AEE Choppers

[takehikes]

I dont remember that particular stitch pattern for our K and Q seats. Part number tag looks too small. I'd have to check some pictures I have and catalogs to be positive.

[Scavenger]

Anyone have a page on AEE Risers ?

[numbskull22]

1970 Catalog

[numbskull22]

Hi TakeHikes...Do these look like the solid steel risers AEE made? I also want to know if the skull shift knobs were made in-house or farmed out?

[takehikes]

skulls were farmed out. In the very first catalog right to the end I'm pretty sure. You could also buy wings. Many of our customers that rode with the HA's put them together on their sissy bars. Wings were off of either the Model t or A ford radiator cap. the risers look pretty good.

[TheAppleKnocker]

sissy bar ad

[takehikes]

they added the "mixer" bars in an attempt to fit everything. Same with the swing arm bars. I had a custom bar built for me by the weld shop for a Honda 350 I had and then realized I had no good way to mount it up as we offered nothing. Later we came up with a swing arm bar mount. I used hose clamps, looked like shit but worked. Oh and I didn't keep the bar, wish i had, probably be the only non-production bar from AEE ever.

[Tan-Dawg]

Project I bought a year and a half ago- AEE Spring, GME tank and Chettah sissy bar along with a Drag Specialties seat... working on it now...


The frame was wack so I re-did the front half:

I know AEE didn't build that many British choppers but I love this long ass springer and it's in good shape so I'm gonna build her like you guys would have! Great stories on the company, history people and projects/parts- keep them coming!

[takehikes]

I cant tell for sure but you may have one of our mini-drum brakes up front. Actually back then we sold plenty of parts for Brit bikes. You have to remember that HD was not the dominate player in the chopper market back then that they are today. Triumph and BSA were formidable and Honda exploded when they showed up. If you look through old AEE catalogs you will find nearly everything we made for HD's we also made for Brit bikes.
Springer looks great, for sure refurbish it and keep it running!

[Tan-Dawg]

Originally Posted by takehikes

I cant tell for sure but you may have one of our mini-drum brakes up front. Actually back then we sold plenty of parts for Brit bikes. You have to remember that HD was not the dominate player in the chopper market back then that they are today. Triumph and BSA were formidable and Honda exploded when they showed up. If you look through old AEE catalogs you will find nearly everything we made for HD's we also made for Brit bikes.
Springer looks great, for sure refurbish it and keep it running!

It is a mini drum but I think I identified it as a Santee. I'll look again... I guess what I meant was that you guys didn't build any show bikes or maybe only one out of a Triumph... obviously lots of guys used AEE parts on their Brit bike builds cause I run across old survivors often that have AEE parts. I was pretty thrilled to get this bike with these parts. For what just the sissy bar is worth I purchased the whole project so it was a good score.

[takehikes]

I know of at least 3 we built, 2 were for 7Up and one was a digger style bike. Plus the editor of Street chopper Steve Stillwell did his own though he used lots of stuff from other companies besides AEE. I've seen that sissy bar style before and assumed you could find someone that really wanted it, good score as you say!

[scout41]

Here's the sporty project I picked up off this forum, tore it down until 1:30 this morning and started polishing the springer, couldn't tell what the stamp was, thought it looked like P.E.E.
Searched PEE springer and results came up with pissing cocker spaniels. Maybe AEE?

Bingo. That led me here. I'm building a sissy for this bike w/ a forge, would that work with stainless? I also wanted mod the tree while I was at it, with flux (no gas) mig:

"We recently discovered that the triple tree had an inherent weakness to them which may explain why most of them have a bent top plate. The square leg holes do not and can not pinch the legs hard neough to hold them in place as well as they should. hence the legs transmitted movement to the top plate bending it. We added a stiffener under the top plate (after straightening the top plate). I discovered this problem but Dave Brackett our friend and AEE engineer figured out why it was doing it and the fix for it.

Is this necessary? Michigan roads are really bad, I've had lots of slaps on the Indian.
http://aeechoppers.blogspot.com/

[TheAppleKnocker]

The lower picture is of the square glider front end not the springer front end you have

[scout41]

sweet, less work for me

[takehikes]

Appleknocker is right. Know of no problem at all with the square springer other than people losing the damn top plate! I have one like that in my collection, got to make a top plate for it. The square glide has only one leg and all the impact that the springs in the legs don't absorb gets sent right to the top plate. Reason is the square holes in the lower tree don't clamp much at all....literally only clamps on the 4 corners unlike a round tube that clams all the way around.
By the way I need some AEE rockers like yours. somehow the square springer I have has AEE fishtail rockers which is incorrect. Square springers got crescents and rounds got fishtails (you could buy the fishtails and crescents as a part).

[kbg]

Originally Posted by takehikes

I know of at least 3 we built, 2 were for 7Up and one was a digger style bike. Plus the editor of Street chopper Steve Stillwell did his own though he used lots of stuff from other companies besides AEE. I've seen that sissy bar style before and assumed you could find someone that really wanted it, good score as you say!

7UP Triumphs

[takehikes]

Thats them. I'll tell you the paint on them was incredible...perfect 7UP metallic candy green....
Look closely at the front ends, that is the AEE girder front end. It's an interesting girder made differently from many others, designed by Dave Brackett. Bikes were literally built with off the shelf parts from us.

I have attempted to find these bikes but no luck. I wrote to 7UP bottling of LA who actually was the folks these went to and they didn't bother to reply. But I'm like the black knight in Monty Python so I'm a wee bit tenacious. If this stuff is out there we will find it. Thanks for the post.

[kbg]

I also remember reading that there was a TV ad made for AEE around the same time the 7UP bikes were built, did it ever go to air?
Would love to see it!

[takehikes]

I have been searching for it. It was shown on TV outlets in the New York area supposedly in 73 I think. I have the name of the agency that made the commercial but they no longer exist. They would be the only one's that might have a copy. The TV stations typically back then didn't hang on to this stuff. All of the AEE archives are long gone so I'm not sure where to turn at this point. there was an article in one of the magazines about it back in the day.

[kbg]

I'll find it tonight and scan it.