new, got a 60's cruiser and a snowblower engine.....help

GoldenMotor.com

kermit05

New Member
Feb 3, 2009
14
0
0
Canada
Post pictures of the new bike you found! Love the "Barn find" bikes. Or in your case, Woods find. My bike came out of a shed that was completely caved in. Now it has over 40 motorized miles on it =)
 

TheBeak

New Member
Feb 25, 2009
80
0
0
Blue Hill Maine/ California
i've been trying to get the left pedal off but with no luck. Its starting to drive me nuts!!! I've been wd-40ing the **** out of it. But no luck yet. I'm sure it'll budge eventually. I just need it off so i can paint the cranks and sprocket that yellow. Plus i want to replace the pedals anyway.
hopefully it'll get off soon
 

toytime

New Member
Mar 20, 2008
550
0
0
Ontario
Left peddle turns backwards, otherwise it would unwind as you peddle. It's funny but I just went through that an hour ago.
 

toytime

New Member
Mar 20, 2008
550
0
0
Ontario
Sometimes I wish I had Internet out in the garage! By the time I come inside to ask this place for help it's so hard to go back outside into my cold shack of a garage.
 

TheBeak

New Member
Feb 25, 2009
80
0
0
Blue Hill Maine/ California
This is her as of tonight. The rear fender had some paint issues, the clear coat bubbled off the yellow for some reason. And it still needs to be chopped, so thats not on. But it rode ok, even though the handle bars weren't tightened, hahaha. The rear wheel was wobbling a lot but i believe its cause the wheel wasn't put on straight. The wheel itself i think is fine. I decided to use the old bars that were on it when i found it. But i haven't cleaned them up yet.

In a few weeks i should be riding with a motor. However, it is gonna be a kit. So if that means this should be moved to kits, by all means do it. But the restoration is nearly done. Just a few more things.

Oh and the seat will be replaced and moved to where the fender meets the frame. With a motor she will look like a boardtracker!!!
 

Attachments

a_dam

New Member
Feb 21, 2009
351
0
0
Momence, IL
Alright, I have to reply. I don't know where to start.
I never had much of a "mental image" of Maine; maybe lots of forests, fishing boats, lobster traps...
But I never knew that the woods were full of 50 year-old bikes for the finding.
I love the idea of putting a motor on an old bike. I would make sure the bike is in solid condition before putting a 3-horsepower motor on it. Are you really going to take a rusty bike that you found in the woods, that barely rides, and put a big motor on it? Even with a nice paint job, that might not end up being a nice ride.

I am not trying to put you down. We all want to see folks here end up with successful builds.
 

TheBeak

New Member
Feb 25, 2009
80
0
0
Blue Hill Maine/ California
hey i understand you and the worries
but this bike is solid. and everything is being replaced that needs to. well maybe not the handlebars. The front wheel is new, the rear wheel in the picture is being replaced because of some issues. And i will be replacing the front forks with springers hopefully soon.

Also, the original engine shown in the pics is being saved for another project. This is gonna be a china motor bike. But i am confident in this bike's strength. The frame is basically all that will be the same, and the crank and frame are solid.

Oh and about the woods in maine, hahaha, its cause everyone used the woods as the dump like up to 15 years ago. Its amazing what is out there.
 

toytime

New Member
Mar 20, 2008
550
0
0
Ontario
I'd bet your bike is safer and stronger that any bike you find in any big box store these days. I think you'll be happy with your choice in motor kit. That other motor was going to be a beast.
 

a_dam

New Member
Feb 21, 2009
351
0
0
Momence, IL
Sounds like you know what you're doing. I was concerned for a minute. Most of my bikes are old. I've got 4 Schwinn Continentals and a Suburban from the 70s. And a newer (90s?) chromo Univega.
I'm pretty confident of their condition because they get stripped down completely, to the smallest part. I clean and regrease everything.

Of course, the failure of a part wouldn't usually cause a catastrophe. Frame and forks... With these old steel bikes, if nothing is noticibly bent or cracking, then they will probably last forever. Seat post... unlikely. Handlebars... should be OK as long as they are not made out of copper (haha). The only other old parts I worry about are axles, especially the front (ouch). But like Toytime says, old parts are probably stronger than the new Chinese stuff in the stores today.

My motor only runs me about 50% faster than leg power, so a wipe-out might not be that much worse. On the Simpson's, a motorcycle daredevil told Bart, "Broken bones heal; chicks dig scars; and America has the best healthcare system in the world".
So ride that thing!

P.S. I wish I could find bikes like that around here.
 

TheBeak

New Member
Feb 25, 2009
80
0
0
Blue Hill Maine/ California
i have to hold out on my kit and new rear wheel for at least 2 weeks, its driving me crazy to not be out riding cause the weather is beautiful, god pretty soon i'll even have my boat in the water, so i also got to paint and varnish soon too. But i got to wait till after vacation, its absorbed all my cash :(
But as soon as its going there will be a pick
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
48
59
Moosylvania
Great thread and build Beak. Really old and steel (emmm, steel) make for incredible foundations. Are they steel? your build in-waiting after the china girl build, that engine with a leather belt to a CVT or a DIY gear box on an old frame! That would be really cool!! Would take some serious fabing, but wow. Really enjoying this thread. Keep posting

(If a bike you found in the woods is thawing out in your living room, you might be a MBer, snork) When it warmed up, my "sit and stare at for ideas bike" got evicted from the cellar to the unheated garage.
 
Last edited:

Cabinfever1977

New Member
Mar 23, 2009
2,288
1
0
Upstate,NY
with the look and shape of some old bikes ive seen,it looks like my china motor would bend those frames in two and rip those rims right off the bike.
 

TheBeak

New Member
Feb 25, 2009
80
0
0
Blue Hill Maine/ California
AHH
Feels great to be back on here
so i finally ordered my motor kit from zoombicycles.com
and i am waiting for it, its supposed to be here on the 22nd but i am hoping for sooner
and not only did i get my motor, i also have convinced 2 others to get them as well. So now in the town i live in that in winter has like 400 people in it there will be 6 motorized bicycles. Oh and zoombicycles gave us a little bit of a discount cause we ordered 3 so we got that bulk order discount.

I will let you know whats up when i get it.
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
48
59
Moosylvania
Very cool Beak. They are a lot more fun to build and ride with friends. That is great Zoom did that for you.

Looking forward to seeing pics of your build(s)