Bike builders that have machine tools/shops

[EZL]

It amazes me they haven’t come up with a smaller CVT for 5/8" shaft, with all the motor bike and mini bike out there now. Chine made one for pocket bike are junk, but are small, ( have 2 setting on the shelf ). Took one apart and is so corked were the drum mounts to the shaft, and its still setting that way, never tried mounting it. Its like the shaft threads are wrong and the drum warbles, did buy a new drum thinking it was bad, it to wobbled.

So what you are saying the sprocket is to close to the seat tube? .......Curt

I hear you on that! The drive pulley assembly is the one to concentrate on as far as re-engineering the setup.
The driven pulley utilizes a 5/8" shaft so it's kinda strange the setup goes from a 3/4" drive pulley to the final
5/8" driven pulley? Mechanically, the back driven pulley with the heavy spring and cogs is part of a jackshaft
setup. I am also wondering if the amount of HP taken to utilize the CVT arrangement would warrant using
one on smaller engines like a 49cc?

The 79cc should have had a 3/4" cranskshaft to begin with. I had the biggest problem getting clearance on
the pedal and CVT cover. I checked on several of the vendors on extended shafts for the arms and the only
one I found that would possibly work was the "Ghost Racer 7G" arms and a longer extended shaft. The
arms have a lot of offset but the shaft for that kit is too short. I bought a set of arms and a extended shaft
setup and the arms still didn't clear. They looked pretty chrome plated and I still put the torch to them
to get more offset so they will work.

The more I think about putting a pedal sprocket on the bike and trying to pedal the bike with the added 38 lb.
engine on it, might be a bad idea. The chain would have to be removed in the field and a fella could lose the
locking clip. The 49cc setup isn't bad for pedaling as long as the chain is removed. If you want a workout,
just pedal the bike it with the chain assembly on it against the transmission!

I am thinking of rigging up a set of foot pegs and leaving the fake pedals on the bike just for looks when a
cop sees the bike moving. Just like I've said, this project is "work in progress!"

 

[EZL]

My son has a long list of stories about dogs from his motorcycle ride to Brazil. He said the worst ones were the dogs that just lay there pretending to be asleep until you were right next to them then they made their move.

Steve.

Threat to life, you or the dog. A 22 pistol might have to be used to neutralize the threat? A 22-short on a pistol is fairly quiet
and even quieter when matched with a loud motorized bike-backfire. Bear spray is the best!
Dennis

 

[indian22]

Dennis the horizontal Lifan 125cc motor is a good engine and I've used them as replacement motors in kids go karts for years. I've never built a bike with one, but it's been done on stretch frames many times. The ones with manual transmissions are my favorite, but the auto works well enough. I'd guess they make 3.5 to 4 hp so with transmission they scoot pretty good. I'd think they would fly under the radar if one behaved themselves...they are a lot less conspicuous than a 212 Predator...

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

As long as we sitting around the wood stove in my machine shop, "Nick Nickels" owner of the Schwinn shop told the story of a car chasing dog back in the 1930's.
There was a dog with that proclivity, and duly attacked all autos in his territory. Nick and his buddy's came up with a plan. They tied a gunny sack to the wooden spoke of the rear wheel. The rest is for you to figure out. My Dad as a farm boy had similar adventures. Throw another block in the stove somebody please. I got to go eat and go to bed.
Sleepy Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Boyhood friend of mine lived on a farm and a farm owner a few farms up the road was a nasty individual. He had a couple of German Shepard's who would hide in the long grass in the ditch and attack anyone or anything that went down the road. His younger brother disobeyed his parents and went up the road on his bike.
His parents went to see the owner who told them to get off the property or he'd let his dogs loose. Police wouldn't do anything and a lawyer told them there wasn't much they could do.

A lot different in the early 1960's than today.

We were old enough to drive and he had a pretty nice 1948 Ford. We got mulling over his brothers injuries and decided to even the score. We went down the road past the other farm and as soon as the dogs came out of the ditch he slammed the brakes on and opened the drivers door.

The farm owner made lots of threats to everyone on the road but sold out and moved shortly afterwards.

Steve.

