New 2 all this and need advice please

i_am_jesse

i_am_jesse

New Member
Hi there, my name is Jesse and I am new to all this, but I am interested in doing a build of my own, I am a single dad of two girls, and I don't have a lot of money.... so I am wondering, what is the best and cheapest place to buy an 80 cc engine kit? (duel start? is that a good idea, or no?) and I have not gotten a bike to put the engine on yet either, I like the look of the beach cruisers, but I can't afford to spend a lot of $ on one.... I will be using this the bike as my main transportation cause I can't afford the daily costs of a conventional vehicle anymore, so then I ask, would it be best to spend the extra $ and getting like maybe a 7 speed? or is the motor enough with just a single speed bike? also how safe is it to use a pull behind passenger trailer with a motorized bicycle? where is the cheapest place to get the bike? and where is the cheapest place to get a good passenger trailer???? sorry for the 20 questions, I just don't know what to do, or where to go.....crt.
 
ThatsDax: bicycle engine kit, bike engine, bicycle engine, bicycle motor is one of the best for customer service I've ever heard of! I'd get my motor kit from him if I were you ;) Spooky Tooth: Spooky Tooth Cycles and BikeBerry: Wholesale Beach Cruisers, Chopper, Mountain, Road, Tandem, BMX FreeStle and Bicycle Engine Kits - BikeBerry.com are favorites of mine, they've treated me very well. Dual start is... somewhat problematic as your pedals might not clear, but that can be fixed if ya need to. You can get a Walmart beach cruiser for about $80, quite a few on this forum have done so successfully.

There's this one for $84 that many have built and liked;
0002891456900_215X215.jpg

Walmart.com: Huffy 26" Men's Huffy Cranbrook Fashion Cruiser: Bikes, Scooters & Skates

but were I to get a cruiser, I'd be a bit more tempted by this one for $129;
0003867527468_215X215.jpg

Walmart.com: Schwinn Men's 26'' Delmar Cruiser: Bikes, Scooters & Skates

These engine kits do really well as just a single speed, the stock 44 tooth sprocket will do about 30mph once the engine is broken in and tuned, yet still has enough pull for a trailer. There's no real need to get a multispeed bike, you won't be pedaling except to start the engine and to be nice to your clutch on take-offs from a dead stop.

There's a great jackshaft kit from Sick Bike Parts LLC - Performance Parts for Your Motorized Bicycle to have your engine utilize the bicycle's gearing - but it's somewhat expensive, don't really need it, and although it's great - it's mostly a performance mod/upgrade. I would however very much recommend Jim's sprocket adapter from MANIC Mechanic Parts.htm as it's inexpensive and solves the biggest problem with these kits - the rubber mounted rear sprocket.

2-wheeled passenger trailers are so common used (and cheap) it's nuts, I'd try Craigslist craigslist: new york city classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events or your local equivalent (classifieds), prolly can get one for less than $50. There's quite a few people with trailers for their bikes around here, bet a few haul kids w/em - I'd just not have the cover/roof on it on the remote chance exhaust fumes could build up.

You should be able to get all of the above (except the 7speed/gears) for about $300 or so, including a used trailer - less if you're resourceful.

Welcome to the forum BTW :D
 
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Hey thanks man! a lot of my questions anweared! and I am sure the links are going to come in handy! I am so excited to get started on this! whgat would you suggest I buy first, the bike, or the motor?
 
The motor - so you can have it right on hand to measure clearances if you need to (cruisers are an easy mount/build though).

Yer gonna love this lol
 
Yeah - a lil "heads up" that I wish I had known lol

The motor will most likely run like **** for the first 100-200 miles, other than gently torquing all fasteners and making sure you don't have any air leaks - don't worry about it, the rings haven't seated yet - it'll be a completely different engine once it's broken in.

Also - the "instructions" (such as they are lol) recommend 16:1 - 20:1 mix for your break in. This is excessive and is prolly because of the cheap 2stroke oil/motor oils they use in China - I'd recommend anywhere from 24:1 - 32:1 (depending on courage/engine response) with a quality (but nonsynthetic) 2stroke oil, then once it's broken in (may take up to 300mi) you can switch to a synthetic if ya want ;)

I suppose the biggest thing is get Jim's sprocket adapter - that is by far the biggest problem w/these bikes. The second biggest is the tensoner, advice can be found here;
http://motorbicycling.com/f11/chain-tensioner-suggestions-11815.html
 
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awsome! do compression chambers really "boost" speed all that much? and what are your views on bicycle saddle bags?
 
o_O "compression chambers/boost"? If you mean 'Boost Bottles': Boost Bottle Industries most say they're a waste of money, some say they smooth out the idle a bit, no-one saz you get any "boost" from them at all lol

If you mean "Expansion Chambers" ie, tuned exhaust - I use the Sick Bike Parts expansion chamber: Sick Bike Parts and I'm extremely pleased with it's effect as are quite a number of other members.

