Beachcomber's TR1 - now "Cafe-Creme" Boardtracker 'ish

Re: Beachcomber's TR1 - Special [ NOT Cafe Racer ]

And just to add to the "pile", I won these today on E-Bay, from a 60's 3.8ltr Jag Mk2 - £10 [ $23 ? ].

They will clean up easilly and are very easy [ and cheap ] to refurbish. various style polished alloy velocity stacks are also available for around £8 - £10.

Don't look like much, but these are spot on for blown engines. Just one will do [ 2" choke ]. Hmmmm ..........that leaves the Webers AND a spare Turbo?

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Definitely the Boardtracker style now and I've managed to collect quite a few parts that will keep the overall costs down so I can put some funds into having the frame and tank made.

I've even got a fair mental image including colourways. Colours will be Coffee Brown and Cream. I was undecided about which way round, but I think it will be Cream with Coffee accents as I want the overall look to be as delicate as possible.

Maybe - Cream - tank, wheels, mudguards, fork legs, bars, engine. Coffee - Frame, yokes, hubs.

All colours will be Satin / Matt and the engine will be painted in the new fine wrinkle paint prior to colour.

I'm also looking for a stylised font for the name "Cafe-Creme" - in the style of an old Parisienne Cafe.
Not sure what happened during the upload - the script is definitely Mid Coffee Brown!

Any input welcomed as this style of bike build is new to me.

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Just back from a week's chill break in Saxony - come from 24 degrees and blue skies to 8 degrees and torrential rain ....ah well. The good news is that my pal scored a practically new 2" SU carb for me while I was away - so I guess that means I am going SU rather than Weber.
Spare mule off to exhaust guy next week and hubs being sorted for wheel building.
 
Rain stopped play today-again, so I've spent some time trying to finalise specs and schedule the work for my projetcs.

Trying to decide whether to go with no lights [ daylight MOT ] or not. Then I came across an article on a H-D Boardtrackerish style bike with old Brass lamps.

Lightbulb [ sorry about that ] moment - remembered some old Joe Lucas [ early 1900's ] paraffin / meths lit bicycle lamps that had belonged to my Dad's Father [ we think ]. My Father always had them on display in his living room and I eventually inherited them. I managed to track them down today and looks an easy conversion to electric without destroying their antiquity. I'll use them as sidelamps only with a Citroen 2CV Dolly headlamp.
That's it then, full light MOT and with a permanent reminder of Father ..........

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ANOTHER PIECE FOR THE JIGSAW ................... Vincent style speedo. I'll refurb it with cream face and coffee brown digits

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How about a set of old board style bars with lots of pull back to further that image? Would be nice to make a simple, thin breadbox board track race era tank too. Wouldn't hold a lot of fuel but might help the overall look.
 
Teazer / Dog, thanx for your input, encouragement.

Yea, bars - important to the overall look. At the moment 3 styles are in my head - but will be obvious which one when the chassis is rolling. This from a comfort angle.

The lazy pull back bars, the droop down pure boardtrack racer bars - or I have an idea for a sort of reverse Ace [ Clubman ? ] but with slow curves to bring the bars back from the headstock, but not too low. Jeeez, I wish I'd paid more attention to the Photoshop guy !! This bike HAS to be comfortable as both my knee and elbow joints are deteriorating now.

Ditto with the tank. Maybe the old "Flat-tanker" [ Breadbox ] style as you suggest [ which we could make in house ] or something with a few more curves - similar to the Willow, but a bit larger.

We're off to an Autojumble [ cars ] in a few weeks, I'll check out if there's any period type accessories I can incorporate into the design.
 
I get the chance to follow maybe one or two projects during the summer because time just doesn't allow anymore. I've decided after much lurking, to make this the project I follow this summer. I can't wait to watch this all unfold!
I absolutely love the direction you are heading. The family history with those awesome lamps to the brown and cream colors, etc, etc etc.... Going to be so killer sweet!!
I do have a couple ideas. Have you considered M bars? Maybe turned down slightly...
Also, I was wondering if you've picked a font yet? I'm kinda drawn to the Ancestory font you posted or maybe you could pull something out of this sign?
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I found it a while back and saved it on my desk top. I think the lettering looks kinda turn of the century and I love the brush strokes. If there isn't a ready available font, maybe someone like Cresent could whip up something??
another idea I've been keeping is to incorporate a vintage brass fire extinguisher somewhere on a build. Something like these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-National-Standard-Copper-Fire-Extinguisher-Antique-LOOK-/160796346734?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257035896e



http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-BRASS-PYRENE-FIRE-EXTINGUISHER-/230786939484?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bbf93a5c

Well I apologize for babbling. As you can see I'm stoked to watch your build
 
Troy I'm real flattered that you will be spending some of your hard earned "spare time" following my project - no pressure then !! 8)

Ancestory is top of my pile at the moment - Monterey seems popular with most folk, but I feel that the Ancestory has more "movement" - due to the slope ?

Thanx for posting the French sign .... IF I Do go with the one in my head [ if I find it ] - it WILL be as the old Cafe Noir sign I saw all those years back. Never the less - that poster does have the correct period feel about it.

