need suggestions for next build.

LongboardMalinois

LongboardMalinois

Member
So recently i built my first MB, and i built it on a not so wonderful Mongoose mountain bike frame. My intention has always been to build this first one to learn the little things about making MBs, and then make another with all the best parts. I want to make the very best bike i can, with some budget constraints. The only thing i have settled on is the frame i will use, and it will be a GT LTS with full suspension. I still need to figure out what wheels i will use, front fork, handlebars, and of course the engine. I would like to be able to cruise at 30-35mph, with enough torque to go up small hills. I'm also thinking about a shift kit. Thanks for your suggestions!
 
If you want an excellent fork that handles great at any speed and has a flare of uniqueness to it, the Noleen cross link or Vector front ends deliver... I got one and it did great at 45mph... like good enough to feel perfectly safe taking hands off the bars at speed. The girder design allows it to keep the same rake and trail regardless of how far the spring is compressed which means it will handle great no mattress what you throw it's way. Oh yeah... it looks cool too.... these came on a lot of the old proflex bikes and they quit making these in the early 90's but you can still find them on ebay from time to time and they range in price from just over $100 to well past $500 depending on condition and options as the basic unit uses aluminum forks and a polymer spring and the top of the line unit uses carbon fiber fork tube and an electronic "smart shock".

Mine is a modified Vector where I took out the polymer and replaced it with a modified go kart shock and a custom spring for these front ends. The fork setup costed me about $120 then I took it apart, painted it black, replaced the bushings that needed replaced, modified a go kart shock to fit it and installed the spring upgrade spring they make for these. Total cost after being modified, rebuilt, and reworked was just over $200. Also these don't come with disc brake brackets but they're easy to modify using a steel or billet bracket.

Here it is on my new frame... if I ever get enough time to put my old engine in it...

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Thanks for the info about the forks, i will be considering them for my build. Do you have any suggestions for the engine? I would like to go 4 stroke for reliability, but i also need the cruising speed to be 30+ mph. And i would like to keep the price of building the whole bike to $1000 or less. The reason that i don't just buy a motorcycle of some kind is that i want to avoid insurance costs.
 
79cc predator. Just finished building my first one. Love it. Can go over 45mph. Parts cost probably somewhere around $500 (not including the bike itself) if I had not already had parts lying around. Send me a message if interested, I can tell you what worked for me and what didn't.

Build one of these, and you can change your signature to "My motorized bicycle is cooler than your Vespa, AND I can go faster."
 
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