Motoped

[Mike B]

I'm gonna build me one more gas bike and that's gonna be it. I'm going first class too. I always thought these guys had the right idea and I'm on the list. There's supposed to be 600 arriving sometime next month and one of them has my name on it.

http://www.motoped-choose-your-adventure.com/

I got the pro (MX looking one) but you can also get the "Cruzer" which even has wooden fenders. Yeah, a real "woody" They cost more though and won't be here until well into next year.

Hey, instead of taking a bicycle and adding a motor, why not add pedals to a motorcycle? Suspension up the yazoo, double disk brakes and designed to be motorized. Works for me -

The motor I ordered up a while ago and it's here now. Very pretty, a 70cc Lifan auto clutch with 4 down (neutral on top) shifting.

Just gorgeous, perfect finish.

The gold colored thing under the cylinder is the starter. Yup, I'm going electric start too. Don't really want a kick starter with pedals. I'm gonna have big fun riding the rail road right of ways.

It's gonna be a while, but it'll all be right here -

Christmas is coming up and you really need to get yourself something you really want. Because nobody else will!

 

[dirtwarrior]

they do look nice

 

[Patchy]

Can't wait to see it all together!

 

[culvercityclassic]

You made a wise choice Mike, I have seen them in person and really like the drive system design. Just remember a lot of people were promised the bikes and never got them, I hope the time has come for them to arrive.

 

[Mike B]

Thanks.

Yeah, the supply situation had me a little concerned. The Co. just got bought and nobody knew anything except "we should have bikes in 3 weeks". From what I heard the Co. that bought them is a bigger Co., which should be a good thing.

I got mine ordered through a dealer that has an order in for 10. He said that 8 were already sold, so I got #9. The thing that got me going on that was seeing the "Cruzer" model online, but I decided to go with what is known vs what is unknown. I think it might be quieter too with that long header, more volume.

But that "woody" is really cool eh?

 

[Davezilla]

I gotta say that cruiser version is really cool looking... I'd go for the Pro version with a 150cc engine if it was me but not yet. Hopefully I can get one the next production run... Anyway, the cruiser with the 70cc engine you got should run great and have plenty enough power to be a lot of fun. Keep us posted on the build once you get started.

 

[Mike B]

Nah, I've got the "pro" ordered, that's the only one available as of now.

I almost went with a 125, but then I started thinking. The factory advises 50 or 70, same stroke. Anything bigger, the stroke and the cylinder get longer. Which means the pipe won't fit and will need mods. That's cool, but hey, the 70 is 5 HP and that's enough. Especially with a 4 speed transmission.

I'm going to do the CA reg on this one. Motor even has a serial number that you don't have to stamp in yourself.

I want strong and smooth and reliable. And easy, just push the button -

 

[Davezilla]

I'm sure you'll enjoy that... The reason I'd go with the bigger engine myself is more for offroad riding where emissions and street laws don't really get in the way, but then again, sometimes ya just don't want to modify a pipe if it's got a nice finish on it or it detracts from the appearance.
Going automatic is a must on these if you plan on keeping the pedals because shifting could be tricky with pedals and a 1 down higher gears up pattern, and adding in a clutch could be tricky too.
I've noticed on those type transmissions that they don't like fast up shifts and can slip or get stuck between gears, but it's been over 30 years since I've owned anything with an all down auto trans and I'm sure they have figured out a way to make them shift better by now... and the Lifan engines are also pretty well known for their reliability.

 

[Mike B]

I'm a slow & steady guy, I'm never inna big hurry. Yeah, they work good if you roll off the gas, shift and roll on the gas. Nice and easy. From what I read, the shifter disengages the clutch and the clutch engages with the gas. You have to roll off the gas and unload the gears before you shift or it's not gonna work too good.

 

[maniac57]

They shift just like old Honda ATC 90/110/125 semi-autos did. Move the lever, clutch disengages. Takes a bit of getting used to, but very easy to use.
Consider a hand shifter for cool factor if not going for speed.

 

[Mike B]

I want my hands on the bars where the brakes are. And nothing else.

No clutches, no "hand shifters" what is that even? I'm not gonna pedal this thing much. You have to back drive the whole constant mesh tranny when pedaling and that can't be fun.

The pedals are for the "moped" thing -

It's a light motorcycle for the "no money" reg thing. But ya gotta have "fully operative pedals" to qualify.


Unless they have a freewheel on the motor side of the jackshaft too? Hey Culver, does the thing pedal easy?

 

[culvercityclassic]

They seem to pedal ok, but don't look to go too far or too fast with the gear ratio setup. I seen a couple with cranks removed and pegs installed.

