Schwinn/pepi bobber

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rzko

New Member
Feb 28, 2013
11
0
0
Michigan
I've been checking out this site for months taking in all the fantastic creations
and I have to say thanks for all the ideas and inspiration!
This bike started out as a Schwinn ladys 10 speed with the lower bar removed and welded top side. The rear end and wheel is from a Pepi moped bent and fitted to the Schwinn.
The motor is a late 70's Tecumseh 3hp 2 cycle from a ToroPup snowblower using the original motor mounts and welding 1" square stock to the frame.
A 5/8 clutch and a 70 tooth mini bike sprocket cut on a lathe was used to fit over the brake hub.
The sprocket seemed a bit big but surprisingly it worked out quite well giving it enough torque for a smooth take off.
Fuel tank is from a late 40's Briggs engine fastened with brass straps.
Hand brakes compress rear drum and clutch band which was mounted to the square stock.
No pedal power though, as I opted to cut & weld the pedals forward so they're more of a foot peg than a pedal.
 

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2door

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Very clean and innovative build. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Just curious about what your local laws say about not having pedals. In many areas it would be considered a motorcycle. Have you had any encounters with the law?

Tom
 
R

rzko

New Member
Feb 28, 2013
11
0
0
Michigan
Thanks for the comments. I live near the Detroit area so finding
bikes & parts is not too much trouble.
And yeah I've thought about how to register it. I don't know yet.
I've been pulled over once on my other moped (no tag) but I lucked
out and the officer let me go with a warning.
 
dracothered

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
rzko said:
Thanks for the comments. I live near the Detroit area so finding
bikes & parts is not too much trouble.
And yeah I've thought about how to register it. I don't know yet.
I've been pulled over once on my other moped (no tag) but I lucked
out and the officer let me go with a warning.
Click to expand...
Great looking build and welcome to the forum...

From what I have been able to glean of the Michigan laws is it has to be 2HP or less and can do no more than I believe 35 or it will be classed as a motorcycle. I haven't been able to find if bicycles with engines fall into any set laws, but it looks like they fall under the Moped laws more or less.
 
WightBoy

WightBoy

Member
Aug 30, 2012
271
0
16
Michigan, USA
Sweet, I grew up in Clarkston. good luck with registration if you decide to. I miss how easy it was to find parts. We only have 1 bike shop up here and the owner is a pain to deal with even though he thinks I am building a low rider without a motor.
 
Bikeguy Joe

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
11,837
252
63
up north now
Me love that long time!

Did you have to adjust or re-jet the carb? I know my snow blower is very rich when run in the summer. So was the minibike I built using a snow blower engine, had to adjust that one a lot.
 
dracothered

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
Since the rear section is from a Pepi moped you may be able to get away with registering it as a Pepi moped. Do you have the rest of the moped and did it have a serial number on it? If you do you could transfer that piece to your bike somewhere and now it is a moped sort of.
 
R

rzko

New Member
Feb 28, 2013
11
0
0
Michigan
Since the original carb is a diaphragm type it does need some
adjusting now & then. I also have a early bowl type with both
high & low adjustments I might try.
It does run rich and at 25mph, I still haven't topped out on rpms.
Never had enough pavement to get it to whine out.
Also tried running it with an open pipe but it wouldn't stay
running.
I do have the rest of the Pepi so when I go this week to the dmv
I'll see what they say about it. If I have to register it as a
motorcycle I'll pass on it.
 
dracothered

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
rzko said:
Since the original carb is a diaphragm type it does need some
adjusting now & then. I also have a early bowl type with both
high & low adjustments I might try.
It does run rich and at 25mph, I still haven't topped out on rpms.
Never had enough pavement to get it to whine out.
Also tried running it with an open pipe but it wouldn't stay
running.
I do have the rest of the Pepi so when I go this week to the dmv
I'll see what they say about it. If I have to register it as a
motorcycle I'll pass on it.
Click to expand...
Just go and tell them you used the Pepi to build/rebuild a Moped out of it. Give them the serial number on the form and don't tell them it has a 3hp engine now.
 
dracothered

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
rzko said:
hmm, a bit deceitful... but I like your thinking!
Click to expand...
If you have limited the MPH it can do then it isn't totally deceitful because in a way you have limited the HP of the bike. Bottom line is you have to make the choice of what you will do.

1. Ride it as is and not register it.
2. Register it as the Moped parts that where used in the build.
3. Limit the HP output and then register it as a moped.
 
R

rzko

New Member
Feb 28, 2013
11
0
0
Michigan
I went today to the Secretary of State and found out
a few things.
The registration is for 3 years and expires April 30.
The motorized bicycle must be 2hp or less but they
did change the law from 50cc to 100cc. Also the bike
can't have a gearshift and can't exceed 30mph.
There is no mention that the bike has to also have
pedal power.
The problem I have is that I need the previous owners
registration or a bill of sale stating that I'm the new owner.
With just the bill of sale I can try and register the bike
again for myself, much like creating a new title for a
motorcycle.
Now I can understand why so many people will not buy
a motorcycle without a title. It's a hassle.
Since the bike was built from parts from the late 70's
and forgotten about for decades, the paper work is long
gone.
Something to think about when building from scatch if
you want a decal, at least get some paper work showing
ownership. Looks like I'll be riding looking over my shoulder.
 
dracothered

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
rzko said:
I went today to the Secretary of State and found out
a few things.
The registration is for 3 years and expires April 30.
The motorized bicycle must be 2hp or less but they
did change the law from 50cc to 100cc. Also the bike
can't have a gearshift and can't exceed 30mph.
There is no mention that the bike has to also have
pedal power.
The problem I have is that I need the previous owners
registration or a bill of sale stating that I'm the new owner.
With just the bill of sale I can try and register the bike
again for myself, much like creating a new title for a
motorcycle.
Now I can understand why so many people will not buy
a motorcycle without a title. It's a hassle.
Since the bike was built from parts from the late 70's
and forgotten about for decades, the paper work is long
gone.
Something to think about when building from scatch if
you want a decal, at least get some paper work showing
ownership. Looks like I'll be riding looking over my shoulder.
Click to expand...
What you can do is show the bills for the parts you used or you could also write up a bill of sale stating it is built from scraped parts. What they are looking for is the taxes owed to the state more or less.
 
dracothered

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
You could just go in with the filled out SOS-430 form and pay the fee, then be on your way. If they ask for a bill of sale tell them it was built from parts you had collected over the years. Have a friend write you a bill for the moped frame for $5.
 
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