'27 JD Cut Down Project - SWAN

[aumick10]

Steve,
Didn't NASA miss one of their targets because they mixed metric and imperial units?
I don't know how much braking power you have picked up, but it looks the part.

[Steve Swan]

here's my wheels. i think the front brake is really going to be easy to fit and work well. i like how clean and simple it looks and not over the top too huge which lets the 21 inch diameter rim with the 3-1/2 inch tire keep its bicycle appearance and not make the front wheel look fat. i don't think the bike is going to need a whole lot of brake to stop it and this brake shouldn't exert undue forces on the forks or create any creepy rotational or torsional dynamics. the chrome 17 mm bolt is what i will use as an anchor (as was originally in its dirt bike application) and the bolt will fix the strap/bracket to to the stud of the LH rigid fork leg. the distance from the chrome bolt to the stud of rigid fork is barely over 2 inches. will take a bit of fabricating but nothing like putting a man on the moon in 1969! the chrome bolt is off a CB750 and the little chrome cable connection on the brake lever/arm is off a 1965 Yamaha YDS3, both bike of which i have personal history with! all i need now is a Suzuki part and i'll have a part from each bike the Japanese "big 4" manufacturers. i've owned my share of Honda's and Yamaha's but never a Kawasaki or Suzuki...

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[Steve Swan]

Steve, RichO beat me to it. This sort of build needs to be unique and part of you. I think you should 100% go with the Velo silencer. Hell if it turns out that you don't like it its not going to be hard to change it.

The Duane story is really cool so the silencer deserves to be given a chance.

Go for it.

John

Thanks guys! Velo silencer it will be! as the inlet on the silencer is at a slight upward angle, i am figuring the the silencer will need to be about 10-15 degrees upswept. the silencer is surprisingly narrow, so it looks like it probably will fit between the rear stand and wheel.

[TechNoir]

Steve, RichO beat me to it. This sort of build needs to be unique and part of you. I think you should 100% go with the Velo silencer. Hell if it turns out that you don't like it its not going to be hard to change it.

The Duane story is really cool so the silencer deserves to be given a chance.

Go for it.

John

[Steve Swan]

Run it and critics be damned. Parts that tell a story are the best. It gives it it's unique soul. Bob jobs are all about the individual. I restored my 40 El to bone stock then added all the period aftermarket pieces to make it look like an AMA club bike at a Laconia rally back in the day. It just wasn't me though. After a couple of years it went in the shop for winter and when spring came it came out a bob job that looked like it came out of the barn to attend the 1947 Hollisiter rally. I've never been happier.

Thanks Rich for that! having prior owned a pair of Velo's at the time Duane parted with that silencer, it does have meaning for me, once i have my frame and as the build goes, i am going to hold that silencer up to the it and see what might be possible. we shall see....! When Dad died, Duane took Dad's worn out but the body was still perfect '54 Buick. Duane wound up 'retiring' in the Wickenburg, Arizona area and took some of is toys with him. We always joked how Duane had so many things, collected parts whenever he could and never got any work done on them. For whatever the reason he was irrevocably attached to Powell scooter, he got endless amounts of razzing owning that Powell. i lost track of Duane after the mid-90's, heard he had died i'm thinking sometimes in the early '00's, wondering if anyone knew him. i know the George boys, Kelly or Ed or Matt of Des Moines might would know.... used to pal around with them a bit, haven't seen them since the 'late 80's. Their Dad Paul was friends with Duane.

[RichO]

Run it and critics be damned. Parts that tell a story are the best. It gives it it's unique soul. Bob jobs are all about the individual. I restored my 40 El to bone stock then added all the period aftermarket pieces to make it look like an AMA club bike at a Laconia rally back in the day. It just wasn't me though. After a couple of years it went in the shop for winter and when spring came it came out a bob job that looked like it came out of the barn to attend the 1947 Hollisiter rally. I've never been happier.

