About to jump into the game!

[Brassneck]

Hey All,

I've just found this forum, and I'm about to get into the deep end on building my first bike. I live in Seattle, and love pretty much anything with a motor. This site seems to be just about perfect for helping me with my plans...and I've already read up on some of the tips suggested...so thank you all in advance! This may be a long intro post...thanks for reading.

I'm very excited about this next venture. I got the idea about motorized bikes about a month ago after getting ready for another motorcycle build I had in mind... a board tracker. But, with the limited garage space I have now (I have a 1960's size garage= small!!! and my '69 Karmann Ghia that I restored, '01 FZ1 that I tour with and a '79 XS650 that I built into a cafe racer, plus the boat crap, fishing gear, snowboard gear, tools, etc...) It has given me a pause on how to get yet another project in there. LOL... and the reality of not having a frame jig anymore, nor milling/welding equipment to really build the board tracker frame the way I want it...it will have to sit on the back burner for now.

But, as my girlfriend said, "You could build a motorized bicycle in the basement" and I agreed! LOL... So that's exactly what I'm going to do!!!

While I'm fairly ambitious about most things I get into, I think this build will be a more simple approach: Beach cruiser bike and motor kit, with a few custom twists in there to make it mine. I'm not looking to spend too much, although price isn't a huge issue compared to my past builds...ha ha, and really the idea here is to get inspired for the motorcycle build I plan to do down the road...and have my kids help with the build as a group project (Good bonding time I think).

For the frame, I've got a Micargi Pantera 7sp beach cruiser on it's way (Thank you Amazon prime). I opted for this bike as I wanted free wheel rear hub and front & Back brakes without having to guess about them fitting/working correctly and while it's got 7 speeds, I am not sure I'll keep--may just remove the derailer...depends on the look I suppose. Ultimately, there are other frames that I liked more...but I just didn't want to deal with buying brakes and free wheel with any of the single speed frames I was looking at...or building a frame-up build, as I'm not looking to spend THAT kind of $ on it... (So it seems to be cheaper to buy it as a complete bike and know they work vs. piece by piece). If I really love this build, I may get a springer suspension and front brake hub down the road...or ****, build another one....not sure yet.

For engines, I was toying with building my own...but again, I want the project to involve my kids and the bolt-on kits seem like the ticket. I've been doing some research and there seems to be some universal truths about basic motor kits... To be honest, I'm not expecting much from them...perhaps with a little TLC they'll last? So I finally decided on a basic kit: I've got a Mega Motors 66/80cc coming (Again, thank you Amazon Prime)... seems like its cheap enough that I won't feel bad about the quality and as long as it works well enough to enjoy the bike for a while, I'm ok with it. Upgrades, etc. may be part of the process...not sure just yet until I see what it actually feels like in my hands.

(Is there a link for must do's on these Chinese engines prior to install?)

For the rest, I'm looking to possibly get a lowered/lay-back seat post...tighter/dropped handle bars...change out the separate brake levers for one unit, move the shifter (if I keep it), and some other cosmetic changes (Seat/grips, etc).

I am also going to build my own gas tank to have a very custom board tracker look... we'll see how that goes. LOL.

Anyways, wanted to introduce myself and I'll start a build thread once the parts start to arrive.

 

[2door]

Welcome to the forum. If/when you need help, advice or just want to share what you're building, we're always here.

Sounds like you have a plan and some mechanical experience to back it up. Good luck and have fun with your first motorized bicycle.

Tom

 

[Brassneck]

Thanks Tom, I will for sure.

I just got the motor kit today... looks as expected... haven't really gotten into everything, however the gas tank mounting bolts are bent and there's a scratch on the tank itself. Not overly concerned as I'm not going to be using the tank (down the road) but I would have liked to use it to get the motor going for short term.

I've reached out to the seller to get a fix...we'll see what happens.

 

[2door]

If not bent too bad the tank studs can be straightened but just use caution. The studs are notorious for cracking at the weld and leaking. Scratches are just cosmetic. It'll suffice until you build yours. But, if the seller replaces it, good!

Tom

 

[bluegoatwoods]

A '69 Karmann Ghia?
A '79 SX650?

Maannn..........you're livin' the dream, aren't ya?

