Topic: Tell me abut these SOHC's

[ekpent]

I would happily allow either one of those machines to occupy space in my garage anytime.Awesome look ,great aftermarket parts and attention to detail.They are basically a show bike and I am sure the fellows that own them may possibly have another steed in their collection in case they may want to go carve a canyon or two. We all like a little attention on these old mounts and those are guaranteed to deliver !!

[Really?]

I would happily allow either one of those machines to occupy space in my garage anytime.Awesome look ,great aftermarket parts and attention to detail.They are basically a show bike and I am sure the fellows that own them may possibly have another steed in their collection in case they may want to go carve a canyon or two. We all like a little attention on these old mounts and those are guaranteed to deliver !!

I can dig that!

[BAchvytrk]

riding a ridgid bike really depends on rider position on the bike and how rough the roads are you are riding on. I have a few hardtails and not the nicest roads, pot holes, frost heaves, etc. My one 74 ironhead has a solid mount seat, low bars, forward controls, essentially i'm leaning forward, my shoulders are not over my hips. after about 50 miles, my back hurts and it feels like my kidneys are going to burst. this bike was build just as an around town cruiser, not for long rides. My other ironhead hardtail i built for longer rides, a more up right riding postion, sprung seat, pulled back bars,  I can ride this all day long, 300 miles and not have any problems.  Both these bikes i built were hardtail frames, not struts. For the bikes pictured here, i don't see any reason you couldn't put some short shocks on to absorb some of the road bumps.  i don't think a set of shock would take away from the looks of these bikes. just my two cents. actually gives my an idea on what to do with the 74 750 i just aquired 

[754]

Tire hitting the guard !! my tire is hgher than the frame behind the shock mounts.

Of course it wont handle like a shock bike, did anyone say it would?

 Like i said, if you dont have  more than a days experience riding somthing like this, at least mention it in your response  rather than  pass on your advice as well-informed..

 Btw, I rode mine in the winter on icy roads, far less prone to getting out of shape like the stocker I am riding now.

 As for a rigid frame flexing, I call BC.. I  think some of you forget that there was roadracing going on way before rear shocks were in common use..

[754]

 yeah, that is abaout as nice as a sportbike ban, isnt it...

[Really?]

I would have figured that if it was built by the manufacturer that way, then it is good enough.  I guess things change as you get older.

[Prospect]

nice..........

Ban of RIGID Frame motorcycles in New Brunswick
Tue, Apr 12 2011 07:19 AM | NB | Permalink
Joe Chronkhite contacted us to let us know about a little situation he's experiencing with motor vehicle registration in New Brunswick. And it's QUITE a situation.

Joe lives in Rosedale (which is near Woodstock, New Brunswick) and the province has told him his 1976 Triumph isn't roadworthy because it's a hard tail. A hard tail is a bike without rear suspension. When he went to register a bike he was restoring he was given the names of some engineers to contact who would be able to certifiy the bike. The guy he contacted reportedly didn't even look at the bike - when he found out it was a hard tail Joe was told that hard tails aren't allowed on the road.

Shortly after this he got a letter about the 76 Triumph he's been riding for several years.  The letter which was signed by the manager of vehicle safety with New Brunswick's Public Safety Department that said until his Triumph is engineer-certified, his registration won't be replaced or renewed and he can't transfer ownership.

So now he's got one bike that he can't ride and another 1942 Harley Davidson that he's restoring that he won't be able to ride. Not only that - he won't be able to transfer ownership of those vehicles.

Wow!  That has some serious implications for people who ride vintage bikes or do restoration work.

Check out the link to the story in the Daily Gleaner for full details on the story.

Did they give any specific evidence why the hard tail isn't safe?  What's the point anyway.  It can't be a major safety issue in New Brunswick.  How many hard tail could there possibly be in the province?  100?

[Retro Rocket]

Tire hitting the guard !! my tire is higher than the frame behind the shock mounts.

Frank, this thread isn't about you mate, look at the rear of the bikes the OP posted, if they have shocks the same length as the bars on the rear then the suspension will cause the tire to hit the guards, pretty obvious i would have thought. The op wanted opinions, and seriously rigid's look good but handle like #$%*, you won't convince anyone that knows anything about suspension otherwise..... The op can sum up and make his own mind based on what is said here, dismissing everything else simply because YOU like rigids is crap, one eyed,  biased and uninformative.  People get too defensive too quick, i am not trying to talk this guy out of building a similar bike, just letting him know the differences so he makes an informed decision......  Rotortillers last post says a lot about rigids and their lack of road performance, there's some interesting data there.....

