The Dynar...Dragonfly

[jwm]

Like most bicycle projects, this one started out with a small idea. I was thinking of changing a few things on my Dyno, and how cool that Felt fork would look on the old cruiser. That small idea grew to Godzilla like proportions, and ravaged though my brain space (and bank account) like the Lizard King attacking Tokyo.-

But, of course, it always ends up being about far more than just fixing up some old bike. There's a lot of life going on right now, and sometimes a good diversion is like a rock in the rapids; it gives you something to hang on to so you don't lose your footing in the current. Having a concept catch fire in your head, Creating something new, twisting some wrench, seeing a project through, and having something wicked cool to show for your effort- right now that's medicine.


I bought the Dyno Moto 7 for myself as a birthday present (with ulterior motives) back in '99, and I've had a love/hate thing going with the bike ever since. The motive was the same ulterior that motivates 90% of any guy's thinking. I wanted to get a chick. You see, she was working at a frame shop, and we used to talk when I went there to do business. After a while the store owner started inviting me along when she and Mary, and her friends went out for wine. We talked more. Mary had a bicycle. Would I like to go riding some time?
I had given my last rider, a GT Mountain bike, to my brother. My classics were all crated up. Some woman I'm interested in wants to go riding. I had a birthday coming, and a few extra bucks.
TIME TO BUY A NEW BICYCLE FRESH OFF THE SHOWROOM FLOOR!

So I paid a visit to my local bike shop. I wanted something a little different than anything I'd had before. I spotted the Moto 7.
I guess the Moto 7 was Dyno's attempt to appeal to the klunker market- a retro style frame with low bars, a mountain bike seat, and off-road tires. It looked cool as heck on the floor.
I loved the way the bike rode, and the internal seven speed hub was just about the coolest thing of all time- enough speeds to make a difference, and no ugly derailleur. But it didn't take long to get tired of the butt splitter seat, and dirt bike handlebars. That's a great set up for performance riding, but the bike always felt like it would really rather cruise. There was soul in the machine, but it was wearing all the wrong stuff. Like inviting a girl out to dinner, and she shows up dressed to go rock climbing. I finally got tired of the dirt bike set-up, and put on the semi apes, and the fat Bontrager saddle a few years back. This improved the ride immensely, but the high bars and bulbous seat don't complement the lines of the frame, and they give the bike kind of a chopper vibe. I've never been completely happy with the way it looks.

Wee the cat helps out.

The Moto frame is a slightly taller likeness of the one used on the old Monark/Firestone Supercruiser DX from the 1940's and 50's. Here's Axsepul's excellent restoration of a full dress Monark:

I want to emphasize the Monark roots of the Moto design, so I'm restyling it as a roadster. Basically, the bike will resemble a Supercruiser DX all stripped down to the bones. Sort of like this very cool rat belonging to benz:

But simple, old school style is not enough. This bike is going to be a serious rider. It's going to be my daily cruiser, the bike I take out for those thirty and forty mile expeditions. So I'm going to change out a few things. I'm looking at a sealed bearing headset, and bottom bracket, a new fork, new wheel set (8-speed internal with coaster brake, sealed bearing front hub), new saddle, bars, and grips. Other than that, I'm going to leave the bike just as it is. Except for the paint. I'm still undecided about the color. Thing is- I want the bike to look clean, but I want to keep it low key. I don't want another bike that draws a lot of attention. It should be sort of a stealth cruiser- a Rat Rodder would spot it a mile away, but it will be just another beach bike to the untrained eye. So here's the plan:

The next step is getting all the stuff. Here's where the project went way over budget, and I went for it anyway. But I'll bet I'm the only one here who has ever done that.

to be continued...

