Road Bike, Panasonic Sport 500

the only thing that would be any bit of an issue from what i see is the peddle crank may not be wide enough, that is solved by buying a wider crank, the bike may or mat not have that issue, but i have heard of issues with the cranks of road bikes just an fyi

honestly if it was my bike, i would find a different pair of handle bars that style of handle bar looks like it could be uncomfortable after awhile of riding, as for the throttle if you choose to keep the same handle bars i would probably put it on the top bar and leave the curved parts of the handle bars alone. i have never used a thumb throttle, my kit came with the typical twist throttle a peice of plastic junk that eventually broke, from there i switched to using a prake lever as my throttle, a ghetto build for the throttle, but my bike is something im not putting a lot of money into. As this will be your first build find a comfy seat, i have a standard mt bike seat that came on my bike and after a few miles of going over bumps i tend to get a little sore. the "grandma" style seat with the sprong under it in the back of the seat offers for a more comfortable ride, and although one wouldnt go with the looks of a mtbike like mine or a road bike likes yours it will save you rear on the longer rides. i hope the info has been helpfull i dont know as much about the motorbikes as other on this forum having learned a lot from quite a few. just remember any question you have are not too stupid to ask, so keep asking woth what ever questions you may have, welcome to the hobby and enjoy it. it is a fun hobby for sure
Nich aka cogswelln

you may want to make sure that it fits together, mine does not and i had to rig it with zipstrips and electrical tape

also you want to make sure you have both breaks working properly as for regular bikes are made to slow you down at slower speeds be prepaired to go through break pads.....ive been through a pair or two already

Had that exact bike. Pedals will not clear the engine.

I've built a few road bikes, there are pros and cons to the setup.

Plusses-

Fast, light, exact fit for the HT

Drawbacks-

Pedal clearance issues (a longer spindle or offset cranks required to fix), Skinny tires that only last around 300 miles and puncture easily unless you get the high-end ones, poor braking, flighty handling, rough ride on anything but smooth roads, wrong bars.


The last 10 speed I built I ended up fitting 26" MTB wheels and front end to get suspension and better brakes...

http://motorbicycling.com/attachments/f3/13340d1253438496-road-bike-racer-black.jpg

Rode it like that for a while before changing to 26" wheels.

Use mtb crank arms they usually curve out a bit or extended spindle. Possibly consider some flat or moustache bars. W/ quality pads your brakes are fine. Road frames tend to telegraph vibes even w/o a motor; get some gloves designed for air tool use that'll isolate them to the bike! Other than that have fun I've done several 27" builds! I love 'em!

With chrome steel rims, cheap rubber brake blocks and some rain the braking is non-existant for the first 10 seconds while the system dries out. Its better with good pads though.

The best setup is with alloy rims and high-end dual compound pads.

If you want a throttle lever for road bike drop bars, go to BICYCLE ENGINE KITS FROM BIKEMOTORPARTS.COM.

They have one that looks like a little BMX lever, but it goes on any bar with zip ties or a hose clamp (in package). They have a kill switch for 2 bucks.

If the bars are fairly narrow diameter, the MTB brake levers and grips will work on it. If it is "modern" style with large diameter (around 30mm), and the large center bulge, MTB stuff won't fit unless you wallow out some V brake lever clamps with a round file or sandpaper, dremel etc. I've done that before. I put 8 speed XT shifters on a road racing bike once.

A road bike with a happytime probably won't handle much different than did the original bike, but you will tend to go faster and will need to make more of an effort to pick your lines at speed.

-- Bicycles, Bike parts, Mountain Bikes, BMX, Road Bikes, Haro Bikes, KHS Bikes, Felt Bikes at Niagara Cycle Works has loads of road and cruiser tires for $10/ea. I just got a gumwall 700c Cheng Shen tire for $8, and it looks like classic road bike stuff I rode in my teens.

Those steel rims will give the best ride on a road bike, but are heavy, and its true that they suffer in wet weather. It may be possible to sand a rougher braking surface on them. Thats what I do to all my aluminum rims when I get a wheel, but I never tried it on chromed steel rims yet.

Get some "salmon" pink colored v-brake pads. They will give the best wet stopping performance that you are going to get.

Sanding chrome does nothing much, unless you get all the chrome off.

Boot polish works on chrome rims, keeps the water away and the varnish in it helps with grip, but you have to keep applying it every few rides.