ProMcCown's AMF Beach Cruiser.

ProMcCown · Jan 19, 2013

So I've been apart of this forum for a while. I started posting my project on the intro board and now it's pretty old and been a while since I posted so figured I would start a build thread here!

So in March 2012 I picked up this AMF Beach Cruiser for $75 off Craigslist.

Wanted to go with a slick looking ride almost like a cafe racer.

Ended up taking off the fenders and got the motor kit. (April 2012)

Upgraded the tires that came with the bike with some Specialized tires. The guy at World of Wheels (bike shop) told me that for the size rim I have most places don't make tires for and these were the only tires they had for $20 a tire.

Towards the end of April I got this color changing paint from Autozone for the gas tank and ended up painting the handle bars too.

ProMcCown · Jan 19, 2013

In August 2012 I got the MotorBicycling.com decal. (Thanks again Paul!)

In September 2012 disaster struck when snapped the mount stud in the motor.

Got it Heli Coiled and at the same time ordered the SBP hardware kit.

Then she got put aside during the rain and cold here in California. Today I pulled her back out and worked on her a little bit. I had ordered a front mount kit and the aftermarket intake from SBP. The mount bracket for the mount needed to be modified a bit because the heli coiled stud was off just a tad. Got the motor mounted again but I messed up the clutch cable.

So I pulled a rear brake cable off of a spare mountain bike I've had for years. All I need to do is put the clutch cable back, put the chain back on, filler her up and off we go.

Future mods I want to do is get a layback seat post, sprocket adapter, and some type of lighting like an HID projector running of a small battery or something.

Mannhouse51 · Jan 19, 2013

Fine looking motor bike ! Looks fast with them skinny tires.

chainmaker · Jan 19, 2013

If you want to give it a bit more power match the ports intake and exhaust doesn't cost anything except a bit of time. Expansion chamber will help out a bunch as well.

ProMcCown · Jan 19, 2013

Thanks Mannhouse51 I do like the way it looks with the skinny tires as well. I'm not sure if I can even get a thicker tire in the front maybe just the rear. The forks don't have that much room.

@ Chainmaker, I have a dremel so I definitely will be port matching. And saving up for the expansion chamber. Also plan on going up in sprocket tooth size when I get the adapter.

ProMcCown · Feb 8, 2013

So just a little update,

Got the clutch cable installed and the chain back on, ended up having to stop by tractor supply and get some new master links. I started it up for the first time since September of 2012. Took a couple tries but she fired right up and I thought I would have to fiddle with the carb a little since I have the SBP filter but I didn't have to that much. And the SBP filter sounds a little bit louder than the stock filter.

I did notice on initial start up the first few minutes it smoked, like white smoke from the exhaust. I'm using Lucas smokeless 2 stroke oil at 32:1 mix and before the bike was down it didn't smoke. But after a few minutes it stopped smoking, I guess it was just old oil still in the motor or something I'm not to worried about it.

ProMcCown · Feb 11, 2013

So I put a couple miles on the bike yesterday (11 miles total on this motor). I'm not sure if it is the additional air I am getting from the intake or what, but before my top speed was only around 28MPH. Yesterday my speedometer said I was doing around 30 and when I went WOT I got up to 35 before I had to slow down and I wasn't toping it out. I'm not sure if these speedometers are accurate, I have the analog speedometer you can get off ebay. I'll have to confirm with my GPS and see if it was really going that fast. IF it is doing low to mid 30's or more I'm a happy camper for sure!

dmb · Feb 11, 2013

put a front brake on that puppy asap. even a cheepie rim brake. it might just save your life. if you cant fit one on the front put it on the back. you need 2 brakes! nice bike i like the skinny's. those tires could be the reason for the higher speed

biknut · Feb 11, 2013

ProMcCown said:

Very nice. I like the overall look. It's really clean.

I too recommend a front brake though. It's not that you can't ride without one, it's just more fun to ride when you don't have to worry about stopping so much.

Good job on the build .

ProMcCown · Feb 11, 2013

Thanks! I agree with the brakes. It is kind of worrisome when I have to use the hub brake on this thing. But at least the motor helps slow me down. I don't ride it often because in Cali it needs to registered. I plan on upgrading things like hub adapter and brakes before I register it and really ride it around.

ProMcCown · Mar 17, 2013

So a couple days ago I took I the bike for a spin because the weather was nice here. I took it out and rode down the street and then the bike bogged down and cut out. Got back home and pulled the plug and noticed it was fouled. So I was thinking how could it be running rich even if I'm getting more air from the SBP filter?

Yesterday I took some time and did some recon on here and came down to it being the float filling up with fuel or the level of the float needing to be adjusted. Today I drained the float bowl and took it off. And what do you know, the jet was in the bowl along with the float. OOPS!! I guess I didn't tighten it down when I last cleaned the carb so when I went for a ride it vibrated loose and came off.

Long story short I learned my lesson, double check everything!!

moonerdizzle · Mar 21, 2013

Nice bike. Love the old AMF bicycles.

ProMcCown · Mar 21, 2013

moonerdizzle said:
Nice bike. Love the old AMF bicycles.

Thanks moonerdizzle! I absolutely love this frame. Just trying to figure out what color to paint it to go with the color changing paint.

ProMcCown · Mar 22, 2013

Some goodies came in today!

So today I got my new plug wire and a couple of spark plugs from SBP. Installed the new plug wire and decided to try out the NGK BPM7A Spark Plug. Put a couple miles on her and it runs and drives great! Also put on my SBP sticker on the frame, have to represent where I get my parts from!!

FLKnifemaker · Mar 22, 2013

Very nice. I find myself looking at all the yard sales for old bikes now

I haven't even finished my first build yet.

ProMcCown · Mar 22, 2013

Thanks FLKnifemaker. I didn't really have the intent of getting an older bike. I just wanted one I knew I could mount the motor too easily lol.

The day I picked up this AMF I had zero knowledge of the company, all I knew was that the motor would fit and it was only $75, when I got back home I looked into it because I had never heard of this company, since it is old I wanted to know if this bike was worth motorizing or flipping and making some money, and I found out that these bikes are pretty common and not worth much.

But I really do like this style of bike. Skinny frame and skinny tires makes for a fast looking bike without it actually being fast lol. All in all I'm just glad I was able to give this bike a new life. It's awesome when people ask about the motor and stuff, but it's even more awesome to me when people ask me about the bike itself because it isn't a Huffy or Schwinn or some other common bike you see.

ProMcCown · Mar 23, 2013

So today I took the AMF out to figure out if the analog speedo I got was close to accurate. According to my GPS it's about 5MPH off which isn't bad I think. So my top speed as of now is about 30MPH, and average speed I cruise at is about 15 to 20MPH.

ProMcCown · Mar 25, 2013

Nothing special to report, just took some pictures. I need polish my exhaust and I'm still debating if I should paint the frame or leave it as is, what you do you guys think?

ProMcCown · Mar 25, 2013

Couple more:

darkhawk22 · Mar 26, 2013

I would add a springer to the bike, you'll notice a much smoother ride as it will absorb a ton of road vibration. I had an AMF frame similar to yours on my first build and used a Sunlite springer from Pirate cycles. Also would advise a hub adapter if you can find one to fit the rear wheel. If the bolt gives out on the exhaust and it falls apart see if you can find someone to weld it at the end cap, mine kept coming apart even after using some high temp threadlock. Great build!

Also, I saw that someone mentioned it before but I'll repeat, get yourself some front caliper brakes on there. A local bike shop might have a simple set or even Wally World / Target.

ProMcCown's AMF Beach Cruiser.

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