start on the seat until monday the 21st...
 
I finally got the skateboard today so I started on the banana seat.

I first took off the griptape and sawed off the broken end.
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Then I cut out a shape in paper and transferred it onto the wood
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Which I then cut into shape
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Couldn't do more yet. Tomorrow I'm going to buy some bolts so I can testfit and start on the sissybar. Last week thrusday I went to chopperdome for apehangers. I found one I like and after payment they'll send em to me. Chrome bars (+/-40cm)
 
I thought the seat was too wide, so I started the day by maken it narrower. Took the measurements off of a genuine bananaseat. After that I started fabricating the sissybar. Same tubing size as the truss rods to get some repetition within the materials. Sissybar is connected to the rear dropouts, but not yet to the seat. Gonna do that tomorrow, and I hope the steer will arrive tomorrow to :D

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