Early Bug Flea

FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#21
#21
I am with Dave on the front and rear wheels looking the same size. I blew the pic up 500% and it got a little grainy... I dropped back to 400% and it looks like they might have removed something out of the photo and just skimmed the edge of the tire tread in the trimming process. :shrug:

Very cool find Dave. You will do it a lot of justice. I would never have thought of the possibility that the seat was a Tricycle seat...

Doug
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#22
#22
Yes, it looks rough. Only new metal is bars and top frame piece. Wheels done in white rattle can as a base coat, followed by a white dry pearl in urethane clear. New Timken bearings. Original side stand consisted of bicycle type going through a large hole in the frame. I used OldMiniBikes's weld on offering for ease of installation and as an upgrade for strength. Proprietary brake plate shown.



Found an art deco designed tricycle seat on ebay. I have it clamped in place here. I am not committed to using it, however I know that using it would result in a stronger design than welding on a Troxel spring seat as my frame had originally. Later models would have had a seat like this.

 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#25
#25
As promised, [MENTION=57830]scrambler1[/MENTION] here are the brake components. The backing plate is 4.5" (a tad less, as my drum is 4.5") and the center holds the wheel spacer for that side via weld. It is 1.8" long, and welded to the frame at the axle crimped tab. A fixed "axle" is welded to the band brake, (I want to call it a 4" band) and on the other end, an eye is welded in place. The eye will contain the actuator, pictured here. A strip of woven brake material will be epoxied on the outside of the band later.



Set up for measurements and welding.



Wheels assembled and painted ghost flake (pearl) over rattle can white as a base. Pearl mixed in urethane as a top coat. Tricycle seat welded on. Optical illusion on rake here. Freaked me out at first.



Seat underneath is a labyrinth of small, angled pieces of steel, welded to provide a ladder-type support system right out of a fricking handbook of Better Mouse Traps by Rube Goldberg. It is seriously difficult for me to weld in deep areas with my wire feed. (No advice needed here, it's too late)



Engine plate and foot pegs will complete the fabrication portion.
 
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scrambler1

Member
#26
#26
Thanks for the pictures Dave!
That is exactly the same brake that is on my old Bug Go Kart.
My kart has a brake on each of the two rear wheels. I call them 'barely brakes'. :)
Most of my karts have disc brakes.
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#29
#29
That article was written by the wife of the owner of Bug Engineering, (K&P Engineering) and if anyone does some sleuthing, can see some discrepancies in the verbiage. Go Kart MFG built their own track on their own property, so it stands to reason they would not allow competitive businesses on their track.

As far as the hoops on the early flea, it does make sense they'd used them for a prototype or two. It does not make sense they'd use kart parts for follow on production, since a kart took one of those hoops to build, and a flea bike took three.

Lastly, the comment she makes about Go Kart beating Bug to market with the karts by a week is hugely misleading. Duffy Livingstone, Art Engles and a few others were building and selling karts out of Livingstone's muffler shop way before Bug was a company. However when the Go Kart name was registered as a trademark, and sold under that name, I could concede Faye's point- which is really moot.

This video of Duffy Livingstone might shed some light:

[video=youtube;flBTTmEZ_Pg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flBTTmEZ_Pg[/video]
 
S

slow greg

#30
#30
Great stuff....Bug stuff is the coolest in so cal not many around..... bugs
Faye Pierson is around 90 and still drives.....FAST! she even has a utube video and was on to tell the truth......im working on 3 of the fleas not much info out there i had to come up with a disk brake on the jackshaft
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#31
#31
Well, there are some alignment issues. The photos below tell the story. If I am missing something, please tell me.

This is where the rear wheel sits in the frame. Note how far to the right the engine needs to be for the chain to align.


This is a view from the front showing the right hand mount holes.


Clutch side. Clutch running inboard, note distance to left side mount holes.


Top View.
 
Itype2slo

Itype2slo

Well-Known Member
#32
#32
D,oh back to the drawing board. I know that's not the atta boy you want. But you are resourceful how are you going to correct? I have faith you have some ideas. Good luck :thumbsup:
 
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scrambler1

Member
#33
#33
Dave,
Not much you can do with such a small frame.
Check this pic - engine is mounted way to the right.
You will need to carry some ballast in your left pocket!
Bug Flea.jpg Bug Flea.jpg
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#34
#34
scrambler1 said:
Dave, Not much you can do with such a small frame. Check this pic - engine is mounted way to the right.
You will need to carry some ballast in your left pocket!
Click to expand...
Aye. In order to get the R/H engine mount bolts to go "inside" of the frame, (and barely fitting) I would have to move the rear wheel to the left, where the chain was about touching the frame. I am using original wheel spacers, and have the original engine plate, so I am in a quandary as to what is now different than original.

So easily fixed, (and a better bike) with a jack shaft. I can list several design flaws Bug made in their exuberance to quickly pump out a mini bike.

PS: Note how in this brochure the engine plate is not shown beneath the rear mounting lugs on the engine?
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#36
#36
Using the [MENTION=46062]chipper[/MENTION] trick of using a straight edge, and with the engine as far to the right as it's mounting bolts will allow it:.



I can get .198" by moving the rear wheel to the left- which just allows the brake to clear the frame, but it wont be enough.



Unless I also cut some of the margin off of the clutch from the sprocket to where it rests on the PTO. I have a message out to Jim Donovan on that. Note that we think a vintage Mercury clutch would have had the sprocket flush. Anybody got one in 5/8?

 
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scrambler1

Member
#37
#37
I'm sure you can remove a bit from the clutch, (Jim will shudder at the thought), but will your sprocket and chain clear the chain guard?
You might have to modify the way it mounts.
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#38
#38
scrambler1 said:
I'm sure you can remove a bit from the clutch, (Jim will shudder at the thought), but will your sprocket and chain clear the chain guard?
You might have to modify the way it mounts.
Click to expand...
Already heard back from Jim. Will send him the part and he says he can machine off .300.
No, will not clear guard, guard will need to be machined.
Modifying the way it mounts is not an option, since I will not drill through the frame rails, I wont drill extra holes in the engine, and I wont have a mini bike with an engine sticking out like a tumor. :laugh:

All I need is a vintage Mercury Clutch. Or a jack shaft, but I've already received death threats from my fellow purists. :scooter:

Oh and...I cant verify if these maneuvers will allow me to mount the engine as per original anyway. LOL
 
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scrambler1

Member
#39
#39
Just a thought ....
For the mount bolts that are interfering with the frame - weld them to the mounting plate.
Either weld them sitting on top of the plate, or from underneath.
Ideally, they would be flush with the top of the plate, so the engine still sits on the plate, but that is a trickier weld.
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#40
#40
scrambler1 said:
Just a thought ....
For the mount bolts that are interfering with the frame - weld them to the mounting plate.
Either weld them sitting on top of the plate, or from underneath.
Ideally, they would be flush with the top of the plate, so the engine still sits on the plate, but that is a trickier weld.
Click to expand...
And how would you go about adjusting for the chain then, if I am understand you right.
 
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