# 1935 Iver Johnson Motobike Back on the Road!



## creebobby (Sep 15, 2012)

I got my mid 30s Iver Johnson all back together today and went for the first ride!  What a good feeling to roll down the road on a bike that hasn't lived for so long.






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The bike was as-found filthy rusty and unridden for 60 plus years when I got it.  Here's what all I did:

Disassemble bike (didn't open any of the bearings yet though - just squirted in blaster wd40 and cycle oil where I could.)
Two of the fender screws were rusted beyond removing and I had to carefully dremel the heads off.  The others all came off okay.

I rubbed everything with 00 steel wool and wd40.  I scrubbed the flaky chrome with a brass bristle brush.  I sealed everything with Turtle Wax Express Shine - which is easy to use and has carnuba wax.

I took apart the saddle and preserved/conserved the leather with Preservation Solutions' Klucel G goo as well as their Restoration Leather Conditioner.  I did three applications of Klucel G and two of the conditioner.  The seat still has a bit of a greasy feel but I think all and all it looks a lot better, it's much more supple and most importantly I can ride around on it without worrying so much about the leather cracking/chipping/falling apart.  I would recommend these products for conserving leather saddles - though I don't have experience with other similar products, so I can't compare.

I trued the rims as best I could and got a used pair of Tufo 700 X 34 tubular cyclocross tires from ebay.  I used their gluing tape to secure the tires.  They're pumped to 65 psi and seem to work great, though it would be nice to have fatter tires of course.  I think the redwalls compliment the bike really well.

Two days ago I lost the front half of the original master-link out in my yard where I was cleaning the chain.  With no quick way to get a replacement, I sifted through dirt and removed leaves one at a time until I found it!

So, how does it ride?  It rides pretty darn good - the tall frame and big 28" wheels give it the feel of authority rolling down the road.
The straight-back handlebars bend the wrist funny - I found myself using the cross-bar more than the proper grips, especially since the big wheels are so stable.
There's a lot of rolling resistance from the gummy old-grease bearings front and rear, and the front rim has a bump in it that I couldn't get out with simple spoke wrenching.  Also, there is very little braking power, though I was cautious not to push back too hard.  The saddle is fine but not as cushy as one might like (I don't think the padding is doing any padding any more.)

But in any case, success!

Jacob


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## rustyspoke66 (Sep 15, 2012)

Great job on the bike Jacob. I certainly like the ride of the 28" wheels over most anything else. You might want to overhaul the hubs with new grease for added performance.


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## tailhole (Sep 15, 2012)

Sweet dude! I did the same thing with a 1917 Iver at the beginning of summer. These bikes are really well made and deserve to be recommissioned and put back in service. Well done. I agree, rebuild the hubs, it will make a world of difference and it should brake much much better. Enjoy!


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## creebobby (Sep 16, 2012)

*Rear Hub Regrease?*

Well the front hub is easy enough but I've always been reluctant to take apart coaster brake hubs -

most of the rolling resistance seems to be coming from the rear hub, though.

It's got a New Departure Model C.
Anything to worry about, or is it fairly self explanatory to pull apart, degrease and regrease?

Thanks,
Jacob


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## tailhole (Sep 19, 2012)

*hub*



creebobby said:


> Well the front hub is easy enough but I've always been reluctant to take apart coaster brake hubs -
> 
> most of the rolling resistance seems to be coming from the rear hub, though.
> 
> ...




I always put out a long, clean shop towel and place the parts in order as I take it apart. Then clean each piece and return it to it's spot. After you do a few, you can just soak the disassembled lot in some cleaner, then wipe (or scrub) clean & reassemble with fresh grease.  
There are exploded drawings of just about every hub out there. I soak mine in a tub of WD-40 (I get the big gallon liquid tin - $20 - pour some in a smaller tin so I can reuse it), and after a few hours or days, depending, the grime and hardened grease comes off much easier. 
With practice, you can rebuild/service one in less than 30 mins.
-Scott


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## DonChristie (Sep 23, 2012)

Great to see another Iver back on the road. She looks beautiful! Weird how 28" rims have such a different feel! Ride on!


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Feb 3, 2013)

I use an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner with Simple Green solvent. 
The ultrasonic also has a heater built in for faster cleaning.
These will even clean paint guns and tools to a sparkling shine.
They also clean mineral deposits off of shower heads.


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