Forum

[fast eddie]

hi to everyone out their, does anybody know if its possible to fit a single sprung seat and 18in wheels to my 59 crusader sport and what technical problems would would i encounter?. i like the look of the single seat which would give it a more classic look/bobber finish and the 18in wheels which would give me a better choice of tyre.
at the moment i am striping the bike ready for rebuilding over the winter ready for next year funds permitting.
any help would be appreciated.

[Mark M]

Eddie, in short, yes. Paul (Bullet Whisperer) on this site recently acquired a Crusader fitted with 19" wheels and it looks very good. 18s are no problem, in fact the Continental GT was fitted with an 18" front wheel as standard. You may have slightly reduced clearance of the rear wheel to guard but not much. Your centre stand (which is not really tall enough anyway,) will no longer reach the ground but an Indian Bullet steel one is cheap and will fit. As to the saddle, some early Crusaders were fitted with a single seat as standard, they had a special seat frame with extra lugs for the springs but these are easy to add to the tubing. The front mount is available as a bolt on from the Bullet Accessory Catalogue. REgards, Mark

[fast eddie]

thanks Mark for your help will go for the 18in wheels on the rebuild and uprate the centre stand to compensate for the larger rims and i will have a look at HMs catalogue.

[Bullet Whisperer]

Sorry Mark, but I think you are getting me mixed up with someone else. I have never had a Crusader with 19" wheels, although there is a very tall Continental GT here, on 17" wheels ! That said, our 350 Clipper racer uses a Crusader type frame and this machine uses 18" wheels front and rear with no ill effects. Regards, Paul.

[Mark M]

Sorry Paul, sometimes the memory banks short circuit! I know I've seen some pics of what is obviously a personal build with Bullet forks and wheels on a 250, very good it looked too. Anyway, the point is still good as you have confirmed! REgards, Mark

[John M]

Would a cheaper option be to fit a standard Bullet front end complete with 7" brake and 19" wheel,? Especially if you have the un-damped forks.