Hog Boys Boardtracker (Ex-Villiers)

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Re: Villiers board tracker

Don't understand the clutch problem. Will it physically fit on the engine shaft? If it does it doesn't matter which way it spins. It will still expand either direction and grip. As Beau said, the front brake is important. Over 70% of your brake force is on the front wheel because when you stop most of the weight of the bike and rider moves to the front tire contact patch with the road. Also this means the rear end of the bike gets lighter. Coasters are ok for slow speed stops and flatland stops, but if you are going fast or down a grade and your coaster overheats it won't work very well. If the chain snaps off then you lost 100% of your braking power! :shock: Not a good feeling. Yeah, the early board track racers did not have brakes of any kind and some didn't have any throttles as well so they ran full out all the time. This was all in the name of saving weight so they would go faster. :shock: I can promise you that after the race they rode their street bike with brakes home from the track! :lol: I don't even think road motorcycles had front brakes till 1915-17 or around there, but this may have been a technology issue. They didn't know they needed them or didn't know how to make a good front brake. Disk brakes are the very best, but they were invented in the 1950's on fighter jets and then came on cars in the 60's. It isn't period correct for an old school build. If the look doesn't need to be classic 100% with you disks are the way to go. Like my Indian I made, it's based on a 1911 model. It isn't even supposed to have a front brake, but I have a Sturmey-Archer drum that works better than expected and it's low profile. There is no way I would ride in traffic without it. Drums are still good. Hey, 18 wheelers still use them. Disk brakes never took to big rig trucks for some reason. The drum brake is king in this domain.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

I also have the Sturmey dynamo drum on my touring bike. I have broke it in and it still doesn't stop as quick as I expected. Add 50 pounds of gear and it's worse! How does your's do Cobrafreak?

If I build another one of these, I'm gonna use a small dirtbike or moped drum hub.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Beau said:
I also have the Sturmey dynamo drum on my touring bike. I have broke it in and it still doesn't stop as quick as I expected. Add 50 pounds of gear and it's worse! How does your's do Cobrafreak?

If I build another one of these, I'm gonna use a small dirtbike or moped drum hub.

Good idea! The drum brakes on my '78 Baretta moped slow me down great!
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Motopecane said:
Beau said:
I also have the Sturmey dynamo drum on my touring bike. I have broke it in and it still doesn't stop as quick as I expected. Add 50 pounds of gear and it's worse! How does your's do Cobrafreak?

If I build another one of these, I'm gonna use a small dirtbike or moped drum hub.

Good idea! The drum brakes on my '78 Baretta moped slow me down great!

It might not be the brake hub. It could be your brake levers. If you are using shorty brake levers from a modern mountain bike you probably are not getting enough leverage to stop the wheel. I put long retro brake levers on and it stops with authority. It won't lock the wheels up though. No way. My bike weights about 100 lbs or so. I also use the front and rear brake together always. Most people probably do this also though.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Thanks very much for the input you guys.
No brakes and full throttle? Sounds crazy!
I think I'm going for the front drum. I'm having a springer fork and this way I dont have to weld nothing on.
As for the clutch you're right :oops: It can work both ways :oops:
I made a sketch of what I'm planning:



Meanwhile, I've already built the engine mounts:







Will rubber discs be better to overcome the vibrations?

Thanks again.

Keep rollin'
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

but the vibrations make the overall 'experience' :mrgreen: yeah they would if you put em in there between the engine and the frame
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Lookin good! I considered using a belt for the front too, but I'm afraid there may not be enough tension on it to stop it from slipping. It will be interesting to see how yours works.


I'm going to use sleeved rubber washers for my mounts.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Hum..
I just went for the belt option because my clutch needs one.
Do you think I should get a simple one? Only chain driven?
I ask this for a reason we have'nt discussed yet: getting the engine started.
From what I've seen there are at least two ways to do this. One is peddaling and the other is rotating the rear wheel by hand. In my case I think I'll have neither! I do not have a double sprocket on the brake hub, so I cannot have a chain on the right side. Also, I cannot rotate the rear wheel to get it runnin because it's a centrifugal clutch and does not engage unless the rpm is enough..
So.. I think I'll have to maintain the rope and pulley original mechanism :cry:
What do you think?
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Just finished welding the engine mounts.
It's been giving me a lot of work because of the engine's height, the spark plug's cap that has to come on and off, the rubber pads, the oil's caps on the sump.. It's a tight fit.
So I have'nt progressed much.
Here's a pic.




Keep rollin'
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Since you are setting it up similar to mine, just run the jack shaft out on the other side of the frame, and run two sprockets on the crank. One chain to the rear wheel, and one chain to the jack shaft. When you pedal, the jackshaft will spin and start the engine.

If you can come up with a way to run the belt to the rear wheel, you can run a chain from the engine to jack shaft.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Beau, I really appreciate your help, but I'm having a hard time getting it.
Could you draw it up for me? Sorry for that man, but for instance I don't know what a jackshaft is so a scheme would be really helpfull.
thanks so much
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

I'll try and get a picture. It's the same way I'm running mine. Another build on here gave me the idea.

You would need to use one of the tricycle freewheel adapters.

DSC_0935.jpg
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Yes. You are going to need one to mount the clutch. Are you planning on running the engine chain on the right side of the bike? Or are you going to run the engine chain on the left, and pedal chain on the right.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

Thanks very much in advance.
I'm running the engine chain on the left side, same as the engine's shaft.
Please consider that my rear drum brake hub is from a motorcycle and that it does not have a sprocket on the right.

Just finished working on the tank and fuel piping and I'm gonna have dinner. Here's how it looks:









Can't thank you enough because understandig the thing is not easy. I've never seen one and the pictures are'nt comprehensive in the way that they don't show everything.

Keep rollin'
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

There are so many diferent settings..
For instance, on this picture, the bike has what seems to be a three piece crank set (some others have nothing) and a sprocket on the left side.. How does this work?



(image from http://www.thevintagent.blogspot.com)

Thanks again
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

They had a ratchet type clutch on the pedal crank that only engaged when you pedaled forward. When the engine started, the clutch on the pedal crank allowed it to be free. Was mainly used for starting the engine. But the racers were mostly towed to start and thats why some of them didn't have a pedal crank.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

I have a spare trike FW adapter. You could still use that to pedal start it on the right side of the bike.

What size shaft does you clutch take?

I have a few spare adapters. If's it's 5/8" or 15mm, I have that. If you have 3/4", I'm getting mine machined next week. I could certainly get two done ad send you one.
 
Re: Villiers board tracker

That would be awsome Beau.
I'm checking that tonight, 'cause I'm not at home right now. How would I pay you?
Meanwhile check out the exhaust and tell me what you think.









downwards? towards the front? shorter?

Thanks a lot for everything. I'll get back tonight with the measure.
 

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