Riding in the hood.

[Dave31]

Just yesterday some kid's knocked on my door and asked "are you the guy with the cool bike" I said yes and they wanted to check it out. They wanted me to ride it up and down the street so they can see it and smell it (sometimes I use fuel fragrence in the fuel). Unfortunately I have my wheel's off and could not ride it for them.
They still wanted to see it so I took them out back and showed it to them. They looked up and down at it and asked all kind's of ?. Once they noticed the go-karts I have they kinda lost intrest of it though. I have a two-seater kart and wanted to give them a ride but thought better of it; the last thing I need is for them to get hurt and have there parent's sue me.
I really get a kick out of it and glad to see the younger generation have a intrest in MB.

 

[deacon]

I rode my bike today. I made two stops. First the autoparts store. Clerk kept me talking about the bike ten minutes....

then lowe's hardware, a stranger in the parking lot found me as I went in the store same thing. Then he asked if I was going to be a while in the store. I said a few minutes He asked where I parked the bike he wanted to check it out..

I sure was glad I had chained it to the buggy rack. Gas goes up a few more times and I might have to get an armed guard.

 

[deacon]

I went for a long ride today... I wanted to check if a retailer across town was still stocking refurb weed eaters. I also wanted to take the bike on a longer run. I carefully plotted my course along the residential streets as opposed to the main road out there. That was my first mistake.

I think the road crews are a lot less careful with their patches on the side streets. The ones I hit shook my teeth and more. As i tooled along quietly keeping one eye on the rear view, and one on the side streets for cars running stop signs, I hit a huge crack in the road.

It was so bad that it knocked the little basket right off the handlebars. The basket went forward not beside me. it hit right in front of me. I could imagine me hitting the darn thing and what it would do the the bike and subsequently to me. It was just by the grace of god that I avoided it and kept the bike upright.

Of course the basket came apart and things went everywhere. Since I didn't have anything in it, I didn't even stop. I just kept on going and thanked the good lord that I didn't hit that basket. When I got to the store, I tried to lock my bike only to discover that the lock and the cable were part of the pile of twisted metal on the side of the road. It was nowhere to be found and I looked on my way home.

If you have one of those easy on and off baskets on your bike, make sure they aren't too easy on and off. Wire those lil mothers down.

 

[Chitty]

I just picked up a rigid plastic case that mounts onto the back rack. It bolts on, is lockable too.

 

[Dave31]

Glad you are okay deacon. I find that some of the side streets can be in worst shape then the main road's, nobody to complain about it I guess. Also, driver's seem to pay less attention. I think they assume less traffic, the less they need to pay attention.
Anyway's, glad you did not take a tumble deacon.

 

[MarkTur]

Chitty - show us a pic or link to it...I just bought a rack-bag for the back, but I'm starting to think that the locking case is a better idea.

BTW: Paid $4.38 for Premium today, and gagged as I was watching the dang thing pass $80. You know, there's no new "shortage" of oil...there's really no reason for the price hike...it's all artificially inflated by our good friends overseas that are in bed with our politicians. If only King George and his merry men didn't stand to profit from oil and war...ahhhh, don't get me started...

 

[Chitty]

Try this
Canadian Tire

Do a search for bike bags. It is the Raleigh Hardshell carrier.

 

[deacon]

Today I rode to home depot to buy some parts for the weed whacker bike project. I was coming home with a 36" piece of very sharp metal on the back. I was having a problem managing it of course since I lost my front basket. I was getting scraped on my angle pretty good.

I look in the mirror an this black car is pacing me. He wont pass though he has had plenty of opportunities to do so. Finally I pulled over because I was going to make a left at the next intersection and would have had to pull in front of him.

As I waited he pulled beside me and asked me to wait a second while he pulled over. As I have often said people stop me to ask about the bike all the time. I wasn't surprised but I was annoyed because I was bleeding into my shoe.

