Hello from South Africa

[Spitfire-MKIV]

Hey folks.
Got this crazy idea to build a motorized custom bicycle to be themed out like a WW2 spitfire MKIV.
I have ordered all the parts from the US, should get them in 3 weeks. I will measure all the parts and design the frame in Autocad 3D and assemble, spray and enjoy.

Should take me about 6-12 months...

See attached pic for one of my concept pics. Would love to hear any advice, do's or don'ts etc from other members having been through a similar experience.

Regards

 

[stevolandis]

Welcome to the forum- you can get lots of help here! Check out the User OCCStingray- he has an awesome chopper he built. It took me about 4-5 months to do my kit, even though I had to just stick it on a bike i had.(I actually went through 4 bikes to get the right one.) What engine did you get? Have fun!

 

[Spitfire-MKIV]

Hi Stevolandis,
I have bought the Grubee 80/66cc Black SkyHawk Angle Fire Bicycle Engine Kit. Thanks for advice on OCCStingray, I'll check it out. Yeah, I think that 6-12 months is realistic given I have to design the frame. You got pics of your bike? Are you happy with your engine?

Regards

 

[stevolandis]

That sounds like a good kit- Grubee is a good name. I bought a 80cc/66cc SD STINGER from biketomopedkit. It took me a while to finish, after 3 different bikes I got done in December. Started it in 30* weather, it took a while to start. Now, even though it's cold, it'll start after 20 yards downhill. So far, I'm happy with it, it has okay power, but I am going to buy an expansion pipe from sickbikeparts.com(most likely) that will add plenty of power. In January, I found a horrible teal-colored 18-speed MTN bike for free that needed a new tube and cable. I painted it black, and stuck the engine on it. I haven't taken pics of this one yet, but have pics of my other bikes with the same engine. I'll try to upload them.

 

[Spitfire-MKIV]

Stevo,
It will be great to see some pics. I'll do the same once I have my parts here.
Cheers.

 

[stevolandis]

Here's a coupla pics- the red Schwinn Traverse was the bike I already had- The engine didn't fit. So, I put it on my Dad's old bike(the other red bike), but it had skinny tires and wasn't good for dirt roads and potholes. So, I stuck it on a 1-speed cruiser with nice thick tires, which was where it stayed for an entire month! Then, the bike chain broke, and I went to a bike store to get a new chain. It turned out I could fix up a free, ugly teal-colored 18-speed bike for $8.00 for parts, so I took the deal. I painted it black, and didn't take a picture of it yet. This bike will be compatible with a shift kit. I'll try to grab some pics of my current bike.