 

[FFV8]

Mike:

A good choice on the engine. Yes, you can use the shift lever as a clutch. On upshifts you push down on the shift lever as you close the throttle. hold the lever all the way down & let the RPM drop. Then let up on the lever.

We have a couple of bikes around here running the Pit Bike engines. Scott had a 4 speed 50cc in his green bike, with a hand shift on the tank... it was a learning experience.

The one thing I found to be a problem with the foot shift was the lack of a solid anchor for the shifting foot. Bicycle pedals move all over the place, and you wind up looking at your feet to shift. Either a lock for the crankset or a couple of folding pegs are necessary for safe operation in traffic.

Scott pulled the 50cc shifter & put a 125cc single speed in it's place. Bike is sweet to ride, Zero to 40mph with a twist of the throttle.

.

 

[Mike B]

Thanks, I'm pretty stoked!

I have been reading around and the best info seems to be that you need to adjust the crank length and or the shifter length so that you extend your foot a little on the pedal when you want to shift and you clear it normally. Then it's just extend and pedal or extend and back pedal.

I am very happy with the motor. I didn't know what to expect having never dealt with these things before and also that it was Chinese. There really are 2 Chinas out there. That Lifan is so removed from a "happy time motor" that you would swear they came from different planets. The castings have no flash, the fit is perfect, the cases are smooth, painted silver and clear coated. This is the carb;

Keihin. Simple slide-needle, but with additional air circuits and bleeds.

For $330, I got the complete engine with electric start, CDI, coil, rectifier with voltage regulator, carb and manifold. That's an overhead cam 4 stroke with pressure lubrication, a 4 speed transmission and a coil capable of charging a battery. And it looks so good that if it didn't say Lifan on the side you would swear it was a Honda.

Or for a hundred bucks you can get a happy time that looks like it was built by Moe, Larry and Curly and hope that it even runs.

Amazing. There really are 2 China's.

 

[Davezilla]

Another option is an electric shifter kit ... if you can still find one... they work like an air shifter but use a solenoid to up shift instead of the air piston and air tank, that could easily be adapted so the bike could be shifted by pushing the up or down button on the bars. A friend of mine had one of those on his Bandit 1200 and he said he loves it because "the bottle never runs out while riding" , it was also a really cool add on since the install can be almost completely hidden. Maybe a good solution for a shifter and pedals...

 

[culvercityclassic]

I just built a ktm with a clutch 5 speed and it's really the only way to go with gears. Able to shift from the pedal when in the right position. Rear brake and clutch on the left side, it's a trick to work it that's for sure. I like your choice of engine, we used a 200cc in a CB 100. The quality was great like you mentioned.

KTM Street Tracker Ped, could not wait for the motoped.... Laf

 

[Mike B]

Another option is an electric shifter kit ... if you can still find one... they work like an air shifter but use a solenoid to up shift instead of the air piston and air tank, that could easily be adapted so the bike could be shifted by pushing the up or down button on the bars.

That would be cool.

I remember seeing some of that stuff online too. I'll check it out. After all I'm gonna have a big lithium battery on it, why not?

Thanks!

 

[Davezilla]

That KTM is Sweeeeet!!!

 

[Davezilla]

Yeah, I was looking around for an electric shifter for my Intruder 1400 a few years back after I installed the forward controls it became difficult to shift quickly like it did with the stock mid mount controls, and this bike won't wait for you either, you crack the throttle and it takes off whether you're ready or not... lol... but once I installed the forwards that little extra reach made all the difference in how quickly or easily I could up shift when taking off fast, but if I had the button shifters it would solve that little issue easily... I actually took off the forwards on the Sportster and put mids back on it so it would handle and accelerate better... mainly just being able to shift in a hurry makes a big difference where your feet are...

 

[Mike B]

I checked out the shifters and not going to bother. Too big and clunky, too expensive. Would look like crap on such a clean machine.

Don't care about "lightning fast" shifts, not into racing -


I ordered up the battery, a "Battery Tender" BTL09A. LiFePO4, weighs 1.2 pounds. Tiny little thing. Guys are cranking 500cc bikes with it. I like the 2 sets of terminals, will make the wiring go easier.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-BTL09A120C-Lithium-Phosphate/dp/B00F9LPIAC

Also got a key switch, a 9 watt LED headlight and a tail light. Going to wire that all in just like a motorcycle, they will be on whenever the key is on.

This is going to be a fun project. I will have to make a full on custom wiring harness as they don't exist. I got the "simple" harness from the motor vendor that has some needed plugs for the CDI which I will cut off and use, but most of it is going to be custom. The motor also has 5 wires that go to ground according to what gear you are in and I'm going to use them with LED's so I'll always know what gear I'm in. Really cool eh? My motorcycles don't even have that, just a neutral light.

I'm jazzed -