The guy turns out to be the morning news guy from the local tv station. He wanted me to agree to an interview on camera. He took my name and number then promised to call.

I'm hoping he loses it frankly. On the side of the road it seemed like a good idea after thinking it over I really am not sure I want get that kind of publicity since it won't benefit me at all.

Anyway with the price of gas we are getting more and more publicity. I told him I had the bike almost a year before the gas prices jumped so dramatically, but he still wanted to do the interview.

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

Do the interview deacon.

 

[deacon]

Reporter guy hasn't called so I'm not expecting him to. Today I rode to home depot to get a couple of bolts to finish my build. While I was there I picked up a heavy chain and lock for the bike.

You might remember that I lost my cable and padlock when the basket flew off while I hung on to the bike for dear life. (pot hole)

I was telling my wife about the new chain and I realized that I wasted some money and weight on the bike. I bought a pretty substantial chain. A cheap plastic decorator chain with a faux lock would have worked as well. Truth is if they rattle the chain they are gonna take the bike somehow. The cheap plastic chain would have worked just as well as a visual deterrence.

Of course I had to demonstrate the bike for a customer in the parking lot. I swear all the people who ask me I cant believe I haven't seen one around yet. Funny they are all my age as well.

 

[deacon]

I have begun riding the weed eater bike in the hood. Today I was able to road test it and get a feel for the most efficient way to control the throttle ect.

It actually is a lot of fun and some good exercise as well, since it requires some pedaling up the hills. It has a much different look than the china girl bike so I'm not sure how people will respond to it.

After i get my comfort level up with it, I'll try to see how it does on errand runs. I don't have complete faith in it just yet.

 

[deacon]

Today my wife is on vacation. It's her spring cleaning vacation so I had to work my butt off all week. I don't mind at least not after I have finished my chores for the day. Today I rode my weed whacker bike. As long as I stay on the flats and even the small hills it does great. It is miserable to impossible on the long or steep hills. I really need more power.

I did get to feel the wind in my hair since I refuse to wear a helmet on a motorized bike that gets passed by a twelve year olds on a ten speed. The helmet thing just gets me laughed at and that ain't right.

 

[deacon]

Today I rode both my bikes the china girl and the whacker. I started out with the whacker for a little exercise. It rode like garbage. (I found out later why). I was pretty much exhausted when I returned.

I rested a few minutes then got the china girl out and went yard sale shopping. Without a doubt the most exciting thing at the sales was the bike. I got stopped by teenaged boys, I got mobbed by foreign speaking young men, I got lots of waves from old men on the side of the road. I swear I should be running for something this election year.

The whacker had too much tension on the drive wheel, that it was not able to skip when it got choked down on the hills. So it just went into drag mode. I still don't have the adjustment quite right but it is much, much better. I think I am going to love the friction drive when I get it adjusted correctly.

If you are into speed forget the whacker it will fly downhill but uphill is a different thing all together.

 

[deacon]

Just a quick tip... If you need a single part and are in a hurry, don't ride the bike to the store. You will spend more time in the parking lot talking to strangers about the bike, than you will shopping. I promise you that.

 

[deacon]

I rode all three of my bikes today. Well it wasn't much of a ride and I didn't ride them all at the same time, so I guess it isn't all that impressive after all.

I rode the china bike to the home depot for a spring for the chainsaw bike. When I got home I got bored so I rode the weed whacker bike. I am learning a lot about that bike. Mostly how to get the most out of it.

Then I couldn't wait any longer so I took the chainsaw bike out for a test run. 33cc seems to do just fine actually it was a bit hard to keep from skipping. I figured I needed more tension.

Some silly kid on a moped flagged me down. The engine died while I explained that it was just a chainsaw strapped to the back of a bike. Of course I couldn't get the motor to run again. had to push it home.

I worked for two hours readjusting everything. Then I began to have throttle troubles so I decided that enough was enough. I shut it down for the day.

