two recent bike build pictures - gas and electric

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videomandw

New Member
Jun 24, 2010
25
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indiana
i recently built two bikes. one gas and one electric. i'm not sure how to post the pictures but i should have them on here as soon as i figure it out.

the black schwinn riverside cruiser is gas as you can see by the picture. it has an 80cc daemon two stroke. it was my first 2 stroke build and i didn't have any major problems except for very poor chinglish instructions that came with the kit. she runs great and i am out on her almost daily, buzzing around valparaiso, indiana.

the orange micargi cruiser you hopefully see in the pictures is an electric front wheel hub mount motor. actually, i built the crystallite kit about four years ago, and aside from needing to install a second set of sla batteries, it has not given me a bit of trouble. it will travel about 10-15 miles per charge, depending on the terrain and wind conditions and i've had it up to about 20 mph (a little faster going down a slight grade)

about two weeks ago i decided to turn the micargi into a "surf cruiser" (i made up the title). the batteries had been held in a cheapo black bag on the rear carrier. i found a bunch of oak dresser drawers thrown out on someone's curb. i busted apart the drawers and built an oak box to house the three sla batteries beneath the top frame member. i also bought a 3/8" oak board and cut out 3 "surfboards" and attached them to the top and two sides of the carrier. then i cut out a small surfboard of oak and attached it to the rear fender to hold a tail light. i brushed several coats of amber shellac on all oak to make it blend in with the orange frame of the bike.

i took off the original black metal basket on front and mounted an orange fabric basket i had found at our local michaels on sale. i cut and shellaced a piece of thin plywood to put on the bottom of the basket for additional strength.

lastly i ordered several retro surfing/california/venice/santa monica/woody decals to put on the battery box and the surfboards. although i live in northern indiana, all my life i have spent a lot of time in the venice/santa monica area of west l.a. so the theme is kind of nostalgic for me and brings back lots of so. cal. memories.

which one do i enjoy riding the best? that's a good question and i still haven't decided. they each have their good and bad points. next i am thinking about building a micargi general cruiser, which is painted in olive drab and has a tan seat and grips. it has a definite military look. i'm thinking of putting a crytallite electric front hub motor on it as well as a chinese two stroke. if i could pull this off, i could ride using the electric motor until the sla batteries discharged and then start up the two stroke for the rest of the ride. i don't know if others have tried this but i kinda go that idea from reading about the chevy volt that is coming out soon. it will have a gas and electric motor, although of completely different kinds. i dunno, i'm still thinking about it.

anway, i hope you enjoyed the pictures, and if you are still reading this long boring post at this point, thanks for following to the end. best of luck with your builds, be they gas or electric.

dave,
valparaiso, indiana
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