New wheels for the Zündapp

This will probably be a series of posts about the creating these wheels.
One of my most neglected vehicles for sure is the Zündapp.
My beloved lightweight bike.
A regular 30 km/h moped converted and registered as a motorcycle back in 2003.
Upgraded from original 1hp, 3 speed & 50cc  to 70cc, 5 speed engine, KS125 fork to name a few, but since then just minor focus in the shop.
But in my head and heart the Zündapp have always been number one.
I have even tattooed the Zündapp logo on my shoulder.
#dedication

The goal have always been a bit away from the original look but still with Zündapp parts.
But for the past time it have been more focus to make a caféracer of it.
Over the years I have gathered parts for this build so many things are already on the shelf in the shop ready for next step.

The first thing to take the next step are the wheels.
Hubs was already arranged, the small OEM Zündapp hub in the rear and a big Yamaha drum with unknown origin in the front.

Hub size comparison, OEM hub vs the new Yamaha drum

Rims and spokes was something that I didn't had so a set of 18"x1,85" Borrani Record replicas was bought from Italy and the hunt for spokes begun.

Something like this will it turn out.

To find spokes is no big deal, but in what length? That's the real head scratcher.
First a mock-up with a set of old Zündapp spokes.
In the front the length was enough to make a measurement but in the rear I had to come up with something else to measure.
So I had to raid my kids old party equipment to get some straw's to extend the spokes and voilà I had the rear lengths as well.

Mock up with the straws

Next up:
# Order spokes and nipples
# Mock up the front drum on the bike
# Lace the wheels
# Buy and mount tires and put on the bike

To be continued...

Multiple focus

Not just the Speedster will have attention this winter.
The ugly duckling of Bombus Speedshop, the Zündapp will also have some love.
I have a old dream to made it more of a café racer.
I have gathered parts for this reason over the years and finally this journey have started.
First up, new wire wheels instead of the mag wheels I have now.
This will also give me a nice big drum brake in the front instead the great, but not so nice looking disc brake I have now.

Old pic of my partner in crime for almost 20 years.

Side bag

To keep the adrenaline on a healthy level when ridin´ I have filled up the side bag with some goodies.
Just so I know that if the little bike wants to give me some attitude I can fight back.
Tool roll, puncture spray, 1 liter fuel, box with nuts n´bolts, mechanic gloves, zip ties, a fresh towel and a padlock.
A good baseline for taking care of roadside mishaps....IF they occur.
But so far it have been a smooth ride but you never know when vehicle puberty kicks in and make your life a hassle.

The side bag ingredients

The bag itself is a old OEM Harley bag that I bought on a swapmeet some years ago.
It was in a really bad shape, disgusting areas with mold, hard as wood and some missing seams.
But a thorough cleanup and LOTS of leather grease took it back to life again.
The missing seams i replaced and after some time I had a really nice side bag.

The side bag itself

Aftermath

That's season 2016 for ya all !
The numbers are 1729km/1074 miles from 18 July to 1 October.
Some say it's much, some say it's little.
I'm very satisfied and just say, that's what it became this season.
It ran like a dream all the way with no major issues and gave a healthy 65Hp on the back wheel.
Went to Thomas at Tekmo to get some hard facts on the bikes power.

Couldn't really ask for more.
Sure, it's a bit harsh on bumpy roads but that comes with the territory with a rigid frame.

Start 2016

End 2016

Thomas on the dyno

The hard facts. Nice curves and good power output.

After the dynoday it was pretty much over for the season so here the Speedster have the tire outside for the last time 2016. 

So, finally airborne !
Next step is to give the little bike some wrenchlovin' so I had to get the wheels off the ground.
Solitude often dominates the Speedshop so clever ways to handle things alone must be created.
The method to get the little beast on the lift today was step by step by step......

So now the hard decisions what I want to accomplish this winter have to be made.
The downside with the fact that the bike became so awesome is that the urge to "update" is quite low.
And the "updates" already planned for this season are neither cheap, quick or easy so first I have to come up with a decision.
But I have some time left, I still want to tear down the top end and the cam side to maybe get some answers why I had such good numbers on the dyno.
I also want to give it a gasket overhaul just in case.
So, here I will start this season.

Video

I'm practically addicted to YouTube and spend a reasonable good time there.
There's so much great to see there and therefore I'm quite inspired to make my own clips.
I've done two so far, one back in 2014 and one just now.
I subscribe to about +200 YouTube channels and of those about a ten that I really look forward to seeing new stuff from.
Some favorites are:
Roadkill, Hot Rod Garage, Mighty Car Mods, Slingshot Channel, Unbox Therapy, Finnegan's Garage, Flite Test, Jay Leno's Garage, Marques Brownlee, Petrolicious, Revival Cycles, Rotor Riot and many, many more.

My last attempt of video making. 

Surprised it turned out so well actually considered I spent about three minutes on the filming and an hour or so in the TV sofa editing.
The music turned out really peppy but so is the Speedster itself so it matches quite well.

The first attempt was made back in spring 2014. 

End Of Season Run...once again

This weekend it was again time for the annual "End of season Run".
No run for me, but I did the startup anyway before I did a bit of ridin' by myself.
And it actually looks like it's gonna be the end of the season.
The rain seems to arrive real soon after an amazing fall. So now the wrenchin' season begins.
That's really my favorite season anyway and I have some real treat for the Speedster before next spring.
I'll keep you posted !

Evidence that I attended the meetup.

Bombus Speedster 1.0 -> 1.1

Both weather and the mancold I got in the beginning of the summer vacation tried to stop me and the Speedster to get to know each other.
But we overcame that and got some fun time together anyway.
The Speedster is a really fun roadfriend I must say.
It revs like hell and moves, even on twisty roads which surprised me.
A rigid end ain't the optimal chassie solution for handling, especially paired with OEM Harley forks and brakes.
But apparently the bike doesn't know all that and handles quite OK anyway.
Up until today 16/9 I've run 1587km about 1000 miles.


But to reach from 1.0 status to 1.1 some small things needed to be done.


#Gearing
It revs like a beast in "highwayspeed" so a front sprocket change was necessary.
Also the already worn out mock-up chain was replaced with a new one.

#Nuts n' Bolts
All nuts and bolts was gone through.
But nothing had moved so I was OK.

#Oilchange
Don't know what the engine went through before entering Bombus Speedshop so the goal was a quick rinse inside with fluids, both engine and trans.
But time went on it both sounds well and runs ever better so that will wait until spring.

#Throttle
The throttle is more than peppy I must say.
The short travel of the "quick throttle" makes driving harder then necessary.
So a re-construction from peppy as F¤#K to just way to peppy was made but more about that later.

#Dynorun
Just for fun I went to my friend Thomas at Tekmo Service for a reality check.
It runs surprisingly good so I was curious about the real numbers.
A healthy 65.52 hp and 100.44Nm on the rear wheel was the verdict.
Way better than I thought.

I've realized that I'm the total opposite on most things, even with this build.
The goal for most stock bike owners is to get their stock bikes look custom.
But I want my custom bike to be as stock as possible but still a custom.
The convenience with a stock bike is so appealing. The flawless functionality is really missed when riding on a customized bike.
Therefore I have realized that the best combo, for me is to have my full custom build but at the same time the OEM functionality, at least so much it's possible.