The only non custom bicycle frame styles that I think look good with a just a clip on motor and a fuel tank bolted onto them and no other modifications are beach cruisers, muscle bikes, fat tire bikes, and some chopper style bikes. I built one from a full size beach cruiser and a second one from a muscle bike with 20 inch wheels. Where I'm living right now, the laws are very relaxed on motorized bikes. The first build on a full size frame didn't have enough power to make it up local hills using engine power alone, the second build on the 20 inch bike easily went up all the hills I put it on with no problem. The first one was the cheapest 66/80 cc engine I could find for about 100 bucks. The second one I used a 225 dollar engine kit and I also added a reed valve and a windowed piston, on a 20 inch(stingray style clone) muscle bike.
I don't know if it was from the lack of engine power or just the fact that the 26" wheels were too big to turn but the beach cruiser build seemed to be almost a wasted effort. I also almost got injured on it, and called in to quit my job when the coaster brake broke while riding downhill. The second build I chose not to use brakes at all, because I could just brake with my foot like a skateboard. I thought about selling these for a profit but I see a lot of people doing that already mostly selling cheap trashy looking mountain bikes with cheap low powered $100- 150 kits. In my experience these don't work well and also don't have the proper look of a motorized bike. The more people that ride these haphazard builds the more likely someone is going to make specific laws against them, for publicly injuring people and for looking poorly assembled/irresponsible. If you ride something that basically looks like a small motorcycle or moped, and you go the speed limit on low speed roads you wont get bothered.
A lot of people sell these for $350-400 dollars, which seems right, but I know better. I have yet to build a motorized bicycle that runs well on flats at 25 mph, goes up hills without pedaling, has the proper equipment such as headlight, taillight, and brakes and also doesn't fall apart or almost get me injured or liable for damaging someones property- in less than two months, for less than 300 dollars. The first one the chain slipped off repeatedly until switching from a 415 to a 420 width chain. I also used the stock coaster brake instead of basic rim or disc brakes, which was not wise, and I could have gotten seriously injured when it broke on me. The second one I failed to put blue loktite or plumbers thread tape on the threads of the carburetor cap and I also rode it without a kill switch. As a result the cap vibrated loose while riding and the engine rps increased so much that I had to lift the rear wheel off the ground to prevent it from crashing into moving cars in an intersection after first putting my foot on the ground forcing the piston to seize up in the cylinder to kill the motor(nearly blowing the engine up and ruining the piston and cylinder). The motorcycle style bicycle headlight also vibrated apart in less than a week.
I bought a few fat tire bikes, but realized that you have to offset the motor, or alternatively, use an offset shifter kit. Option 1 looks stupid, and the second option is a greater expense than would be profitable. I've had a motorcycle license for close to 20 years, so I don't see the need to dump extra money into a motorized bicycle project if I only intend to sell it. Anything over 500 dollars would start to feel like I'm ripping people off and anything over 700 dollars they may as well buy an actual moped or save for a used motorcycle. The advantage is I can build 20- 100 of these a year but with motorcycles there's a limit because of the title transfer(four to six per year).
Technically these are also illegal, because nobody actually uses 48/49cc motors on them. And if they do, the motor has been modified to exceed the power specs required by law which is under 3hp. Anything with under 3hp I wouldn't sell to anyone anyway. A 3+ hp motor kit is $225, a lighting kit another $40, a 3 point clamp on sprocket $75, and a bicycle anywhere from $25- $350. At this point I'm at my limit for profit margins. I might expect to find a used bike to make up for some of the expense, but I would expect to also use new tires and a moped or springer style front end. So here's an example of a build sheet(numbers are rounded to the nearest $5).
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Schwinn Stingray repop 20" bicycle $150 .00 new on walmart.com
GT4 3.25 hp 66/80cc pro racing engine kit $200 .00 new on kingsmotorbikes.com
BBR 48 tooth 3 bolt sprocket adapter kit $100 .00 new on bikeberry.com
3' of 420 chain $ 25 .00 new on gokartsupply.com
Windowed piston and rings $ 25 .00 new on ebay.com
Vintage- style battery powered bicycle taillight $ 25 .00 new on amazon.com
Battery Powered Vintage-style Bicycle headlamp $ 20 .00 new on amazon.com
Springer fork for 20" front wheel $ 135 .00 new on ebay.com
Round clamp on, 7/8" bar motorcycle mirror $ 20 .00 new on ebay.com
Rim- clamp style brakes from a used donor bike $ 0 .00 free
total parts cost: $700
The best way to save on build cost would be looking for a used bike with a springer fork already on it, or find a used vintage front end at an antique shop or on craigslist. I could also use the stock front end and not worry about it. The usa made friction operated electrical parts are less likely to rattle apart. I picked up an antique friction light kit for 40 bucks. If I sold this bike for $650 after riding it 10- 25 miles at least, to test everything out, then I would make about a 20 dollar profit if I'm lucky, maybe. Or I could sell it with all new parts for 800 bucks and make a reasonable profit.