[Steve Swan]

Hi John! uda man! below's the story behind the fishtail, (i used to have a '67 blue/silver Thruxton, wonderful bike). your love made me feel bunches better! and you are a veritable Sherlock Holmes, or if you prefer, you could be Watson.

The Velo is a genuine original item, complete with a small dent on its underbelly, looks MSS. it was given to me over 35 years ago with the promise i would never sell it. The man was Duane Dreesen, he moved on over a decade ago to the big shop in the sky. he was in his 90's when he passed to the great beyond. We lived about 7 miles apart where i grew up in NE Nebraska. the silencer was on his sky blue o.p. '48 Chief and purist i used to be that silencer on that bike just looked plain wrong! after a few years of begging, Duane took it off the '48 and gave it to me with the admonishment to never sell it. so i didn't and haven't. i've carried it with me all this time and miles, divorces and single parent, have thought about selling it a couple times, but i simply just cannot. Duane was a real lovable and likable piece of work, you just couldn't help but like him as tight fisted as he was. he had a large Quonset hut that housed many old cars and a few old motorcycles. by old, i mean a 1904 Buick and several pre-10 bikes amongst other things. He had a 1937 Hudson four door Terraplane i think i could have talked him out of, but i was sane enough to realize i was nuts enough if i got it, i would never have been able to keep it if i got it... in addition to his Quonset hut, Duane must have had at least 50 old cars, trucks and tractors sitting in the field next to his house..... well....... anyways, i am thinking of fitting that Velo silencer to my '27 custom.... would that be too nuts, over the top along with my 10 inch headlight and my 13 inch horn? what's you gents thoughts? eh? i guess if i couldn't stand the looks, i could always take it off and fabricate something more to my liking. would be kind of fun to run some warm exhaust through it for Duane!

[TechNoir]

Hi Steve, I have been following your progress closely although haven’t posted much because there isnt much I can help you with on this project even though I am finding it fascinating to watch it progress.

Sorry you are not feeling much love, I am pretty sure there is lots on here for you so hang in there.

I am looking forward to seeing how all of the bits join up, in particular how the new wheels and brakes work, the original JD brakes are dire.

I can’t help with re-silvering services in the USA, there are some companies over here in the UK but there must be someone nearer to you that can do it.

I can’t help with the exhaust tip either I am afraid although seeing as you are asking i will assume that the Duane Dreesen part is NOT the fishtail silencer hanging on the wall of your shop?


Love

John

[Steve Swan]

Does anyone remember Duane Dreesen? Duane moved on to the big shop in the sky a few years ago. i have a story about Duane to tell that is related to my '27 custom build, something of his he gave me he made me promise i'd never sell, that was at least 35 years, divorces, being a single parent and many miles and several home abodes ago that i've hung on to and as goofy as it seems to use it, i am considering that it may belong on my '27 custom, it presently hangs on my shop wall, you can see i in the background of the one picture i attached. Duane was friends with Paul George and i was friends with both of those good and helpful men.

i've been posting my very slow progress but not feeling much love, so feeling bit lonely, thought i'd post a bit more.

making slow but steady progress getting set up to balance and then true flywheels, have all the equipment, i will post pics when we start the process following Uncle Frank's method.

making slow but respectable headway gathering parts, thanks to aumick10 i have a nice frame and front fork on its way, we plan to meet each other sometime in April.

i now have front and rear wheels back from Buchanan's, will post pics someday soon. the front 7 inch conical drum brake i am going with is really tastefully good looking and the backing plate strap to hold the plate from turning will only be about 2 inches long, it will attach to the rear stud of the left rigid fork, i think it will turn out good, be a solid design and stop the bike especially using the original rear brake.

i am thinking of using a Mesinger racing type seat or do they lack sufficient support for any distance? Would anyone happen to have a decent one you'd consider parting with? but first i would appreciate hearing if they would be at least half-comfortable for a 100-200 mile ride.

does anyone know who restores reflectors, re-silvers them? there is a place called Uvira in Grants Pass, Oregon that applies a reflective aluminum coating up to 90% reflective as silver, but the reflector body has to be nickle plated before the process by Uvira can be put on. i am assuming the original reflectors were silver.

does anyone know what these exhaust tips on this bike are called, if they are available and who might sell them?

