The Buiding of the Andian!!!

Local time
7:43 AM
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
213
Location
Florida
I've been thinking of building a cool looking trailer park cruiser for some time and I recently came across this forum (at about the same time as my old bike's mechanicals started to fail). I decided to finally build my bike.

I did a LOT of web surfing and decided to start with a Cranbrook, partly becauase of the low cost but also, it had several features that I wanted. I want to build my bike as a tribute to the old Indian cruiser motorcycles, like what my dad used to ride. I was going for a style using black handlebars and a minimal amount of Chrome. That is why I decided to go with the Cranbrook fashion model at Wal-mart. I was going to go with the Del Mar but, the frame isn't black, its gray and I'd have to re-paint it. The fasion model Cranbrook already has a black frame and handlebars. Sure, it's got green fenders but they're going to go away anyways. I purchased another set of "stylized" fenders from ebay. I'll be using those. To help with that old-style look, I purchased a springer fork from Bikebuyers-company in black of course.

I just got the fenders yesterday and started already assembling them. I'll be waiting for the Cranbrook which should be here this week some time. I can't wait!

I know that running fenders on these bikes increases the risk of harm so I reduced that risk by putting another "L" bracket on the fork mount to help strengthen the one that already exists. I left it silver to show the bracket but I'll be painting it black so that it isn't so noticeable. The fenders are going to be red, along with the chain guards and fuel tank. I've got nylon lock nuts to go on all of the bolts for the fenders.

Once I get the bike, I'll install the rear fender and the forks. I'm not sure at this point if I'll need to cut the fork tube or not. I've been acquiring goodies for this build over the past weeks and it's nice to at least have two parts that will go together. When I get the bike, things will likely just be a blur.
 

Attachments

  • Cranbrook.jpg
    Cranbrook.jpg
    50.1 KB · Views: 298
  • _AAP0330.jpg
    _AAP0330.jpg
    81.3 KB · Views: 341
  • _AAP0332.jpg
    _AAP0332.jpg
    28.5 KB · Views: 310
  • _AAP0333.JPG
    _AAP0333.JPG
    191.4 KB · Views: 301
that should be sweet when done. thats a cool green. i would have kept the green fenders
speaking from experience, keep an eye on that front L bracket, too. ive had a few go
 
I just got my bike today and did a little work on it. I painted the front fender the other day and put the springer together. I spent my lunch putting the bike together and I think it's starting to take shape. The springer front tube was almost two inches too long, so I made a spacer out of a 1-inch copper connector. I had to cut it down about 1/4 of an inch. I need to paint it yet but it works and, it helps keep the handlebars a little higher. The rear fender is still the green one but I'll be working on that soon. And the chain guard is going to get the red treatment also. Once I get the basic bike finished, then it'll be time to start powering this thing, both with lighting and motivation. :D

Here's some updated pix.
 

Attachments

  • Filler.jpg
    Filler.jpg
    46.8 KB · Views: 230
  • Front.jpg
    Front.jpg
    131.6 KB · Views: 253
  • Kit.jpg
    Kit.jpg
    97.8 KB · Views: 247
  • Overall.JPG
    Overall.JPG
    544.8 KB · Views: 310
I personally don't know if i'd trust that copper spacer. There is a lot of stress on that area, and to me it looks like it might be a weak spot. Not saying that the fork tube may fail because of it, but the copper could start to collapse, and cause excess movement of the fork tube. the excess movement (probably back & forth) and vibrations could cause it to come apart. (more than likely not tho) take my advice, i had a fork tube break on a bike when i was about 10 years old. the main fork tube (where you have that spacer) broke inside of the frame tube, the forks came out, i fell off the bike and i landed on the broken tube on my upper right shoulder / chest. 250 stitches, loss of 1/2 the muscle in my shoulder and a lifetime of arthritis. That happened 30 years ago, and i am in pain every day of my life because of it. The fork tube broke because it was made out of very cheap, thin metal. This was on a huffy style 3 speed 26" bike and i was just riding down the street at a slow speed when it happened.
i'm not saying that what you did will cause the same thing, but i am personally very leary of a modified fork tube or a spacer to take up the extra space....just my opinion.
if it were mine, i'd cut the fork tube to the right length and then thread the end of it to accept the nut and do away with the spacer.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Motorpsycho.

I appreciate your input, especially since it's ME that would take the brunt of the beating should something go wrong. Take a look at where the spacer is and where the upper bearing is. The bearing is below the spacer, meaning that the spacer is only holding the spring perch, not the wieght of the bike (and me). I will be keeping an eye on it to be sure that it doesn't move around any. I also have a piece of black iron pipe that I can cut and place in there if this shows any sign of fatique. Mainly, the head pipe still has the bearings in the original places both top and bottom. Even if I cut the length of the fork tube, the bearings would still be in the same place. The mfr of the forks threaded the tube down enough that I COULD cut the tube and move the spring mount down, but, that would change the angle of the springs drastically and, I was hesitant to heat and bend the spring mount on the fork tube that much for fear it might fatigue the mount. It would have a pretty severe bend in it. More than it was designed for. I took it for a little spin tonight and it handled pretty well but I will be keeping an eye on that spacer!
 
ok, it makes more sense now. I didn't mean to sound like i was shooting down your idea, i just didn't like the looks of it from the pics.
but now that you have explained it, it should be ok.
 
cool build :)
where did you get the new fenders,,,very stylish !!!

Thanks AZbill! I found them on Ebay, item #370297881443. Wal-Mart also sells a bike that has them, called the Polaris. I wanted a black frame so it was easier for me to buy the Cranbrook and get the fenders.

Motopsycho, not a problem at all. This is my first motorized bike and there's a lot to learn. The transer of information is what makes this forum so great.

thanks for checking it out. I'll have pix of the bike with both fenders tomorrow.
 
Got the rear fender on over lunch break and installed the mirrors. I'm wondering what it would look like with the mirrors painted black? Thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • Fenders and mirrors.jpg
    Fenders and mirrors.jpg
    77.2 KB · Views: 222
After work, I went out and worked a little more on the Andian. I got the "saddlebags" installed and did a little more work before taking it out on the town. :D

It's starting to come together but I can't wait until I get my engine! I already have a fuel tank for it that I got for 25 bucks. I still have to re-paint it to remove the flames but at least I got the idea of what it will look like. Still got some neat stuff planned for this bike!
 

Attachments

  • Saddlebags.jpg
    Saddlebags.jpg
    110.6 KB · Views: 232
  • bagmount.jpg
    bagmount.jpg
    28.3 KB · Views: 209
  • saddlebagtank.jpg
    saddlebagtank.jpg
    95.2 KB · Views: 243
  • Tankbags.jpg
    Tankbags.jpg
    80 KB · Views: 232
Back
Top