Hi, my name is Ara and I live in Oklahoma.
Wow! All I can say is wow...
I just learned about Motorized Bicycles a few days ago. As soon as I saw one (An add in the back of a magazine for StriderRides, in fact) I said "That's it!"
You see, I've been looking for a project for my sons and I. Something that would give me something fun to ride/drive (mini-van blues, y'know...), allow me to learn to weld, and teach my boys some basic mechanical skills. Over the past year and a half I've shifted focus through several possible projects including a Reverse trike (Indycycle/Sportcycle) and a Monster Miata, but when we started adding up total costs, these were WAAAAAA-AAAAAY over our budget. (Even consider a Hardknock Bobber kit, but even as reasonably priced as those things are, they are just too much, right now). So now we come to motorized bikes and I'm fascinated.
I've spent the past 72 hours brainstorming and have come up with a rough plan. I want a Chopper, but all I've found in my area are kids-sized Choppers. Mostly OCC Schwins. I see that Adult-sized Choppers are fetching a pretty penny, when one can find them at all. So instead I found a DIY version that suits my needs quite well.
The Atomic Zombie Vigilante (I had a IMG tagged photobucket link here, but the forum marked it as spam. So see attachment below, I guess)
A quick search of the forum for "Vigilante" showed no results so I'm assuming I'm the first. Its a scratch-built Chopper that I think has a really mean look to it.
Now, before anyone says it, I know the car tire for the rear wheel wouldn't work so well with a small 2-stroke. That's okay. I want gears, so I plan in running a plain ol' bike wheel with cartridge and dérailleur on the back.
For power I think a 66/80 kit and a SBC jackshaft would work out okay. I'd probably need to add a vertical tube to mount the engine and jackshaft to, of course. Also I think disc brakes front and rear would be a good idea.
A sissy bar seems appropriate (and possibly necessary. The seating position is such that without the engine, I imagine I might want/need to use my back a bit for leverage at times, like a recumbent). And finally, I thinking a Survival Bike theme would work well. With khaki frame and olive drab accessories.
Anyway. Its nice to meet you all, and I hope not only to learn a lot from y'all, but to contribute a bit, too, if I can.
I'd love to hear any comments, even if they're less then positive. I'm hoping to draw on the expertise of the forum, so if anyone sees any obvious errors, please call me on them.
Thanks!
Ara
Wow! All I can say is wow...
I just learned about Motorized Bicycles a few days ago. As soon as I saw one (An add in the back of a magazine for StriderRides, in fact) I said "That's it!"
You see, I've been looking for a project for my sons and I. Something that would give me something fun to ride/drive (mini-van blues, y'know...), allow me to learn to weld, and teach my boys some basic mechanical skills. Over the past year and a half I've shifted focus through several possible projects including a Reverse trike (Indycycle/Sportcycle) and a Monster Miata, but when we started adding up total costs, these were WAAAAAA-AAAAAY over our budget. (Even consider a Hardknock Bobber kit, but even as reasonably priced as those things are, they are just too much, right now). So now we come to motorized bikes and I'm fascinated.
I've spent the past 72 hours brainstorming and have come up with a rough plan. I want a Chopper, but all I've found in my area are kids-sized Choppers. Mostly OCC Schwins. I see that Adult-sized Choppers are fetching a pretty penny, when one can find them at all. So instead I found a DIY version that suits my needs quite well.
The Atomic Zombie Vigilante (I had a IMG tagged photobucket link here, but the forum marked it as spam. So see attachment below, I guess)
A quick search of the forum for "Vigilante" showed no results so I'm assuming I'm the first. Its a scratch-built Chopper that I think has a really mean look to it.
Now, before anyone says it, I know the car tire for the rear wheel wouldn't work so well with a small 2-stroke. That's okay. I want gears, so I plan in running a plain ol' bike wheel with cartridge and dérailleur on the back.
For power I think a 66/80 kit and a SBC jackshaft would work out okay. I'd probably need to add a vertical tube to mount the engine and jackshaft to, of course. Also I think disc brakes front and rear would be a good idea.
A sissy bar seems appropriate (and possibly necessary. The seating position is such that without the engine, I imagine I might want/need to use my back a bit for leverage at times, like a recumbent). And finally, I thinking a Survival Bike theme would work well. With khaki frame and olive drab accessories.
Anyway. Its nice to meet you all, and I hope not only to learn a lot from y'all, but to contribute a bit, too, if I can.
I'd love to hear any comments, even if they're less then positive. I'm hoping to draw on the expertise of the forum, so if anyone sees any obvious errors, please call me on them.
Thanks!
Ara
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