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[Steve Swan]

the pinion-side face of the T&O flywheel was a little rough, so i took a precision ground 4 inch square flat steel plate and gave the face a couple thousand figure 8's with oiled 400 grit paper. will give a few hundred figure 8's with 600 grit followed by 1200 and the face should be smooth enough.

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[Steve Swan]

i would appreciate if someone would tell me the rod diameter for the fender braces on a 1914 twin model. Thanks in advance!

[Steve Swan]

oh boy! just got my birthday gift today thanks to Jon Neuman! Thank you Jon for your help! Next is finding the time when my local buddy Wiff can help me set up the lower end following Uncle Frank's balancing instructions; will take pictures of this procedure. i sent the front hub to Buchanan's yesterday; they'll have it Thursday. the 7" conical hub is tastefully attractive, off a 1981 Kawasaki KX250, very light, the backing plate is magnesium and the hub is aluminum, i plan to make up a short bracket that will lock the backing plate to the back side of the stud on the rigid fork, this bracket will only be about 2-1/2" long. i've made a deal on a '29 frame and a 25-27 type fork and a set of 1914 repro 4-1/2" fenders, i should have them sometime in April. i have my rear wheel assembly with brake complete, i'll take some pics of it and the front wheel after i get it back from Buchanan's.

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[Steve Swan]

so, i probably jumped the gun a little bit, sometimes my enthusiasm gets the better of me. i got the rear wheel back from Buchanan's earlier this afternoon, so i went to shop and mounted the tire, i used a heavy 3 mm MX tube like i did on my first '27, even though what i am using is a SUN WM3alloy rim. the tire (Kenda K657 90/100-21) diameter is a full 28 inches, the width 3-1/2 inches and the spokes are .142" diameter. i put a 41t sprocket on and am on the lookout for a factory drum. i got the T headlight cleaned up, the reflector isn't half bad for 104 years old, although it could be better. the reflector had some sort of horrid yellow tarnishing or the like, nothing would remove it including actual nickle cleaner, i found some aluminum blue jel cleaner i had and it removed the yellow with not a whole lot of serious rubbing action.

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[Steve Swan]

There are two rear brakes/hubs in the USA on ebay now. The guy says he is parting a complete bike, might be worth dropping him a note.

John

Thanks John for the tip. if the rear hub seller is 501bikes, i just contacted him. Is this the seller you are referring to?

PS - seller just told me Zundapp front brake SOLD.

[Steve Swan]

I've thought about fitting a BMX disk brake to one of my old bikes for safety in traffic. I don't know if that is practical, or if it has the requisite performance, but for $40 it might be worth a look. These are made for mountain bikers and I have to imagine they can put high demands on their brakes. I've made quite a few hubs out of aluminum, and steel and I think that would have to be done to use any single, or dual front brake. These brakes may be junk, but I would like to have one in my hands to see.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bicycle-Fro...SIV:rk:38:pf:0

Eric, i have a hi-end mountain bike, the rotor (in bicycling parlance) is 1.8 mm. As thin as the rotor is and the diameter of the hole circle where the rotor attaches to the hub being so small i think the rotor would get ripped off or burn up trying to stop a 250+ pound motorcycle. my mountain bike is a "29" (29 inch rims) and weighs around 30 pounds. Also, reading your threads and posts over the years, seeing your gorgeous machines, despite your modesty, you are at the least a competent machinist and fabricator. i can't imagine making a hub, but then i don't have the equipment to do so. What have you made hubs for and do you have a picture or two of them? (i rejoined AMCA in 2013, i seem to recall you were working on an Indian Ace or a 4...?) i would love to see some of your examples of your work because when i read BoschZEV, ShakyJake, or the wealth of research and experience Bobbie has, i feel like i am a barely toddling amongst giants.