Greetings from Metro Detroit

[Line2LineCoatings]

I stumbled across this site quite by accident, and have to confess that I had never contemplated motorizing a bicycle although I was familiar with them. I like to tinker with mechanical stuff and prefer vintage over modern. I like vintage travel trailers; we are currently either up to or down to 4 campers, depending upon your perspective. We also has a 1958 Nash/AMC Metropolitan that I get to wrench on occasionally. They were built in Longbridge England so they're all Brit under the hood. I had an interesting work meeting today with a guy who builds road race cars and he mentioned that he prefers British. When I found out that he can squeeze 150hp out of a 1500cc engine that is identical to the 55hp model in our car that also got me to thinking.

The reason I decided to register is twofold; first, the motorbikes I have seen here look like they're really cool and lots of fun, and potentially within my skillsets for building one. Second, I bought my wife a beat-up Schwinn Hollywood that needs a total restoration. So I got to wondering if it can be motorized because it's a woman's model. I haven't been able to find anything out by searching google. I am sure that there is a forum on here for asking that question specifically so I'll go look for it next.

 

[wheelbender6]

Welcome to the forum. I think you will enjoy this hobby. You can make these bikes super economical, super fast, or super custom. It's personal preference.

 

[2door]

Welcome to the forum.
There have been several successful builds using a woman's step through frame. It can be done but takes a little more work and ingenuity than simply bolting an engine into a 'V' frame. Other options are a rack mounted engine(over the rear wheel) using either chain or friction drive.
Good luck and keep us informed about project.

Tom

 

[Ludwig II]

There's these examples I've found for centre mount and rear mount. Only one of them uses the China Girl type engines, after reading all the comments about them. I'm going Cag and restricting it.

 

[biknut]

Welcome to the forum from Dallas. Since you like vintage stuff, you'll probably like the board track racer style bikes (BTR). There's a special section for them on this forum.

Using a girls bike frame is a challange when using a in frame motor, because without a cross bar it's easy to burn yourself on a hot motor. That's why it's suggested to use a rear rack mounted motor.

 

[Line2LineCoatings]

Thanks for all the fast responses. At the vintage trailer rallies we attend people ride around on all kinds of retro stuff from bicycles to golf carts. A friend in the group just got a 1968 Honda CB160 which my wife really likes, so I got the idea to take her vintage Schwinn and try and motorize it. Luckily I have several months to work on it, so we'll see how it goes.

Biknut, saw the board track style bikes! That would be more my style. If I could pull one of those off my friend who is restoring a vintage BWM motorcycle would be duly impressed.

 

[biknut]

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Word of warning though, motor bicycling is highly addictive. One build inevitably leads to another, in an endless search for elusive perfection lol.

 

[Line2LineCoatings]

Great. At least it will be easier to store multiple motorbikes should the urge to pursue my ideal become too strong to overcome.

 

[WightBoy]

Welcome! What part of metro are you from? I grew up in Clarkston.

 

[Line2LineCoatings]

I've always lived in that same general area (Orchard Lake, West Bloomfield, Waterford and White Lake). I work in Clarkston.

 

[WightBoy]

Your secret is safe!

 

[Mannhouse51]

Welcome to the forum , nice to have you here !

 

[dracothered]

Well welcome from Howell MI and just face the fact that you have been bitten by the bug and you will soon be supporting at least two builds shortly if not more.

So what model trailers do you currently own and do you go to the Tin Can rally held here in Michigan.

 

[Ludwig II]

About the Nash/Austin. You can probably squeeze an 1800 MGB engine in there if you want more go, rather than trying to make the 848 engine work harder.

 

[Line2LineCoatings]

Yes, been going to the rallies at Camp Dearborn for almost 12 years now. That started with a 1956 Benroy teardrop trailer that I bought in Fowlerville. We currently own a 1948 United (built in Williamston, MI), a 1965 Cree Coach (Marcellus, MI), a 1965 Avion H24 (Benton Harbor, MI) and a 1961 Beeline (Elkhart, IN). TCT is one of those "can't miss" events that we do every year.

 

[Line2LineCoatings]

Ludwig: in the first two years Metropolitans were equipped with an Austin 1200cc engine. The last 5 years they had a 1500cc engine, which left stock is able to generate around 55hp, according to all of the literature I have seen. The other guy was able to take that same motor and build it out to 150hp. He said one of the biggest drawbacks of the stock motor is that the cam shaft weighs approximately 30 pounds. He knows a shop that can reproduce it in billet steel for tremendous weight savings, but only at the nominal cost of around $2000!

I like your idea of just upsizing the engine itself. Lots of people have put some pretty strange stuff into a Met, including one guy locally who installed a 400 small block. That's a little too extreme for me.

 

[Line2LineCoatings]

And thanks all for your greetings!

 

[Artificer161]

Hey welcome to the forum, lots of great ideas to be found here and watch out for the boss lol. Im out here near ann arbor MI, working on my first build as well.