Sunday, February 22, 2009

Genius at work: The Hough Cycle Works 71

Via: British car forum

"The HoughMade Cycle Works 71. Not a strict replica, it is an homage' to the motorcycles of the pre-WWI era.

The frame is from a '90s vintage Huffy cruiser. The front fork is a reproduction Schwinn style springer. Hough fabricated "leaf springs" for the look, but their only function is as fenders. The wheels are from Husky- very heavy duty with thick steel and 11 ga spokes. It has a high quality coaster brake, but it also has calipers front and rear which is what is generally use for braking. The tires are all-white vintage style from Kenda.

The tank is fabricated from fiberglass. Under the cover (and bonded to it) is a 1/2 gallon steel tank that can be bought from bicycle-engine vendors. The seat and headlight are from eBay. The seat is a vintage long-spring frame that was padded with modern foam and covered with goat skin. The headlight was a small railroad lantern. It throws light like a flashlight, bur will not be ridden at night. Also mounted in the headlight is the speedometer with a custom face.

The bought an engine mounting plate, gearbox and other specialized hardware from a vendor who sold (past-tense) such things. The engine is a brand new Honda GXH50 (49.4cc) with 2.5hp and custom-made side plates to pretty up the mounting plate and smoothed the grain off the plastic engine housing to mimic metal. "

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