Ratty Bobber Build

GoldenMotor.com

4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
Just built this one for fun. Still needs work. 48cc Skyhawk, Schwinn frame cut and stretched, Piratecycles sprocket 415 chain, exhaust made using 3/4" copper tubing. Rides great. I'm planning on rusting the frame some, cleaning up the wiring, mebbe adding a custom seat. I have another motor kit for a vintage look, still thinking on that one.



 

4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
The beast runs well so far. I brazed up thw 3/4" copper to the exhaust and used a 90 and 3 45 degreee fittings along w/ a coupler. I have yet to run a tank of gas yet. Only issue I have so far is the motor drive chain rubs the wheel some. Prolly going to get a narrower tire


EDIT : The exhaust leaks some at the fittings, that is by design to make it appear ratty. It runs fairly quiet though. the motor seems a little sluggish, prolly need to lean it out by playing w/ the carb, however I shall also wait till it is broke in
 
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4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
I'm sure I did weaken it. I shall endeavor to go slow and frequently check for cracks. This rig is certainly not built for speed. I'm thinking of welding a brace or two to stiffen it up.
 

BoDean_LP

New Member
Apr 25, 2012
84
0
0
Jeffersonville, Indiana
That's a nice looking build. It looks good as a rat. Once you rust the frame a little bit, that'll be sweet. With some cleaner welds, that design would look good with a nice paint job too.

I didn't notice the pedals at first since you relocated them.
 
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4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
Still working on it. Im going to be adding a different seat. It will be handmade using some 12ga steel sheet and have a gate hinge at the front with springs in the back then covered with some ratty leather. Need to find a cool tail light and a headlamp assembly. I prolly will rig up a rechargeable battery in the headlamp for the lights. I'm having some carb / air leak issues. The carb is a tight fit and is wedged against the frame so mebbe it is getting some air in. the exhaust failed miserably. I used 3/4" copper and brazed the fittings using flux coated bronze rods. , I had to redo it and used some screws to hold it together. Will sort more out later. The extra peddle is a makeshift kickstand. Im hoping on making a rear wheel stand that will lift the rear wheel or heck if I like the peddle setup, I might just make a holder for it and clamp it on the bike when riding. Im going to add a caliper brake on the front and play with mebe a lever of sorts Rube Goldberg rear brake setup whe I get the idea right in my head.


 
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BoDean_LP

New Member
Apr 25, 2012
84
0
0
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Rube Goldberg Brake? LOL. I can only imagine. Squeeze the brake, a marble drops which presses a button which activates a motor which spins a pulley that pulls on the brake cable. At the stop sign, you reset the machine for the next stop.

I've built questionable braking systems before. When my coaster brake went out on my FD, all I had to replace it with was a front caliper brake assembly. Unfortunately, it would only line up right on the rear wheel. I didn't have a longer cable, so I mounted the lever to the top bar. It worked good enough until the freakin' bolt snapped as I was braking for a turn. Had to take the turn way too fast because the only alternative was going straight into traffic. Went off the road, into the grass, ramped over a pretty deep storm drain ditch, and luckily landed alright, barely made it between a telephone pole and the ground wire thing (you know, the ground cable with the yellow plastic on it?). The whole brake assembly was just dragging on the ground. I Coasted too a stop and about fell over laughing because of the massive adrenaline rush all that caused. Now I anticipate every turn as if the brakes may go out at any second.
 

4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
I live in a neighborhood that only allows me to go so far w/o getting onto the dangerous roads. One road that my hood is bordered by is a 40mph two lane suicide run in even an 18 wheeler. I shall stay off of that road for sure. The other road is 45mph and NO way will I venture onto that one. I have two local bars, a taqueria and two conveinience stores at the edges of my hood and a grocery store. That is my motorized bike realm. No further. Im doin OK w/ the crappy coaster brake setup. The rear wheel is a cheapo amazon replacement arrangement with barely working coaster brakes setup. I shall leave the coaster brake and add front calipers and some rear caliper with an actuating lever or foot control or??
 
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dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
I live in a neighborhood that only allows me to go so far w/o getting onto the dangerous roads. One road that my hood is bordered by is a 40mph two lane suicide run in even an 18 wheeler. I shall stay off of that road for sure. The other road is 45mph and NO way will I venture onto that one. I have two local bars, a taqueria and two conveinience stores at the edges of my hood and a grocery store. That is my motorized bike realm. No further. Im doin OK w/ the crappy coaster brake setup. The rear wheel is a cheapo amazon replacement arrangement with barely working coaster brakes setup. I shall leave the coaster brake and add front calipers and some rear caliper with an actuating lever or foot control or??
I'm interested in how you would add a foot control for the rear caliper brake.
 

4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
"
I'm interested in how you would add a foot control for the rear caliper brake. " .....Im interested too. he he he..I was typing and figgering I'd think it out later. However weld a mount on the frame, add a foot lever w/ a cable mount then connect it to a rear caliper setup
 

BoDean_LP

New Member
Apr 25, 2012
84
0
0
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Yeah, foot brake would be fun to build. Not too difficult, the way I picture it. Then you could free up handle bar space. Right-hand front brake, left-hand clutch, right-foot rear brake. Sounds like a bonafide motorcycle to me.
 

dracothered

New Member
Jul 25, 2012
973
1
0
Howell, MI.
Yeah, foot brake would be fun to build. Not too difficult, the way I picture it. Then you could free up handle bar space. Right-hand front brake, left-hand clutch, right-foot rear brake. Sounds like a bonafide motorcycle to me.
I am still at a lost how you could do it with pedals... with foot pegs I see no problem in doing it.
 

4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
Weld a pivot onto the frame to allow a foot lever out of the way of the pedals, mount a cable holder near the pedal / lever and route the cable to a rear caliper
Easy as puttin socks on a rooster
 
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4you2eat

Member
Oct 27, 2012
101
12
18
Spring Texas
Ok, slowly getting there. Need to get some rusted handlebars, stain the aluminum forks, add a taillight, a headlight, do some more rusting and staining on the tank and rear wheel., rig up a rear brake, buy a hole punch and make some clamps for cables, build a custom seat w/ a hinge and 2 springs, and mebbe get some stickers for the tank. then I will disassemble the bike and put some clearcoat on everything. I used wood stain to darken up the motor and white walls on the tires. I'm running it w/o a muffler ( it's LOUD ). The bike runs OK still has some fuel issues to sort out, I have to play w/ the choke to get it to go faster past 1/2 throttle. I'm still looking for air leaks, but not sure if it is just the carb or waht. I have ran mebbe 1 1/4 galons of fuel in it @ 16:1 . Plug is not fouled, doesn't smoke. I do bring it to my local bar and I get to bring it inside. I will on occasion crank it up inside for laughs. This is fun. My next build, a vintage cruiser then a vintage stretch cruiser w/ a 212cc Predator



 

moonerdizzle

New Member
Jun 28, 2009
874
0
0
Cheese head capitol
your carb problems are probly cause by not running a muffler, this isnt a four stroke that you can run straight piped, a smoker needs backpressure to run right, with out it it can and most likely will toast up.