Hi everyone!
I have been lurking on and off for a year or two and I finally got around to pulling the trigger and doing a build. I am pretty much into anything mechanical. I love cars, bikes, airplanes, etc. I wanted to do an all-black build, mainly because I have seen a huge increase in the general public's desire for the flat black look and because I think it looks cool. I own a small side business that sells wheel paint kits to automotive enthusiasts. I know some of the same principles applied to wheel painting can also be utilized with our bikes. I have painted one set of bicycle wheels/spokes on my son's bike, and it turned out great. The spokes are a bit tough, but you just have to take your time.
Anyway, the bike I chose was a flat black 7-speed Firmstrong CA-520. I wanted a 7-speed because I wanted to be able to ride the bike anywhere, even with the increased weight of the engine kit. The engine kit is a Grubee Skyhawk 48cc GT2A purchased from Bikeberry.com. A couple mods I have done thus far are:
-Nirve straight Ape bars
-drilled out air intake cover
-drilled out exhaust pipe heat shield
Before:
After:
The bike is up and running well. I have a few little things to take care of, but it's a real head-turner and conversation starter as I'm sure many of you already know from your own builds. The cool part is that I was originally worried about local law enforcement harassing me when I took a ride but my neighbor, a sheriff, basically said, "don't be an idiot and we won't bug you." He also said, "we have better things to do." He made it clear that if it was under 50cc's then they were not concerned. Sweet!
I have been lurking on and off for a year or two and I finally got around to pulling the trigger and doing a build. I am pretty much into anything mechanical. I love cars, bikes, airplanes, etc. I wanted to do an all-black build, mainly because I have seen a huge increase in the general public's desire for the flat black look and because I think it looks cool. I own a small side business that sells wheel paint kits to automotive enthusiasts. I know some of the same principles applied to wheel painting can also be utilized with our bikes. I have painted one set of bicycle wheels/spokes on my son's bike, and it turned out great. The spokes are a bit tough, but you just have to take your time.
Anyway, the bike I chose was a flat black 7-speed Firmstrong CA-520. I wanted a 7-speed because I wanted to be able to ride the bike anywhere, even with the increased weight of the engine kit. The engine kit is a Grubee Skyhawk 48cc GT2A purchased from Bikeberry.com. A couple mods I have done thus far are:
-Nirve straight Ape bars
-drilled out air intake cover
-drilled out exhaust pipe heat shield
Before:
After:
The bike is up and running well. I have a few little things to take care of, but it's a real head-turner and conversation starter as I'm sure many of you already know from your own builds. The cool part is that I was originally worried about local law enforcement harassing me when I took a ride but my neighbor, a sheriff, basically said, "don't be an idiot and we won't bug you." He also said, "we have better things to do." He made it clear that if it was under 50cc's then they were not concerned. Sweet!
Last edited by a moderator:
