low budget, no weld, belt drive, wip

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fett

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Apr 26, 2011
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so i'm pretty much broke and built this thing in my garage out of scrap and junk that i either had lying around or salvaged where i could.

To start, i had a hawthorne stepthrough bike. I used lumber to build the engine mount and top tube. A few of the parts i took from a doodlebug mini bike i had sitting around. The engine is a 97 cc lifan. The rear sheave is a kids bike rim. Most of the pulleys and bearings were pulled from a do-it-yourself bandsaw kit. The jackshaft mount was made from an aluminum sign i cut up and bent. The clutch came from the minibike as well. I ground down the sprocket that was attached to it. I took a 1" bore pulley and slipped it over the clutch. If the set screws slip when running the bike, i'll have a friend weld the pulley to the clutch. I'm trying to avoid that however, as I've made this entire bike with no welds. here it is. let me know what you think









 
maniac57

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
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That is the ugliest freak show I have ever seen. I WANT ONE!
You are my new hero!
I LOVE low buck builds and you have a real knack for using what you got!
Keeping my eye on this freaky thread....
 
tooljunkie

tooljunkie

Member
Apr 4, 2012
663
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Manitoba,Canada
just another mans version of improvisation.
i had a vision,and worked with what i had.

one of my mottos,rebuildin the world with scrap metal and duct tape.

looks good.
after experiencing different drive systems,belt is about the easiest. you will find,if your belt had less of a bend at the idler,it will sap less power.
a bigger idler,or a shorter belt will help you with parasitic loss.
looks good so far.

i remember trying to build go-carts with wood and screws and nails.weld?? whats that?
lol.
 
xseler

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
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OKC, OK
Now you just need to find an old banana style seat to mount on top of the wood railing! I would hate to chance a splinter in the arse!!
 
MEASURE TWICE

MEASURE TWICE

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Jul 13, 2010
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I bought a banana seat and then found another I thought was more padded on the edges and was slightly wider so I replaced the first one.

Dang there just not good enough for off roading. I having to stand on the foot pegs I have (no pedal this machine).

In comparison when I borrowed my friends Yamaha 125 4stroke machine, I used the seat when moving 30 to 50 % of the time.

You might round the wooden edges an do some kind of foam padding and leather covering and have comfort and style.

MT
 
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fett

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Apr 26, 2011
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thanks for the comments, guys.

i have the seat from the mini bike, which has the banana style to it, actually. it looks pretty good on there. since my last post, i got the seat mounted, bought some fuel lines, got a belt for the forward pulleys.

I had the tank mounted, but i realized there was a bit of rust on the inside. I threw some nuts and bolts in there with a bit of gas and gave it a good shaking. a few rounds of that, and theres still some in there. so today i bought a 3 part tank cleaner/sealer for it. i'll do that treatment today, but it's going to take some time to set.

i tried to put a larger idler on the rear belt, but with what i have in the garage and the clearance on the bike, i couldn't get it. if its a real issue once i get it running, ill give it a second look.

once the tank is finished, all i really need to do it is mount the throttle to the handle bars, and it should be ready to ride. I'll get some pictures up today
 
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fett

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Apr 26, 2011
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seat and throttle mounted. got a belt for the forward pulleys. the tank sealant is drying now. a couple more coats, and this thing will be up and running

the tensioner couldn't tighten enough to keep it from rotating around the tube. so i used some aircraft cable and a turnbuckle to keep in tensioned against the pull of the belt.





 
harry76

harry76

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2011
2,557
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Brisbane, Australia
As much as I admire doing things cheaply your jackshaft worries me. The wood itself will end up wearing out and that thin piece of aluminium isn't going to help either. Now you've built it you may as well ride it, but you should report your progress, hopefully I'm wrong and everything will be fine.

Welders are cheap as chips over there in America, I'd recommend you get one for your next project.
 
F

fett

New Member
Apr 26, 2011
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i'm hoping it will be ok as well.

i want to rerout my exhaust. i found a bit of flexible electrical conduit. i know it leaks and is not very good for this. my question is whether there is some way i can treat the conduit, either a wrap or sealant or some such, that will make it useable. perhaps fiberglass? i have some generic mat and resin. odds are its more work than its worth, but if its cheap enough, i don't mind. any ideas?
 
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Trey

Trey

$50 Cruiser
Jan 17, 2013
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Where cattle outnumber people 3 to 1.
I honestly don't know that this will work, but the tape you wrap leaky car mufflers with, gets pretty hard after it gets hot a few times. That may help with the snaking of the conduit and heat transfer as well. There has been discussion about motorcycle exhaust pipe tape working well to quiet pipes, and I believe it seals as well. All guesses though...
 
MEASURE TWICE

MEASURE TWICE

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Jul 13, 2010
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fett said:
i'm hoping it will be ok as well.

i want to rerout my exhaust. i found a bit of flexible electrical conduit. i know it leaks and is not very good for this. my question is whether there is some way i can treat the conduit, either a wrap or sealant or some such, that will make it useable. perhaps fiberglass? i have some generic mat and resin. odds are its more work than its worth, but if its cheap enough, i don't mind. any ideas?
Click to expand...
Fett

see post 13, 14, & 15 on pg2 of my thread for the corrugated copper water pipe type exhaust tube where the rubber gasket is removed:

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29678&page=2

see post 58, 59, & 60 on pg6 of my thread for the corrugated copper water pipe type exhaust tube where copper gaskets replace rubber ones:

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29678&page=6

The cost of the parts I would have to think are totaled around 40 to 50 dollars. Somethings just are not that cheap, but it is true that welding to make an exhaust would have been cheaper for me if I had a place to use my welder when I decided to do this without welding.

MT
 
Toadmund

Toadmund

New Member
Jan 19, 2012
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Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
fett said:
I had the tank mounted, but i realized there was a bit of rust on the inside. I threw some nuts and bolts in there with a bit of gas and gave it a good shaking. a few rounds of that,.....
Click to expand...
That's the bomb!
i tried to put a larger idler on the rear belt, but with what i have in the garage and the clearance on the bike, i couldn't get it. if its a real issue once i get it running, ill give it a second look.
Click to expand...
Maybe you could spray on some belt dressing or tar, or Aunt Jemima waffle syrup, or glue an inner tube to the wheel drive rim for more grip and less slip.
 
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