Oh, and as far as a dual cable lever, you'll find the rear brake cable flexes a ton more than the front because of it's length. So you may not get the adjustment you want with that setup. Maybe someone has addressed this problem already, would love to hear from them. Using a good heavy motorcycle size cable will help considerably. I have a light weight single lever cable on the rear of my race bike and by the time I get it adjusted so I have some brake feel, the shoes are already dragging in the drum. I'm going to install the heavier cable after this weekends race, I have other tuning issues to tend to so I may not have time. Luckily I have a very large front drum and a compression release to slow it down. If I'm not satisfied with the bigger cable, I may try a short cable transitioning to a rod and bell crank setup. CCC and DMB came up with a great way to hydraulically activate the rear drum on Little Red in the Chop Shop threads. Check it out, very innovative, yet simple solution. I may end up with something similar when I get time.
Electra Super Deluxe w/briggs flathead.
- Thread starter Mr.GhettoRig
- Start date
thanks msrfan, I was wondering what all that stuff on the fork was. I just test fit the front hub and the axle fits like a glove but the the groove in the drum is nowhere near the locking tab on the fork, it's above it by at least an inch and a half. could I just cut the tab off and reweld it lower on the fork? or is there some kind of special trick to avoid it snapping?
I see what you mean on the spokes with the rear hub, I realized it looks a little smaller when its actually next to the wheel and I don't suspect I'll have any problems. And like you said if they're too long they can always be ground down. I'll work on getting them laced up when I get my front wheel and lever. What do you use for a truing stand? I know a 'real' one can be kinda pricey, I've seen various DIY jigs but I'm skeptical. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to make one but I don't wanna go through the trouble of doing it and end up with oval shaped wheels. I'll call up a couple shops tomorrow to get an idea of how much they wanna rob me for the job, 9/10 times jobs like that are way over priced.. but we'll see. I will eventually buy a quality stand but right now they're just out of my price range.
By tomorrow afternoon I hope to have at least my front wheel and a couple other things paid for and on the way. Then there's only a couple miscellaneous parts till I have everything... then it's just a matter of cutting, grinding, welding, cursing, and assembling.
Also I have a couple more questions. First, on your builds, did you beef up any of the frame welds? or did you just leave the factory welds? Being new to motor bicycling with an engine bigger than 25cc's pretty much everything makes me nervous. And the second question, would it be possible to buy one of your compression release mechanisms if you have another set up laying around? You don't really need to go out of your way or anything, I just lack any and all milling tools currently... I've manage to scrape by this long with a drill, dremel, and an angle grinder. I can't wait till the day I have all the tools I need to be self efficient. haha... either way you've been a big help so far, it's nice to get tips from someone who's already said and done it.
and OH yeah I got a short running video of the engine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbxWF195jhs&list=UUZ6pdQailizV0tLddSYTisg&index=1
I see what you mean on the spokes with the rear hub, I realized it looks a little smaller when its actually next to the wheel and I don't suspect I'll have any problems. And like you said if they're too long they can always be ground down. I'll work on getting them laced up when I get my front wheel and lever. What do you use for a truing stand? I know a 'real' one can be kinda pricey, I've seen various DIY jigs but I'm skeptical. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to make one but I don't wanna go through the trouble of doing it and end up with oval shaped wheels. I'll call up a couple shops tomorrow to get an idea of how much they wanna rob me for the job, 9/10 times jobs like that are way over priced.. but we'll see. I will eventually buy a quality stand but right now they're just out of my price range.
By tomorrow afternoon I hope to have at least my front wheel and a couple other things paid for and on the way. Then there's only a couple miscellaneous parts till I have everything... then it's just a matter of cutting, grinding, welding, cursing, and assembling.
