My progress so far on my Schwinn Heavy Duti

tymekiller

tymekiller

New Member
The bike looked like this when I got it 4 days ago:

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As of today, it looks like this:

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You can see where I cut the back fender to make room for the upcoming engine installation. Due to the height of the lower bar, the engine might be a tight fit but I measured and it looks fine. If anything, it won't have large amounts of unused space in the frame and it will look like a tight package.
I could use a black engine but the bike is already blacked out. A silver engine will match the fenders and look better in my opinion.

I plan to use this tank as well:

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It should help it keep the lines clean, uninterrupted by a big peanut sitting on the top frame.

And wouldn't you know, the price of that rack/tank went up $12 since 2 days ago?

Expect great things.
 
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...yeah man, i'd actually recommend you go another way with the tank as i already have that exact tank and it's a total POS.

...here's a picture of my bike and what you CAN'T see is the petcock on the other side that sticks out far enough so it's pressed, forcefully, against the fender.

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the bike is brand new with less than 50 miles on it and i've already had to trim the fuel line by an inch to deal with a leak caused by vibration. ...it's also a real PITA to remove and tighten the filler cap, it's a poor fit into the filler 'neck' plus, the rack constricts your fingers access.

...if you have any welding skills you might fabricate a custom tank, there are several good threads on the topic and many members with the skills to help you or, if you feel more comfortable with a butane plumbers torch and some solder you can make a tank from a juice can or something similar, ...take a look around as i know there are several threads on this topic as well.

...frankly, i'll be doing this myself in the very near future just so i can rid myself of this POS tank.

peace, bozo

btw, if you still want that tank it's still available at Jake's, with the rack, for the same $39.99 that it's been for the last month. (it's possible the one Jake sells is better quality than the one i have but to me it looks identical)

Jake's Custome Motorized Bicycles
 
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Nifty looking project! I must admit I also prefer the yellow but Im a FREAK for yellow stuff.:) If you have problems with that tank you could always go with silverbear's juice can tank mod. Just do a quick search; its awsome. That basket could come in handy! Could fit a 12 pk a bag of grocries and medium size dog in that thing! Perfect!
 
A week ago I pedaled home with 2 12-packs, gallon of milk, 1 gallon tub of ice cream, jug of juice, assorted called goods, and I STILL had room for bread on top. It was pain and misery trying to pedal so much weight on the front wheel, but some gasoline power would make it much nicer.
 
With the basket back on, awaiting parts. I am NOT going with the rear-rack tank, I think I have a better idea.

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those are cool bikes. my old roomate had one just for pedaling.

what always bugged me though, was that loopy chainguard. the whole bike is angular, and then they throw on this swooping, wavey looking chainguard they use on all their other cruisers.

you'll probably have to remove it anyway for the motor to fit, but if it was mine, and i kept it, i'd cut the roundy bits off with a dremel and make it more "heavy duti" lookin'...

just my thoughts... :)

by the way, Norm from Venice bikes built one of those, if you didn't know already. he could probably give you a lot of help making things fit. i know he said it was pretty tight squeezing a motor in there...
 
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I placed the engine in the frame to make sure everything fits. The muffler is going to have to be "Adjusted" with great force and violence.

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So far, so good.
 
Try drilling out the bolt holes so you can turn the pipe more to clear.
MUCH easier than bending...
Just don't go crazy...this has worked for me several times now.
 
Good looking frame design, don't know why Schwinn won't go back to some old styles,I like the flat black too.
 
Those are really nice bikes!! The only thing I wish was different is the forward facing dropouts. :(

This is what I did with one a few years ago... It made a really good looking Motorized BMX bike!! (^)
(It has street tires in this picture).

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I gotta say I miss the basket... :) but ya gotta do what ya gotta do... NICE BUILD! Looks like a really clean rider!
 
Thank you for all the kind words. The front basket had to make way for the headlight. My main goals for this bike have been long-term ridability and aesthetics. I went with flat black as a color, but I didn't use paint. That is flat black rust inhibitor. It costs about 3x as much as spray paint but I love the finish and I wanted something durable. The spokes are flat black too. I wanted some chrome parts for accent but not too much. I will probably put some kind of embellishment on the tank but I haven't decided what yet. Right now the bike is very close to being on the road. A friend helped me thread the chain through the sprocket earlier and I should have it road-ready soon.

This is my first build. I don't know a lot about bikes, but I know what I like.

Venice - I was told that you did a Heavy Duti and I was wanting to see pictures of yours. Very nice! I really like that front brake.

Truckd - Thanks very much. I debated on color quite a bit before I decided on matte black.

biknut - Thank you very much. With the higher handlebars it is much more comfortable for me to ride since I am 6 foot 3. With the original bars, I felt like I was doing a handstand 80% of the time. I am saving all my old parts so if anyone needs original Schwinn parts, I can help out.

Velodrome - Yes indeed, the front basket is amazing and you would not believe how practical. I rode to the grocery store and came home with 2 12-packs of canned drinks, gallon of milk, gallon tub of ice cream, a jug of juice, assorted canned goods, and a loaf of bread on top. There was still physical room but that was a lot of weight directly on the front wheel. I might sell the basket after a while if anyone wants it. It is a Wald brand.

Thank you everyone for the support and great advice. I will keep everyone updated.
 
tymekiller said:
...I went with flat black as a color, but I didn't use paint. That is flat black rust inhibitor. It costs about 3x as much as spray paint but I love the finish and I wanted something durable. The spokes are flat black too. I wanted some chrome parts for accent but not too much. I will probably put some kind of embellishment on the tank but I haven't decided what yet....
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Very nice build, TK, looks great.

If you want to add a little something to the tank, grab some chrome door/edge trim and run it around the seam on the tank. I did it for my cruiser, and it looks pretty sharp. Here's a side view of that tank.

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silverbear said:
Looks like a strong frame. When did Schwinn make those?
SB
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They are still made, you can find them online between $300 - $400, and any LBS that stocks the Schwinn Signature line should be able to get them.

Schwinn Heavy Duti

I used a 1988 Schwinn Heavy Duti for my China Girl build, but those models were the cantilever style frame. I think the Heavy Duti straight bar models started in the late 90's, maybe 1998?

I just picked up one today for my eBike build off CL for $60. Other than a terrible paint job and a small dent in the middle tube, it looks to be in pretty good shape!

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