Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem- Done!

[udallcustombikes]

Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem- Please take yourto jump in or not, but here goes. I have nothing new to build so I decided to give my tandem a facelift. It is one of two known examples of this bike on this side of the pond. Rarity means little to me so it is fair game. I haven't built a Klunker yet so that will be the direction I start in. If the bike wants to go down that trail is yet to be seen.

Here it is as I built it last time.

I will be adding an Atom drum brake and a handful of other goodies in addition to a new paint scheme. If you are one of those folks that hates to see a rare bike molested then don't watch this build.

 

[CCR]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Hey !!! No teams :lol:

Great way to open Cameron, I'm going to watch whatever you do to that perfectly good tandem

 

[udallcustombikes]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

I have tried several times to sell it to save it from me, but since nobody wanted to try and save it...

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[mikeeebikey]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

I have tried several times to sell it to save it from me, but since nobody wanted to try and save it...

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Chop, cutt, rebuild!

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Tandem Klunker? Just long wheel base stability for 1 or is this for "take a friend down with you"?

 

[udallcustombikes]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

You need a friend with you if you really wanna do something awesome!

 

[kingfish254]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Make a boardtrack or drag bike with it. Remove front cranks and rear seat. Sit on front dear, but pedal rear crank.
Good luck.

 

[udallcustombikes]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Inspiration from google.

 

[udallcustombikes]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Here is where the journey begins!

There are several tabs on the bike that will be removed.
Fork

Seat stays

Chain stays

A NOS Atom drum brake hub will find a home in the rear wheel. The hub is marked BSA, must be destiny!

I am reusing the bikes original front drum brake.

My old Harbor Freight grinder gave up the ghost so my new grinder will get broken in on this project!

 

[pick]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

This will be a cool build my friend! I'll ride it with ya if I can have the front seat!!!! Don't trust your driving. :lol: :mrgreen:

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

by kingfish254 on Thu May 02, 2013 5:11 am

Make a boardtrack or drag bike with it. Remove front cranks and rear seat. Sit on front dear, but pedal rear crank.
Good luck

Do it Vanderbilt cup racing style
insperation

OR
make it a 2-man bobslead theme (Jamaican or bo-dyn)

 

[OneHorsePower]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

bump!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

I see a theme in the Inspiration photos... :wink:

Luke.

 

[450redrider]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Watching this one

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[udallcustombikes]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Been up since 4pm yesterday. My mom called this morning to tell me that my grandmother had passed on peacefully in her sleep over night last night. Worked on the bike most of the day to keep my mind off of it. Exhausted but I wanted to log today's progress.

Began tear down

Bare frame

Frame tabs deleted

Power stripping the paint

Lovely lugged frame

Serial number sees the light of day for the first time in 76 years

Bare metal beauty. Probably shoulda used a dust mask, but a little lead never killed anyone.

Up next is body work
Dent in the stoker top tube

Holes of unknown origin in the pilot's top tube

Stoker's sprockets had been a bit out of alignment at some point in the bike's life

There are also small rust pits over much of the frame and a dent in the front seat tube. I am dedicating my build to my grandmother. Thank you for everything, Nan. Miss you already.

 

[someguy83]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

sorry to hear of your loss
good luck with the build

 

[xddorox]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Great project and I tip my hat to the boldness of it. All my sympathies.

 

[frameteam2003]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

A girder fork would really look the part on this build---be keeping and eye on the progress

 

[pick]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Sorry for your loss Cameron!

The holes in the top tube were probably for an analog GPS locating device! All the rage in 1937. :lol:

 

[kentercanyon]

Re: Rare Bird- '37 BSA Tandem

Lots of tandems have bent front forks since people don't realize the stopping distance is doubled.

Interesting bottom brackets - is one big and one small? Hard to tell from photos.

There's a guy in my town who mounted a BBQ grill on the rear seatpost of a tandem for a mobile kitchen / tailgating experience. He rides it to the unicycle football league games...


BSA made some gorgeous chain wheels with the letters in them, but these are tandem so they might not work even if you found one.

The head badge alone makes this bike cool.