Also I have a couple more questions. First, on your builds, did you beef up any of the frame welds? or did you just leave the factory welds? Being new to motor bicycling with an engine bigger than 25cc's pretty much everything makes me nervous. And the second question, would it be possible to buy one of your compression release mechanisms if you have another set up laying around? You don't really need to go out of your way or anything, I just lack any and all milling tools currently... I've manage to scrape by this long with a drill, dremel, and an angle grinder. I can't wait till the day I have all the tools I need to be self efficient. haha... either way you've been a big help so far, it's nice to get tips from someone who's already said and done it.
and OH yeah I got a short running video of the engine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbxWF195jhs&list=UUZ6pdQailizV0tLddSYTisg&index=1
Last edited:
Great sounding engine, revs nice. You need to weld a piece on the fork that fits real well into the brake groove without any movement. I cut a chunk of 3/8'' thick stock into the shape I wanted and had it welded. You can just eliminate the existing tab, or leave it if it's not in the way.
I bought a lightweight truing stand years ago when they were around $20.00. Before that I just used a set of forks in a vise and opened up the slot to accept up to 1/2'' axles. I used an old Schwinn blade fork that was easy to widen to fit everything.
As far as the frame welds, I didn't go over them but instead cut out gussets to fit all the stressed areas, like just under the seat where the rear fender mounts, the kickstand area and the rear axle. Also a fork turning stop is important and any place you have to cut away for clearance my need to be reinforced or bridged to an adjacent frame member.
I bought a lightweight truing stand years ago when they were around $20.00. Before that I just used a set of forks in a vise and opened up the slot to accept up to 1/2'' axles. I used an old Schwinn blade fork that was easy to widen to fit everything.
As far as the frame welds, I didn't go over them but instead cut out gussets to fit all the stressed areas, like just under the seat where the rear fender mounts, the kickstand area and the rear axle. Also a fork turning stop is important and any place you have to cut away for clearance my need to be reinforced or bridged to an adjacent frame member.
My compression releases are all hand carved with hacksaws, drills, hammer and files with the exception of machining the rough cast part of the cam next to the gear. That can even be done carefully with a file.
Well I went to get started making the compression release bracket. Spent about 2 hours cutting/grinding it into shape, and making the perfect valve shape into the hook part. Then drilled a wrong hole. So I didn't accomplish anything today besides ordering the new wheel..
I'll take another shot at it tomorrow. anyway, here's the latest mockup just because. it'll look neater when the engine is sitting in there straight.
I'll take another shot at it tomorrow. anyway, here's the latest mockup just because. it'll look neater when the engine is sitting in there straight.
Finally took care of those holes in my frame. First step was cutting the old tubing out just below the frame supports, then we found a tube in the closest size dia. and spent about an hour and a half trying to get it to bend right. The bender kinked it near the bottom a little bit but once the engine plate is welded in there shouldn't be any issues. It'll tie the bottom of the town tube in with the seat post tube and it should all be pretty solid. The new tube was sleeved at the top and has two reinforcing brackets at the bottom. Also we sleeved the seat post tube and welded it together to take care of the second hole... most of everything is in place I just need to clean up the crank area and work on mounting the engine plate. Next step is lacing the wheels into the hubs and reworking the rear of the frame to fit. Then weld in some gussets and start piecing it all together.
here's some pics of today's carnage.
what do you guys think?
here's some pics of today's carnage.
what do you guys think?
Last edited:
You probably know what I think! Great job on reinforcing the tubing. A good solid frame will reward you with a bullet proof base for your motor, forks and wheels for years to come. Glad to see you're moving right along.
Thanks! I'm glad I'm doing it right the second time around. haha
got little bit more done today. cleaned up those nasty welds around the crank as much as I could, it's not perfect but it's good enough. I Also ground out some spaces on my engine plate and drilled out the holes. fits the bike nice and the motor now sits straight up with plenty of room rather than all cramped up like before.
got little bit more done today. cleaned up those nasty welds around the crank as much as I could, it's not perfect but it's good enough. I Also ground out some spaces on my engine plate and drilled out the holes. fits the bike nice and the motor now sits straight up with plenty of room rather than all cramped up like before.
first of all sorry guys for all the delays, been at a stand still waiting for my spoke wrench. It got 90% on its way here and the postal service decided to send it somewhere completely different. delivery status hasn't been updated since the 30th so who knows. I need that to build my wheels so I know how much to widen the rear and so I can get the drive system lined up and the engine mounted.
