=D---- Laprise E-BTR

[OneHorsePower]

Here i go again ,
this time iam set on building a replica of my dream bike : 1914 Cyclone BoardTrackRacer
i plan to motorize it ''Electric'',with curiously a motor named Cyclone, but ill want to build it as close to the original as possible while still being practicle .

i already started with the fork , wich is a 'Flying Merkel fork , the pioneer of the modern tellescopic suspension forks.


the original fork had no friction sleeves and a weird 3 part inner tube

so i decided to make it my own way ,more simple, more like a modern fork , with the return spring inside the inner tube , and the compression spring under the tubes

made the inner tubes using plumbing pipes polished on the wood lathe, plumbing fitting as risers/top nut,
and nylon hose fittings for the friction sleeves .

-Using seat clamps as bar clamps , i welded a 3/8'' nut inside the top of the plumbing fittings...
-Capped a steerer tube topnut...
-Made the top plate by grinding 2 halfs with half holes and then welded togeter(cause iam not equipped to drill that big)
-Used one peice crank locknuts welded on the tubes to make a shoulder for the top plate...

Made a groove for the nylon sleeves to lock on , used a hss boring bar and files on my wood lathe(i do with what i have)

Ouuhh Yeah! ive made new shorter riser wich look much cleaner , and top plate is done!

not sure yet if i put the top sleeves fixed on the inner tubes or the outer tubes .
ill go get some tubing to extend the outer fork legs soon , at thats moment ill know what diameter to lathe the sleeves.
have to lathe everything and test the sliding action before i can weld the bottom support that joins the legs with the steerer tube and notch the outer legs

 

[OneHorsePower]

cut to final size and cap with a nut that create a shoulder for the spring

 

[ODDER]

That's an awesome fork design.

 

[Fv2]

Very cool, should be a good looking bike.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Really nice work so far 1HP!
Following!

 

[OneHorsePower]

got some tubes for the outer legs finally , the ID is .900 so there is not much room between the 2 tubes , but manage to make the sleeves super thin and i really satisfied with the tight fit , original forks seem to use 1'' tubes also but i thought i would have to use bigger cause i dont have precision tools and ima using sleeves

cleaned the outside and inside of the tubes , inside have that anoying weld seem , but i mange to sand most of it off and made a small groove in the sleeve to clear it

turned the bushing one half at the time , using duck tape to hold it
with the hss boring bar first , then with sand paper and file for surprizing accuracy and finish

as you can see , i finally manage to un-freeze my point and aling the spindle wich was a pita but worth the effort and time , much more stable and safe turning now

i am set on putting the top bushing fixed in the outer tubes,
i tryied something but realized afterwards it wont work , the tread diameter is smaller than the tube so i wont be abble to slide the bushing in place

some of these forks had a nut on top like i tried and fail , but some others of these forks have a clamp setup like a seat tube so iam just gonna make this simple like this: its gonna clamp a ring on top of the bushing to prevent it from slipping up

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Good thinking 1HP!

 

[OneHorsePower]

Good thinking 1HP!

Thanks Luke

 

[OneHorsePower]

no progress on the fork today , spent the day plowing 35'' of snow from the house and neigbor

 

[OneHorsePower]

well , cant upload to photobucket anymore , always failed uploads and nothing else works .

you can continue folowing the build on my FB page while i try to fix this

https://www.facebook.com/LSD-Laprise-Simon-Designs-829062647228946/

 

[Fv2]

You can upload straight to the site on a computer or through Tapatalk with a phone.

 

[OneHorsePower]

You can upload straight to the site on a computer or through Tapatalk with a phone.

iam oldschool, i never owned a cell phone

 

[OneHorsePower]

hah! FaceBook as hosting site! more simple and faster!


Progress!

Drilled and tapped a rod

holding it in the lathe by a bolt and grinding it to size and concentric

welded to a handlebar piece

cleaned and turned to make a shoulder for the spring

Voila! the piece will go inside to join the 2 parts and screw the spring bolt

1" to 1 1/8'' to donnor stem

boom! 2 nice clamps , also made the lock rings

next step is welding things togeter and turning the top sleeves

 

[us56456712]

cut to final size and cap with a nut that create a shoulder for the spring

Very cleaver, nice.

 

[Fv2]

Glad the pics worked out, I don't have Facebook.
Pretty clever design on the fork.

 

[OneHorsePower]

Very cleaver, nice.

Thanks !

Glad the pics worked out, I don't have Facebook.
Pretty clever design on the fork.

Thanks! rly? i was sure i saw you post one of your bikes on FB rrb

 

[Fv2]

Thanks !

Thanks! rly? i was sure i saw you post one of your bikes on FB rrb

If one of my bikes is on rrb fb it's news to me.
My wife follows the fb page, but I don't know the first thing about Facebook.

 

[OneHorsePower]

its not much , but welding/cleaning that part and turning and ajusting the bushings took me 4h
It slides and have no slop so well worth it imo

 

[OneHorsePower]

here is a good text i found about Joe Merkel fork
http://www.nationalmcmuseum.org/1928-harley-davidson-fhac-dirt-track-racer/
An innovation showing here is the motorcycle fork design. Patented by Joe Merkel as a “truss fork,” it can be seen as a predecessor of the telescopic fork and was a popular replacement for many racers. By 1912 road going Merkels were far ahead in innovation, had front and rear suspension and some of their innovations worked on the race track.

they were used on many brands of BTR

Flying Merkel

Harley Davidson

Thor

Indian

Cyclone

What i really like about the cyclone is The fork and the color .
iam re-thinking the practical aspect of pedaling such a low bike .. might end up choosing to build a indian or HD frame by the time iam done with the front end , the other brands have a slightly higher seat tube and simpler tanks to make, like this cyclone wich is believed to have a indan frame

beautiful!
also tinking of way to make the bars quickly ajustable for a better riding position without affecting the look to much and wich would look normal when parked

 

[OneHorsePower]

i changed donner fork legs for ones with more curve and a little less bulky , it also have oval tube shape ,so it will end up looking more like the original.

i made cuts front and back to stretch it to fit the upper tube

mesure twice weld once!

alllot of things tho look at to make sure the forks end up straight with the right spacing , one is the clamps at the top had to be pointed inward ,so i make a little wood shim to hold them

welded legs and soon to be truss rods

(on wheels and random frame) clearance looks good . 1 3/4'' suspension and 2'' clearance for the tires

even the little bump is like the original

manage to get the tires i wanted , but now i personally name them the most expensive bicycle tires ever