Custom Wheels

[Yellowhand]

If you have access to machine tools, you can make some interesting custom wheels, including 'hubless' designs, for your custom minichop projects...

This 20" front wheel was made from a standard bicycle rim with the original 40 spoke holes welded over...

A clamping fixture was made to center a custom lathe-made hub while coal pot forged twisted square steel spokes were blind-welded in place to give the wheel some strength...

The brass spokes are hollow, concealing long 'truing' screws to adjust the wobble out of the wheel...

The hub was drilled and tapped on a tilt-table drill press, to angle the truing screws, allowing them to pull off-center...

This bike will eventually get a similar-design custom 16" rear wheel made to correct the butt-ugly size difference between the front and (current) rear wheel...

But that's the beauty of building custom minichops...you can keep chopping them forever if you choose to change them...

 

[Bananas for Bonanzas]

man, thats some great work.

 

[Yellowhand]

Thanks...

Somewhere, I have that old issue of 'The Horse' with the tech article showing Choppers, Inc. making a 'hubless' rear wheel...

It's basically just a giant ball bearing...

I want to make one in minibike size, with a friction drive roller on the jackshaft instead of chain drive...

Should be cool...the engine needs to be mounted backwards, unless I use a reverse rotation cam or engine...

Choppers, Inc. is still crankin' 'em out...they've got it down to an art...

In my opinion, there were only (ever) two chopperheads who ever built anything truly interesting, and unfortunately, one of them died...