new member, new build

well, i have spent enough now that there is no turning back untill its done! LOL, so i may as well start a thread:

i stumbled on "easy rider's" first Morini build on google, which led me to the forums. next thing i know its time to go to work, the next day, and i havn't even gone to bed! LOL. lots of reading later, for three main reasons, i decided about a month ago, i wanted to build a motorized bike. reason #1: save money! my commute is about 20miles one-way on the freeway. my truck gets about 16mpg. and my tires cost about $2g's. it adds up quick, i figure it costs me about $5g's a year just to go to work. the bike should take that down well under $1g. then there's the fitness aspect! i'm not getting any younger @ 42yrs. and i am feeling it. and, i don't like it! i'm sure there will be some pedaling, if nothing else, just not plopped on a big fat seat in a big ole' truck. and lastly, because its cool, and looks like fun! i love building stuff. in no particular order, that's the motivation behind this build. my bicycle commute will run through both Gilbert, and Mesa here in AZ. and lucky for me both towns have some really nice dedicated bike paths, and canal roads that get me pretty close to my shop without even having to ride roads! huge perk. it will also cut my commute from 20miles on the freeway, to about 12 along the canals. the paths are well maintained, and i will have about 14 road crossings.

okay enough preface LOL. on with the build. i am a big dude @ 6ft, and 300lbs. but, i only have a 30" inseam, and a bad right leg. so i need a bike with a sturdy frame, and one that is fairly short. i surfed craigslist last weekend and found a Giant rainier hard-tail (year 2000) in really nice shape for a good price. so i picked it up. the frame looks nice and sturdy, and it has disk brakes. it has some older Rox-shox JUDY forks on it. they aren't top of the line, but there are no leaks. so, that's the platform. for the engine, i ordered a new Honda GXH50 today. its gonna be a tight squeeze into the Giant frame. but, i will get it in there one way or another. i am also 99% sure it will end up sporting an EZM tranny. i am also pretty sure im gonna convert it to single speed on the "human power" side. and the rest is up in the air. lots of choices left to make! that's for sure. one thing i am not trying to build is a rocket-ship. 25mph top-speed is plenty for me. i have been riding dirt-bikes my whole life, and most would think i'm an absolute nut. but its just experience. my current bike is a CRF450, and i ride it for all its worth. but i have no desire to go fast on a bicycle! i am a machinist by trade, so i should be able to sneak some trick billet trincates in along the way. already have a short list of parts to copy! LOL. may even come up with a few of my own ideas along the way. i will post progress along the way, and i ain't skeered to take and post pics. i will do my best to entertain along the way. it wont be a fast build, but i will do my best to make it a good one. pics soon........cant wait to join in the fun.

ohhh, heck yea! i dream't of putting a motor in a bike, LOL! didn't we all? and, yea, the Honda was a pretty easy choice for me. i do intend to stay as legal as i can. and here, that means under 50cc, and under 20mph. im sure i will bend the 20mph on occasion, but at least if i find myself face to face with a LEO, he wont be able to tell me to park it. just "slow down you hill-jack!". and i have been a honda guy since 1991 when i got my first. it was a 1990 CR250. it was sooo much better than the 1988 KX that it replaced i was done with the other brands. above all, i need this bike to be dependable. it will definitely be over-built. thats one of the reasons for the single speed conversion. i hate derailers.

well, i have enough other projects to limit me to just one for a good long while. my truck i drive every day is a HUGE project! LOL. not to mention the house/yard, and of course family/work. time is something i dont have much of. currently working between 60-70hr weeks right now. never less than 50. time is not in abundance for me! anyways, here is a picture of the bike:



so far the only things i have done are install the tall-bars, and old-fat-guy seat. and, the cheapie lights. swapped the brake cables side-to-side. put the front brake on the right side where it belongs! every motorcycle on the planet has the front brake on the right. why do they put the front on the left on bicycles? and adjust the derailers. man i hate derailers. when i brought it home it would only shift to about half the available speeds LOL. i got it shifting well, and running smooth. but its such a pain in the arse. then i put about 20miles on it to make sure i even liked it! LOL, its not a bad bike and should suit this project nicely.