but in the down time I managed to build my battery mount out of my two failed engine mounts. Copied the design from The_Ruppster_86 (http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/project-logs/45533-lighted-mini-bike.html)
It still needs some minor adjustments but overall it's pretty secure. So now when I get a new headlight bulb, get the rear widened, and get my turn signal switch in the mail, I can get all the lighting wired up.
here's the pics.
but in the down time I managed to build my battery mount out of my two failed engine mounts. Copied the design from The_Ruppster_86 (http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/project-logs/45533-lighted-mini-bike.html)
It still needs some minor adjustments but overall it's pretty secure. So now when I get a new headlight bulb, get the rear widened, and get my turn signal switch in the mail, I can get all the lighting wired up.
here's the pics.
wow it's been awhile. and I still didn't manage to get much done.
Traded out my headlight for a harbor freight halogen because the whole headlight assembly was about $20 cheaper than just the bulb for my old one.. plus the casing had holes in it and it was rusty and dented. Then I got an all in one switch for a scooter to to wire everything in to. I bought the side thats supposed to be the high beam/low beam but I just wired it in as an on/off switch. it's also got a small 2.5" horn thats actually a lot louder than I expected. and there's a turn signal switch but nothings wired into it yet, I'm waiting to find a flasher relay that works with my LEDs. And I also mounted my license plate bracket and moved my taillight on top of it. I was having too many problems with wires rubbing and it sits better where it is now than it did on the curved fender. And don't worry, a new rear fender was on the gameplan anyway.
Started getting one of my wheels laced up into the drum hub (which is why I've got a crappy rear wheel on it right now) but it ended up being more of a pain that I thought it was gonna be. So I'm gonna try using disc brakes instead. and weld up some brackets so I can use the calipers off of my pit bike. In the end I wont have to widen the rear and I'll still have some powerful brakes. I've been doing some reading around on here and it seems a few of you are running pit bike brakes, if any of you would like to chime in and give me your two cents that would be really appreciated.
so now on top of building the wheels, all I have to do is weld the gussets, jackshaft, and engine plate into my frame and the frame is ready to be stripped and painted. Then set up the suicide lever to engage and disengage properly, and finish up the wiring. I can't wait to finally have this project completed.
OH and before I forget, can anyone recommend a center stand? I've seen a couple on amazon but I don't know if they can take the weight of the bike. It's already a tank with the battery alone one I get the engine on there it's gonna weight a ton and a half.
also I updated my mockup picture. not sure if I'm 100% sold on the paint scheme yet but it's an idea.
Hope to have more updates soon.
Traded out my headlight for a harbor freight halogen because the whole headlight assembly was about $20 cheaper than just the bulb for my old one.. plus the casing had holes in it and it was rusty and dented. Then I got an all in one switch for a scooter to to wire everything in to. I bought the side thats supposed to be the high beam/low beam but I just wired it in as an on/off switch. it's also got a small 2.5" horn thats actually a lot louder than I expected. and there's a turn signal switch but nothings wired into it yet, I'm waiting to find a flasher relay that works with my LEDs. And I also mounted my license plate bracket and moved my taillight on top of it. I was having too many problems with wires rubbing and it sits better where it is now than it did on the curved fender. And don't worry, a new rear fender was on the gameplan anyway.
Started getting one of my wheels laced up into the drum hub (which is why I've got a crappy rear wheel on it right now) but it ended up being more of a pain that I thought it was gonna be. So I'm gonna try using disc brakes instead. and weld up some brackets so I can use the calipers off of my pit bike. In the end I wont have to widen the rear and I'll still have some powerful brakes. I've been doing some reading around on here and it seems a few of you are running pit bike brakes, if any of you would like to chime in and give me your two cents that would be really appreciated.
so now on top of building the wheels, all I have to do is weld the gussets, jackshaft, and engine plate into my frame and the frame is ready to be stripped and painted. Then set up the suicide lever to engage and disengage properly, and finish up the wiring. I can't wait to finally have this project completed.
