$1,000 motorized bikes

Bairdco u are correct lol. But Wats the point of all that? I mean if u want to ride like a motorcycle, buy one. It just doesn't make sense to spend that much too me when u could spend more on performance. And if I was gonna spend 470 on a bike it would be on a giant mountain bike.
 
...while I'll admit I buy box store bikes - I'd like to mention that upgrading the wheelset alone just about covers the price difference... & after my first build, I've always upgraded the wheelset *shrug*
 
Genisisonyx29 said:
I don't think the bike of choice is any better though. Just my opinion.
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So machined parts from solid chunks of metal is not better then parts stamped from a chunk of sheetmetal. Wheels with bigger and better bearings are not better then wheels with cheap weak caged bearings. Double wall alloy rims are not better than singlewall rims. Drum brakes are not not better then coaster brakes.... disk brakes are not better then a Vbrakes....



well thanks for letting us all know we are wasting our money upgrading to better!!!
 
Look Idk y everyone is being so rude. AND the bike needs to with stand a 66cc baby motor. Not a crazy 500cc motorcycle engine. The bike from Walmart has disc brakes so that's a plus there. I've always had my rims trued. I've always bought bike from Walmart and never had a problem with them. My point is that whats the point of spending all that extra cash if u could get something cheaper that will do the job just fine. Idc if I'm wrong or not, but when ur proving ur point u could still be a little respectful. thanks
 
Most of the small displacement builds I've done cost about a grand in parts.....my daily rider is a good example of that.





OK, this is a $150 aluminum framed Kent Northwoods beach cruiser. The frame is beefy with oversized tubing, strong welds, horizontal drop outs and room for 4-stroke engines.

The engine kit is from EZM....my cost at the time was $550. The add the extra goodies like a SBP throttle, rear rack/gas tank combo, HD wheelset w/disc & v-brake on front fork, Cloud 9 seat, Felt handlebars and some decent street tires and you have $1000 of pure riding bliss!

.wee.
 
Once one of your cheap rims blows up at high speed you will never go back. I know from experience.
 

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The Worksman is a beautifully made bike for the money... the one catch is there's a very limited selection of styles - so if you're interested in anything other than a cruiser, you're pretty much looking at spending a lot more money for equivalent quality in a different frame type - or biting the bullet & upgrading...

For "$1,000 motorized bike" that's built tough - it really does seem to be a Worksman or an upgraded box-store frame (not the cheapest ofc)... the cheapest frames are sketchy w/o a doubt, but the middle priced & up ones tend to be well made (inspection required ofc lol) but with junk mechanicals (shifters, calipers, derailleurs, etc)... but these aren't high priority items with many builds so that doesn't make much of a difference, what really matters is making sure the brakes are up to the task & ridding yourself of the cheesy single wall rims...

...and that's not a big deal at all :)
 
I'll admit I really like the Genesis Astra, but I'd never ever motorize a Genesis Onyx. Cheap new bikes with coaster brakes aren't worthy of motorizing, barely worthy of serious pedaling, but that's just my (perhaps elitist) opinion based on over 100,000 miles on pedal bikes. I've broken a lot of stuff with just my legs.

happyvalley said:
A better bicycle is never a waste.
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QFT, especially when it comes to bolting a motor in one. A bike doesn't have to be high-dollar; in our case, it just has to be something that's built for people (usually full-grown men) to really ride.

Genisisonyx29 said:
I don't think the bike of choice is any better though. Just my opinion.
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Have you ever ridden a true heavy duty bike like a Worksman or a Schwinn Heavy Duti? I don't think you have. Those bikes last for years and years, they are used in factories hauling loads most of us would never dream of. No reputable factory uses a Walmart bike to haul loads! Walmart bikes really aren't designed for people who are absolutely serious about bicycles, they are designed for people who want recreation on the cheap. Most people who've motorized their Walmart bike have had to service their bearings before proceeding. Even then, there are threads abound on here of broken Walmart frames. Not one Worksman frame, tho.
 