JWM

 

[Jake Sensi]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project

GET TA BUILDIN'!! PEACE

 

[Fireproof]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project

Cool project JWM! 8)
Are you changing the hub simply to get the coaster brake? What do you plan to do with yer shifter? (I know you are able to create yer own!) :wink:

 

[jwm]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project

Cool project JWM! 8)
Are you changing the hub simply to get the coaster brake? What do you plan to do with yer shifter? (I know you are able to create yer own!) :wink:

Thanks, Fireproof!
The new Nexus hub kills three birds with one stone. It lets me eliminate the brake levers, and all but one cable, plus gives me an extra speed to boot. (That way I can go reeeel fast!) I was going to do something trick with the shifter, but after giving it some thought I'm just going to use it as-is. It's pretty hard to top a twist grip for easy, and clean, and job one for this bike is 'rider'. I noticed a couple of guys at the Cyclone Coasters ride today who have installed the same hub on their bikes. What's funny is that I've seen the bikes quite a few times before, and only today did I spot the 8-speed hubs. Even on a vintage bike it's almost un-noticeable.

JWM

 

[jwm]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project part two

Part Two
Parts and Patience.

As I said before this project started out with just the germ of an idea. I saw the Felt Abraham Linkage fork, and I thought it would look right on the Moto 7. But the fork was sold out on their website. I thought about the re-pop Monark forks as well, but I've heard too many bad stories about the re-pops. At any rate, fixing up the Moto was not really high on my list of priorities.
Then I clicked on the Felt site. The fork was available. Impulse tackled me, and I bought it on the spot. From that point forward, the project was on. That was the first week of September. It's the third of October as I sit writing this, and I'm still waiting for a few parts to come trickling in. Here's the bike with all the stuff taken off. There wasn't much left:

And here's the new stuff that's going on the bike:

I'm still waiting for a seat post shim, a new bottom bracket, and the front hub. I should have it all by the end of the week. In the mean time I just got back from taking the frame and cranks in for powder coating, and dropping off the rims and hubs at La Habra Cyclery.
It's kind of a kick walking in to that shop. My history with La Habra Schwinn (now La Habra Cyclery) goes back before when most of the staff there was born. We moved to California in 1963. Our first rented house was right around the corner from La Habra Schwinn. I used to hang out there lusting after a coppertone Stingray Deluxe, but all I could ever afford to buy were some clear red grips, and skull decals for my '61 Evans. The shop moved to where it sits today. I bought my first Schwinn bike - a black Spitfire there in '77. Now, of course, there are no more Schwinns, but the shop is still there, and they do good work.

So anyway- the Dyno is all in pieces, and the pieces are scattered to the four winds. With a little luck the wheels, and frame will be done by the end of the week, and I'll begin putting it all together. With a Little luck.

JWM

 

[blackdiamond]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project part two

i like the bars you took off

 

[jwm]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project part two

Part Three:

Wednesday, rain, and the final e-mail from Niagra Cycle has arrived. They're shipping my seat post shim, and it should be here next week. So here's a few notes on the project so far.
I've done a lot of shopping for old stock Schwinn stuff on e-bay, and I've had good luck with all my buys, especially through Schwinnstore, and Bicyclebones. But I was shopping for new-in-the-box parts, so for the first time, I used Amazon. To the good- everything arrived exactly in the window of time they said it would. It's a little odd placing one order, and having it shipped out by three different vendors, though. I also used Niagra cycle works. They have everything on earth, but they're slow. It takes a week to get an order processed. Anyway-
This part of the project- THE WAITING has officially begun.

100% of everything is either here, or confirmed on the way. Here's where I lose it, and go all ten year old, two weeks before Christmas. Time has slowed to a crawl. Every ring of the telephone MUST be from LaHabra Cycle telling me the wheels are done, or from Porter Powder Coating telling me to pick up the frame (In my super secret-one-of-a-kind, never seen before, color scheme).
They do bikes at Porter. The owner showed me several racks of competition team-only BMX frames. (It's driving me nuts, but I can't remember who the frames were for.) The finish was all kinds of cool. They TIG welded polished tube frames, and left the blue and brown weld burns just as they are. Then Porter put this clear bronze powdercoat over the naked metal frame. Looks very industrial/steam punk. When I pick up the Moto frame I'll see if I can get a picture. But still there is the WAIT.

