Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125510
- co HOW TO 1110- A rucup lOAD ual p;:~~~!' AND lOA. WITH 50cc tory '" r-. g; - • ~ :g .:; . ~ "" ~ ~ ..::J U Bob Braverman After putting all of the parts away we're ready to start on the chassis. One rear shock is removed and moved t,o a nearly vertical position. A new top anchor was fabricated from a bolt and some steel strap material. The bolt must fit the shock bushing as close as possible. The new mount was brazed in place and the other side was done next. This whole job took about an hour. V >U * We used inch tube with a .060 wall thickness for the bottom tube and the foot peg itself. An examination of the photos will show how these were attached to the frame. The tube was cut and filed carefully to provide as good a fit as possible before brazing in place. Then a piece of 3/8" tube (.040 wall) was used as a vertical hrace. One word of caution. It is far better to tack the assembly together lightly, so if something must be moved it's no big chore. Also remember the pegs must be high enough so there is no danger of grounding them when heeled over in a turn. This could drop you to the asphalt in a flash. At the same time they shouldn't be so hi gh as to cause you you to feel cramped. You must feel comfortable on the bike if you're to do well and enjoy yourself. The peg assembly snould be sturdy. Many of tbe bikes that show show up at the races have foot peg *" arrangements of a rather flimsy natu reo You should be able to put all your weight on them without a trace of deflection in any direction. SOme prefer solid pegs, some prefer the folding type. Whatever 'ype you do use, just be sure they're installed securely. There is no excuse for a foot pe g breaking off, and yet we see this happen from time to time. More to Come And Handlebars O.K., now that we have a place to put our feet, our hands come next. Now there are ail sorts of ways to mount the bandIebars (or clip-ons if you will), the cboice is up to you. The particular arrangement shown here has been used a number of times witb excellent results. A short piece of tube is cut off, split in half, and each half welded to sides of tbe top fork crown. This provides a good solid anchor for the bar itself. On our particular machine, tbe clutch and brake controls were part of the original handlebars, so we used the original bars as part of our new setup. Foot Peg Construction The next project was fitting new foot pegs. Don't use the rear passenger pegs found on most swinging arms. Many riders do, but the trutb of the matter is. that the foot pegs should be mounted to the frame solidly, and not to a movable member such as the swinging arm. And then too, the rear suspension is some wbat affected. Bar Logic We cut off each end of the old handlebars and filed them to fit the new location. Then they were tacked in place to the reinforced head crown. (We put a pad on the frame and sat on it, wi th both feet on the pegs. The hars were moved till they felt comfortable, and only then were they tacked in place.) Once satisfied that everything was as it should be the bars were welded securely in place. If you prefer to use the conventional clip-ons, fine. But this is just one other way of accomplishing the same thing with one distinct advantage. You never have to worry about the clip on loosening up or moving. And there's a lot to be said for that. At this point the bike is starting to take shape. The forks are back on along with the wheels, the rear shocks have been moved, and the handlebars are in their proper location. SOme of you may be itchy about getting the frame painted and some chrome work done. Don't. We still have to lengthen the swinging arm, and there will be brackets mo unted to the frame, so if the frame is painted at thi s point it will only have to be done again later. The entire machine should be constructed and test ridden before you ever should worry about the appearance. Invariably there's always something you will probably want to change once you get the bike running. Most 50's have a very short wheelbase. While they may be fine for commuting, it is far too short for racing purposes. Next week we'll show you the easy way to add a few inches,to the swinging arm without a lot Of strain or pain. It's really ve ry easy. Read CYCLE NEWS and find out just how this is done. ·····HILLTOPPERS SCRAMBLES ••••• Manfred Heyr..d (SR) of OlOvllI, taklS .., JUIIIP like allarlne .uld" HCIIII' 011 21'" ',a., flO.. ... U,s. "'Ia. COlliS, H.,r-.d coald ilardi' wall lD III back to tba lIlrolti. alai ... 5w1 ..lIal 011 his Ial sIIoo, GlOre' McCart, (9Q) Iuds IIIYada's WlndJ Fonnall (211) as ..., 10 round ... SWllIpII' wi th ,ase. Photos'" story by Carolyn Richards • The weatber was so nice and cool for a late spring day in Northern California tbat we went 120 miles northwest toward the mountains to test our cycles against the Hilltoppers MC track at Lassen County Fairgrounds, near Susanville. There we found a three-eights mUe track, in good shape, replete with an exciting board jump. People were friendly, and the officials among the hest and most aiert we've ever seen. Ob - Ob! Extremely slick at first, the track soon dried out and made for an interesting day-long race card for all 60 plus riders. The • gooey' condition of the track put one of ·our boys," Mainer Richards, out of action after just two practice laps when he hung up in the mud as he came out of the sweeper and went over the high side. When Richards came to after ha ving ridden the ambulance as far as the pit gate, he had nothing more wrong with him than a black eye, which came from his head-on meeting with tbe end of a handlebar; a cut chin, that came from his contact with the ground; a skinned, split nose, and a hole bitten through his tongue. lHoovy Brass The brass displayed by the Hilltoppers was just about the best we've seen, and tbe club's generosity with it was encouraging to all racers and fans as we 11. As District 36 has abolished tbe little 60cc class, many riders up here are witbout mounts. When the 100cc class took tbe starting flag there were two of the little .bumblebees in competition. Nevaifa rider Don Hudd of Reno on a Honda 60, wbo crossed the finish line first took a nice piece of hardware bome with him, Expert rider George McCarty of Red Bluff put on a spectacular show for fans and offered his competition notbing but a fast back wheel and a face full of dust. McCarty made a clean sweep in each race he entered. In the light· weight division, aboard a Honda 250, be won bis beat race, bis tropby dash and hi s main event. During the heavyweights' run, George made the same three wins riding a 650 Triumph. Sixteen-year-old Amateur Dick Turner of Red Bluff went home witb two pieces of brass also - one for his trophy dash and the other for the l75cc main. Other two-time winners of the day were Red Bluff's Terry Hugbes, wbo rodeaHonda 5-90 in the lOOcc class, and John Davis of Redding, an amateur who won both times on his Bultaco 200. HAY-HEY! "JOu cotta tall JOlI mI.1 as WIll tall on lila lOti slIItt!