Oh yeah when I tried to start the bike it roared so I flipped the kill switch and adjusted the idle. Then of course i worked for half an hour trying to start that engine. Finally I realized that the kill switch was still on. Duh not much more left for me.

A couple of more days and the chainsaw may join my other drive systems that didn't work quite right. I have electric and will soon have the chainsaw. So far the china bike and the weed whacker seem to be okay. The weed whacker requires more work to ride but it is also fun since the cost to build one is minimal.

I think the combination of a large weedeater motor on a good used ten speed bike would be hard to beat for economy.

 

[deacon]

Some of you know that I live in an urban area of North Carolina. So the city of High Point, where I live, decided to put new sidewalks in front of our house. Lots of stories there about broken water pipes ect but this is a bike forum so I will just say this. I rode by the guys on the week whacker and the china girl bikes and there were lots of comments in spanish. Also lots of questions in english.

I made one discovery. Guys love these bikes and women think the aren't nearly so cool. Oh well.

 

[deacon]

Things are always in the last place you look, because you stop looking when you find them.

Now weren't that just too deep. Today my wife was off to church and I decided to try to work on the chainsaw bike. I needed a couple of plastic couplings for the gas line so off I went. Of course I screwed up the carb later but this is about the search for the couplings. The place to find them is the auto parts stores. I know this because I have bought several of them this week. The last time I went to the closest auto parts store I bought all they had. They don't stock a lot.

So I fire up the bike and off I go looking for plastic couplings. I went to the next closest store. No coupling but I did have a nice conversation with the parts guy about my bike.

The it was off to the one farther away. Again no couplings but I had a very nice conversation about the bike. I passed on all the pre build cheer leading I could.

In desperation I tried the store I had used where I bought out all they had. Seems they had a delivery truck since my last visit. I was able to buy the two couplers. Oh yeah I had a nice talk with the clerk about Motorbikes,

Do you get the sense that these things are getting more popular. Seems for a change I got in at the beginning of a wave, instead of being drowned by it.

 

[deacon]

I rode the new 31cc weed whacker bike today. I have to admit It is a little loud. I drilled holes in the muffler for a little more power so it does give a pretty good advanced notice that I am coming.

I have taken it on all my stress tests routes. I went over the normal test track and it did fine. I took it up the steepest hill I negotiate on a regular basis and it did pretty darn good.

But the funniest thing happened when it took it up the longest incline I know of. That route takes me by a children's park. Since the engine has the holey though not righteous muffler people stopped what they were doing to stare at me. If nothing else I am going to be well known in the hood.

 

[deacon]

I took my mtb25 for the last serious test. Would it be acceptable for a real world errand. I took it to the home depot to buy some chain to replace the brake cable i had been using on the gravity clutch to lift the engine. The bike did well. There were two hills I had to help it on but that shouldn't be a problem when I build the 31cc that I plan after the demo bike. It really wasn't an issue with this one just had to pedal a little to keep the speed up.

On the way home an old man,who also rides a bike for health reasons, stopped me. He has offered to buy my china bike. I told him I would be more than willing to sell it. We agreed on a price and he asked me to hold it till he gets paid, since I don't take plastic I agreed.

If he comes up with the money, I am out of the China bike ownership situation. Never again. I really do love my weed whacker bikes. If he doesn't I will put a sign on it and put it in my yard. I would be surprised if it lasts a day.

 

[deacon]

something rather interesting happened yesterday. It was dreary so I didn't want to ride the new bike out on a test ride under power, but I did ride it to the end of my driveway a few times to test it with the motor up.

If you check the first of this thread you will find that I live in a neighborhood in transition. It getting a little rough around the edges.

I was at the end of the drive way on the full suspension bike with the engine turned off, when a couple of older teens took a look up at me. One of them asked, "Hey old man, when you gonna build me one of those?"

I was in shock but I managed to reply, "Any day now."

We were both smiling so maybe there is hope for us all yet.