motorized bike version 2.0

[locell]

I built a motorized bike at the beginning of this year, basically I ordered the 49cc kit and figured id just bolt it on a bike and check it out. it worked out really well. I got a 26" cruiser low-rider bike from a friend and it turned out really cool. the first pic of the blue bike is it. While riding this one i noticed a few things I wished we different.

1 - the brakes sucked, i needed something else other than the coaster.
2 - it was a bicycle, rather fragile at 30 mph I actually had to come to a sudden stop with the coaster brake and bent the back axle.
3 - no suspension. this made the ride pretty uncomfortable. I thought about a "springer" style fork but those dont dampen properly, just change the angle

so I came up with good brazed steel huffy frame with small diameter tubing and stripped it all down and painted it caterpillar yellow with krylon "farm and implement" spray cans, put a threadless head set in it, installed a suspension fork with front disc wheel. (got off craigslist for 20 bucks).

found some kenda "redwall" tires on amazon. I haven't bolted the motor up yet, but im just making sure the bicycle is solid before I do. Im also building a back wheel with the HD axle kit from gasbike.net

comments welcome!

 

[corgi1]

nice fork and brakes,and the color looks good on that set-up

 

[nidyanazo]

I like the retro look on your old bike

 

[locell]

I built a motorized bike at the beginning of this year, basically I ordered the 49cc kit and figured id just bolt it on a bike and check it out. it worked out really well. I got a 26" cruiser low-rider bike from a friend and it turned out really cool. the first pic of the blue bike is it. While riding this one i noticed a few things I wished we different.

1 - the brakes sucked, i needed something else other than the coaster.
2 - it was a bicycle, rather fragile at 30 mph I actually had to come to a sudden stop with the coaster brake and bent the back axle.
3 - no suspension. this made the ride pretty uncomfortable. I thought about a "springer" style fork but those dont dampen properly, just change the angle

so I came up with good brazed steel huffy frame with small diameter tubing and stripped it all down and painted it caterpillar yellow with krylon "farm and implement" spray cans, put a threadless head set in it, installed a suspension fork with front disc wheel. (got off craigslist for 20 bucks).

found some kenda "redwall" tires on amazon. I haven't bolted the motor up yet, but im just making sure the bicycle is solid before I do. Im also building a back wheel with the HD axle kit from gasbike.net

comments welcome!

ok, I got my back wheel done. its the HD axle kit non-freewheel (it actually is freewheel but only because I put on a freewheel thread-on sprocket) I had the built by Jermey at velowheels.com. I gave him the axle kit and he laced it into a wheel and tied & sodered the spokes. its a old school method to make a strong wheel. it cost me about 150 bucks. i had to spread the frame apart too to get the wheel to fit. i used some allthread to spread it out. the pics explain all

 

[bairdco]

i don't believe it's really necessary to solder spokes. bmx'ers used to do it with zipties, and i always thought it was a waste of time, money, and added weight. i've also never felt any difference after riding other people's bikes.

here's some people who agree with me: Tied and Soldered Wheels by Jobst Brandt

Response from DT Swiss
The performance advantage of tied and soldered wheels is difficult to quantify, but some riders claim to notice an improvement in wheel stiffness, ride quality, and wheel life. The effect of tying and soldering would be minor, however, compared to the differences between various rims and spokes that you could choose. In the past, tying and soldering was very popular for track racing, where strong side loads can be exerted on the wheels. It also helped to make up for inferior spoke quality. Now that rims and spokes are significantly improved, the benefits of tying and soldering are less tangible. You could certainly try it on your current wheelset and see if it makes a difference, but most likely you will have the best riding experience using heavier rims and spokes.
Paul Aieta
General Manager
DT Swiss, Inc.

 

[locell]

i don't believe it's really necessary to solder spokes. bmx'ers used to do it with zipties, and i always thought it was a waste of time, money, and added weight. i've also never felt any difference after riding other people's bikes.

here's some people who agree with me: Tied and Soldered Wheels by Jobst Brandt

Response from DT Swiss
The performance advantage of tied and soldered wheels is difficult to quantify, but some riders claim to notice an improvement in wheel stiffness, ride quality, and wheel life. The effect of tying and soldering would be minor, however, compared to the differences between various rims and spokes that you could choose. In the past, tying and soldering was very popular for track racing, where strong side loads can be exerted on the wheels. It also helped to make up for inferior spoke quality. Now that rims and spokes are significantly improved, the benefits of tying and soldering are less tangible. You could certainly try it on your current wheelset and see if it makes a difference, but most likely you will have the best riding experience using heavier rims and spokes.
Paul Aieta
General Manager
DT Swiss, Inc.