I recieved my new engine today. finally got to "see" if it was even going to be doable in this frame. its going to be tight, but I believe i will be able to make it work:





obviously, the factory air-cleaner will have to go. I already have a nice 90' billet filter adapter designed in my head. I think I am also going to whip up a billet rocker cover that incorporates a bell-crank for the throttle linkage. and I will obviously have to come up with something nice and compact for mounting the engine, as there is not a whole lot of room. no way one of those off-the-shelf mounting plates will work. they are a little too clunky for my liking anyways. will do my best to come up with something cool. now i just need to get with Bill in fountain-hills, and order up my EZM!

by the way, i have been riding the wheels off this thing! probly 100miles since i brought it home. (thats alot for my fat-arse!) it seems to be a really nice riding bike. it needs some smoother tires, but other than that its decent. the brakes didnt work well at all, at first. they were my first disk brakes, and i was wondering what all the hype was about. but, i have em burned in nicely now, and it stops quite well! much more predictable, smooth, and progressive than regular rim-brakes. i dont think they are a whole lot more powerfull, but definitely "nicer".

okay, here is the semi official mock-up location:



thats the best compromise of clearance, fittment, float-level, and room to fab a proper intake i could come up with. the square tube clamped to the fram allowed me to pull some vital measurements:







time to design!

threw some real quick geometry together:



now i can at least rummage for a couple pieces of stock. i am going to make the mount a little different in that it will be two pieces with the split lengthwise. then they will bolt together, clamped around the frame tubes (represented by the pink cylinders). like i said, pretty crude so far, but maybe you guys can get the idea from the crappy image.

i would have to bust out the 450 for that demonstration LOL. "I" will be doing no bicycle wheelies! you know that awkward flopping run that happens when you loop a bicycle? ya, well i have a severely effed' up right leg, and i don't run! that episode would put me smack on my face on the pavement! not happening! dirt-bikes loop much slower than bicycles, and just kinda gently set you on your ass, and you slide. last time i looped my bike i forgot to pump my rear brakes back up after squeezing the caliper. happened right in front of my house! before that it had been at least 10yrs. stupid mistake!

sweet! i bet that was a good distance. i have gone a couple miles on a dirt-bike. its been a while though since i really hucked up a looooong one. but you can bet every time i get on my bike it spends some decent time on one wheel. my favorite is hooking long sweepers at speed. 3rd-4th gear, 35-50mph. i am a pretty big guy @300lbs plus. and every time i go riding with new people i can always tell, they are thinking "oh great, were gonna be waiting on fatty all day" LOL. i usually lay low for a while, then bust a fat wheelstander, and show em some speed. especially if i know the trail. its always a hoot to see everybodies face the next time the helmets come off! LOL. i just wish i was still in shape so that burst of speed could last longer than 5-10mins! i fatigue pretty quick anymore. sucks getting old!

yup, im 42. graduated 23yrs ago in 89'! my operator here at the shop that works with me every day was born in 89'! and coincidentally, we also ride together. how do you think i feel when he has been riding for a year, and i have been riding for 30yrs, and he can almost hang with me! it sucks! LOL

is that you in your avatar doing the stoppie Don? i was getting half decent at them until i broke my leg really bad over 10 years ago (not doing stoppies though). i havnt done a stoppie on purpose since. i used to laugh, and tell people that "i crashed well". cause somehow i was always able to get up and walk away from even the worst "yardsales". now i make it a point not to crash! its kinda like a blue whale falling from the sky when i crash now! LOL

obviously been 3 months since i posted. unfortunately, this project is dead in the water. i got some bad news from the doctor about my bad leg. some kinda funky bone infection. i am looking at amputation within 6 months. no need for a bicycle anytime in the next couple years. sucks for me! anybody want a great deal on a Honda GXH-50? brand new, never even started.

its been a long time coming. i was in a dirt bike accident 12 years ago. (head-on with a truck in a whiplash race) it mangled my right leg. they wanted to amputate then. me being extremely stubborn, would not let them. MY MISTAKE! the infection is a surprise. loosing my leg is not. i am still ridiculously stubborn, and mentally prepared. i just figured it was still a few years out. along with being stubborn, i am a bit of a procrastinator. LOL. Doc says no more waiting. thanks!