 

[EZL]

Dennis the horizontal Lifan 125cc motor is a good engine and I've used them as replacement motors in kids go karts for years. I've never built a bike with one, but it's been done on stretch frames many times. The ones with manual transmissions are my favorite, but the auto works well enough. I'd guess they make 3.5 to 4 hp so with transmission they scoot pretty good. I'd think they would fly under the radar if one behaved themselves...they are a lot less conspicuous than a 212 Predator...

Rick C.

That would be a nice project down the road in the future. A homemade frame would help to make a practical setup.
I got fed up with that last v-brake on the front. The brake was always varying in adjustment and I always thought it
had to do with the factory rims. Months ago, I bought a good caliper brake from Lynn and had it on the 79cc but
the brake wouldn't adjust to the rim correctly so I pulled it and had another one I got to work on that bike. This
caliper brake you could tell by holding it that it was a quality unit with the price to match. Mounting it didn't take
much time and it was very obvious which type of brake was better. The future looks like a set of disc brakes and
a front suspension fork on this bike.

The Lifan 125cc looks like a good choice to mess with. I've watched Craig's list and these people in this area are
absolutely crazy on what they want for the "KTM-250 sxf" bikes! There are some nice HDs listed for a lot less.
Another add a "2015 Honda Ruckus 50cc" for $1895 which can easily be beat on a new 150cc Chinese IceBear
mini bike. Buy a Honda and you are buying the name with Chinese addons I guess. There are some good deals
on Craig's list but a person needs to know what they are buying along with the market value.
Dennis

 

[curtisfox]

Boyhood friend of mine lived on a farm and a farm owner a few farms up the road was a nasty individual. He had a couple of German Shepard's who would hide in the long grass in the ditch and attack anyone or anything that went down the road. His younger brother disobeyed his parents and went up the road on his bike.
His parents went to see the owner who told them to get off the property or he'd let his dogs loose. Police wouldn't do anything and a lawyer told them there wasn't much they could do.

A lot different in the early 1960's than today.

We were old enough to drive and he had a pretty nice 1948 Ford. We got mulling over his brothers injuries and decided to even the score. We went down the road past the other farm and as soon as the dogs came out of the ditch he slammed the brakes on and opened the drivers door.

The farm owner made lots of threats to everyone on the road but sold out and moved shortly afterwards.

Steve.

Fishing on hard water” remember going to the fish house in deep snow, so not much for any dogs on the side of the road. There was one spot were the guy had big Shepherd dog, every weekend it would come out and bark at the front tires. My dad got ready moved over some so he could put his foot against the door, had it unlatched. So when the dog come out he kicked it with the door and TKOed it, never chased us again......Curt

 

[EZL]

Boyhood friend of mine lived on a farm and a farm owner a few farms up the road was a nasty individual. He had a couple of German Shepard's who would hide in the long grass in the ditch and attack anyone or anything that went down the road. His younger brother disobeyed his parents and went up the road on his bike.
His parents went to see the owner who told them to get off the property or he'd let his dogs loose. Police wouldn't do anything and a lawyer told them there wasn't much they could do.

A lot different in the early 1960's than today.

We were old enough to drive and he had a pretty nice 1948 Ford. We got mulling over his brothers injuries and decided to even the score. We went down the road past the other farm and as soon as the dogs came out of the ditch he slammed the brakes on and opened the drivers door.

The farm owner made lots of threats to everyone on the road but sold out and moved shortly afterwards.

Steve.

I have one neighbor down the road that has a large "longhair Heins" variety that likes to race me when they let him out of
the house. He just likes to race and doesn't bother the neighbor kids down the road so he's no danger. The worse ones
I have had problems with were two small wiener dogs that once ran out in front of me. Avoiding them was a problem.
They are the worse and they would dart out in front of you and to avoid them you had to find a hole to throttle through
to get away from running over one. Darn things are nothing but yapping terriers and a nuisance.

The people that own them are renters and on welfare with fairly new vehicles sitting out front of the house. I'd that don't
want to work. Most of the people in this village keep their yards mowed and this bunch lets the grass grow a foot but
someone finally mowed it the other day.

The Township keeps an eye on the people in this village to make sure there are no junk cars and junk littering the
properties and tall grass growing. The Township charges owners a huge price to mow lawns and small fields. The
1950s through the 1970s there were a lot of riffraff living in the area and old junk cars and trucks sat in small fields
and yards were the norm. The complaints from the civilized folks got the focus from the Township elders and
got things cleaned up which was a good thing.

