First Motorized Build

LincolnMercury · #1 11-27-2008, 09:11 PM

I have had my MB for about 5-6 weeks now. I am 49 years old and cannot wait to get up in the morning to ride it. I have ridden and raced road bikes and motor bikes, sailboats large and small, rode as navigator in a rally car, and raced SCCA slalom... I have never had as much fun doing all that as I have had on this motored bike! I grin ear to ear all day.
It is a powerkingshop kit. I used the kit as is... I was semi-retired 6 weeks ago and was on a limited budget. It has performed fine with the stock nuts and bolts with a little red and blue locktite and constant vigilance. Added a fuel filter, Wal-mart foglights run of and SLA 12 volt battery held in a Bell Leather handlebar bag... also from Walmart. And a flashy blinky LED taillight, not sure where i picked it up from.
The frame is a 20 yr old Giant Sedona frame that i added V brakes from a bike I found at the roadside (to be hauled away). After the initial assembly, I added a couple of turns of innertube between the frame and motor mounts. That reduced the vibration considerably. As the motor broke in, it also smoothed out and got faster and idled better. The seatpost has corroded in the seat tube and tomorrow I intend to hacksaw it off and try to remove the stuck post from the seat tube. It would be nice to come to a stop light and just put my feet down. A dual pull brake lever from ebay actutes both sets of brakes. I removed the derailleurs and am running it as a single speed.
I rode a little today, after too much turkey. The temp is 69 degrees in sunny Panama City, Florida. What glorious weather! If you are in the area... PM me. I hope to get a poker run (maybe a "go fish" run

) and hit dive bars or martini and wine bars.

**Dave31** · #2 11-27-2008, 09:14 PM

Welcome to the forum

TexasDav · #3 11-27-2008, 10:01 PM

Welcome to the forum, sounds like you got the right attude for these bikes, got to keep an eye on the vibration and you got to like to tinker, but they are fun!

wheelbender6 · #4 11-28-2008, 09:15 AM

Welcome to the forum. I was lucky enough to live in west Florida for about 5 years in my younger days.

Finfan · #5 11-29-2008, 12:33 AM

Wlecome to the forum! Too bad I live so far away, that "go fish" run sounds like fun!

**Bikeguy Joe** · #6 11-29-2008, 08:43 AM

Welcome...

Don't saw that post off! Put some PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, WD-40 or even automatic transmission fluid on the offending pieces and let it sit a little while (1 hour). Use the post that's there and a pipe wrench to turn it. You should be able to get the post out with no butchery.

xPosTech · #7 11-29-2008, 05:22 PM

Sheldon Brown has (had?) 15 different ways to un-stick a seatpost.

Ted

wheelbender6 · #8 11-29-2008, 08:39 PM

I sawed off the top of my seatpost (to the hollow part). I then used a hack saw blade to saw the length of the post from the inside (like Sheldon Brown's site suggested).
It was slow going, but I worked without damaging my frame. LOL

LincolnMercury · #9 11-29-2008, 09:25 PM

Thanks for the tips... I have liquid wrenched and used penetrating oil over 2 weeks. I have put the seatpost in a bench vise and twisted on the frame... no go. This frame was out in the weather for 10 years, i don't think i mentioned that. So I cut the seat post and tried the hacksaw in the post as Sheldon and wheelbender suggested. There was 8" left in the seat tube. It was so corroded that when i rolled the aluminum post with vise grips, the seat tube deformed; it was as good as welded to the post. Soooo, judicious use of a hacksaw below the damage and a steel 3/4 inch post was tapped into the remaining aluminum. I topped it of with a 70's vintage cruiser seat with springs. Now, I can put my feet down when i roll to a stop. It is a little awkward pedaling (little leg extension), so to start I just come off the saddle.
Pics are before the postectomy.

LincolnMercury · #10 11-30-2008, 05:30 PM

Here are current pics of my ride. First is how it started. Second is the seatpost alteration and new seat. Third, the straight bars and fourth, the huffy handle bars. The fifth is as it sits now, with my mountain bike and recumbent in the background. With the lower seat position and swept back bars, the bike handles completely differently. There is no pressure on my hands (all the weight is on my butt), and lowering my weight 5-6 inches makes the handling SWEET.