Survivor Chopper

[henry187oc]

Hey Fellas,

i recently acquired a survivor Panhead Chopper with an extended springer front end.

i love riding it but it is incredibly bouncy (pogo effect) where it jumps me out of my seat when i hit humps on the road going as slow as 20mph or so.

the fork springs do feel a little loose, if i tighten them up more would that compress and make it less bouncy for me? Again its me who is getting shot off my seat not the front end bouncing off the ground if that makes sense.

might be a stupid question but first time owning/riding a long springer front end.

any suggestions would be highly appreciated. thanks!

[Architect]

Nut on top of springs should not be loose.

Run rear tire at 22 PSI, see what that does for you.

But at the end of the day, rigid chopper, you are in it now!!! Good luck and have fun with her.

[henry187oc]

Thanks Architect i'll mess with the rear tire PSI.

the actual NUT ont he top of the springs is not loose, the actuals springs have a little bit of play in them if i try to move it with my hand. so in other words they move if i twist them hard enough.
should i tighten the nuts more so that the top springs are more compressed and not move at all?

[RichO]

Like Mr. A said lower tire pressure for more cushion and leave the forks as is as they are doing their job. The only other thing that helps is tossing the King and Queen seat and putting on a Bates style solo seat with springs.

[T. Cotten]

I've never owned a radical chop, Henry,...

But I rode many a mile next to plenty that didn't pogo, and some handled better than my hog.

(Come to think of it, they all had a loose nut on the handlebars.)

Have you put your machine on a lift where you could shake the fork and inspect the compression of the top and bottom springs with no load? You might be able to 'tune' it with different springs, maybe.

....Cotten
PS: While its in the air, spin the wheels to see if they are balanced.

[micmac]

I don’t know anything about that Henry just wanted to say that is a beautiful scooter right there. Like Mr. Cotton I never owned one but have always admired the work that goes into’em and the look. I can see Nancy Sinatra packing on the back of that one!

[T. Cotten]

... I can see Nancy Sinatra packing on the back of that one!

It looks like the movie lot handlers weren't so radical, Micmac!

xxPeter and Nancy.jpg

Back to topic, Henry,..

Its all about your own powers of observation for diagnosis; Unfortunately, you do not have the luxury of a factory design for reference.

Please do not let that intimidate you!

....Cotten
PS: I was always hot for 'extended bars' that were wide enough at the bottom for Flanders' risers.

By the time I was looking for them, it was almost too late.

[micmac]

I’m glad it wasn’t his sister Cotton.

[T. Cotten]

I’m glad it wasn’t his sister Cotton.

Almost forgot all about her, MicMac!

(The whole cult-of-personality thing escaped me after high school. Or maybe it was college.)

So is it a front-end pogo, Henry? Or does the rear rebound the bump and make it worse?

(If it doesn't fish-wobble, we are ahead of the game.)

....Cotten

[Rubone]

Sadly most custom springers were basically flashy junk. No inner springs, no rebound control, poor axle geometry, leg flex, crappy bushings (or none at all), etc. Flipping those rockers upside down (just unbolt them and bolt to the other side) can help with different geometry, easy to try and see if it makes a difference. If a shock like a late H-D springer could be added it would make a big difference, or any kind of friction damping. The length of the wheelbase also causes a "hobby horse" effect, not much you can do about that. And as stated rear tire pressure. It all depends on how much you are willing to suffer for the vanity factor. I worked in a custom shop in my younger days, we built lots of that stuff. Even in my dealership days we did lots of chopper stuff. I outgrew it pretty quickly as I preferred performance over looks.
Your bike is a nice example of its genre, I just wouldn't want to ride it very far or fast.
My first home built chopper at 17 in High School, and my first attempt at a restoration back when chrome wasn't the devil, at 20. 39 knckle high school.jpg 1945 EL Robbie.jpg

[T. Cotten]

Your springer, Henry, looks quality enough to have a brand,..

Let us hope someone into that vintage of aftermarket can give us a clue (Paughco?), but if it has lasted this long, its sturdy enough to maintain!

Henry1.jpg
Do the springs, however, look fatigued askew a bit, or is that just the camera?

If so, that would be a simple parts-swap, and some inners could be considered. But I wouldn't consider anything until I got it off the ground and 'shook on it'.

..Cotten
PS:

...I worked in a custom shop in my younger days, we built lots of that stuff. Even in my dealership days we did lots of chopper stuff. I outgrew it pretty quickly as I preferred performance over looks..

I whacked a Kaw900 neck and flame-welded it with coat-hangers, Robbie!

Good performance at the track; looks didn't count.

PPS: And got paid for it, too.

[Chris Haynes]

Factory recommended rear tire pressure is 16-18 pounds.

[Hack]

Front end looks to me to be an AEE springer. The give away is the swoopy rockers.

[JoJo357]

Front end looks to me to be an AEE springer. The give away is the swoopy rockers.

If does appear to be a AEE, they went under around the mi~1970's. It would be almost impossible to find replacement parts currently. I remember those AEE forks were arc welded, instead of Heliarc, but if qualified welders were used, there was no problem with weld breakage. My give~away was the triple trees.

*M.A.D.*

[T. Cotten]

... It would be almost impossible to find replacement parts currently. ..

I'll wager a brew or two, M.A.D.,...

They used OEM-design springs,

And inners would fit, too.

...Cotten