My ISP went down editing this so luckily some of it was saved. Got to get going, TTUL...

Dennis

 

[EZL]

You guys, check this fellas bike build, it looks real good and about the only thing I would change would be to use larger
and heavier tubing for a 79cc or 212cc.
Dennis
Images: https://motorbicycling.com/media/img-20140612-182026.9743/

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

More work done this weekend on the front fender strut mount clamps. Both are now drilled, counterbored, and tapped 1/4-20. All the is left to do now is split them with a slitting saw in the Bridgeport for nice clean cuts. I have some small jack screws which I will match heights and use to support the uncut clamps on their counterbore flats. For the fender strut mounting clamps to fit the fork tubes freely the split must be perfectly centered. Fun for after work come Monday
The final drive on a Sportsman 80 is #41 roller and I thought I had quality chain. But on last inspection the only mark is China. Grrr! Good enough for the 49cc Huffy but not for the Flyer, so I got 10ft of 41 directly from Diamond.
but I needed a dedicated 41 chain breaker / maker. Enter Amazon and somebody in China makes a dandy so I purchased it and it only took a week from China to my mailbox this last Friday. Only thing I can do to improve it is get more Gun Bluing from Brownells https://www.brownells.com/

 

[EZL]

More work done this weekend on the front fender strut mount clamps. Both are now drilled, counterbored, and tapped 1/4-20. All the is left to do now is split them with a slitting saw in the Bridgeport for nice clean cuts. I have some small jack screws which I will match heights and use to support the uncut clamps on their counterbore flats. For the fender strut mounting clamps to fit the fork tubes freely the split must be perfectly centered. Fun for after work come Monday
The final drive on a Sportsman 80 is #41 roller and I thought I had quality chain. But on last inspection the only mark is China. Grrr! Good enough for the 49cc Huffy but not for the Flyer, so I got 10ft of 41 directly from Diamond.
but I needed a dedicated 41 chain breaker / maker. Enter Amazon and somebody in China makes a dandy so I purchased it and it only took a week from China to my mailbox this last Friday. Only thing I can do to improve it is get more Gun Bluing from Brownells https://www.brownells.com/
View attachment 102256

Need a real good chain breaker for the durable-hard 41 chain. I have been grinding down the pins then using a cheapo
chain breaker to push most of the pin through the link then I punch the pin out. That 41 pre-stretched chain is hard stuff!
I know I won't go back to the 415 chain, way too soft. Keep us posted on how that chain breaker works out.

My Sports speedometer gave up last week apparently, from what I found on the inside is that the cheapo support pin
to the magnet which rotates inside the speedometer cup is worn and was rubbing against the cup. There was a lot
of speedometer needle jump on it since the magnet would bump the cup.

I ordered a "iGPSport iGS130 GPS Cycling Computer" this weekend off of Ebay to try it out. I decided on the older
model since it is not cluttered with all of the extra bells and whistle functions that would never be used. I think the old
mechanical had about 5K on it and was expensive but made with cheap quality components. Like most of them they
are made in China and this one read in MPH instead of Kph. I have another one which is a Chinese version which
I took off of the other bike and it is a Kph version and it actually seams to be better quality. There really is no way
to mount a magnetic transducer type on the front Mag wheel to guarantee any accuracy. If this setup don't work I
have a cellphone I could rig up. The trouble with them is they are hard to see in direct sunlight.

Some of the things ordered from China that I have received have beat the stuff ordered in the States. It's good you
got it quick!
Dennis

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Dennis, I hear ya on the 415 chain. I never knew chain to stretch like that, hard to believe the pins don't fall out.
So when I put the Diamond chain on my Flyer the made in China #41 will go on my Huffy.
It will be a few days before I test this breaker / maker out.
But if it doesn't pass muster, I have plenty of 4140 prehard and a $24 pattern to reverse engineer.
But in the mean time, today after work I preset the height on two miniature Tool Makers jacks that fit in the countersink pockets and set up, touched off a .064" arbor slitting saw, and calculated exact centerline to split the fork clamps that will support the front fender struts.
Most likely will not do the slitting until Wed. as the Mrs. desires that I mow the 2 acre lawn tomorrow. Another rain is forecast for the over night.
Tom

 

[EZL]

