the "Starliner"

[Uncle Stretch]

Its really funny how we all envision a frame being so differant than what the companys came up with. Nice work.

 

[Gold Street Customs]

Wow that looks real nice, I am having a hard time keeping up with all the builds. :shock:

 

[dangratsdan]

Well its been a good day and a bad day.
The good is that I got to test ride the Starliner for a short distance, and I think it will handle my 220 lbs. OK. It is a pedal scraper, I cant pedal and turn at the same time without the pedal touching the ground, and it steers oddly because the front wheel being so far in front of the fork, but I can live with that. It was encouraging that in my short ride, about a block, the first people to see the bike, three or four 10 to 12 year old boys, yelled, "NICE BIKE".

The bad is that after spending the time to make the tank look good and repairing the plastic tank front, it will not work with this springer configuration, when I set on the bike the springer hits the tank front. Also bad was that I tried to paint the seat and the paint remained tacky, and would not dry, so I removed the vinyl covering and will attempt to recover it in black.

I still have a few more days so maybe the panels will be used, but first I got to get my lights installed.

 

[37fleetwood]

very cool looking!! I like it way better without the side panels! get the lights in and call it done!

 

[JoeyMac]

It's a shame you can't get the fork to work with the tank, but I agree, go without the side panels, show off the clean lines of the bike. I really like how long and sleek this looks. I'm going to have to ask you to make me a set of those dropout extenders for the back

 

[37fleetwood]

and if you haven't already the front extenders would look perfect the same blue as the rest of the bike!
this one's on my short list! 8) 8)

 

[herr_rudolf]

The bad is that after spending the time to make the tank look good and repairing the plastic tank front, it will not work with this springer configuration, when I set on the bike the springer hits the tank front.

So... I suppose the bike CAN'T handle your 220lbs...
8 - O wink wink ; - b

Too bad that the tankfront doesn't work with that fork setup. I think that it is a beautiful and very important piece on your bike, looks-wise. I really don't know if it'll work (I'm not a bikemechanic) but maybe you can solve this problem by using some washers between the frame and the fork? It's definately worth a try...

Nice color. Your bike looks cool.

 

[dangratsdan]

This evening I covered the the seat, with a black vinyl that has a wrinkled leather look, because thats what I had and it hides wrinkles that occur in the recovering process. I used a spray glue, 3M Super 77, and worked the wrinkles out from the center of the seat out to the sides of the seat. Then cut the excess vinyl of and sprayed the underside of the seat and rolled the vinyl over to the under side of the seat. Then I used super glue to help hold the vinyl edges down. Turned out good, I think.

Then I started working on my taillight. I am using an old car light, its probably a 1950's third taillight that would have been mounted on the rear deck between the back seat and the rear glass. I am replacing the old light bulbs with LEDs and powering it with a 9volt battery.

 

[theVULTURE]

with out a doubt, one of my favorite builds!
stretched the perfect amount for sure 8)

 

[dangratsdan]

I sure like the look with the tank, but it would take about a 2" spacer between the fork and frame for it to work, maybe someday I can extend the fork head tube and put a spacer in and be able to use the tank. For now, no tank and no panels.

As for fabricating these frame and fork extensions and selling them, not yet, I must get some miles on them to prove their safe. Although I have done this on rear only on another bike, it was the raffle bike for the 2007 Midwest bike fest (one of the Spokesmen from K.C. won that bike), and I have heard of no problems with it, but I must prove to myself that this is a good idea before I sell them.

And yes I agree the fork extenders should be painted.

And as far as my 220 lbs. is concerned, Im trying to lose a few pounds, I often eat a salad with my beer. If I could just lose 100 lbs. the tank just might work.

 

[dangratsdan]

I got the taillight wired and installed. I used three 10mm high intensity white light LEDs, they replaced the old bulbs easily, the old bulb sockets and the 10mm LEDs were about the same size, so it was pull out the old and put in the new. The toggle switch and 9 volt battery are under the seat.
the taillight installed and working.

here is the headlight housing with paint. It was beat up when I got it. I work the dents and used some bondo, its far from perfect, but using the hammered effect paint helped cover up some of the imperfections. After all its a rat bike.

Hope to get the headlight installed tomorrow, and get the "Starliner" and my RRBBO3 bike, the "Rust Rat" down to the Go Away Garage, for the Art of the Bike show, that happens Friday night

 

[texasbigjon]

i love those tail lights! 8)

 

[herr_rudolf]

how BIG is that headlight??? Or should I say how small is that chair on which it's sitting... That bucket looks huge. That hammeredeffect paint is a good idea! and it looks cool too. The triple rearlights are nice.

 

[dangratsdan]

how BIG is that headlight??? Or should I say how small is that chair on which it's sitting... That bucket looks huge.

Yep, its a BIG headlight bucket, but it has a small headlight. Here it is finished, with the headlight installed. Didn't I mention earlier in this thread something about CAFE? Well, the cafe racer look is what I went with being that the bikes original tank was not going to work.
Thats a nose cone, probably originally intended to cover an airplane propeller, I found at an estate sale, I'd say the previous use was as a flower planter, base on the dirt and corrosion on it. I knocked out some dents, bondoed some holes, and made it decent but far from prefect. Then cut holes for the handle bars to fit, and cut to fit the bike. I cut a hole in the nose and epoxied a $5.00 LED flashlight in it for my headlight, sanded, painted, and mount on the bike. A hour later, I then took it to the Go Away Garage to be in the "Art of the Bicycle" show, where I got same pics. I will get some better pic later today or tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed my build of the "Starliner".
Thank You,
Dangerous Dan

 

[herr_rudolf]

so... My eyes didn't fool me... Man that thing is ...like HUGE! Don't know if I like it. yet. I definately have to see some better pics, so I hold my breath. I like where you're going though. Cafe-racer style. With that nosecone maybe it need somthing at the backwheel to balance it out. Or maybe make a cut out in the topside of the cone an instal a strip of flexible plexiglass.. Yeah, I think I'm starting to like it... It's got a ton of possibilties.

Your bike is inspirational. I certainly enjoyed this build. Too bad the conservative tank didn't work out though. (I loved that shape on your bike.)
Well done!

 

[Ratfink1962]

Got to see this in person tonight at the "Art of the Bicycle" show, and Im liking it. The stretch is perfect and I love how you improved the flow of the lines in the process. Nice work! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[txwayno]

Nice job on this ride. Something totally different from the same ol' board tracker style. I really get a kick out it already having a price tag on it! lol.

 

[dangratsdan]

Nice job on this ride. Something totally different from the same ol' board tracker style. I really get a kick out it already having a price tag on it! lol.

Hey txwayno, Thanks for the compliment, but sorry to disappoint you, thats not a price tag. That pic of the bike is at the Art of the Bike show last Friday night, 7/31/09, all the bikes at the show had tags on them. The tag has my name and the bikes name with a short discription, " the Starliner, 1960's Spaceliner with heavy modifications ". No price tag here, I build and ride my bikes. Never have sold a bike I built, never tried to sell a bike I built. To much work goes into them, and people wouldn't pay me what I would want for them. I build them to ride. The Starliner was the 8th rat/custom bike I have built and all 8 can be found on this web site someplace.

 

[txwayno]

Ya know, even fine art has a price.

That's cool. How many bikes did y'all have at the exhibit??

 

[aka_locojoe]

How many bikes did y'all have at the exhibit??

For the first time we actually kept track of the bikes that were entered this year. I think dangratsdan may have the number.