The real question is, who's going to buy a motorized bike for $800 and not complain to me if they crash it or if something breaks on it later?
I don't know if it was from the lack of engine power or just the fact that the 26" wheels were too big to turn but the beach cruiser build seemed to be almost a wasted effort. I also almost got injured on it, and called in to quit my job when the coaster brake broke while riding downhill. The second build I chose not to use brakes at all, because I could just brake with my foot like a skateboard. I thought about selling these for a profit but I see a lot of people doing that already mostly selling cheap trashy looking mountain bikes with cheap low powered $100- 150 kits. In my experience these don't work well and also don't have the proper look of a motorized bike. The more people that ride these haphazard builds the more likely someone is going to make specific laws against them, for publicly injuring people and for looking poorly assembled/irresponsible. If you ride something that basically looks like a small motorcycle or moped, and you go the speed limit on low speed roads you wont get bothered.
A lot of people sell these for $350-400 dollars, which seems right, but I know better. I have yet to build a motorized bicycle that runs well on flats at 25 mph, goes up hills without pedaling, has the proper equipment such as headlight, taillight, and brakes and also doesn't fall apart or almost get me injured or liable for damaging someones property- in less than two months, for less than 300 dollars. The first one the chain slipped off repeatedly until switching from a 415 to a 420 width chain. I also used the stock coaster brake instead of basic rim or disc brakes, which was not wise, and I could have gotten seriously injured when it broke on me. The second one I failed to put blue loktite or plumbers thread tape on the threads of the carburetor cap and I also rode it without a kill switch. As a result the cap vibrated loose while riding and the engine rps increased so much that I had to lift the rear wheel off the ground to prevent it from crashing into moving cars in an intersection after first putting my foot on the ground forcing the piston to seize up in the cylinder to kill the motor(nearly blowing the engine up and ruining the piston and cylinder). The motorcycle style bicycle headlight also vibrated apart in less than a week.
I bought a few fat tire bikes, but realized that you have to offset the motor, or alternatively, use an offset shifter kit. Option 1 looks stupid, and the second option is a greater expense than would be profitable. I've had a motorcycle license for close to 20 years, so I don't see the need to dump extra money into a motorized bicycle project if I only intend to sell it. Anything over 500 dollars would start to feel like I'm ripping people off and anything over 700 dollars they may as well buy an actual moped or save for a used motorcycle. The advantage is I can build 20- 100 of these a year but with motorcycles there's a limit because of the title transfer(four to six per year).
Technically these are also illegal, because nobody actually uses 48/49cc motors on them. And if they do, the motor has been modified to exceed the power specs required by law which is under 3hp. Anything with under 3hp I wouldn't sell to anyone anyway. A 3+ hp motor kit is $225, a lighting kit another $40, a 3 point clamp on sprocket $75, and a bicycle anywhere from $25- $350. At this point I'm at my limit for profit margins. I might expect to find a used bike to make up for some of the expense, but I would expect to also use new tires and a moped or springer style front end. So here's an example of a build sheet(numbers are rounded to the nearest $5).
----------
Schwinn Stingray repop 20" bicycle $150 .00 new on walmart.com
GT4 3.25 hp 66/80cc pro racing engine kit $200 .00 new on kingsmotorbikes.com
BBR 48 tooth 3 bolt sprocket adapter kit $100 .00 new on bikeberry.com
3' of 420 chain $ 25 .00 new on gokartsupply.com
Windowed piston and rings $ 25 .00 new on ebay.com
Vintage- style battery powered bicycle taillight $ 25 .00 new on amazon.com
Battery Powered Vintage-style Bicycle headlamp $ 20 .00 new on amazon.com
Springer fork for 20" front wheel $ 135 .00 new on ebay.com
Round clamp on, 7/8" bar motorcycle mirror $ 20 .00 new on ebay.com
Rim- clamp style brakes from a used donor bike $ 0 .00 free
total parts cost: $700
The best way to save on build cost would be looking for a used bike with a springer fork already on it, or find a used vintage front end at an antique shop or on craigslist. I could also use the stock front end and not worry about it. The usa made friction operated electrical parts are less likely to rattle apart. I picked up an antique friction light kit for 40 bucks. If I sold this bike for $650 after riding it 10- 25 miles at least, to test everything out, then I would make about a 20 dollar profit if I'm lucky, maybe. Or I could sell it with all new parts for 800 bucks and make a reasonable profit.
The real question is, who's going to buy a motorized bike for $800 and not complain to me if they crash it or if something breaks on it later?
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