Dennis, I hear ya on the 415 chain. I never knew chain to stretch like that, hard to believe the pins don't fall out.
So when I put the Diamond chain on my Flyer the made in China #41 will go on my Huffy.
It will be a few days before I test this breaker / maker out.
But if it doesn't pass muster, I have plenty of 4140 prehard and a $24 pattern to reverse engineer.
But in the mean time, today after work I preset the height on two miniature Tool Makers jacks that fit in the countersink pockets and set up, touched off a .064" arbor slitting saw, and calculated exact centerline to split the fork clamps that will support the front fender struts.
Most likely will not do the slitting until Wed. as the Mrs. desires that I mow the 2 acre lawn tomorrow. Another rain is forecast for the over night.
Tom

We have had rain here for the last few days and just today the sun has shown. I mowed last Wednesday and it looks like I'll
have to do it again in a few days. The corn is going to be ready for harvesting sometime in the first weeks of Oct. so things
will get busy real soon. I've got to till up the old garden here and I might plant some Winter wheat in rows and then in the
Spring plant sweetcorn between the rows of wheat hoping the wheat might keep the weeds from trying to takeover. That
is going to be a little experiment to see how that works out. I never had time this Spring to get anything planted so the
Foxtail weeds took over this Summer and last week I mowed them down. I hope we don't have another Summer like we
had this year. I've mowed about 14 times this year and I suppose I'll have to do a couple more times till a frost slows it down.
I don't know where the Summer went and I never even had a chance to get time off to do some fishing. Hope things work out
on your project that you have.
Dennis

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

That breaker looks excellent! I use a master-link so no need have the tool press connection. The 25 dollar one that has extra tip included looks like a fly wheel puller with two jaws and the twist handle. Pumpkin and hops to harvest. Some smart deer opened a gate to the deer fenced garden. There was no regular latch, just some hooks. I tide a rope and should be OK now. Their mouths just could only gnaw just a slight tangent off the pumpkin as it is too big for them, so no biggie. Orange tree behind more of the all containers in a half wine barrel the deer did not get to. The sharp thorns they can probably not even notice as I see then in the wild blackberries that have thorns. Time to bring Orange tree inside or move to warmer temperate local. Welded pin hole in muffler on pickup, looks awful I know. The material must be quite thick and the Hobart 130 may have done better if I removed the muffler. Then I would have had a better angle. Eliminating an extension cord as a short distance to the overhead power coming to the circuit breaker box and right to a wall outlet would have been best. It has no load bearing just keep gases going to the tail pipe so it is done.

 

[EZL]

That breaker looks excellent! I use a master-link so no need have the tool press connection. The 25 dollar one that has extra tip included looks like a fly wheel puller with two jaws and the twist handle. Pumpkin and hops to harvest. Some smart deer opened a gate to the deer fenced garden. There was no regular latch, just some hooks. I tide a rope and should be OK now. Their mouths just could only gnaw just a slight tangent off the pumpkin as it is too big for them, so no biggie. Orange tree behind more of the all containers in a half wine barrel the deer did not get to. The sharp thorns they can probably not even notice as I see then in the wild blackberries that have thorns. Time to bring Orange tree inside or move to warmer temperate local. Welded pin hole in muffler on pickup, looks awful I know. The material must be quite thick and the Hobart 130 may have done better if I removed the muffler. Then I would have had a better angle. Eliminating an extension cord as a short distance to the overhead power coming to the circuit breaker box and right to a wall outlet would have been best. It has no load bearing just keep gases going to the tail pipe so it is done.

I bought 2 different chain breakers and they will work on the 415 chains. I have pictures of what
I have used and the two I have will not press out the pins on a 41 chain. The 41 chain is industrial
pre-stretched chain which is hardened steal chain. Using the first chain breaker I bent the pin
slightly on the breaker and was able to straighten it, when I tried using it on a 415 chain. I used
a grinder to grind down the pins on that chain and the cheap breaker worked ok. I bought the last
breaker kit and it worked on on 415 chain without grinding down the pins on the chain. When I
tried using it on the 41 chain I could see it would never press a pin out of a link of that chain
without bending the press pin. The last chain breaker kit I bought from GasBike and it was fairly
expensive and came with two rolls of 415 chain. I have never tried the (2nd picture) chain
breaker but I doubt that it would press out a pin on a 41 chain but would be ok as long as the
pins were ground down before using it. The cheap chain breaker in the first picture works ok
on a 41 chain as long as you grind the pins off before using it.

