Cuban Teenager now in USA

[the_edge150]

hi i'm alex and i just moved from cuba around 6 months ago to California, and back in cuba, we have these bikes called Riquimbilis, which were fast little creations of ours. when i got here to the states, i noticed online that here there are these kits to build a motorized bike. we brought my old Riquimbili here, but my uncle bought me a beach cruiser and i would like to know which kit would be good for one

 

[Doug]

Welcome, it depends on what your frame looks like, but in most cases anything will work with a cruiser.

Please post pics of the Riquimbili if you get a chance, I would like to see it. Also, you may have some good ideas or information when it comes to building these bikes.

 

[Doug]

Cuban bikes have been discussed a bit here too.

 

[the_edge150]

the bike is a ocean pacific mens cruiser and about the Riquimbilis, we built them from whatever we could find, used plastic bottels for gas tanks, and for mine i used a old 50cc from a chainsaw. it did some good speed, as i got it up to 90 KMH but what i don't understand from all the kits i've seen around on the internet and all the talk on this forum is Why are they so slow up here ?

 

[Dave31]

Welcome Alex to the forum, glad you joined us

 

[stude13]

hi edge; the different states that allow motoredbikes set their own speed limits also each city has control. people are trying many ways to change city, state and federal laws that control and limit our type of bike. there are many posts about this. always wear a helmet. that is the first thing you can get stopped for.

 

[the_edge150]

oh ok. see down there, they just confiscate them from us. and helmets are a must on a Riquimbili. i took mine for a spin around town today and the fuzz stopped me to ask me what was that contraption and from what it sounds like to me is that ppl here don't let anything goods flourish without trying to regulate it.

 

[eDJ]

Say Edge,

Great to see you here on this site. We now have a Cuban Riquimbili owner with us who was able to bring his Riquimbili to our shores. You just gotta post some photos for us.

I'm the guy who brought "Riquimbili awareness" to Motorbicycling.com

I had seen a Public Broadcasting TV feature where a Cuban-American girl got permission to travel to Cuba and film stories about life there among the people. She was fascinated with the Riquimbili's herself and filmed the beautiful country side there while riding on one. Some of her film showed old American cars which were kept running somehow...well after 60 year service.

But that's where I learned of Riquimbili's and as I had this old bike motor kit for
over the front wheel minus many of it's parts....I Googled for info on it and wound up here.

So welcome and enjoy. I'm simply amazed by this. We now have our own Cuban Riquimbili owner with us. Ya just gotta love the internet !

 

[the_edge150]

i didn't know that so many people like our contraptions! if i would have known that, i would have brought more than 2 up to the USA I'll be sure to post some pics when i buy a camera next month,that is if i still have it the cops here are not happy about getting passed by at 50 mph by a kid in a 45 zone they pulled me over yesterday night around 2 AM and asked me what was that thing i was riding on and why i was able to pass them at such high speed and i told them "echo en cuba es lo mas rapido que puede aser" (build it in cuba and it'll be fast as can be and still only cost you 10 bucks to build (i put about 9 bucks into mine) but it dosen't look like i will be riding that for a while. does anyone know what kind of frame mount kit would be good for a mens beach cruiser ?

 

[Ilikeabikea]

Welcome to the forum. I think just about anything will work on a cruiser. My Cruiser has a 70cc kit from Boygofast. Dax, one of the sponsors here sells some really good stuff plus he has a great reputation for service after the sale. Glad you joined us............................

 

[the_edge150]

hey does anybody know of any good downhills in the LA area? my girlfriend is telling me of some good downhills in the hills above and also in the whittier hills, but i want to find something fast

 

[deacon]

Welcome aboard and most any kit will work on your cruiser. If you need anything just ask someone here will give you a hand im sure.

 

[~macaddict~]

Yepp, I would also like to see some pictures of this bike of yours.

 

[UncleKudzu]

...from what it sounds like to me is that ppl here don't let anything goods flourish without trying to regulate it.

you're catching on quick regulate, homogenize and package it.

welcome to the forum, and yes, get some pics of your riquimbili for us to see! i think the enthusiasm for riquimbilis is because of the ingenuity that goes into building them. here we just drive down to Xmart and buy a brand new Chinese bicycle and then order a pre-fab engine kit and bolt it on.

 

[the_edge150]

you're catching on quick regulate, homogenize and package it.

welcome to the forum, and yes, get some pics of your riquimbili for us to see! i think the enthusiasm for riquimbilis is because of the ingenuity that goes into building them. here we just drive down to Xmart and buy a brand new Chinese bicycle and then order a pre-fab engine kit and bolt it on.

wow that is unbelievably easy compared to how hard it is to build one of ours. but i only put at the most 10 dollars into the ones i've built each (i used to build them and sell them for 15 but i looked around and bought a kit today for 90 at a moped shop around here its a 2 stroke china frame mount and i'm going to mount it. i told my abuelo today about how much i spent and he told me for that much i could build a fleet but if anyone wants me to build a genuine riquimbili for them, get me a chainsaw, a rusted out bike and a 2 liter bottle

 

[the_edge150]

and i forgot to say this in the last post, but a riquimbili is a motorized bicycle. thats the direct translation so to be technical, all of you guys own them !

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

and from what it sounds like to me is that ppl here don't let anything goods flourish without trying to regulate it.

You sure said that right.

Can you tell us the phonetic pronounciation of "Riquimbili"?

 

[UncleKudzu]

and i forgot to say this in the last post, but a riquimbili is a motorized bicycle. thats the direct translation so to be technical, all of you guys own them !

well, if that's accurate, i'll have to resurrect my proposal i gave up calling motorized bikes riquimbilis because i wasn't sure if that was strictly correct. but riquimbili doesn't literally translate to anything, does it?

 

[Dave31]

I was told by a Cuban fellow down the street that Riquimbili means...Not motorcycle...Not bicycle.

 

[the_edge150]

the closest thing riquimbili sort of means is bicycleta con motor que vas que hode (Motorized bike that hauls and its pronounced rick-in-billy and that would be cool if you guys started to call them riquimbili (makes me feel at home ) but it dosen't actually translate to anything