Genisisonyx29 said:
Bairdco u are correct lol. But Wats the point of all that? I mean if u want to ride like a motorcycle, buy one. It just doesn't make sense to spend that much too me when u could spend more on performance. And if I was gonna spend 470 on a bike it would be on a giant mountain bike.
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That's kinda funny cuz the Giant mountain bike I would settle for costs nearly $5,000. And I'm serious. Mind you I won't spend that much on an MTB cuz I don't race them anymore and I doubt Giant would sponsor this old man anymore......:D
 
meh... I wish I could lol, but they always seen to creep up n'over that pesky $1000 mark >.<

It's an addiction in every sense of the word rotfl


edit: ...although this one: http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=38908 would meet the criteria were it not electric & had a Chinese in-frame instead, but even including the wheelset & other extras.

It's destined to have a Chinese in-frame come winter (it's why I bought it), the disc brakes & shock forks are great (tho generics), the frame stout - the only "complaints" I've had are the kickstand (too short) and the seat (splitting maul). It does have an over sized & oddly angled down tube however, so a custom front mount is a must.
 
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I paid $60 for my bike used off Craigslist. After pedaling it for awhile, in went a $160 Grubee GT5 from BikeBerry. Rode it like that for a year.

Then I decided to go 4-stroke and enter the 2010 EZM bike contest. So I devised a plan, made a partslist, and tore apart my perfectly working, perfectly running $220 motorized bicycle.

Went from this:
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To this, $1200 later:
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Have another $500-$600 or so in it since then. It was well worth it to me, too.
 
Thanks for posting scotto. I was thinking this thread would have $1,000 bikes that were completely sourced with links to all parts so all someone would have to do is follow the links and buy the parts. I also also envisioned it would be a hypothetical bike but its cool if you built a bike that equaled exactly $1,000.
 
MaxPower said:
Thanks for posting scotto. I was thinking this thread would have $1,000 bikes that were completely sourced with links to all parts so all someone would have to do is follow the links and buy the parts. I also also envisioned it would be a hypothetical bike but its cool if you built a bike that equaled exactly $1,000.
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No prob MP.

Well ya know, I could do that, but it would be much easier for me just to build one to be honest.

And that is $1,000 in parts my bike, less the labor as I've stated.

I'm sure more people will add to this post in due time........ya know what they say about patience?
 
Well, my build cost:
Bike: $0,
Speedo/clock: $40,
engine: $35,
Clutch/ignition parts:$26
Tires:$55,
Driveline:$ 140
Powderpaint:$12
Other paint,etc:$30
Grips:$9

total:$352

This is the parts bought, rest is using parts laying around, for free, or reworked old free found stuff. But pricetag on the hours???? and how many??? Fabricating, reshaping,reworking, powderpaint,painting,overhaul,etc....
Seems quite cheap, but if (at least some)labour cost should be calculated, this is well over $1000.............but fun doing it....YES!!!

And over here in Norway, just a plain cheap china engine cost approx. $200. Ebay/online shops is the best parts resources, but then it takes even longer time to get them, and high shipping cost....(but i´m just waited 3 weeks just to get delivered a rear wheel sprocket as my wish, bought in Norway...hmmm)

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How is one supposed to put together a generic parts list @$1K or less that will satisfy the discerning MaBer? There's a lot of tastes and needs out there.

Genesis Astra for $150 and $650 Q-matic kit and $200 worth of bike upgrades?

$400 Schwinn and $200 31CC HS FD kit with $400 GPS unit?

Craigslist bike and any motor kit and any add-ons?

Links? What links? Anyone who builds a bike should do their own research into what they need, and from there add what they want.
Every motorized bicycle can be an extension of one's personality, too. There are too many to quantify or list.
 
The_Aleman said:
How is one supposed to put together a generic parts list @$1K or less that will satisfy the discerning MaBer? There's a lot of tastes and needs out there.
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It's hypothetical. That's what makes it fun. You can assemble a parts list for anyone you want. How about a $1,000 bike for your wife? Share what your imagination can come up with. I think my first post outlines my intentions for this thread. BTW I was hoping for post that were exactly $1,000. Makes it more challenging. :)
 
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