I've got several lengths of 415 chain and I will not use that chain on a motorized bike since it
is made of soft metal and will break and stretch. The last time I used 415 chain on a 212cc
engine it broke a link on the chain. The chain is ok on the little 49cc 4-stroke engines and
the 2-stroke engines. You will be constantly tightening the chain since it is always stretching.
A spring loader idler will help keep the slack out of the 415 chain but eventually the chain
will break or have to be replaced. You want a chain that will last and not stretch buy the
industrial 41 chain.

Welding on the muffler wasn't bad and I've done that several times. The rust usually starts
where exhaust condensation sits from starting and shutting down a engine. The mufflers
are usually galvanized plated and many have a small drain hole for the condensation to
escape. Welding on them burns away the galvanized coating on the inside and outside of
the muffler causing it to rust later on. That is why the shells are crimped together and it's
a never ending job keeping them working.

Dennis

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

With engine running on pickup truck that weep-hole as I now know was there for a reason, had some gases come out. I guess there is no distinction between water exit and gasses exiting. So maybe it widened from rust? Anyhow another time I will get an 1/8 inch drill and put one back there again.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

We have had rain here for the last few days and just today the sun has shown. I mowed last Wednesday and it looks like I'll
have to do it again in a few days. The corn is going to be ready for harvesting sometime in the first weeks of Oct. so things
will get busy real soon. I've got to till up the old garden here and I might plant some Winter wheat in rows and then in the
Spring plant sweetcorn between the rows of wheat hoping the wheat might keep the weeds from trying to takeover. That
is going to be a little experiment to see how that works out. I never had time this Spring to get anything planted so the
Foxtail weeds took over this Summer and last week I mowed them down. I hope we don't have another Summer like we
had this year. I've mowed about 14 times this year and I suppose I'll have to do a couple more times till a frost slows it down.
I don't know where the Summer went and I never even had a chance to get time off to do some fishing. Hope things work out
on your project that you have.
Dennis

Hope you mowed that Foxtail before it headed other wise wheat won't work for a cover crop. I have used Ladino clover and if you have chickens Ladino is a good protein source for them. As for fishing I bought a license but my 1953 Ford Jubilee That I use to move the boat is a nonstarter.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

That breaker looks excellent! I use a master-link so no need have the tool press connection. The 25 dollar one that has extra tip included looks like a fly wheel puller with two jaws and the twist handle. Pumpkin and hops to harvest. Some smart deer opened a gate to the deer fenced garden. There was no regular latch, just some hooks. I tide a rope and should be OK now. Their mouths just could only gnaw just a slight tangent off the pumpkin as it is too big for them, so no biggie. Orange tree behind more of the all containers in a half wine barrel the deer did not get to. The sharp thorns they can probably not even notice as I see then in the wild blackberries that have thorns. Time to bring Orange tree inside or move to warmer temperate local. Welded pin hole in muffler on pickup, looks awful I know. The material must be quite thick and the Hobart 130 may have done better if I removed the muffler. Then I would have had a better angle. Eliminating an extension cord as a short distance to the overhead power coming to the circuit breaker box and right to a wall outlet would have been best. It has no load bearing just keep gases going to the tail pipe so it is done.

MT, I seen you welded the weep hole shut.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Dennis said;
I have never tried the (2nd picture) chain
breaker but I doubt that it would press out a pin on a 41 chain but would be ok as long as the
pins were ground down before using it. The cheap chain breaker in the first picture works ok
on a 41 chain as long as you grind the pins off before using it.
Me;
Dennis this new chain breaker looks like nothing would stop it but my new $68 10ft Diamond chain package has instructions recommend grinding off one pin end. To reassemble a chain without a Master link for safety sake would require restaking the inserted pin. I played around with that trick. It would require a made for the job punch and anvil staking tooling. When my Diamond chain arrived it had a Master link I'm using it.
Tom

 

[curtisfox]

I got my chain breaker from farm store that sells chain, never had any problems with it. Have used it on bike chain and snowblower chain, it is #40. Look up the brand name tomorrow .Looks kind of like the 2 that Dennis posted........Curt