If you mean a compression boosting 'Slant Head' for your engine: bicycle Motorized GAS ENGINE - 50cc slant head - eBay (item 150371910232 end time Nov-08-09 16:07:10 PST) (I can't vouch for this seller/dunno) many here have them and report good things, but I haven't gotten around to this mod yet lol but apparently there's sometimes problems with piston/spark plug impacts, needing to space the head with another gasket etc.

Saddlebags? Gawd - I dunno what I'd do without 'em lol I commute with my bike and do grocery runs, heck - it's all I drive :D My main transportation because I hate the daily costs of a conventional vehicle (those schwinn bags are garbage tho, need better ones);
 

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Welcome to the forum. BarelyAWake has given you some very good advise. I also would go with a simple cruiser type bike. The Walmart Schwinns or Huffys are a good choice. Regarding the trailer. I use an Instep lightning model and have for years for my dog. Very little drag and I don't think there's much any chance of exhaust fumes building up in the trailer. If you have the rain cover rolled up then also open up the rear one and air passes right through. But I don't think much exhaust could get in anyway with a stock muffler. If it was unpleasant my dog would not beg for rides. One nice thing about the trailer I use is that the connection to the bike is designed to flex so that if you were to wipe out the trailer will remain upright even if the bike is down (I know this from experience). I would also suggest that you pay close attention to your fenders, being sure they are firmly attached to the bike. And keep checking them. Since you plan on using a trailer and I am guessing your daughters will be riding (they are going to love it, by the way) I would also suggest rigging up a rear fender mudflap. You can buy one for pretty cheap from bikeworldusa.com or even make one from a piece of rubber car mat or an old piece of carpet. It keeps little grit and such from flying back and hitting the trailer. Even though the trailer has a mesh screen cover, the mud flap is still a good idea I think. I would also be sure to use the flag that comes with the trailer as it makes your whole rig more visible. I changed mine over to an American flag to get as much visual attention as I can from motorists. Especially with precious cargo, you really can not go overboard with being safe. Also a helmet of some kind for you Dad. Maybe cheap little bicycle helmets for the girls and strap them in with the safety belts in there. I always see bicycle helmets at goodwill and garage sales. The trailers are rated at a hundred pound cargo, but I've carried more and even gave a lady a ride in it once. Although not cheap, folding baskets which fit on each side of the rear wheel are very handy. When not in use they fold flat against the bike and when opened up each will hold a paper grocery bag. Made by Wald and also available from bikeworldusa or elsewhere on eBay. I hope this helps. Maintain your bike, give it a good install (ask lots of questions here) and you are going to have a viable, inexpensive mode of transport. Plus, a whole lot of fun!
SB
 
Welcome aboard! I hope you have as much fun on there as we all do. The trick is to keep an eye on things-you never know what may shake loose. Loctite and nylock nuts are your friends. Happy riding!
 
my 2 cents worth spend a little more and go with something with brakes and multi speeds i have a cranbrook- single speed- coaster brakes, the brakes are just not enough, i push this with a 66cc two stroke, also have ajag with a honda clone great brakes i also pull an instep trailer with all my bikes, i have hauled a lotta stuff with it groceries etc but my instep has plastic wheels, no bearings. im gonna buy a schinn with good wheels soon, anyways welcome good luck and take care of those girls i raised 3 myself thank god there all grown now and dont get too demanding these days havent had one ask me to bail em out for almost a year, see ya later frank
 
freewheeling frank said:
my 2 cents worth spend a little more and go with something with brakes and multi speeds i have a cranbrook- single speed- coaster brakes, the brakes are just not enough, i push this with a 66cc two stroke, also have ajag with a honda clone great brakes i also pull an instep trailer with all my bikes, i have hauled a lotta stuff with it groceries etc but my instep has plastic wheels, no bearings. im gonna buy a schinn with good wheels soon, anyways welcome good luck and take care of those girls i raised 3 myself thank god there all grown now and dont get too demanding these days havent had one ask me to bail em out for almost a year, see ya later frank
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Instep has several models. The lightning model like mine has spoke wheels and bearings. It is a solid trailer. I priced the Schwinn and thought the instep was a better deal, especially for the money, but see what you can find used. AZBill here on the forum uses the same trailer for his grand daughters as I'm using.
I agree that you need more than just a coaster brake and being able to pedal easily is a good idea, especially since you will be pedaling and braking with a heavier load. Even if you are not planning to go fast, good brakes are important and even though you will have a motor there will still be times when you need to pedal, perhaps on hills, if the motor quits on you for some reason or if you don't go with a dual start and need to pedal to start it then gears such as with a seven speed, is a good idea.
SB
 
hi
i am on my 3 build and one thing i will always have on every bike i build will be shocks
front fork shocks and a shock on the seat post also start with a quality bike i use giants
just bought a GIANT CYPRESS with shocks what a nice smooth ride.
mount your motor on rubber i use 1/2 inch thick rubber reduces vibration drasticly
buy a good used bike for the same you will pay for a cheap dept store bike you would be suprised how cheap you can get them.
make sure you torce your head bolts
 
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