OH and before I forget, can anyone recommend a center stand? I've seen a couple on amazon but I don't know if they can take the weight of the bike. It's already a tank with the battery alone one I get the engine on there it's gonna weight a ton and a half.
also I updated my mockup picture. not sure if I'm 100% sold on the paint scheme yet but it's an idea.
Hope to have more updates soon.
I've enjoyed reading your build thread. Love those Briggs and I, too, have been much inspired and influenced by our good msrfan. There's nothing like it when you are finally riding that bad boy and have the rough spots smoothed out. Somebody (a lot of somebodies) will ask about what make it is or where you got it and you can say with justified pride, "I built this myself."
SB
SB
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AO9Z7K/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is a center stand Sunlite Double Kickstand I got and I'll have to weigh my bike and see how much it weighs. The stand is not so you can sit on the bike with it in the down position. That would be a true motorcycle stand which no bike stand unless custom made could possibly do.
The only thing that I have found is the rubber caps for grip on the two feet will slide off and be lost. I took marine caulking and dabbed it all over the caps and slightly up the leg to hold them on.
On very soft ground, it would be best to lean up against a tree or something. Deep pine needles made it impossible to use this stand, but otherwise a charm.
MT
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29678&page=6 see center pic post 56 half way down page for stand on bike
This is a center stand Sunlite Double Kickstand I got and I'll have to weigh my bike and see how much it weighs. The stand is not so you can sit on the bike with it in the down position. That would be a true motorcycle stand which no bike stand unless custom made could possibly do.
The only thing that I have found is the rubber caps for grip on the two feet will slide off and be lost. I took marine caulking and dabbed it all over the caps and slightly up the leg to hold them on.
On very soft ground, it would be best to lean up against a tree or something. Deep pine needles made it impossible to use this stand, but otherwise a charm.
MT
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29678&page=6 see center pic post 56 half way down page for stand on bike
Last edited:
I've had several of those and they work well. Yes, the rubber tips come off and are then gone. I used cane rubber tip replacements. You can find them at any hardware store.
I'm trying to remember where I bought a more heavy duty steel stand which has two springs on it and adjustable legs. The ability to adjust the length of the legs is a plus since on the one's above they do not adjust and if they are too short for your bike you're out of luck. The down side to the heavy duty one is that the adjustable portion of the steel legs is an aluminum hollow core bolt on each leg. With a heavy motorbike (mine tend to be) the aluminum bolt can and will bend. Also, the odd shaped rubber tips come off and are gone in no time. What I did was modify this type stand by removing the aluminum bolt extenders and replaced them with regular hex head steel bolts. At the head of each bolt I placed a large flat washer which I welded to the hex head. This gives a larger area to come in contact with the ground and makes the stand more stable. With the modifications it is a great stand. I think it might have been from Piston Bikes I got it and that was a few years ago. It's been a real good stand and I can adjust the legs to the perfect height for the bike.
SB
I'm trying to remember where I bought a more heavy duty steel stand which has two springs on it and adjustable legs. The ability to adjust the length of the legs is a plus since on the one's above they do not adjust and if they are too short for your bike you're out of luck. The down side to the heavy duty one is that the adjustable portion of the steel legs is an aluminum hollow core bolt on each leg. With a heavy motorbike (mine tend to be) the aluminum bolt can and will bend. Also, the odd shaped rubber tips come off and are gone in no time. What I did was modify this type stand by removing the aluminum bolt extenders and replaced them with regular hex head steel bolts. At the head of each bolt I placed a large flat washer which I welded to the hex head. This gives a larger area to come in contact with the ground and makes the stand more stable. With the modifications it is a great stand. I think it might have been from Piston Bikes I got it and that was a few years ago. It's been a real good stand and I can adjust the legs to the perfect height for the bike.
