Thread: 2/3 scale Brough Superior

Oops Bugger!

What an interesting morning in the life of a 2/3 scale Brough Superior builder.
In between bouts of cleaning the dust and dirt out of the shed.
I tried fitting the old Harley Davison forks to the Brough again.

Something just wasn't adding up.
No matter how I looked at it there was no way I could see a version of the forks working with the tank in place.
You couldn't get a turning radius, the forks just keep hitting the tank.

In the end I thought "Penguin Putty" to this and came inside for a coffee and to have a good look my reference pictures.
After staring at one of the photos for awhile I finally noticed what I hadn't seen all this time.

Here's the picture and an enlargement with a red arrow showing a turn in at the front of the tank.

1926 Brough 1.jpg tank1a.jpg

I hadn't spotted that before!

So I searched around the net and finally found the picture below.

t12.jpg

There's a ruddy great recess in the front of the tank!.
Giving the forks room to move.

It looks like there'll be a bit more fiberglass dust covering the shed.
One good thing is I can stop cleaning the place, not much point when I'm just going to add more to it!.

I think at this point the best thing to do is to make a set of triple trees out of wood.
That way I can see how it's all going to work, and still leave myself room for modification.

The best laid plans of mice and men!.

Cheers
Trev.

Trevor - the Internet Browser

Great pickup You love the fibreglass / resin sanding

Charlie

The tanks so tight in there you still can hardly see it, even knowing it's there.
Better to find it now than later.

Originally Posted by htl

The tanks so tight in there you still can hardly see it, even knowing it's there.
Better to find it now than later.

Thanks for that it makes me feel better mate!.
Funny thing is now that I know the recess is there it's obvious it had to be.
Looking at the photo if there wasn't a recess the forks simple couldn't turn.

Never mind it just goes to show there really is no method in the madness!.

Cheers
Trev.

I got a drop saw

Dave TTC
Turning Wood Into Art

image.jpeg

There appears to be 2 steps to the cut out?
fletty

If you need to match this moulding



I have appropriate hammer and large round bar

As for the flakes and rust. Well I can supply some liquid rust 😉

Dave TTC
Turning Wood Into Art

Na
Your just doing a vintage drag bike now
They don't need to go around corners much

I reckon that tank looks like mid to late 30's fletty.
It's pretty wide across the shoulders.

I found this photo of a repo mid 20's tank.

t3.jpg

It looks like the recess is set back in the tank at the same angle as the throat.
With a reinforcing plate across the top.

It should be fairly straight forward to make the modification.
Just hoping I can get it done without having to cut the tank open again.

Hey Dave if I need work like than done on the bike, I know who to call!.

Cheers Guy's
Trev.

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Na
Your just doing a vintage drag bike now
They don't need to go around corners much

That sounds like a nice cross between Artist Licence and Duck Fudging to me mate!.

Cheers
Trev.

Originally Posted by DaveTTC

As for the flakes and rust. Well I can supply some liquid rust 

Dave TTC
Turning Wood Into Art

I think there was some spare flakes of rust on the trailer?

Originally Posted by Repliconics

I reckon that tank looks like mid to late 30's fletty.
It's pretty wide across the shoulders.
Trev.

Ive done a bit more searching and I think that tank might actually be an SS100 as well as being a bit later?

To me half the fun of building these projects is learning about them in a much deeper way then we would other wise do.
It's also interesting how our insights are 20-20 in hind site. lol

There was nothing else for it but to take to the tank and cut the front out of it.
I'll admit the last thing I ever wonted was to see the inside of the tank again.
But in the end I don't feel to bad about it.

IMG_7738.jpg IMG_7740.jpg

With the forks recessed into the tank it's going to be a great look and fun to build.

IMG_7735.jpg

In the shot above I've put the old Harley forks on.
The fits all wrong but I can see how things should work.

The 1926 Brough I'm using as a reference is fitted with Castle forks not Harley.
Although both where fitted to the bike during 1926 at different times.

1926 Brough 2.jpg 1926 Brough 3.jpg

I'm going with the Castle forks because they where made by Brough at the Haydn Road Works.

I had a bit of good luck and found some old pipe and square section steel in the bush behind the shed.
I think there's a good start to a set of forks in them.

IMG_7742.jpg

Once the forks are done and the tanks put back together, I'll build a stand for the bike like I did with the Indian.
After that the order of things should go something like:
Exhaust pipes
Mudguards
Handle Bars
Seat
Wheels
Then all the odds and ends, saddle bags, rear stand, gauges, wiring and on and on and on!

Best I stop typing and start working!.

Cheers
Trev.

I got the first of the plates that hold the forks at the base of the steering throat done today.
I had to go and find a larger piece of square section steel than the one I had.
The piece I found is pretty rough around the edges but it's just right for the job.

IMG_7919.jpg

At the moment the plate is just glued to the base.
To let me see it's range of movement.
The good thing is it hits the frame just under the tank.
That means I wont need to make the recess in the tank any larger than it already is.

IMG_7914.jpg IMG_7917.jpg

I'll go on from here and make the other two plates and the spacers that go between them.

forks.jpg

The photo above shows how things should look in the end.
I notice the base of the steering throat on the Brough is thicker than mine.
I'll modify it with some PVC to look the same.

Cheers
Trev.