Those are two vehicles that I'd just love to have. Throw in a 911 from about 50 years ago and a 250 SL from the late '60s and life would really be complete.

Oh well.....don't mind me.......I'm just daydreaming about those wonderful cars and motorcycle. I'll be back in a motorized bike frame of mind long about tomorrow or so.

 

[xseler]

Howdy & welcome to the clubhouse!!

By the way, 'upgrades' are just part of the hobby --- even if you don't initially plan on any!!

 

[Brassneck]

A '69 Karmann Ghia?
A '79 SX650?

Maannn..........you're livin' the dream, aren't ya?

Those are two vehicles that I'd just love to have. Throw in a 911 from about 50 years ago and a 250 SL from the late '60s and life would really be complete.

Oh well.....don't mind me.......I'm just daydreaming about those wonderful cars and motorcycle. I'll be back in a motorized bike frame of mind long about tomorrow or so.

Thanks! Yep, I wouldn't mind a 356 to add to the stable...But of course then I'd need a new garage for sure!

Here's a pic of my cafe bike:

And my Ghia:

 

[Brassneck]

Howdy & welcome to the clubhouse!!

By the way, 'upgrades' are just part of the hobby --- even if you don't initially plan on any!!

For sure! I'm sure it will get way more involved as I get to building this. Looking forward to it.

 

[TheNecromancer13]

Stuff to replace from the start: Get rid of the gear that bolts onto your spokes, it will pull the wheel out of alignment and rip the spokes out; instead get one that bolts onto either your disc brake mount, or if you don't have one, your hub. If you have a magneto with 3 wires coming off of it, replace that with one of the newer ones that has only 2, they're much more reliable. Also replace the crap fuel filter, and the spark plug and spark plug boot. Also all the mounting hardware, and I would suggest drilling out and retapping the rear mounting bolts so that they accept 3/8" rods instead of 1/4, I have had issues with 1/4" rods breaking. Also redrill the carb jet a little smaller and set the needle clip to the leanest setting (top notch) unless you live at a high elevation. If you want a cheap way to get a little bit of extra power, take the end off the exhaust pipe and drill a few holes in the side of the stinger, as long as you don't drill too many, you get a minimal increase in noise, and if you can get the thing not to 4 stroke all the time, it's not going to be that loud anyways. Also, once you get sick of the 2 stroke breaking down, scrap the entire thing and replace it with a more reliable engine

 

[2door]

Brassneck,
Keep in mind that any and all replies you get here will be opinions only and are not carved in stone. Use your obvious mechanical common sense and you'll be fine.

As far as the Chinse 2 stroke kits being unreliable, there are many of us here with thousands of miles on them. You just need to know what you're doing. I think you'll understand.

Tom

 

[Brassneck]

Stuff to replace from the start: Get rid of the gear that bolts onto your spokes, it will pull the wheel out of alignment and rip the spokes out; instead get one that bolts onto either your disc brake mount, or if you don't have one, your hub. If you have a magneto with 3 wires coming off of it, replace that with one of the newer ones that has only 2, they're much more reliable. Also replace the crap fuel filter, and the spark plug and spark plug boot. Also all the mounting hardware, and I would suggest drilling out and retapping the rear mounting bolts so that they accept 3/8" rods instead of 1/4, I have had issues with 1/4" rods breaking. Also redrill the carb jet a little smaller and set the needle clip to the leanest setting (top notch) unless you live at a high elevation. If you want a cheap way to get a little bit of extra power, take the end off the exhaust pipe and drill a few holes in the side of the stinger, as long as you don't drill too many, you get a minimal increase in noise, and if you can get the thing not to 4 stroke all the time, it's not going to be that loud anyways. Also, once you get sick of the 2 stroke breaking down, scrap the entire thing and replace it with a more reliable engine

Thanks for the advice, I've read about a few of those suggestions, but I clearly have more reading to do.

 

[Brassneck]

Brassneck,
Keep in mind that any and all replies you get here will be opinions only and are not carved in stone. Use your obvious mechanical common sense and you'll be fine.

As far as the Chinse 2 stroke kits being unreliable, there are many of us here with thousands of miles on them. You just need to know what you're doing. I think you'll understand.

Tom

For sure. Thanks

 

[Brassneck]

Started up a build thread:

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=626210#post626210

Thanks!