Oh, yeah- When I started this out I mentioned that I had originally bought the Dyno so I could go riding with this gal I knew. We did go riding. She had a Trek 26" road bike, so it was kind of hard for us to stay together. We managed OK. The ride was in August, and we got married the following April. That was eleven years ago. Now she rides a '65 Starlet.
The stupid thing was, though- I gave the Dyno away a few years ago, and bought the most embarrassing bicycle I've ever owned. I didn't expect to see the Moto 7 in rideable condition ever again.
But I'll get to that later. It's still Wednsday, right?

JWM

 

[jwm]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project complete!

Some guys post pictures of the re-build in progress. Not me. I am obsessive to the nth degree, and once I see the end of a project in sight I will work myself sick until it's done. Last Wednesday I got the call. The wheels were done, the frame, and cranks were ready. All I had to do was pick it all up and go. I got part of it done yesterday, and finished it off this afternoon. The rebuild went smoothly with one exception. I had the whole thing done. Nothing left but to screw on the pedals and test ride. But the left pedal wouldn't start in the threads. Poor masking at the powder coat shop left the threads all full of sand and resin. And after breaking into a panic sweat, I finally succeeded in getting it started- I put the wrench on, gave 'er a twist, and promptly cross threaded the dang thing. It is embarrassing taking one crank and a pedal back to the bike shop. But the guys at La Habra Cycles got it re-tapped, and everything's groovy. So, anyway- here's the finished product in my super secret never-been-seen before color-

RED! :roll:

A few final notes. The Felt springer works fine, but it isn't bouncy like a Schwinn style fork. The Nexus 8-speed hooked right up, and worked flawlessly from the gate. I guess the Brooks B-33 will take a little breaking in, but it's a great springy, bouncy, yet firm ride. Most of all, though, I'm really happy with my results. Kudos to the good folks at La Habra Cyclery for their most excellent work. As I said earlier, the old Dyno had soul in it; it just took a little change of style to bring it out. Now if I can just avoid the temptation to call in sick tomorrow...

JWM

 

[user 135]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project complete!

Nice transformation. Rat Rod and I both had Moto's. Fun bikes but I know what you mean about the love/hate relationship. I sold mine so I didn't have to worry anymore. :wink:

That springer look natural on that frame.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project complete!

This turned out REALLY nice! I like the way the shape of the seatstays is mimicked in the Felt springer, looks like a simple bulletproof cruiser. I'd probably call off and ride it all day!

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[jwm]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project complete!

Thanks for the feedback, Dr. T., and cman, and thanks also for the advice on the saddle.
I took the bike out for its first serious ride today. I put in somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 miles including the steep climb over Pico dam. (that holds back the San Gabriel River) The 8-speed has just about a perfect range. I found myself mostly riding comfortably between 3rd, and 5th. 1st gear is low enough to get up the dam without standing up, and by the time I ran out of pedal in 8th I was going just about as fast as I'd care to go on the bike. In fact I only got out of the saddle once or twice on the ride. As a side note, the extra wide bars are great for sit-down riding, but not so good if you have to stand up and grind on it. As for the Brooks saddle- It needs some breaking in, but I have nothing to complain about either. I'm a little sore, but I put in a lot of miles, and about four straight hours in the seat.
All in all I'm stoked with the machine. I got exactly the rider I was looking for, and I even thought of a totally cool like outasight name for the bike. A name as unique as the color-

Ol' RED! :roll:

Oh, yeah- I almost forgot the best part.

Yesterday afternoon I cruised Ol' Red down to the corner Starbucks where I hang out.
Someone asked me what kind of bike it was.
I got to say, "It's a Rat Rod".

JWM

 

[OUTLAW]

Re: The Dynark Retro-Mod Supercruiser Project complete!

very nice job. thats a winner for sure. :mrgreen:

Outlaw 8)

 

[jwm]

Dragonfly

Just had to throw this in. I took the Red bike out back for another picture session, this time with the tripod. While I was setting up, this guy dropped by:

Now, I'm not too much into omens, and stuff, but sometimes you just hear the voice. The wide wingspan, the fiery red, with black trim- all just too darn coincidental. So The machine is now named :

Dragonfly.


