Mono27

I helped Billy build his mono. He made a copy with my permission and assistance. He did the same fork mods as on Thom's bike and got the same wheels. Actually Billy's bike is a copy of a mono that was sold to a customer(probably the only one sold). That customer was a good friend of Billy's. There was another small frame bike that was put together from an unfinished frame I gave to a friend in the neighborhood. That one also ended up with modified motobike forks and motomags. I talked to that owner last week. He doesn't remember what happened to the bike but does remember that it was crashed really hard and bent. Billy's bike has the right swing arm for the frame. So it has the look and geometry that it was designed to have.The one in the museum has a large frame swing arm on a small frame front section. It doesn't look right. Those two halves were not meant to go together. But, I guess it's better to have survived in that form than not at all. There are no large frame survivors. The large frame bikes were a little taller, had 2 degrees more rake(27) and had a 2 inch longer wheelbase(40).

The bike was constantly changing. It had different frames and geometry, forks, shocks, wheels, tires, cranks, single and multi-speed hubs, etc. A bike made today would not be an exact clone. It would be a reasonable facsimile with some improvements. Reproductions made today would not, for example, have original Motomags, original Moto-bike forks with two sprung legs, Ashtabula cranks, Bendix rear brakes, etc. Someone who wants original period parts would have to source them separately. Improvements would probably be made to the swing-arm pivot area and reinforcing the head tube. Build quality would be better as the parts would actually be machined. The original bikes were hand-made in the most literal sense. No fancy equipment, frame fixture, etc., was used. There was a lot of hack-sawing, eye-balling, drilling and filing. There is so much misinformation out there on this bike. I think it would be great if there could be an opportunity to ride one. Or, at least, a reasonable facsimile. With no more than two or three survivors know to exist - it is not possible to get to ride an original. Besides, any survivor has been thoroughly abused and may not provide a good representation of what it would have been like to ride BITD. If you throw on a multi-speed rear hub you have a great adult-friendly daily-rider. I did have a multi-speed rear hub on the bike for a few races. You can see the shift lever(a brake lever) on the left handlebar in some of the photos of the pre-motomag version of the bike. In those photos Thom's plate number was 88. It won't be a racer on today's flatland BMX tracks. But, it will be a fun bike to ride. I want one!! That's reason enough to make at least one reproduction. It'll be the large-frame long-wheelbase version. Initially, it will have a single speed rear wheel. These things were incredible downhill racers. And, they were comfortable for just riding around. That was part of my design criteria - the seat had to be high enough for me to be able to ride while sitting(when not racing). With some tweaking this could be a great platform for an electric rear wheel.

Also, the blue frame is smaller and has a shorter wheelbase. I talked to Thom this morning. He said he liked the one with the longer wheelbase better. I'm looking in to making a run of reproductions that will be 40-Year Anniversary editions. They will be signed by me and Thom. I'm working on the details.

Sodbusters, You are absolutely correct about who made it and the reasoning. Not quite right on the K&G connection. But, that was a good guess. They were local to me and I did work there for a short while, but not doing any work related to my bikes. And, I did get free stickers. Wayne King

This is not how the seat was originally mounted. Someone has raised it. This frame is smaller than the one than has all the holes. It also has about 2 degrees less rake... 25 degrees instead of 27 is what I recall.

Same forks and wheels as on the blue bike. It's an older frame.

I think I made about nine of the square-tubed frames all together. The first had only rear suspension and used Schwinn Stingray forks. Three were the larger frame version and five were the smaller frame that used the short Arnaco shock. Other than Steve Kohli, who bought one, Thom Lund, who I gave one to, and one that had a lot of holes that I bent when trying to straighten the crank by banging it on the ground when it was still installed. - I don't remember what happened to the others. Some of the photos show the #88 pre-motobike forks and the spoked wheels. The spoked wheel had a two-speed rear hub. Pull the lever for first - release for 2nd - it was good for downhill as it had a tall gear for speed. Wayne King