how many of you motorize classics

[Allen_Wrench]

It's tru... it's hard ta get a foot of suspension travel outa a springer, let alone the ol' lady seat lol

Oh Gawd! What an image you put in my head. I figured to get a foot of travel down at the front axel, you'd need a spring up top that was about eight to ten inches long. The rider would bob up and down like a seagull on Lake Erie in November. There he'd be, boing-boing-boing, his helmet lifting up, then smacking down again, and every now and then he'd barf on the pavement from seasickness.

 

[MarksA-C]

I have a early 50's Lincoln (Schwinn) with springer. Its motorized but I did no modifications to the overall bike. I could have it back to a original pedal bike in less than an hour. I will modify classics but only bolt on stuff.

I dang near cry when I see someone cut up a perfectly good vintage bike, but if the thing was run over by a truck or something, by all means modify it and give it a second chance at life to be something cool!

 

[K-dregg]

I just chopped up a 50:s bike for a project so i have to say yes on that one..
If i think that the idea i have makes it a better or more interesting bike i think its ok..
The world is full of "classic" stuff and we cant save it all, in the end its about having as much fun as you can and sometimes that is building stuff out of junk..

 

[msrfan]

I've motorized several 60's 70's Schwinn bikes. I use a whizzer as a model but install a common 5 hp B&S horizontal shaft motor. Welded in motor mounts, double belt drive, slipper or automatic clutch, homemade internal compression release, moped front forks and brake hub laced into 26" heavy duty rims, etc. etc. They do well over 40 mph and are very smooth and torquey.

 

[curtisfox]

I don't have one yet but up and coming is a Monark frame,with a 4 stroke. I am like SB find a lot at salvage placeses.I have a lot of old bikes mostly pass through's

 

[silverbear]

I've motorized several 60's 70's Schwinn bikes. I use a whizzer as a model but install a common 5 hp B&S horizontal shaft motor. Welded in motor mounts, double belt drive, slipper or automatic clutch, homemade internal compression release, moped front forks and brake hub laced into 26" heavy duty rims, etc. etc. They do well over 40 mph and are very smooth and torquey.

Welcome to the forum. I hope you'll do a stand alone thread sharing photos and some of the how to's of your builds. They sound very interesting and something others can learn from. We love pictures around here.
SB

 

[msrfan]

Okay, Here's some of my homemade motorbikes. My orange one is obviousely a Whizzer, but the others are built from scratch.

 

[silverbear]

Okay, Here's some of my homemade motorbikes. My orange one is obviousely a Whizzer, but the others are built from scratch.

AWESOME! You do great work. How the heck do you decide which one to ride, take turns?
SB

 

[msrfan]

Hey SB. Thanks for the photo posting info. The red and black bike belongs to a friend of mine. It's the latest version with some new ideas I had. I wanted a different clutch, so we modified a Motobecane variator and grafted it onto the Briggs crank. I wanted a charging system and always collected Sturmey Archer dynohubs. So my friend, who is a machinist, made a hollow pulley and we installed the dynohub works into it. Well, at speed it puts out 87 volts, so we regulate and rectify it with a cell phone charger down to around 6 volts DC. That keeps a battery pack in the headlight bucket charged. I'll post more details later.

 

[silverbear]

... and I'll look forward to those details. Sounds intriguing. How to light these things is always a challenge.
SB

 

[paul]

those are some awesome builds. you guys make me jealous as heck with your aeswome rides