1951 Schwinn Panther - maybe?

Here is a tank that would fit pretty good price as well. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHWINN-STR...340?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec6911c44. If you are going to change out your wheel set maybe take some time and clean the originals up and sell them on eBay or the Cabe, you will be surprised what you may get for them. Here is a wheel cleaning kit. You may be able to offset the cost of your build. http://OldRoads.com/clean_kit.html. Just my 2 cents but a drum brake hub really looks at home on the vintage bikes.

vgirl said:

I'm saving those pics for inspiration. I love the gas tank on the first one. That would be a find. I'm thinking magic pie rear wheel, disc brakes on front, fake gas tank, big fatty cream tires and new chrome. I'm debating black with cream and red pinstripes or maybe blue and cream paint. I have a friend who used to work for a manufacturing place and he did the painting and powder coating. He has a friend with a manufacturing plant and can get that work done for me. She's gonna be pretty.

I love that sidecar silverbear. It was one of the things I came across when I started on this forum. My holidays are usually spent canoe tripping and that sidecar was close to my heart. I'm not so sure how appreciative my dog will be although she just loves canoeing. lol

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Either colour combo should look great. My Schwinn cruiser is blue and cream, whitewall balloon tires and chrome. Anywhere it goes I get people stopping and checking it out. (Too bad it's a '95 repro, not an early model). If you can get it powder coated, great, it's a far more durable finish than spray paint.
Maybe I'm misinformed, but I thought you could get a 'Limited Speed Motorcycle' or LSM endorsement on your license in Ontario to ride powered bikes.

I spent most of my life in London, Ont. before I got a company to pick up the tab on the move to the west coast, so I'm still somewhat familiar with the rules there. Yeah, insurance would probably be the biggest problem, and to meet thier requirements I wouldn't be surprised if you had to add turn signals and tail lights to do so.
It's not that different in B.C., the laws here refer to electric rides for the most part. Not much on the gas engine side (yet), so we're still in that grey area. The main law I make sure I'll pass is being able to stop inside of 30' from 30 kph. I have lines measured out in the back lane, and check every week or so.

Vgirl, I have long given up looking up laws but am sure you could find what you would need to make her a "moped" or the like. (lites, horn registration etc.) More $ and hassle. But she is a work of art in progress. You are the artist.

Build something cool. All for you and your very own functional art.

Am right at this moment picturing "Grace" with a SilverBear style fuel tank. http://motorbicycling.com/showpost.php?p=169040&postcount=8

I can't find your DIY thread SB! (please post, it really is a great work)

Dang-it! Now I wanna build a '51 looking cruiser with a belt drive and an SB style tank.

I really gotta stop hanging out with you folk.

LOL, kidding. (no one else would have me)

or, they would rue the day. Not sure what "rue" means but they would!

Vgirl, I myself am a big proponent of drum brakes, due to them being less expensive than disc setups in general and easier to install. In order to convert to disc, you will either need a fork with a tab for mounting the calipers, or an adapter plate that allows you to install the caliper on a non-disc fork. Then you will need the caliper, rotor, and a wheel that will accept the rotor. Now, if you want to purchase all those items because you just feel that disc is the way to go for you, there is nothing wrong with that. However, you will probably spend $200 or more on a quality disc brake conversion setup. You can get a brand new wheel with a drum for about half to three quarters of the price of a disc setup, and you don't need a special fork or an adapter to install a drum. Some forks have a stud on them for the brake arm and yours may possibly have that. But if your fork doesn't, all you need then is a bracket that straps around the fork and holds the brake arm in place. I have a 98cc minibike engine on a cruiser that probably weighs about 120 lbs, I weigh close to 300 lbs, and my bike goes 30+mph. I have a front drum and a rear coaster, but the front drum is usually plenty of stopping power for me. The speed and range of an electric bike is dependent on the size and capacity of the batteries (bigger batteries=faster), so unless you plan on doing 40 or 50 mph, I would think a drum would be adequate for you as well. In fact, I have a friend who has a bike that does almost 50 with a more powerful engine than mine, and he runs a front drum on that bike as well. Just be careful applying the front brake in the rain. I've taken 2 spills on my bike using the front brake too hard on a wet street (learned my lesson for sure now lol). But its your decision whether to go with disc or drum. I just wanted to give you some advice on drums to think about.