Beach Cruiser, Coaster Brake installation help!

You pretty much have it correct.
A site search can do you you wonders young grasshopper!
Your question. like many others, has been asked 1000 times before.
It has also been answered 1000 times before.
Here is the answer to one of your life's questions:
http://motorbicycling.com/f30/how-remove-your-coaster-brake-arm-15928.html

You are aware of the dangers associated with running a coaster brake with a motored bike, right?

I know the clamshell adapters like the ones sold at pirate cycles are sized to fit coaster brake hubs, though I've never used one I'm sure that would be the solution you're looking for.

no worries buddy ull be fine and yes all you do is install the sprocket and reverse the procedure the only problem maby being the coaster brake dust cap usually wont fit back on so it might need a trim. thier should be a hole in the front of the frame also where u may have the pleasure of adding a front vbrake into the mix also to help with the stopping power is strongly recommended, because if the bike chain happens to pop off or the coaster brake decides not to work your be fred flintstone,ing it

You can countersink the sprocket holes and get 1/4-20 X 1'' flush bolts and locknuts at Home Depot. I've done it four times with perfect success. File the sprocket center hole to slip over the dust cover next to the brake arm. These kits are pretty complete as far as parts, but you need to be willing to fit a few components and expect to spend a few bucks on upgraded hardware to have a nice installation without disabling your rear brake.

Dont man to bust your bubble in any way here but since I have that same bike I wanted to point out a couple things that are gonna cause you problems with your set up, hope you dont mind........

1.) I strongly suggest you get rid of that front fender unless you plan to add stronger mounting areas to it, if the very weak mounts give it up while your plugging along at a good clip you will likely experience a good solid face plant after you clear the handlebars. (wouldnt be pretty at all)

2.) I noticed in the pic that your rear sprocket is installed with the teeth offset toward the wheel and you still have the wide balloon tires on it..... this will likely cause the chain NOT to clear the tire I'm 99.99% on this one, and unless you turn the sprocket around you will have chain alignment issues.

3.) The rear fender will have to be notched to give the chain an area to pass by it without it hitting the fender, I finally just took my rear fender off of mine because the material is so brittle and weak that it started cracking and splitting in multiple places after a couple hundred miles, the fenders on these bikes just dont hold up to the abuse that having them motorized dishes out on them.

Below are a couple of pics of my Karaoke, it is dirty and has 600 miles on it now and most of that is on very rough dirt roads, I have a flat 36T sprocket I made up for mine on it and I put 26 x 1.95 tires on mine, you will likely be OK with the tire you have if you will turn that sprocket around and get rid of that rear fender and also the front on too IMHO, they aren't good enough for a motorized bike in my opinion....could be very dangerous for you if and when they break loose.

And yes the Huffy Karaoke is a nice looking bike IMO too even though there are some who think the huffy bikes are junk and not good to motorize I stand to differ with them based on my experience so far, I know they aren't built like a older American made bike, or the Bike shop $300-$500 bikes but mine has held up very good and is very comfortable after putting a nice Cloud 9 seat on it.

Good luck with your NEW really nivce build, just please review what I have posted here, it will save you some headaches guarranteed, maybe in more ways than one.!

The pics show 3 stages of the bike, made a couple other changes in between but I figure these 3 will do.

Best wishes, Peace

ADDICTED BICYCLES said:

Here's a pic so far!

Couldn't use the coaster brake. the brake itself clips the bolts of the sprocket. I tried bending the brake a bit, no good, it would work if I took out the sprocket side rubber, and mount directly to the spokes. I don't want to do that. I just omitted the coaster brake, and I will install front and back caliper brakes.

starting to look amazing!

Click to expand...

There have been a-lot of coaster brake bikes built without the rag joint between the sprocket and spokes. Some of the instuctions say that if you can translate well!

I just bent my coaster brake anchor arm a bit and made the hole a bit larger in my sprocket and mine works just fine, very simple mod. if you have a vise and a medium to large size cressent wrench.

Hand operated brakes are still fine though, just get real good brake shoes that are made for use on steel wheels, the cheap shoes dont last long at all, get the heavy duty shoes and get brake levers designed for Cantilever Brakes and not the short type made to operate V brakes if you can find them, the longer the handle is on the lever the less hand/grip pressure it will take to apply good braking pressure to the wheels.

