My First Boardtracker Attempt

[crackedpiston]

Howdy fellas, it's good to have a new project in the mix. It seems that the old boardtrackers are the flavour of the millenium, and for good reason. I too have fallen for the "sleek antique" lines of those bikes, but always thought that their geometry was something that really had to be researched in order for it to look right. Well, I think it's about time I stopped thinking and started doing. I guess the clincher was "Rattus Boardtrackus". What a unit!!! I had been planning on getting one of those little Chinese motors for a while, but on the weekend I finally pulled my finger out and bought one. The original intention was to bolt it to anything that had 2 wheels just so I coould get to work a tad easier, but I thout "why not apply a bit of class to it too???".
Ok, so, being peeved that I've invaded his shed, my old man decides to speed up the build by giving me his VERY early 1970's Raleigh. It was a top bike in its day, I think. It has the racing cluster on it (10 speed), and is in all a very solid bike. :x
Heres a pic:

And a shot of the little donk:

So yeah, that's as she stands so far. I've proceeded to pull her down and get her all tight again. I'm yet to make a template for the cuts, but it probably won't be TOO drastic. I just want her at the weeds 8) One thing I was wondering, is if these old Raleigh road bikes are rare or I guess "unchoppable"... I would hate to wreck a piece of pedal history... :? If anyone knows, speak now or forever hold your peace

Cheers gents.

 

[cruisefever]

I would personally burst into tears if I saw you tear up this classic bike, that's too close to the Fuji I learned to wrench on originally.

That said, it's your bike. In the gas-powered hot rodding world, you do what you want with your ride and screw'em if they don't like it.

 

[hotfoot]

Is that one of those little 80cc things off ebay? I've been thinking about getting one, how's the construction? Seem like a quality piece, or is it going to break easy?

 

[crackedpiston]

A Fuji??? Man that's a blast from the past! I understand that when it comes to "hot rods" (I use the term loosely), every man and his dog has a different opinion of what is cool, and that, I reckon, is why it's such a great hobby. Unfortunately, sometimes valuable (and I don't mean money-wise) and rare things are cut up . Not a major problem, since it is yours and no-one elses, but I don't like the idea of deleting a piece of history just so that you can get a bit lower to the ground or something 8) . If it is a rare bike, then I sort of feel obliged to, uh, retain it for future generations. But if not, that grinder has a job to do.

Oh yeah, that motor is a 70cc. I bought it from a place called "Poweredbicycles Australia" because I don't really trust greedbay. I went down there and the guy told me they don't sell the 80's because they're a tad thin and tend to burn out. I dunno, they reckon they are all basically the same displacement (63.3cc) I think. But they sell all the upgrade/replacement parts you'd need there aswell, so I recommend sourcing one locally. Check out "Poweredbikes.com" (I think). Top forum that will fill you in on the ins and outs of these little buggers.

 

[MadMick]

Slice it up man! Unless it's 531 or is particularly old no Raleigh has any significant intrinsic or historical value IMO.

But maybe I'm biased coz I hate Raleighs!