Why did I join this great Motorized Bicycle forum?

GoldenMotor.com

scottmanesis

New Member
Dec 30, 2010
107
0
0
Austin, TX
Why did I join this great Motorized Bicycle Forum?

I recently just moved into Austin, TX. Finding a place downtown (where I work frequently) to park my crew cab dually diesel truck is a futile effort. I am left with a mountain bike and a bus pass for transportation.

Although Austin has 'decent" public transportation, the bus schedule and mine often don't gel very well. I work mostly nights when the bus stops running by the time I am ready to leave Downtown, so I have had to huff it home on the Mountain Bike too many times already.

I have owned motorcycles of all kinds through my life and for the past 6 or 7 years have wrenched on all of them and only rely on a mechanic at a dealership or garage if I just don't have the tool and it's too costly to buy for a one time use.

The reason I have been able to to that is due mostly to the information and friends I have made on forums for the bikes I would work on. My truck is also an older diesel that has some enthusiast "cult like" followers. Yeah baby I drive a 6.5 turbo diesel old skool smoker!

Why that is important is I would not know ANYTHING about those engines but can honestly say that I KNOW that I KNOW that I know much more about it than the average Chevy Mechanic who would rather sell me a half of an engine before he admits he knows that a 50 dollar part could save me from spending that $2,700 part that will still have that defective 50 dollar part in it causing it to fail. TRUE STORY ask anyone that owns a 6.5 diesel about the PMD!

The point being is if you find guys who are into what you are into, most people are cool and will share what they know. You can learn all you need to know about just about anything if you avidly follow a forum and read the threads.

SO back to this kick butt Motorized Bike Forum... I know this Mountain Bike riding is already getting old and I started to hit the Craigslist looking for a cheap motorcycle as the funds are a bit tight these days.

Figuring in a couple of weeks from now I will have to drop 3,500 - 4,000 for a basic and reliable motorcycle for alternative transportation. I came across an ad for a motorized bicycle. The concept was pretty cool.

The person posting the ad wanted a bit of money for it but it was way under my budget for what I was looking for. Not necc. wanting that particular bike I got to wondering if I could make something like this work for myself and see what else is out there in this strange concept of a motorized bikes.

I started to hit the internet looking for motor assisted bicycles in Austin. I knew there had to be a shop or something around here as I had seen one of these downtown before and recently a girl I met had mentioned to me that her father builds motorized bicycles.

I kept hitting this forum while looking for new assembled bikes that I might be able to work on. I found a few different ones that "looked" pretty cool.

The more I looked around on this forum and the more I kept going back to my favorites I had bookmarked and looking for the "things" I learned about on this forum. I came to the conclusion that building my own is definitely the way to go and maybe even possibly do as a small little side business in the future as it sure looks like some of these "motorized bike shops" have no problem strapping a $100 engine into a $50 bicycle and unloading them upwards of $900.

Now before you go saying maybe it had this and that, NO... I have spent close to 100 hours of researching just this forum alone in the past couple weeks not including the aftermarket vendors sites.

I know what I want to build now for my first build and how much it is going to cost me and that same $900 should build me a "decent" starter bike for my first build as I see it. I absorb info pretty quickly and can spin a wrench.

I don't want to deal with all the extra costs associated with insurance etc on a motorcycle right now and I think this will fit the bill. ****, in Austin traffic ANYWHERE rarely hits over 35 mph, so if I can keep this thing running once it is built, it may be my new long term transportation. Plus it is sounding way fun and much cooler that i thought at first (I have to admit, after owning several big, strong and stupidly fast motorcycles....a motorized bicycle sounded pretty darn silly at first.)

My last hobby happened to be $30k+ motorycles, this one seems much more doable on a budget. :)

Plus trying to convince these cops in Austin that it's just a power assisted bicycle not a moped why would I be carrying ID? sounds like a fun game :). I guess I am a rebel. LOL

Thanks for the cool forum.

~Scott.trk.trk
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
Hi Scott, welcome to the forum from a fellow Texan. I'm up here in Dallas and been into motorized bicycles since September so I'm still kind of new. Here's a pic of the bike I made. I call it the Atomic BB.

 

scottmanesis

New Member
Dec 30, 2010
107
0
0
Austin, TX
.wee.

