A new obsession?

[kinch]

Hello to everybody from the hills of Northeast Tennessee!

I think about how fun it might be to have a motorized bike. I'm wanting to just buzz around the neighborhood in the afternoons, maybe do a local errand, but mostly just cruise without having to pedal.

Each time I get a little extra money i think about getting a motor. I have a few bikes. So i thought I would check in here before I made any other purchases. Which I would like to do very soon.

I have a Huffy Newport (7 speed and front/rear brakes)
-I would like to upgrade brakes for sure!!

I think I'm going to order the 66/80 Flying horse motor kit from Berry Bikes.

Would love to get any info I can for build, kit purchase, as well as headaches to look out for.

My big question is about getting the bike ready for this! All of the motor kits pretty much seem the same and i've read good things about dealing with Berry Bikes.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

Welcome to the forum!

The engine kits, as well as about 90% of the sellers are crap shoot.

Having said that, they are fun to tinker with and most of them work pretty well once sorted.

Read around the forum for awhile before you make a purchase, as there is a thread on sellers.

 

[2door]

Welcome to the forum. You've found the right place to be if you want to build a reliable, successful motorized bicycle.

I'm not a big fan of the instructions that come with any kit. They can and will steer you wrong on several points. Check with us here if you have questions and concerns regarding the installation of your kit.

Good luck, have fun and ride safe.

Tom

 

[Toadmund]

Welcome to the forum!

The engine kits, as well as about 90% of the sellers are crap shoot.

Just don't shoot yer crap! (they're fixable)

You are going to learn about motors REAL quick.
But you are going to have fun doing it, and never leave home without your tools.
Don't let me scare you, most of us actually do ride them more than maintain them.

 

[kinch]

Thanks guys for the welcome and the general tips and ideas. From what i've read while lurking I've decided a few things to make sure of during the build.

1. have upgraded bolts/hardware on hand for assembly
2. Be ready to come here to sort out issue I run into

3. Any advice or handy links/articles on best brake set up on a cruiser. The rims are painted and that does not lend itself to good stopping with rim brakes. ideas??

Thanks again!

 

[2door]

I'm a firm advocate of disc brakes. They are by far superior to any other type. I'm assuming you have coaster brakes now. You'll get lots of opinions on coasters. I run two of my bikes with rear coasters and front disc. Stopping is never a problem.

You might need to do some fabrication to get disc to work/fit on your fork but it can be done. A front wheel or at least the hub should have provisions for mounting the rotor.

Tom

 

[kinch]

Thanks Tom! Disc brakes would be ideal. No coaster brakes on this bike. It does have the rim brakes on the front and rear. This rims are painted and even with good pads I'm not very excited about the braking.

On the front there is a tab near the hub that is there for front fender mounts. I'm guessing I would have to add something more for disc brakes...

 

[wheelbender6]

Discs are the best, but some front drum brakes, like the Shimano roller brake, are almost as good, and will fit any fork. Sturmey Archer drums have a good rep too.
I think a rim brake is adequate on the rear unless you are cruising over 30 mph.

 

[kinch]

Thanks Bender! I doubt with my delicate (275lb) frame, i won't spend much time above 30mph! But it is good to slowly become aware of all the parts and options out there for brakes.

 

[Groove]

Yeah, welcome aboard! You can't go wrong with this site.. I learned so much lurking, and then even more after I joined.

You're on the right track about the brakes. You won't like just having caliper brakes. That would be super dangerous in my opinion. I have the front drum brake which works well, but if 2door says the disc brake works better..... it does!

Let us know when you get your china doll.

 

[Wild Bill]

I only have bought one small part from Bike Berry so far but they were great. Good luck on your build.

 

[kinch]

China Doll....I like that! Well I placed my order for my china doll yesterday and I'm waiting eagerly for tracking numbers The family is gone for a quick over nighter, soooo while I wait for my new baby in the mail I will get to tinker around on the bike and keep working to get it ready.

As for the drum brakes on the front, I never knew there was such a thing! Brake research begins. My limited physics training says that brakes, and a back up brake are up on the drawing board first. I'm hoping till the $$ comes in for drum or disc upgrade. i'll be beefing up the rim brakes.

the bike is a 7 speed.....

ideas about ditching that and installing a donor rear wheel with brake hub?? Or keep the gears??

Thanks!

