1st build honda powered

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Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
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ilinois
Well I gave up trying to find a frame to build my first motorized bike. Cut up several and tacked together a few ugly crossbreeds.. didnt like any of it. So I decided to build my own frame from scratch and make it to suit me..or actually my wife, for she will be riding the results..and my machine will be the next build. Here are a couple of photos of the progress. just the beginings of a machine..lot left to go. And yes, for those who are looking closely..no pedals..I am putting a Honda engine on it..so I dont need no stinkin' pedals!.. hehe...and dont care about it being road legal. When I want to ride the roads..I have other motorcycles for that. This will be a campground and around the farm bike. I want to say this also. This project would have been a heck of alot easier If I had never found this forum, and saw all the really cool looking "vintage" and "tribute" machines you fellas build...and somehow caught the bug from you guys.
Thanks.....I think!
 

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harry76

harry76

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2011
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Brisbane, Australia
That frame is looking really really nice... im wondering if a cross bar where the tank would go would look better??? Just thinking out loud, either way thats a heck of a job you have done.... are you going to make an inframe tank?
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
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ilinois
Harry...I ran out of Chrome-moly tubing..I actually built this out of left overs from a long ago aircraft project..and yes, a cross-barr is planned after I get down to Wicks Aircraft supply next week and get some more tubeing. I dont know about the tank...an in-frame would sure look good here..but buying one is out of the budget..at least the ones I have seen for sale so far. I might tackle building a tank...dunno yet. Its probably too small for any that are "premade" anyway..I scaled this down for my wife. 48.5 inch wheelbase, and a low 28" seat height with the seat all the way down.. I fit one of those black "whizzer" style chinese tanks I bought on ebay on it..and it does not look very good on there. Anyway, the frame fits her well..but a tad small for me. I am 5'10.5 and 190 lbs...she is 5'5" and probably 140.
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
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ilinois
Harry, the Helmutt frame definately was one of the inspriations for this, along with others..and I actually had a crankset on the bottom of the seat post, but when I layed it out it was obvious that the pedal position was terribly high for the low seat..didnt see how it could be pedaled with old knees!, not to mention complicating the build. I thought about moving it forward of the engine....but as it ended I left it clear out of the design. I wanted a shorter wheelbase for extremely slow speed handleing...and the design just kept getting longer as I tried to incorperate both drives.. Funny thing thing I thought about building a motorized bike..just like an aircraft..the design is all about compromises.
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
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ilinois
MBR,
I was kinda worried about that...but last nite, I finished mounting the engine and decided to give it a road test..no footpegs yet, or fender or anything but a seat and handle bars..and just a rear brake. went out in the backyard to try the hill up from the creek..pretty steep...and about 20 yards long in the grass, it pulled me up just fine. so that worry was out of the way. at 3300 clutch engagement...it is geared for 5.6 mph, and top speed will be 14.3 mph...if the little honda will hit redline that is. I then discovered I better have someplace to put my feet if I am gonna try the top speed, so I took i tback to the shop and used a muffler clamp to fasten a simple crossbar to the frame for a footrest...then took it out on the road to open it up. Very happy!...the little engine opened up all the way with me on it...and although I have no speedometer on it..I estimate it was traveling about 14mph , which would be as fast as my wife will ever ride it. I have higher gearing in terms of other sprockets, but I didnt want the machine to have a fast "clutch engagement speed". It will be used alot at slow speed, in the grass in a campground on gravel/dirt roads. I think any higher gears and I would have clutch problems trying to run slow. The low center of gravity promotes good low speed handleing which also was a goal met. I drove it around the yard...around the trees and zig-zaged at minimum speed and it is very stable. pedals definately not needed. hurrah! IF it were to be used as a commuter..with higher gears..either pedals to start, or a 3 speed hub or something would likely be needed I think. I have a Honda GX100 on the bench..and several GX160's, but the narrow rpm range of these 3600 rpm engines does not lend them to a very wide speed range without some sort of gear changeing ability. So I wanted to use this high rpm engine. I dont have a gx50 at the moment, which might be the choice for my next build , as a bike for me and my heavier weight. Now its back to the shop to make it pretty enough for her to ride!
 
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cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
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sacramento ca
I don't know about the engine you are using, but the 6.5 hp engines have a rev limiter that won't let it rev past 3500. If you take the limiter out it will go to 6500, but you should replace the connecting rod with a higher quality one so it will survive.
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
70
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0
ilinois
CobraFreak,
Which brand engine are you refering to in the 6.5?...Honda..or one of the chinese clones? I know the "new for 2012" production Honda's have a built in rev limiter (ignition), should be at 3900 though. I dont know alot about the clones. And is it an ignition derived limiter? is it built into the magneto coil?
 
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cobrafreak

New Member
Feb 16, 2011
1,049
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0
sacramento ca
Chinese clones have a mechanical limiter that shuts a butterfly valve in the carb at 3500rpm. If the new ones are ignition based just go to AGK and order a racing ignition. They only cost around $40 or so and don't have limiters in them. AGK's site also shows how to remove the mechanical limiter.
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
70
0
0
ilinois
Well the road test is now done..I need to take it apart..install the crossbar..foot rests of some kind..fenders and the like, and get some paint on it.. I went to the local bike shop yesterday and purchased to really nice NOS USA made Wald chrome wide fenders..cabels and some other misc parts I needed, and ordered some wide whitewall tires. Here is a pic of the machine right after the road test..
 

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harry76

harry76

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2011
2,557
47
48
Brisbane, Australia
Dagwood, i hope im not offending you..... but..... in my opinion those footpegs dont suit the rest of the build. You did such a beautiful job on the frame, but the pegs look very out of place. If you have your heart set on no pedals maybe a set of running boards would look better.

The only reason im picking on your pegs is i love the frame you have built.... but hey, thats just me, if you are happy with the pegs just ignore my comments. Good luck on the rest of the build
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
70
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0
ilinois
Harry down under...HEHEHE...I am with you pard...actually I am trying to figure out the footrests..I was just so interested in seeing if the dang thing was gonna wobble down the road..and what the speeds were and the capability of the engine..I just stuck that tube across there with a couple of muffler clamps for a temp place to hang my loafers before I went any further..incase I needed to tear it apart and start again!! It also served to get a "measure" of where the feet need to be for comfort.
I have seen some fellas use pedals in a stationary position that look pretty good..kind of inplace of footpegs...and of course the running boards...it will likely be on of these two. In the meantime..I just discovered that my nice NOS Wald front fender wont work with the springer fork because the attachment spot under the tube does not allow the fender to move with the fork ...it would cause the fender to flex and no doubt bust out the center mounting hole...hmm...
 
Dagwood

Dagwood

New Member
Aug 4, 2011
70
0
0
ilinois
OK...got the last problems sorted out...got the right parts...and put it together...here are the photos..and one even of old Bertha riding it...she told me it was comfy..and she liked the seating position...so I am happy if she is.
I decided to go with fixed pedals...simply because after thinking thru the running boards and taking measurements...the frame really is not long enough to take advantage of them...your feet really need to be farther forward to be comfy...does not look that cool...but its pretty functional..
critiques are welcome...cause I now have to build another one for me!
 

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