From:Duane Taylor e-mail:duane-A-taylorclassiccycles.com
Subject:RE: RE: Rubber Bands Date:Tue Apr 7 17:56:19 2015
Response to:20376


Brent:

Yes I did have them made from virgin rubber two different times by a very old rubber mill in Portland, Or. There has only been one reported band breaking out of some 80 plus sets. That was a center band I had the customer return and sent it to the mill. It was an obvious production problem.

I suspect Nancy has some of the old sets that were made 20-30 yrs ago that were prone to breaking. I do not know who had them made nor what company made them .

The current band sets are fresh and have not been a problem that I know of.

Duane Taylor






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Duane,
Didn't you make a bunch of these up?

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I'm working at restoring my 1949 Hummer...with a lot of very experienced assistance (as I know nothing about engines). I thought it was almost ready to start for the first time in about 40 years when I discovered that the "fork upper spring" (part number 45900-47) was broken again. I bought one full set of bands last spring. My local dealer, intrigued with the project, volunteered to assemble the front forks for me and put all three bands on for me. The upper spring BROKE within a MONTH. There was no weight on the frame. In fact, there were no wheels and no engine. No weight.

I replaced that band with another. The bike was then assembled except for brake pedals, battery and seat (no fuel or other fluids, either). It sat, covered and protected, through the winter, untouched. When I uncovered it to begin work again this spring, I discovered that the replacement rubber band is broken again.

As all of you know, it's a nuisance to take the front end apart to reinstall those bands. Moreover, I have to wonder about the safety or ease of riding (not that this is any kind of a distance machine) if the bands break this easily. I also know that in my teens, my friends and I were pretty hard on the old bands that were there without any problems.

I need some suggestions from you pros. What can I do to either extend the life of the rubber bands or to replace the rubber band suspension with something that will last more than a couple of months (at best)? Or is it possible that I just got two rubber band lemons...and if so, how can I prevent that in the future? (A source for something better?)

I know that replacing the whole suspension will change the beauty and ruin the historical integrity of the 1949 Hummer, and that's really not my first choice. Any suggestions will help. Thanks!