Here are some more pics, then I'll leave y'all alone, and quit braggin' on my bike.. :wink:

And finally, this. My dear departed father, who also had a passion for fixing up bikes, left to me his most wonderful accumulation of tools, nuts, bolts, miscellaneous and sundry parts of disassembled who-knows-whats, and lots bicycle hardware. Since I brought my fleet out of mothballs over two years ago, there has not been a single project completed without help from my Dad. Every time I need just this certain sort of oblique geegaw whimigig, I happen to just reach into one of the old tobacco tins, and there it is. (Stories, maybe, in another post). And so it was with the Dragonfly. The Dyno frame had a great welded on bracket to anchor the roller brake that came with the old hub. The coaster brake arm on the new hub came so close. I wondered if I couldn't find just the perfect piece of hardware to anchor that coaster brake without throwing the sheet metal strap over that built-in bracket. What you don't see in the picture it the exact perfect aluminum spacer that sits between the brake arm and the figure-8 piece. It was in the same tobacco tin.

Thanks, Dad.

JWM

 

[Motopecane]

I really like what you did with the bike. The bars aren't for me but if you like them, then hey it is your bike. How does she ride now compared to before??

 

[jwm]

Actually, when I got the bars, they turned out to be a little bigger than even I expected. (One of the drawbacks about buying on line.) But once I got them on the bike I was glad. It took a little dialing in to get them at just the perfect angle for me, but it was worth it. The Moto 7 is a tall frame, and the bars sit you straight upright, and way behind the front wheel, motorcycle style. It makes the bike feel really BIG- like when you swiped your big brother's beach cruiser instead of riding your BMX. I put some 20-30 miles on the machine last weekend. Very comfortable, sweet easy ride. It exceeded all my expectations. All in all it's the finest cruiser I've ever owned.
Next project is a bike for my wife.

JWM

 

[jackdaw]

SuperClean!!!

 

[jwm]

From near disaster, to near perfection. Final chapter in the Dragonfly saga.

No project is done until it's done. Then again, when do you say, "Enough"?
I did need one final touch for the bike- reflectors. (Must be safe, and all, y'know?) And of course, nothing would do but glass eyes. Do I really want to spend...?
Just get them.

Front.

And rear.

But still there were those bars.
On the one hand, the super wide bars felt cool as all get-out.
On the other hand, they made it very difficult to stand up and grind when I really had to.
And still- the eight speed is good enough that I seldom really need to stand up...
But still. And didn't I have a pipe cutter somewhere in my Dear Old Dad's stuff?
Found the pipe cutter.
Now, my Dad was not above occasionally picking up a .99 cent tool.
Make a long disaster short- I went to cut 1 1/2 " off the handlebar ends. I measured carefully, started cutting, and the pipe cutter disintegrated in my hands. .99 cent tool. So I had to finish the job with a hacksaw. Of course, the cuts came out uneven by about a 1/16th, but that's close enough. The problem came with the shifter. Shortening the bar forced the shifter up over the curve. I bumped it into place with the metal grip. Again- short version- I totally broke the shifter. It just came apart. :shock: But I figure if I'm smart enough to break something, I'm dumb enough to fix it. After the cold sweat dried, I got the shifter back together good as new.
And yeah, the bars are the tiniest bit uneven.

You can't really tell, can you? :wink:

There's about an 1/8" difference. But cutting them back turned out to be the right thing to do after all. Now I can comfortably stand up on the pedals, and use the leverage of the wide bars to help pull the bike up the really steep spots. That fixed the last little imperfection in the ride-ability. It's easier to get it in and out of the garage back door, too. So, with this, I'll officially stop posting about my bike- promise.

unless I get another idea...

JWM

 

[Gizmo]

Very Nice! Both bike and back story, love the way it got it's name and the way your Dad helped your build!

Well done!
Gizmo

 

[dos cruiser]

WoW!! I like this bike.

 

[scott brownsey]

looks great