I might sketch out as close as I can to the old Cafe sign and see what others make of it.

I don't feel that I am sufficiently "one of the boys" yet to ask out loud for help with the design from pro's like Crescent.

Colourways DEFINITELY Coffee / Cream - at least one decision made !

Brass fire extinguisher - great minds !! ;) That's one of the items we're going to look for at the Autojumble! The old immediate post WW2 Post Office / Telephone vans [ Morris Z van ] used to have a small brass extinguisher attached to the outside of the door. It was purely mechanical, and all Brass. There are one or two other WW1 era brass do-dads that I have in mind. Don't want to overdo it, as the original plan was for a "minimilistic" look.

I also have a very specific idea for the Turbo oil return pipe. Instead of using Russell / Earl's / ....... Stainless hose I'm going to have some 1/2" Copper pipe wound into a loose series of coils [ like a shock spring ], maybe 10" - 12" deep overall and say 3" o/a diameter - which will also act as an oil cooler !!

A pal [ that I got the 4" period speedo from ] has also got a long handled handlebar choke lever - which he's debating whether to let me have. If not, I've got my eye on a brass advance / retard plate and lever [ dash ] from an old Austin car. That might be incorporated on the side of the tank and will operate the mechanical choke on the SU.
Like everything, depends on cost.

I managed to score a couple of Citroen 2CV "Dolly" headlamps yesterday [ E-bay ], which look pre-WW1, even though they're 1980's ! I plan to use one of them with a suitable lens.

My pal AC that I'm building another bike for - has also fallen in love with the style..might be building 2 now ! I told him he can have my second colourway choice - Satin Blackcurrant and Lemon. It also means that he has a 4LS Grimeca front hub / brake assembly going spare ............................

Excuse my ignorance - "M" bars ? I think the full droop Boardtrack race bars will be too extreme for my ageing joints and pull backs - too "Cruiser'ish".

I saw somthing similar to what I have in mind in one of my old Back Street Heroes mags, I'll try to dig it out.

I think Father would definitely approve of using the lamps, rather than have them sit on a shelf gathering dust.

Keep the ideas and critiques coming guys, really grateful for your input - a sort of International Design forum !

Ideas are really starting to buzz now, and with input from my US and Worldwide cousins - I'm sure the outcome will be at least a moderate success. :)

Attached the Post Office version - with extiguisher on the fender - the Royal Mail [red vans ] had them attached to the door.

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This Interwebby thing is extraordinary !

30 minutes of trawling and I've come up with this little gem. AND for less than the price of the fuel to get me to the Autojumble!

I'll ditch the mount for something a bit more inkeeping. Might use it to put the SU electric fuel pump inside.

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Troy was I believe referring to the classic (and British) Norman Hyde M bars.

https://normanhyde.co.uk/hinckley-triumph/7-8-m-bars-with-end-plugs.html

I'm running an aftermarket set on my SR500. Nice comfy bars but without any real rise to them so a low profile.

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Tim is correct I was refering to the Norman Hyde M bars. Might be what you are refering to lazy pull back bars?
Awesome score on the tank. That was fast! Lots of great ideas coming together that's for sure. The turbo oil (cooler)return line will be a sweet (functional) touch. And I love the idea for the mechanical choke.
Is AC a member here? Would love to watch two bikes in this style being built.
Are you still heading to the Autojumble? If so, can't wait to see what you haul back.
By the way, I've always considered you one of the boys and I'm certain many others feel the same!
I can't wait for an update!
 
red face here Tim / Troy - guess I should have known about "M" bars !!! :-[ :-[ :-[

Especially as Norman is a very good and old friend of John Hancox ! John has arranged for me to meet up with Norman after the TT.

The look I'm after [ and comfort ] - Imagine the first bends [ from the clamps ] reversed, and then the actual hand grip part like an Ace [ Clubmans ] but all slow bends.

AC isn't a member of ANY forum - he's totally not of the computer age and really has no time as his day job [ building those Jag and Cobra replicas ] really is a full time job.

No need to worry - he'll be here by proxy as I'll be building his bikes for him and I'll set up a seperate thread.

I've scored some other neat brass items on E-Bay - but I'll show them IF I decide to use them.
 
I'm reliably informed [ via PM ] that the coiled return pipe might not be a good idea as the return should be as direct as possible. Just so others are aware.
 
While I was doing minor riding mods to the Summer mule [ which will be torn down for the TR1 Cafe Racer ] I just happened to lay the Renthals on the tank to check for width / control cables - and voila ...........that's pretty much the idea I had in mind for Cafe Creme ! ;D

Bends aren't quite right - but you get the idea.

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Won this one today - £8.50 [ $20 ? ]

Fingers still crossed for the Desmo version - just has to be , doesn't it ? ;)

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And here's the Citroen Dolly headlamp.

It's got an "olde Worlde" look but takes modern [ and easily available ] bulbs and lenses [ 6" ].

The body is injected plastic, which makes it easier to fit the various idiot lights. All in all - well pleased.

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