Peace

Leave the rag joint rubber between the spokes.......NOT good to leave this out IMHO...... it will also make aligning the chain with those wide tire next to impossible if that sprocket is moved that close to the wheel spokes.......

My advise is to NOT remove that rubber I dont care how many people have done it I would never do it or suggest it to anyone for any reason.

I think everyone will agree that you can not have brakes that are too good, if you can use the coaster brake and add side pull or a front disk you will be better off. If you are riding down the street and someone pulls out right in front of you because " its just a bicycle" it will help!

If anyone has bought a kit from bikeberry that comes with a video, this how they tell you to install the sprocket on their kit. So if people follow the instructions they might have some problems.

ADDICTED BICYCLES said:

Here's a pic so far!

Couldn't use the coaster brake. the brake itself clips the bolts of the sprocket. I tried bending the brake a bit, no good, it would work if I took out the sprocket side rubber, and mount directly to the spokes. I don't want to do that. I just omitted the coaster brake, and I will install front and back caliper brakes.

starting to look amazing!

Click to expand...

you should REALLY CONSIDER a manic mech' sprockt adapter &modified brake arm both avail' through PIRATE CYCLES....cost a couple 'o' clams, but saving your flesh, time, and money in the long run!!!!
&btw-I'm now trying v-brakes for fun, but drum has really proven its superiority IMHO....living in FL. the rain will test all bake theories -&drum/band brakes are the only ones I'd consider "all-weather"

I really want to get a top hat adapter from Kings Sales and Service for disc brake mounting for the sprocket and a usable disc brake in the rear at the same time.

The adapters and custom sprockets are great no doubt, but there are more of us out here running the rag joint set up than anything else and if it is done right it isnt a bad way to go on a bike, I have trhee bikes, 2of them do have custom made sprockets but I still use the rag joint set up on them and I have never had a single issue, 2 of the bikes run just under 40MPH topped out and I've never had a chain come off even when it has been very loose, my alignment is very good and that is the difference in having zero trouble and having nothing but trouble with any system. correct tension is important as well for reliability, but the rag joint isn't as bad as some try to make it sound, it's just a bit more trouble to get it right.....

Peace

ADDICTED BICYCLES said:

Couldn't use the coaster brake. the brake itself clips the bolts of the sprocket. I tried bending the brake a bit, no good, it would work if I took out the sprocket side rubber, and mount directly to the spokes. I don't want to do that. I just omitted the coaster brake

Click to expand...

How did you do this? I have never done this successfully. I don't know the inner workings of a coaster brake very well, so I never messed with them. If it is possible to do this then I would love to know how. I have heard that making a coaster brake int a "freecoaster" is dangerous and that the hub will either explode or seize. Thanks for your input thus far and your build looks great.

I dont mean to dig up an old thread, but I am new here and saw this just now, so I appologize if posting this long after is 'frowned upon'.

My first Motorized Bike was a Huffy Karaoke, exactly the same. Not a single thing worked out. I had to get a whole new rear wheel after the balls fell out of the coaster assembly on the first day, and the frame bent and the wheels became unaligned.

Maybe the Huffy worked for some people, but not me. They are just SOO inexpensive, its hard to pass them by.

I have a couple Huffy cantilever type bikes here.
Both had coasters.

The Schwinn Southport cantilever frame is the newest addition.
It has front and rear linear brakes from the factory. Lugs already welded on seat stays, and front fork.

AND, I like the look of the Schwinn better than the huffy.
It also seems to be more substantial.

Schwinn makes 3 or 4 models with a 7spd rear deraileur that also use the linear pull brakes. Cost is abt $180, which is basically $100 MORE than a cranbrook!

I do not know if the MB.com vendors make a hub adapter that will clamp onto the coaster hub, but AFAIK, no one makes a hub adapter for the narrow axle housing MTB hubs.

IMO... Rag joints are a wonderful 'universal solution' that should be re-cycled soon as possible... for anyone serious abt their motorized bicycle performing well.

Best
rc