[seanbarney41]

 As for a rigid frame flexing, I call BC.. I  think some of you forget that there was roadracing going on way before rear shocks were in common use..

...this...please google Velocette Venom

[seanbarney41]

...also, I think the Ironhead Sportster actually handles better as a hard tail than in it's stock configuration

[Retro Rocket]

 As for a rigid frame flexing, I call BC.. I  think some of you forget that there was roadracing going on way before rear shocks were in common use..

...this...please google Velocette Venom

I had a mate with a 750/4 chopper, it was a Paucho rigid frame with some stretch and rake, it bounced up and down like a pogo stick, it had lots of flex and softened the ride, until you hit a pot hole....It blows me away that a old school road bike can be compared to a chopper frame, rigid road frames like on older bikes like the Velo and WLA Harley were quite stiff and short, NOTHING like a stretched chopper frame.

[754]

If it bounced up and down sounds like it had a springer, most of them did not have any hydraulic damping till HD did the credesign on their old originasl springer. I doubt the frame was flexing.
  I thought my buddies 78 K w I tell people all the time try struts first, to see if it will work for you or not..ould run away from me in the corners on the 950 mile ride we did but I was keeping up to him, maybe it was because every ride is not a roadrace to some riders.

[Retro Rocket]

If it bounced up and down sounds like it had a springer, most of them did not have any hydraulic damping till HD did the credesign on their old originasl springer. I doubt the frame was flexing.
  I thought my buddies 78 K w I tell people all the time try struts first, to see if it will work for you or not..ould run away from me in the corners on the 950 mile ride we did but I was keeping up to him, maybe it was because every ride is not a roadrace to some riders.

No springer it was a full rigid. Not every ride i do is a road race mate, but i like my kidneys un bruised, i only weigh around 150 and have no built in padding...

[Danno]

that hole in the seat pan looks like a great way to be castrated in a crash I agree that they are beautiful bikes I just don't think they are my style and yes I have ridden a rigid before did not care for it

[754]

 Umm I meant a springer front end, they pogo a lot. Paughco makes a lot of springers or did (I was a Paughco dealer) anyway it would give a bouncy ride. I run Hydraulic forks, I got a nice Ceriani that will go on the Amen rigid sitting in my shed..

[Retro Rocket]

Umm I meant a springer front end, they pogo a lot. Paughco makes a lot of springers or did (I was a Paughco dealer) anyway it would give a bouncy ride. I run Hydraulic forks, I got a nice Ceriani that will go on the Amen rigid sitting in my shed..

I actually have a K2 frame with a bent front down tube i want to make into a rigid just to ride to local shows and stuff, i want to make it into a sort of WLA look a like, with a lower seat.  Like this...

[754]

 That Sporty does noy look a lot like a WLA or WLC..

 Ther hondas on this thread my buddy wants me to build him one like it, actually he said just like my 836 looked.. so that is the plan..

[Retro Rocket]

That Sporty does noy look a lot likea WLA or WLC..

 Thondas on this thread my buddy wants me to buiold him one like it, actually he sdaid just like my 836 looked.. so that is the plan..

I used the WLA reference for the wheelbase more than the over all look, you get the idea. I like the sporty engine in that bike, not as bulky as the normal HD engines.....

[Scott S]

 Any idea what tires are on these bikes? It looks like Goodyear on the rear and Avon on the front?

 I'm looking for something similar for my Lester's, but I will have a 16" rear. Maybe as an alternative to the Firestones.


 Can you give me a "model" of the tire? A Goodyear what? Avon Speedmaster on the front? Etc.

EDIT: Found out that the front is most certainly an Avon Speedmaster. Are there other vintage looking ribbed fronted tires like that?
 Shinko makes a reproduction of the Goodyear rear. Very affordable, too.

[Scott S]

Would a 3.25 or 3.50 be too small for a 19 x 2.15 front? What are some acceptable sizes?
 The rear is, I believe, a 16 x 3.00 (can't quite read the numbers. The rim is 4.00" edge to edge.) I can find an MT90, equivilant to a 490/510-16. Would that work on the rear?