Hi All,

We're doing a Voodoo Vintage rigid mod on a '96 and also putting on a chain drive.  (We're staying with the stock wheel)

The first part of my question might sound obvious, but has anyone done this before with the stock rear wheel?  Second - is there a problem with the chain alignment as it relates to the wheel alignment?

We're finding that it's going to be a little tougher than we thought.

Thanks in advance for your imput!

You will find some of the information in the Bike Build Section:
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1383565946

If I remember correctly, the stock rear wheel/tire combination does not allow for very much ground clearance.  If you use the stock 15" diameter rim, you most likely would be better off to install as tall of a tire as you can find.

I also remember some folks having issues with one of the frame braces interfering with the chain on the bottom side.  If you can relocate that brace, it sure would be better than a skate board wheel used as a roller (in my opinion).  That tiny wheel will be doing a lot of work if you like to go on long rides, and I would hate to be hundreds of miles from home and have the tiny bearing fail.

Dave wrote on 01/05/17 at 12:01:07:



Thanks Dave.  Lots of good links!  Wouldn't you know it, the only Voodoo Vintage build didn't post the finish.  No worries.

As to the chain, the way it looks, there's no problem with clearances.

We'll post pics soon.

This is a copy of a couple of posts from my VV build thread,
   I'd assume you also dug up the other VV related threads on this forum. In a couple of them people discuss running into clearance issues at the point when they first try and put a chain on it and put the rear end together. I recently got through that point of the project so I figured I'd share my experience. I am sure that to anyone that's done a few of these this is commonly understood,
   The first issue people used to mention involves chain clearance over a bottom cross support piece that some choose to weld in place. When mine was shipped that piece was really just a spacer to keep the thing together right in shipping. My chain runs clear and smooth. I will probably run a small chain tensioner that mounts to the side rail instead of the big spring loaded one that most seem to run with the big bump to clear the cross piece.
   The side to side clearances are another story. First off just cause your frame rails are a perfect 8.5" up higher in the loop, the measurement you need to pay attention to is at the bottom. They tend to creep in a bit as they run their length.  The little blue print that David Roy(great guy) sends with the tail is accurate. The key is getting your wheel spacers right. The side to side clearance between the frame rail and chain is pretty tight. The spacers are the critical component to getting everything to go together. Just make sure you are making measurements from the bottom of the rails or the axle plates and not the top when you're trying to center everything else. The inner frame rails should be 8.5" at the bottom also.
   Keep in mind that the axle plates aren't specifically made for our bike. They are designed to accommodate a 3/4" Harley axle. You will need a bushing to accommodate your 17mm stock axle  (get one from VV. They're cheap and easy). Also you won't be able to use close to all of the length of the slot for the chain adjuster cause the nuts that hold down the sprocket will hit it. I've seen at least a couple of others get longer chain adjusters only to realize that it's the nuts that limit travel. There's sufficient travel as is to tighten the chain.
   

This was originally a response to a guy in Canada, hence the Canada refs,

I started this "budget" project three winters ago. I also intended to use the stock wheels. I even went as far as getting new tires mounted on them and having a beautiful fender made by Led Sled that fits the rear like a glove all now collecting dust in my shop). My attitude was that although I had seen a few people advise against using the stock wheels that mine would be different cause I think I'm different and so therefore I wouldn't have a problem. I put my first roller together and man did I think it looked sweet. I was sending my buddies pics etc. only after staring at it for a while did it dawn on me just how low the clearance was below the frame tubes. If you use those little grind bars he sends you we're talking barely 2" in reality and that's with no one sitting on it. It really doesn't look bad until you think about it, how are are the potholes in Canada? Cause in Massachusetts we've got ones that border on sink holes. Not to mention most speed bumps here are taller than 2". I wouldn't even want to turn into or out of a driveway with a little incline with only that much clearance. I was stubborn about accepting this reality about my project and it cost me around $500 and set me back a year. There was a guy, nickythegreek on this forum that was running all over the Midwest putting real miles on one of these things with stock wheels. His thread is in the cafe but he hasn't been around for a while. The guy had stones for doing real miles on a chopper, it did appear that most of his miles were on nice smooth highways and not what we get in N.E. And Canada.

NEW: glad to see someone else working on a VV project. I'm about to start working on mine again (winter project). I'm ready to start wiring, then thinking I might leave it in primer for a year while I work the bugs out (an idea I got from Dave). Keep us posted!

Jessechop wrote on 01/07/17 at 09:50:23:

Have you talked to David at VV? When I was getting ready to do mine I asked him, he sent me info plus a picture of one done with a 15" rear wheel. It is low for sure. I dont think it is too low to ride however. When I do mine I will more than likely stay with the 15" wheel.

As for the chain you are going to need to add a tensioner/idler of some sort. Either a fixed wheel or sprocket or a spring loaded one. Check out Monster Craftsman, they have lots of options

As for the durability of the skateboard wheels I have not had one fail on me yet. I am running 3 different bikes with them.

Thanks for the info!

We're buying an 18" rear from a GS550 to see how that goes. (we're going to hold onto the stock 15" - we're doing a mod on the rear brake and converting it to disk) - we'll post pics soon, I promise!

Good advice on the tensioner as well - definitely a consideration.

The VV hardtail is a custom application and is not intended to be used by people that lack the necessary skills to install it and make whatever alterations fit in one's context.  Those that criticize it usually lack the skills to actually install it. A grinder and a welder won't be any help if you don't know how to use them.  There are a couple of other companies more frequently mentioned on this site that offer bolt-on kits for such folks which allow them to feel like they are making something custom.  Those companies are frequently criticized for being overpriced and for basically forcing you to use the exact components they sell that bolt right on to the rest of the kit. For less than the cost of one of their bolt-on hardtails you could purchase a VV tail and the wheels you need and still have money left over. In order to create the cafe look so commonly done with these most people change out the rear wheel, shocks and lower the front.  (Batman, why don't they make a version where you don't have to do all that stuff?) The 15" wheel is pretty much useless for anything but a stock bike.  There are very few examples of hardtails out there with 15" wheels so anyone thinking they're really going to get away with one needs to do more research. Also nobody doing a hardtail is claiming to be going after high performance, not to mention if you're using the savage engine and claiming its high performance anything then you need to get a clue.

Not to derail this derailment to get back on subject but just a little info for anyone looking into such a conversion

A 120/90/18 is 26.4 " tall. A 150/90/15 is 25.6" tall thus the bike will be .400 or about 13/32" of an inch higher. Obviously a bigger 18 will increase that