American lightweight Motorized Bicycles

[silverbear]

Thanks for sharing... so many great ideas and designs.
SB

 

[Ludwig II]

It's all out there, I'm just a happy nerd, finding some of them. I'm wondering when I'll find a hydrostatic drive hub on a bike.

 

[Ludwig II]

Helio Gas Bike

2010 Imperial Cycles, San Jose

At an American swap meet, it may be known to some of you

 

[Ludwig II]

Picture/page expired.

Terry McKean's "Wackercycle", Gorda, CA

Picture/page expired.

Elkins DIY
http://www.elkinsdiy.com/motor-recumbents/motorized-bicycle/

 

[Ludwig II]

What thef?

Picture/page expired.

1921 119cc Evans, sold in France

2004 Power Tool Races

Whizzer engined bike in a Luxembourg museum

 

[Ludwig II]

Picture/page expired.

Picture/page expired.

 

[Ludwig II]

By the Fox model aircraft engine company, a rarity

 

[rustycase]

Thanks Lud!
All great pics!!
rc

 

[Ludwig II]

Jim Gallant, Washington state's page

http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/

By Wiley Davis

 

[Ludwig II]

1960s Propo Wheel by Keuhl

25mph, 3hp engine unit, mounted on a parallelogram, belt driver

1990s Zipcycle

Picture/page expired.

1970 Roper Bumblebike, ?USA

 

[Ludwig II]

AMF moped

 

[silverbear]

It is kind of sad that AMF represents what America came up with for a moped. The ones that had the engine on the rack behind the seat were really ill-conceived using a McCullough chain saw engine and had a top speed of around 15mph. Even more weird was that Harley Davidson sold them. I imagine that is something that H.D. would like to forget.

I bought one of these a few years ago as a parts donor as it has nice drum hubs on it. I ended up hanging a Tomos 2 speed engine under the frame and turned it into a nice bike with full sized wheels and a Suzuki fork. I intend to finish it up this winter and give it to my son. But as it was sold when new... what a dud.
SB

 

[Ludwig II]

Don't worry, British manufacturers came up with at least the equal of the AMF. Given their effect on all the things they touched, we can make a reasonable supposition about the MF part of AMF. What did the A stand for?

 

[silverbear]

Why, it stands for "American" of course. Ha!

 

[Ludwig II]

You can get a 50 made in America. The engine on it's own might even be affordable. Better yet, it will be designed for more power than you'd reasonably need on a bicycle frame. By Cobra Moto.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Even more weird was that Harley Davidson sold them. I imagine that is something that H.D. would like to forget.
SB

Harley-Davidson was forced. AMF was their corporate overlord at that time.

Do you recall also those cheap, Taiwanese-made, 2 stroke dirt bikes they marketed as a Harley?

I'm sure Harley would like to forget those days. More than that; they're probably downright humiliated over it.

That was no one's finest hour.

 

[Ludwig II]

I didn't know about Taiwan, I knew about the Aermacchis where they stuck HD on the tanks.

 

[Ludwig II]

1918 onwards HD cycle with Johnson type engine

 

[bluegoatwoods]

I didn't know about Taiwan, I knew about the Aermacchis where they stuck HD on the tanks.

Sorry. I should have made it clear that Taiwan was just a guess. Korea would have been my second guess.

I'm not familiar with Aermacchi. Who are they and where are they from?

 

[Ludwig II]

Italian, originally, as the name implies, aircraft manufacturers, like Piaggio, who got into bikes to earn money post WW2.

They made 90cc 2 stroke minibikes for HD as wll as the flat single 250/350 sprint models. Later on, there were 2 strokes replacing the 4 stroke singles.

After various traumas and disasters, the bones still exist as Cagiva, still out there, still racing and making road bikes.

http://www.aermacchi-world.de/history.html