Amen! That's what makes this hobby so addicting, to start with something simple then make it your own. Whether adding custom parts or modding parts to fit, every little thing counts.
Ride on!
from walmart cruiser to......whatever this is lol
- Thread starter bigbutterbean
- Start date
Ride on!
And then when you get to that point (if you ever do, lol) where your bike finally has "that look" that sets it apart from the "run of the mill" type of bikes (not that there is anything wrong with "run of the mill", if it gets you from A to B, thats what really counts), and you just know that that's exactly what you wanted, thats when you smile to yourself and say, "yeah, I effing did this", and you want to pat yourself on the back every time you look at the damn thing (and thats when seconds turn to minutes and minutes to hours, lol) thats the biggest sense of pride and accomplishment I have ever had. This isn't just a bike to me anymore, its something I brought to life.
Installed some new pedals today. Used to have metal ones, but one of them broke. Bought some cheapo pedals at walmart, but them being plastic, my feet slip on them quite a bit. A member offered me exercise bike pedals with straps, and I accepted. So here's a pic.
Last edited by a moderator:
In a panic situation do you really want your feet strapped to the pedals?
I'm not saying that the pedals themselves are bad, I'm just questioning the strap feature.
I'm not saying that the pedals themselves are bad, I'm just questioning the strap feature.
I'm definitely thinking on this, guys. Just not sure which way I want to go with it yet.
Lol, its funny how some people say it looks like an older motorcycle, and others say futuristic/utilitarian/post-apocalyptic. I take both as a great compliment, and I agree with both. I see my bike in both of these ways, and both for the same reason. After WWII, a lot of veterans came home and built motorcycles with whatever they could get their hands on. This culture took hold and continued to evolve, thriving all through the 60's and 70's. In a post-apocalyptic utilitarian future, I also imagine people building with whatever they could get their hands on. So I feel that this bike can fit into either theme category, and what I want people to see about this bike the most (not that I am trying to force anyone to see anything particular, everyone sees differently), but what I want people to see is utilitarian. Utilitarian in this context literally means built and designed primarily for its use or function. Yes, my bike does have a certain look and style to it, and I am happy with the look I have achieved. But my philosophy is "function over form" and I (like to) believe that my bike reflects that attitude.
That is the beauty of a build, i'm glad you didn't just jumped in the generalized pool, enjoy your toy!!
Thanks. I've been enjoying this toy for over two years now lol, I just only recently got it all done the way I wanted. The next step is reed valves and cylinder porting.
I am a little to sorry to say, but this bike, The Dark Rider, shall be no more. My engine died, and I had the money to replace it, but I decided that money would be better used to buy parts for a new build which I am currently working on, a 98cc Lifan flathead 4 stroke in an American made Schwinn cantilever frame. Have no fear friends, for a new dark rider is about to be born!
Would you mind describing some details of the engine failure? What is broken and what was the root cause? Who knows, the information might be useful someday. 
I havent taken it apart to check yet, but I have a compression leak somewhere, and I suspect it was due to installing the high compression head on a year and a half old engine. I don't even plan on taking the engine apart or removing it from the frame, as I'm not going to be using this frame anymore. I plan to strip the bike only of parts I need for the 4 stroke build, and leave the rest.Would you mind describing some details of the engine failure? What is broken and what was the root cause? Who knows, the information might be useful someday.
Not to mention that I dont ever plan on building another 2 stroke, so I'm not really concerned with why it died.
I'd be interested in your head and pipe, and other misc smoker stuff. if you can wait till after xmas for me to get the bucks into paypal. Pm me if you want to work something out and get it out of your hair
Sorry Killer, all my smoker parts are bought and paid for already.I'd be interested in your head and pipe, and other misc smoker stuff. if you can wait till after xmas for me to get the bucks into paypal. Pm me if you want to work something out and get it out of your hair
Doh! That's what I get for slakkin, lols. Cool though, that much closer to completion of the new bike then eh?
Doh! That's what I get for slakkin, lols. Cool though, that much closer to completion of the new bike then eh?
The original idea was to replace my smoker to get me through till I could afford all the parts for my 98cc build. The person that gave me the money to replace my smoker is getting all my parts. I just decided to use the money towards my new build instead of replacing my smoker. So I'm bike-less until I get the 98cc bike done. Perhaps that will give me a little extra motivation, lol. I still need about $350, maybe a little more, to finish the 98cc bike, so we will wait and see what happens at Christmas, and after that its time to get a job lol. Either way, this bike should be done much sooner than expected. My original goal was to finish it by August at the latest, so that I would be able to show it off at the East Coast rally. I'm sure that I will get it done much sooner than that. I'm in for $320 so far, and that's about half of the total cost. So money wise, I'm halfway there, lol. And thats without even having a job. So hopefully I'll git-r-done soon.
