Who has scratch built a frame?

S

Slideaway

New Member
#1
#1
Im looking for any tips and ideas on building a classic style mini bike frame from scratch. I live in the uk so finding a classic frame is near enough im possible! I have access to my own manual conduit bender and welder, but i would love to hear from anyone who might of built there own frame before!

Im looking to build a lil indian style frame and fork, so id love to know what the dimentions and angles i need to acheive to build a frame similar.

Thank you in advance for any help guys. I would really appreciate any help i can get!

Joe
 
S

Slideaway

New Member
#3
#3
Haha. Ive got an unlimited supply of tubing at my work, so that should keep costs down :laugh:

Have you got any sort of plans or pictures i could take a peek at? :thumbsup:
 
S

Slideaway

New Member
#4
#4
Bear in mind im a real amateur fabricator. I love the look of the lil indian frame, there loads of bends in them though but im willing to give it the best shot :thumbsup:
 
KB2ROCKET

KB2ROCKET

Active Member
#5
#5
Bending cutting grinding welding is like clay in the hands of an artist it can be anything you want it to be. On the technical side make sure things are aligned correctly the welds are good and be realistic about the strength of your design and the wall thickness needed and supports required and have fun :thumbsup:
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#6
#6
Slideaway said:
Im looking for any tips and ideas on building a classic style mini bike frame from scratch. I live in the uk so finding a classic frame is near enough im possible! I have access to my own manual conduit bender and welder, but i would love to hear from anyone who might of built there own frame before!

Im looking to build a lil indian style frame and fork, so id love to know what the dimentions and angles i need to acheive to build a frame similar.

Thank you in advance for any help guys. I would really appreciate any help i can get!

Joe
Click to expand...
There are several people on here that have done it and documented it. [MENTION=26262]David wulf[/MENTION] and [MENTION=47323]OND[/MENTION] both can link you to their builds. Cheek out [MENTION=121]jeep2003[/MENTION] he has built all types of things....

They will chime in and give you links to their build threads.

Good luck with yours. Take your time and think about what you are trying to accomplish. A safe fun machine.

Doug
 
jeep2003

jeep2003

#7
#7
When building a bike from scratch you first need all the bolt ons so you can build the frame to suit them. Wheels + tires, engine, jackshaft? clutch or torque converter? Brake. Even simple things like fenders should be thought about before hand especially on a small bike. Plans will change along the way for sure but the more vision you have in your mind the easier it will be. The best way to learn is by doing it. Some people do great on their first bike and some take 5 or 10 bikes to get it all figured out. Dont rush through it try and do best you can shortcuts are not worth it
 
neo71665

neo71665

Member
#8
#8
Since you say you can acquire tubing easily get a bunch of scrap and practice bending. Learn the shrinkage and bending radius of your dies before you start on a "finished" project.
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#9
#9
In the US, conduit is the term we use for the "tubing" which retains electrical wire. Conduit benders in these terms are not suitable for bending tubing.
[MENTION=30583]hotrodricky[/MENTION] has built a couple of "copy" frames for both Taco and Indian, as well as many other fabrication projects. In the event your "bender" is not adequate to the task at hand, you might contact him. Shipping and importation tariffs of course make this a bit more costly for you.

Irony- what some consider the "original" mini bike was built in the UK by the Excelsior Motor Company of Birmingham in 1942. Called the Welbike, it was designed for paratrooper operations and was powered by a Villiers two cycle. If I were in the UK and looking to build a bike, and had some Villiers engines, this is what I would be trying to do.
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#15
#15
If you are building from scratch a jig fixture is a huge help. If you are cutting and modifying an existing frame it is very helpful for maintaining all the correct geometry.

My Jig that I built 2 years ago for my Drift Trike project.

Doug
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top