Hondian: Leaf-sprung Honda/Indian hybrid | MoreBikes

Leaf-sprung barn-find… or is it?

It’s humorous how sure individuals within the customized bike world’re, and I don’t imply this in an any method derogatory method, predictable, isn’t it? Okay, so ‘predictable’ most likely isn’t fairly the correct phrase ‘cos it has a barely unfavorable context when used to explain individuals, but it surely’s the one one I can consider at this exact second that will get shut, so bear with me a sec’, yeah?

On the Ace Cafe a pair o’ three years in the past, at one in all NCC London’s wonderful Diamond Day customized exhibits, I noticed, from the opposite finish of the automotive park, an outdated wanting, however clearly customized, bike roll in, and thought ‘Ooo!’ and set off in direction of it. On the way in which over, although, I obtained distracted, by somebody or one thing (‘squirrel!’), and by the point I obtained to it, the rider’d buggered off. ‘Mmm,’ I believed, ‘that’s bloody intelligent – leaf-spring entrance finish on just a little Honda single, completed as a flat-tanker… it appears… I’m wondering, like one thing Matt’d construct’ and regarded round for him ’cos I do know he’s been to Diamond Day a couple of occasions and, comparatively talking, he doesn’t stay that distant.

A couple of minutes later I noticed him mooching alongside a line of bikes, testing this and that, so made me method over and stated: “I bloody knew that (the Hondian as he calls it) was yours!” He’s had a couple of bikes now in customized bike magazines over the previous few years, each 100% Biker and BSH, the latest of which was the wonderful 350 Ariel in difficulty 485. He’s a quiet, unassuming, softly-spoken chap who seems some superb bikes from the storage subsequent to his home, however doesn’t actually make a fuss about them. This one happened as a result of he’d at all times had a hankering for an outdated, as in Nineteen Twenties period, flat-tank bike, however actually couldn’t justify spending the sort of cash an authentic one’d set you again, to not point out the potential unreliability and value of any spare components required. Clearly then, to his thoughts, the factor to do was manufacture some sort of reproduction, however use a extra fashionable, dependable engine.

Initially he was going to make use of a v-twin engine, most likely a small capability one. He toyed with the thought of a 250 Virago Yam, as one o’ these’d’ve fitted the invoice properly, however balked when he noticed the worth of 1, not eager to spend that form of cash on one thing he was solely going to chop up. Then a CD175 Honda engine turned up on a mate’s scrap pile, and was secured for simply £20 – the choice was made, that’s what he was utilizing.

Nearer inspection revealed that it was, in reality, a little bit of a hybrid with a CD head n’ barrels on a CB backside finish – one thing that he felt gave him one of the best of each worlds: a five-speed gearbox versus the CD’s 4, and a single carb head (CBs have twin carbs) for a extra interval look and smoother working. It was handled to a rebore and new pistons however was, in any other case, in good working order.

He’d additionally at all times fancied a leaf-spring entrance finish, a la these made well-known by the Indian Bike Firm (1901 to 1953) on their 1924-1945 Chief fashions, and numerous years in the past’d discovered a pleasant set of leaf-springs on a wrecked trailer while nosing round in a derelict barn. He’d ‘liberated’ them, figuring out they’d come in useful in the future, and so they’d been saved underneath his bench since. For this bike he determined to make an Indian-style entrance fork, and was pointed in the correct route by his mate Tony Groom (himself no stranger to a little bit of customized spanner twiddling), and utilizing a bunch of outdated photos for reference, handcrafted the one you see right here in entrance of you utilizing half of one of many trailer springs.

By the way, I don’t know if you recognize, however leaf-spring know-how will be traced, apparently, all the way in which again to the Bronze Age (2,000 BC to 700BC), first used on horse-drawn chariots, and comprised of layers of (no shit…) bronze.

Anyway, with the leafer forks made, designed to just accept a 19-inch pre-unit Triumph (entrance) wheel, enhanced with further air flow/cooling holes within the drum brake physique, he then fabricated a suitably olde-worlde tank (described, considerably unkindly I really feel, as ‘one thing of a breadbin underneath the highest tube’… not Matt’s one particularly, I have to stress, simply flat-tanker tanks typically), including a brass cap and fuel-tap he’d picked up on his forays into autojumbles, after which, with an early RD Yamaha rear wheel n’ drum brake (once more, modded with further ’oles) for t’ again, set about making a body with a top-tube that went over the tank within the right fashion.

As soon as that was completed (he says blithely glossing over months of exhausting work…), he was actually happy with the way in which the bike regarded. At this level he may’ve given it a suitably period paint scheme and I’m certain it’d’ve regarded nice, however he wished it to seem like a real barn discover, so some components have been left within the backyard to rust, and many of the others have been painted in Rustypaint (a product that rusts immediately when sprayed with an activator – you get it from www.rustypaint.com), adopted by a coat of Indian crimson, rubbed again suitably. The end result, as you’ll be able to see, is that it does certainly seem like it’s been lately dragged out of a barn and simply obtained working.

He stories the bike rides very well and handles properly, most likely helped by its affordable rake and path (31 levels and 5 inches), and it’s been ridden to numerous bike meets/exhibits over the summer season the place it often causes a combination of amusement and confusion. It’s picked up a pot or two as effectively – which it deserves to!

SPEC:

Hybrid Honda 175cc engine (CD175 top-end on CB175 backside finish, one-off air-filter, one-off exhausts), oneoff single-downtube inflexible body (31-degree rake/ 5-inch path), H-D Street King pillion foot-boards on one-off mounts, Triumph pre-unit 19-inch entrance wheel/ drum brake (added air flow holes), one-off leaf-spring entrance suspension (Oilite bushes on shouldered bolts on all pivots), one-off petrol tank with brass cap/faucet, Lycett saddle, Triumph rear mudguard (modified), one-off battery tray, early Yamaha RD rear wheel/drum brake (added air flow holes), minimal loom, autojumble headlight, repro’ classic rear mild

FINISH:

Rustypaint/Indian crimson/pinstriping/graphics by proprietor

ENGINEERING:

Bike constructed & all work by proprietor

THANKS TO:

“Tony Groom for fork building recommendation/donation of entrance tyre; & Darren Buckley for the engine & mudguard…”