SB
thanks for chiming in guys. I'll look around and see if I can find it. I saw a link for a weird looking silver stand that was claimed to be heavy duty. one of the arms on it looked like it was bent funny in the picture, wasn't adjustable but they said in the description that you can cut it down.. if that wasn't blatenly obvious. I'll see if I can find that one two and see what you think.
and as for the "cool" effect, even without a motor on it I get people staring it down and complimenting it all over the place. Actually today on my way to homecheapo to get gusset material a guy passing by on a motorcycle almost hit a curb because he was paying attention to me at the stop sign..(caused a jeep to spin out on the bike in my avatar once too) which probably isn't a good thing. But heck it's the looks I get that keep me going. Haven't had that "holy crap I can't believe I built this" feeling since I got my rupp on the road. I'm just having a heck of a time getting this done because people around me make me feel bad for dumping so much money into it (almost $800 so far). I always get that "well why don't you just go buy a motorcycle" from my family and even the guy helping me with the welding and its kinda demotivating. Note to self: don't share prices with people on the next build.
anyway.. I spent like 3-4 hours on google today looking for a 'special' hub thats not way out of my budget. Msrfan directed me to find a disc hub with a bigger axle than the standard 10mm bicycles have. I did some digging up and I guess hardcore BMX'ers use 14mm axles in there bikes. so I went looking for a single speed 36h disc hub with a 14mm axle and it seems I have a few options.
1. Spend like $300 on my hubs
2. Buy a DMR hub I was looking at with a 10mm and get an axle conversion kit and HOPE it fits. since according to a guy on yahoo answers it should fit but I have my doubts. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AocW3xC1ueO9MoYPiaXMMvQazKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20130613162149AAHIT8s)
I'm just kinda at a standstill right now because It seems all of my options lead to failure or an empty bank account. and really its only the wheels that are stopping me from finishing this thing.
Also my lights seem to be giving me trouble now.. I'll charge the battery all night and my lights die 15 minutes into a ride without me touching the horn at all. so either my charger isnt working properly, or my wiring is still screwy.. or I'm just asking too much out of my battery. I'll draw up a wiring diagram later and upload it here. A member on Oldminibikes used a bicycle generator on his flywheel as an alternator, I'm gonna talk to him to see how well it worked because having a charging system on the bike would help out. we'll see how it goes.
I absolutely cannot wait for this thing to be done. I honestly had no idea what I was getting into when I started this project. And even without having it done I feel like I've learned a lot. Still love the bike to death but MAN what a headache... I'll keep you guys posted.
and as for the "cool" effect, even without a motor on it I get people staring it down and complimenting it all over the place. Actually today on my way to homecheapo to get gusset material a guy passing by on a motorcycle almost hit a curb because he was paying attention to me at the stop sign..(caused a jeep to spin out on the bike in my avatar once too) which probably isn't a good thing. But heck it's the looks I get that keep me going. Haven't had that "holy crap I can't believe I built this" feeling since I got my rupp on the road. I'm just having a heck of a time getting this done because people around me make me feel bad for dumping so much money into it (almost $800 so far). I always get that "well why don't you just go buy a motorcycle" from my family and even the guy helping me with the welding and its kinda demotivating. Note to self: don't share prices with people on the next build.
anyway.. I spent like 3-4 hours on google today looking for a 'special' hub thats not way out of my budget. Msrfan directed me to find a disc hub with a bigger axle than the standard 10mm bicycles have. I did some digging up and I guess hardcore BMX'ers use 14mm axles in there bikes. so I went looking for a single speed 36h disc hub with a 14mm axle and it seems I have a few options.
1. Spend like $300 on my hubs
2. Buy a DMR hub I was looking at with a 10mm and get an axle conversion kit and HOPE it fits. since according to a guy on yahoo answers it should fit but I have my doubts. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AocW3xC1ueO9MoYPiaXMMvQazKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20130613162149AAHIT8s)
I'm just kinda at a standstill right now because It seems all of my options lead to failure or an empty bank account. and really its only the wheels that are stopping me from finishing this thing.
Also my lights seem to be giving me trouble now.. I'll charge the battery all night and my lights die 15 minutes into a ride without me touching the horn at all. so either my charger isnt working properly, or my wiring is still screwy.. or I'm just asking too much out of my battery. I'll draw up a wiring diagram later and upload it here. A member on Oldminibikes used a bicycle generator on his flywheel as an alternator, I'm gonna talk to him to see how well it worked because having a charging system on the bike would help out. we'll see how it goes.