Hey biknut, that's a pretty cool looking bike! I almost couldn't see it past those tires man! Wow, where did you get those tires?? I guess your not trying to "not be noticed" on your bike.....lol.

Cool.

~Scott
 

paul

Well-Known Member
Dec 23, 2007
5,547
44
48
66
Kalamazoo, MI
i am a rebel to Scott and most of us are. its really great to have a hobby that doesn't cost more then a house. you can build a bike and have great fun for a couple hundred or put as much as you like in them. it definitely is an awesome sport
 

fm2200

New Member
Nov 16, 2008
258
1
0
new york city
I love the idea of using a light weight bicycle that's really an efficient way of getting around or just exploring area's off the beaten path. The other hobby I have is windsurfing and this is not very popular, much like the mb. It really is a unique alternative style of transportation. Good Luck in Austin, I've read there are lot's of mb's in that college town.
 

Blakenstein

Member
Sep 15, 2009
561
2
16
Alta. Canada.
Hi Scott,- Welcome to the forum and this is a great forum!!! I learned alot here that is super valuable to me even though my system is diferent than most of these.

I've got 35cc and 48cc Bridgestone Titans rear mount -chain drives from Island Hopper,American Chain Drive and my this is the third winter for my 35cc and is still runnin strong however,these are not as cheap as the china girls. My 48cc -the motor alone is $370.00 American but now after adding my own gas line shutoff valves and finally learning how to service my carbs properly, if I was to sell these, I would glady stand behind this product any day with full confidence.
 

RebelHellbilly

New Member
Apr 22, 2009
222
0
0
Salisbury,North Carolina
hey scott:) welcome to the MB(motorbicycle) brotherhood as i like to call it lol. i been messing with these lil china motors off N on for almost 2 years. u always learn sumthing new with em'. like you i stumbled across well guess was an ad..more like was on ebay 1 day looking at sum bicycle stuff and saw 1. warning tho..they can be addictive lol. need any advice just holler at any of us. i do NOT consider myself a full blown expert on these thangs but i try laff
 

scottmanesis

New Member
Dec 30, 2010
107
0
0
Austin, TX
Well I think I have everything picked out for my first build. Feel free to chime in if you see anything that is "not good" or will require some major fabrication work ( I do not currently own a welder).

The Bike:
26" Greenline bc-106PM

The Motor:
Grubee Starfire 66cc

Some but not all the Mods:
4 litre Gas Tank
Front: Monark Fork with Avid BB-7 Disc Brake & Wheel
Rear: The HD Wheel from Spooky Tooth
Tires: Schwalbe Fat Frank 26" x 2.35"
SBP Expansion Chamber
SBP upgraded throttle assembly

and a few other little mods (SBP petcock etc)


I decided on the mods based on the things that I have read combined with my limited bicycling + years of motorcycle experience. I know for sure that I wouldn't put my own butt on a motorized bike using that crazy looking rag joint that comes with the kits. I looked at the bolt on adapter from Manic and decided since I still would not trust the wheels on the bike I am getting I might as well get a new wheel with the sprocket already on it.

Then I thought about brakes and the easiest way to go was to just buy the whole front end kit from Spooky tooth. I also see the throttle assembly that comes with the kit looks to be a bit junky.

There are a few other little add ons that I did not mention here like the upgraded spark plug and wires, front motor mount, etc.

The only thing I don't really have a clue about at this point is what I am going to do for lighting. (the lighting threads are not very helpful for someone like me that has no clue about all those diodes etc, I need something that is plug and play and the threads only make me scratch my head)

How does this build sound on paper so far?

.wee.
 
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silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Well I think I have everything picked out for my first build. Feel free to chime in if you see anything that is "not good" or will require some major fabrication work ( I do not currently own a welder).

The Bike:
26" Greenline bc-106PM

The Motor:
Grubee Starfire 66cc

Some but not all the Mods:
4 litre Gas Tank
Front: Monark Fork with Avid BB-7 Disc Brake & Wheel
Rear: The HD Wheel from Spooky Tooth
Tires: Schwalbe Fat Frank 26" x 2.35"
SBP Expansion Chamber
SBP upgraded throttle assembly

and a few other little mods (SBP petcock etc)


I decided on the mods based on the things that I have read combined with my limited bicycling + years of motorcycle experience. I know for sure that I wouldn't put my own butt on a motorized bike using that crazy looking rag joint that comes with the kits. I looked at the bolt on adapter from Manic and decided since I still would not trust the wheels on the bike I am getting I might as well get a new wheel with the sprocket already on it.

Then I thought about brakes and the easiest way to go was to just buy the whole front end kit from Spooky tooth. I also see the throttle assembly that comes with the kit looks to be a bit junky.

There are a few other little add ons that I did not mention here like the upgraded spark plug and wires, front motor mount, etc.

The only thing I don't really have a clue about at this point is what I am going to do for lighting. (the lighting threads are not very helpful for someone like me that has no clue about all those diodes etc, I need something that is plug and play and the threads only make me scratch my head)

How does this build sound on paper so far?

.wee.
I'd suggest starting a new thread on this subject rather than tacking it on here. A couple comments... as long as you can afford the add ons they are fine, but it's going to add up quick. A stout rear wheel is a good idea no matter what kind of drive setup you choose. I have used the manic hub adapter and like it. I've also used the rag joint and so long as the wheel is strong with heavy duty spokes and much care is given to setting it up so that the sprocket is centered and aligned with the drive chain it works, too.
the extra wide tires may be a problem with frame and chain clearance. I have used them with success with a four stroke HS engine which can be adjusted side to side, but had issues with a HT 2 stroke which can not be adjusted side to side. Even 2.125 can be a close shave.
SB
 

STS-V

New Member
Nov 7, 2010
1
0
1
New York
I joined this forum because of the Morini motor section. Forgive me for saying I dont have a motorized bike but I have a Big Boy MX off road stand up scooter, like a big Go Ped, with the Morini S6S engine on it. While doing a search on the net for Morini information, I came across this site. I can honestly say this site has more good info on the Morini's than any other site I have found. Some sites have some in depth technical info about bits and pieces of the engine but this site has good overall info about the whole engine. I have found more useful info here, even in the other sections on this site about other engines because I have 18 Go Peds. I am glad I found this site.
 
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btjplumber

New Member
Apr 27, 2011
6
0
0
Oroville CA
I joined this site because I was searching for answers about my cousins bikes that I was working on. They kept breaking down and I would fix them better than before but when I decided to build my own fate handed me a raw motor kit 66cc and a Schwinn Occ Stingray. I found out fast that the installation manual went out he window with this one. But that is how I like it anyway I like to do it my way. This site truly inspires me with new ideas and possibilities. Sure I could just buy a motor mount and jackshaft kit and put em on but then I would be riding someone elses creation. I hope yall can relate and I really admire some of the briliance I see from members here. I have two projects hoing now I'll post them as soon as figure out the right place to do that Thanks.
 

SupaBaked

New Member
May 8, 2011
19
0
0
San Francisco
For the same reason I joined all the other on line forums I belong to....I needed help;)
Also I find it funny how many people were ban from the "other" site. This is the first one I found and I seem to like it. So hopefully I don't get ban here!-
 

THEFAN

New Member
Jul 22, 2011
7
0
0
Maine
dance1I joined this site for information on motorized bikes. I love the idea of them and may need a cheaper way to motor around the island soon. :) I'm sure I'm find myself with an electric one too someday. :) Love te site. Don
 

jimbolic

New Member
Aug 23, 2011
5
0
0
Denmark
Joined to get some knowledge about what I bought without a clue as to what I got myself into. The missus is already rolling her eyes and talking about money (I want to customize it). :D
 

Saddletramp1200

Custom MB Buiilder
May 7, 2008
1,451
83
48
Houston, Texas
I joined to promote these wonderful and sometimes picky inexpensive way of fun and transportation. The thought of helping others is a bonus I never get tired of. Sharing with others is a great joy for me. I believe that every member we have feels mostly the same way. I know of only one member ever banned from here and he was given several chances before that happened. The honor of helping people from all walks of life, in so many different lands is indeed a thrill. I am but a tiny part of a wonderful place. (c)
 

Kilroy6644

New Member
Aug 31, 2011
7
0
1
Saginaw, MI
I joined for a couple of reasons. One is that someday I'd like to build a motorized bike, and this is the place to go for info. The other, more immediate reason is that I've seen lots of pictures of really cool bikes, and I'd like to be able to tell people how cool I think they are.