I forgot to mention that the spokes used on the build were a slightly smaller diameter than what the HD axle kit was designed for, so the wheel builder had to use brass washers on the hub side. This was the primary reason I went with the solder & tie; I don't want them moving. I circled them in the pic below. Also, the HD axle and brake is very heavy so the added weight is not an issue

 

[charles.paskell]

nice build.... why dident you have them put a heaver gauge spoke on it to begin with?

 

[locell]

nice build.... why dident you have them put a heaver gauge spoke on it to begin with?

Two reasons: The holes in the wheel (rim) were for a smaller gauge spoke, and the larger gauge spokes were not available - not @ local shops or anywhere my wheel guy could source them

oh ya, heres a video of my old axle - not taking any chances with my new one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYzOVwpfmrw

 

[wheelbender6]

I agree with you about a bicycle feeling unstable at 30mph.
I think the coaster brake is OK IF you have a good front brake also.

 

[mykustomcruizer]

my coaster brake seems to be ok my wife drove next to me in her car and my bike was doing 35 and that was during the break in and i know its gotten faster and i never had a problem stopping and i dont have front brakes but i would love to get a freeewheel just for the fact of being able to just pull the brake lever and stop in stead of standing up to stop

 

[locell]

gas cap

I lost the chrome gas cap that came with my kit so I replaced it with a STANT 11121 oil cap (toyota cam style) and slightly modded it, its a perfect fit.

Amazon.com: Stant 11121 Oil Filler Cap: Automotive

it was at pep boys for 3.99

I clipped a small amount of metal from one of the tabs and drilled a small hole in the top for venting - I also used a wheel grinder to remove the "oil blah blah" off the handle/ridge. i drilled the hole in this part. pics explain all

 

[corgi1]

Sure beats finding and getting a working regular one

 

[locell]

ok, I got my back wheel done. its the HD axle kit non-freewheel (it actually is freewheel but only because I put on a freewheel thread-on sprocket) I had the built by Jermey at velowheels.com. I gave him the axle kit and he laced it into a wheel and tied & sodered the spokes. its a old school method to make a strong wheel. it cost me about 150 bucks. i had to spread the frame apart too to get the wheel to fit. i used some allthread to spread it out. the pics explain all

I got the motor mounted, and everything hooked up. im telling you that suspension makes a night and day difference. I can ride this further and faster than my non-suspension one for sure.

I was going to make a hockey puck motor mount but could not get it just how I wanted so i used some allen bolts and parts from my kit to make a soild mount, with the importance of the chain alignment etc, its probally best to have the motor solid anyways.

I used the 3-speed brake/shift combo lever for my clutch so that I cold have a lever on each grip for brakes. its weird because there is no way to "ease" the clutch into engagement but it just makes for a little different style of riding, I got used to it after a few blocks and it works well, seems to be more precise actually, on gear 3 the clutch is disengaged, on 2 its mainly disengaged and on 1 its totally engaged.

id like to not run a chain tensioner at all but i had to to make it work right, are there any tricks to not running a tensioner? I tried to use masterlinks and half links etc to position the chains so they they were both naturally tight, but i could not get them balanced, one was always too floppy

 

[KCvale]

I love the banana seat first build.
A sissy bar and you would be golden ;-}

Just some tips...

On the new yellow build don't put a tensioner on the drive side.
Get the drive side like a motorcycle, and if you can't chain match the pedal side with a half link and a little motor movement, put a tensioner on the pedal side.

The disc brakes are cool, nice score on those.
You just might want to consider a Wally Bike with shocks and dual V-brakes delivered for $74 + tax (yes, wally collects state sales tax).

You can rip it apart, paint it, replace the pedal side drive, whatever, but you still end with at least marginal front shocks and and dual V brakes.

They are practically giving them away now.