Hello everyone,
A friend recently showed me some "Derringer" bikes -- and from the sounds of it, a moped/motorized bike is what I need.
Currently my vehicle (a 1988 Cadillac) gets around 15MPG. As a college student, driving around the campus end of town gets costly, fast. Because of that, I've been looking into alternative means, but I can't warrant purchasing a motorcycle/scooter/new car. Enter the moped.
First, a note: I like building things myself. I'm an engineering student, and I enjoy planning, building, and troubleshooting. I have hardly any experience with gasoline engines, but I do know a bit about gears from working on robotics. I have seen the kits for $150 or so, but I don't want a 2 stroke, and I don't think they'd have enough torque for me -- I live in "Hill Country", Tennessee and so it needs to have fairly high torque.
What I'm looking for is:
4 Stroke Engine (I don't want to mess with adding oil to gas)
Relatively high torque
Cruising speed of 25-30mph
Ability to carry about 240lbs total (me, bike, engine, and backpack)
Cheapest I can get it -- this is a basic mode of transport around town, and more importantly something I can learn engine maintenance/tuning on.
What I've seen is the Harbor Freight 2.5HP 79cc 4 stroke -- this seems to be what I'm looking for. Cheap, about the power I need, and did I mention cheap? I wouldn't feel bad about tinkering with it, since I screw it up, a new one wouldn't break the bank.
To achieve a gear ration of 12:1 (Which should give me the speed I want, and the hill climb ability I need) I could run a 10T off the engine to a jackshaft with a 60T, then another 10T off the jackshaft to a 60T on the wheel, correct? The easiest way to do this would be to remove the pedals, I think, and replace them with a jackshaft, however that seems to be frowned upon. Another location could be chosen, I suppose.
I'm currently following leads on different bicycles, so unfortunately I don't have one to start with. I don't really want to pay more than $30 for one. I'm going to try to mount the engine inside the frame, for weight distribution, plus I want to add a rack and some saddle bags to the rear.
Lastly I have a question: does the HF 2.5 have a dynamo to power a headlamp off of? Mostly so other vehicles could see me, it can get a little foggy where I am.
Essentially, what I'm looking for is any suggestions/modifications to this plan, and, if everything looks to be in order, I would appreciate some suppliers/specific parts to consider.
I've been looking at the various threads involving the HF 2.5, about removing the oil sensor, and tuning it up -- lots of excellent information, and I have a pretty good idea what I have to do to get this bike built and working.
Eventually I'd like it to look like a Cafe bike, but form is more important than function, to start with.
--Vanderbleek
A friend recently showed me some "Derringer" bikes -- and from the sounds of it, a moped/motorized bike is what I need.
Currently my vehicle (a 1988 Cadillac) gets around 15MPG. As a college student, driving around the campus end of town gets costly, fast. Because of that, I've been looking into alternative means, but I can't warrant purchasing a motorcycle/scooter/new car. Enter the moped.
First, a note: I like building things myself. I'm an engineering student, and I enjoy planning, building, and troubleshooting. I have hardly any experience with gasoline engines, but I do know a bit about gears from working on robotics. I have seen the kits for $150 or so, but I don't want a 2 stroke, and I don't think they'd have enough torque for me -- I live in "Hill Country", Tennessee and so it needs to have fairly high torque.
What I'm looking for is:
4 Stroke Engine (I don't want to mess with adding oil to gas)
Relatively high torque
Cruising speed of 25-30mph
Ability to carry about 240lbs total (me, bike, engine, and backpack)
Cheapest I can get it -- this is a basic mode of transport around town, and more importantly something I can learn engine maintenance/tuning on.
What I've seen is the Harbor Freight 2.5HP 79cc 4 stroke -- this seems to be what I'm looking for. Cheap, about the power I need, and did I mention cheap? I wouldn't feel bad about tinkering with it, since I screw it up, a new one wouldn't break the bank.
To achieve a gear ration of 12:1 (Which should give me the speed I want, and the hill climb ability I need) I could run a 10T off the engine to a jackshaft with a 60T, then another 10T off the jackshaft to a 60T on the wheel, correct? The easiest way to do this would be to remove the pedals, I think, and replace them with a jackshaft, however that seems to be frowned upon. Another location could be chosen, I suppose.
I'm currently following leads on different bicycles, so unfortunately I don't have one to start with. I don't really want to pay more than $30 for one. I'm going to try to mount the engine inside the frame, for weight distribution, plus I want to add a rack and some saddle bags to the rear.
Lastly I have a question: does the HF 2.5 have a dynamo to power a headlamp off of? Mostly so other vehicles could see me, it can get a little foggy where I am.
Essentially, what I'm looking for is any suggestions/modifications to this plan, and, if everything looks to be in order, I would appreciate some suppliers/specific parts to consider.
I've been looking at the various threads involving the HF 2.5, about removing the oil sensor, and tuning it up -- lots of excellent information, and I have a pretty good idea what I have to do to get this bike built and working.
Eventually I'd like it to look like a Cafe bike, but form is more important than function, to start with.
--Vanderbleek