I absolutely cannot wait for this thing to be done. I honestly had no idea what I was getting into when I started this project. And even without having it done I feel like I've learned a lot. Still love the bike to death but MAN what a headache... I'll keep you guys posted.
Last edited:
http://www.pistonbikes.com/category-s/46.htm
I'm pretty sure this is where I bought my adjustable stand. They have it for $30.00. Looks like the same one, anyway. I imagine other sources are out there now.
Regarding the light not lasting long. If you are using the stock bulb inside the Harbor Freight light I imagine it is drawing a lot of juice to that halogen bulb. I modified mine by removing the bulb and using a cluster of LED,s from a flashlight. Bright, but don't use a lot of juice. Here's a link to the light I'm talking about.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=488261
Hope this helps...
SB
I'm pretty sure this is where I bought my adjustable stand. They have it for $30.00. Looks like the same one, anyway. I imagine other sources are out there now.
Regarding the light not lasting long. If you are using the stock bulb inside the Harbor Freight light I imagine it is drawing a lot of juice to that halogen bulb. I modified mine by removing the bulb and using a cluster of LED,s from a flashlight. Bright, but don't use a lot of juice. Here's a link to the light I'm talking about.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=488261
Hope this helps...
SB
thanks to all who helped.. big shout out to msrfan for giving me a bunch of pointers. but I don't think I'm going to finish this project. I feel like I've made little progress for all the time and money spent. As it sits, it's got bad crank, the rear coaster hub is coming apart, the electrical system has all kinds of issues... and all it feels like I always have to go back and redo something a bunch of times and then cross my fingers I don't have to go BACK over it again. I had big dreams for this project when I started it, needless to say I was in way over my head. If I were to finish I'd still have to spend a good amount of money and I'd end up in trouble with the police anyway because they're around here like cockroaches and if I got harassed on a leafblower bike going 10mph who knows how its gonna be on this one. Plus like I've been saying it feels like everyones rooting for me to abandon this project so I guess I'm finally giving in. Just wish it happened before I spent a bunch of money.
In the next few days everything but the engine is going on craigslist.. if I can get $200 out of everything I'll consider myself lucky. If I find myself insane enough enough to come back to it before it sells I'll let you guys know.. And I apologize to those of you who were looking forward to seeing this done. I'm not giving up on the hobby only this project, I'll take on the task again when I have a better gameplan and income.
In the next few days everything but the engine is going on craigslist.. if I can get $200 out of everything I'll consider myself lucky. If I find myself insane enough enough to come back to it before it sells I'll let you guys know.. And I apologize to those of you who were looking forward to seeing this done. I'm not giving up on the hobby only this project, I'll take on the task again when I have a better gameplan and income.
Last edited:
I look at the thread and do not think I saw anyone dissuading you to complete the bike.
The wheels if they are OK as is and you can just use them and transfer the rear wheel drive parts later when you have fund if you really want an do upgrade, that seem possible you could check into.
My bike I just did away with riding on the streets (no pedals just pegs instead) and am going for State Sticker for OHV dirt biking on the trails. Plenty of Federal, State, and County Trails to ride.
My bike is not really great cosmetically looking, but when I can find a space again to finish a mod to cover it for a fish looking parade vehicle, I be using it temporarily on the streets if I get single use permit.
PS: the stuff people say about why didn't you .... the heck with them .... DIYers rule!
The wheels if they are OK as is and you can just use them and transfer the rear wheel drive parts later when you have fund if you really want an do upgrade, that seem possible you could check into.
My bike I just did away with riding on the streets (no pedals just pegs instead) and am going for State Sticker for OHV dirt biking on the trails. Plenty of Federal, State, and County Trails to ride.
My bike is not really great cosmetically looking, but when I can find a space again to finish a mod to cover it for a fish looking parade vehicle, I be using it temporarily on the streets if I get single use permit.
PS: the stuff people say about why didn't you .... the heck with them .... DIYers rule!