 

[Cuereus]

i find that i rarely use much of my gears so changing out the gears for a single speed would free up your handle bars... i hit speeds of about 65 Km/h and i only run front rim brakes and they stop me when i need to... so i guess a setup with front disc or drum brakes would be enough... it also depends on how good your brakes are... i have a bike i ride on trails (no motor) and its set up with disc brakes all round but if the were on my motorbicycle im sure it would throw me over the handle bars

 

[chainmaker]

Welcome to the madness. Good brakes are key. I use front drums now it's kind of like a anti locking brake plus I like the looks. I've had disc and they stop on a dime. If you keep the gears it leaves you open for a shift kit. If you want rear disc brakes you will need a disc hub and have to get a top hat adapter. If you feel up to lacing up a wheel check my postings in the swap/ classifieds I have a disc hub and a 39 tooth kings sprocket, derailleur and parts I'd give you for shipping costs..still would need a top hat adapter from kings sales services. ...prob fit in a md flat rate box, let me know. Also check out Alfishermans pre- install tips for a 2 stroke. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GcesQihc7-mm3hJGf7UPiqOaRXZ8ekUT99QUZq2qXXE/mobilebasic?pli=1. Hope you have a patient misses.good luck and welcome again.

 

[Groove]

A patient.misses... Yeah, that is the key to these bikes!!

 

[Wickedest1]

As in the previous 2 posts an understanding and patient misses is the key first and foremost...lol...that being said, welcome to a world of invaluable info that can and will save you a ton of time, anger and blood...do some reaearch...the advanced search mode is wicked user friendly...this will quickly become an obsession...and as for rim brakes...i use them and feel they are enough to stop me and my bike from 30mph...and as for the painted rims, take them off and sand them down to the metal...the rubber from the pads will build up and act as a surface coating...and leave the gears...itll make for easier take offs...i run a mountain bike with 7speed freewheel...it helps to shift into easier gears for take offs...and I live in a hilly area...so gears do help...

 

[kinch]

I've lucked up and gotten a wife that is not only beautiful, but patient. She's loved me through two finicky land rovers, so hopefully a motorized bicycle won't push her too much. It will atleast be cheaper!!

But I've taken a few steps to get closer!

1. I've received the tracking number for my china doll shipment, so I can obsessively track!!
2. Went to the local bike shop to get a few parts. The owner was super nice and gave lots of info on my bikes and said if I get parts through him he does not mind being a resource for guidance on bike repairs.
3. changed my mind. Rather than using the Huffy cruiser I've decided to sell it cheap to get some cash. Refurbish my older huffy for riding so that I can motorize my aluminum frame TREK mountain bike. It seems the most solid of all my bikes. Plus its got the the tabs already there to make adding disc brakes later MUCH easier.

The motor should be here Wednesday!!

 

[Wickedest1]

Personal experience and preference says, to me at least says stay away from aluminum frames . Steel is my friend..you can weld reinforcements if necessary...you CANNOT weld steel anf aluminum together...plus I got trashed when my aluminum frame snapped from vibratory stress cracks...stick with the hussy...she can be ridden hard and take slam bangs better...again just personal preference...and most guys will say the same...most

 

[kinch]

I'd heard a few things about aluminum, so I had a few doubts. But if others chime in, I respect experience! So I'm glad I have already have 3 bikes to choose from.

Below are links for hussy 1 and hussy 2. Any advice on the better candidate???

http://threespeedgallery.blogspot.com/2012/07/1975-huffy-sun-country-pair.html

The link above is to a picture of a huffy like my older one. I don't have a picture of mine, but its the same. 70s or 80s Sun Country 3 speed

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_237915_-1?kwid=ps_pla

This link is for the newer Huffy I've got.

 

[BarelyAWake]

I live in Oak Ridge Tennessee. Rim brakes stop me just fine and I weigh 250 lbs. My bike has hit down hill speeds of 45 mph.

hmm... while I'll agree rim brakes work "just fine" under normal/ideal conditions, I'd suggest that if you've a chance to go disc (or drum) w/o too much heartache, modification or expense - do it, you'll prolly never go back to rim brakes again.

Even the stock "generic" cable actuated disc brakes my Mongoose came with are a dream in comparison, no wear on the rims, the pads last seemingly forever, they work just as well no matter if they're dry, wet or even iced up, I rarely even need adjust them & if I do, it's 1/4 twist of a cable adjuster & that's it - don't need to periodically change the toe in, no massive amounts of cable slack due to pad wear, no "honking" or squalling, no "sticky" arms & dragging pads... oh, and they stop me really really well lol

While rim brakes are indeed "good enough" for many, here's an example of a "worst case scenario" - rim brakes on a high mileage winter/beater commuter, after more than 10,000 miles of outright abuse on that one bike (and yes, it's an aluminum frame & no, it never shattered) I came to the conclusion I'll never willingly buy a new bike with rim brakes again, they're just too demanding of my time and concern - it's drum or disc for me from here on out;

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=37238