Proposal: Motorized Bikes to be Called "Riquimbili"

[UncleKudzu]

i propose that we (1) immediately adopt the word "Riquimbili" in all future reference to motorized bicycles, or (2) hold a contest to come up with a name for this movement. what say you?

!Viva la Revolución!

 

[Dave31]

Sure, why not??

http://motorbicycling.com/f28/happy-time-804.html

 

[eDJ]

¡VIVA! Riquimbili

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

I just want to know why it's not pronounced "ric-im-billie"

Uh, also, where is the accent placed in this word?

'Round here, we'll probably end up callin' 'em 'hickn' billies".

I know, it's just me.

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

RIKIMBILI.COM, A RIQUIMBILI GALLERY

 

[Ilikeabikea]

Hey BGJ I really liked that, especially the one with the turbine engine................

 

[Dave31]

Yes that turbine is AWESOME.....my first thought was "where did a Cuban get his hands on that"....I'm sure it would be a little difficult for them to find something like that in Cuba. But it say's that is not Cuba.

 

[eDJ]

I've been thinking about UncleKudzu's initative to put some leggs under a National Movement with this. What would better promote it than Tee Shirts as it's Tee Shirt weather everywhere now. Those of us riding these things should have a few Tee's with different designs that are eye catching and dynamic.

I did this one as a one off while ago just to see what it could look like. It's open source so anyone who wants to get this printed.......this is on ol' eDJ.
The Cuban flag is just eye-candy as most people won't recognize what nationality it represents. But I thought it nice to pay tribute to their resourcefulness and talent. Shurely motorized bikes weren't their invention but they've made a statement with their machines the world should be aware of.

I used to have some bicycle graphic cuts on CD to use so I'll have to go dig now. But I was thinking of "slogans" example: "why pour your paycheck in the SUV......RIQUIMBILI !" and making some replicas of the old travel stickers once stuck to suit cases by wayfaring travelers. These could have a Tropical Cuban flavor...which again in this season would be perfect. These would be printed to the Tee Shirt to display by a rider and once mainstream by anyone if the graphics are intriguing.

An obvious Tee would be the translation of RIQUIMBILI....Rick'n'billy. But I've learned not to underestimate the public when dealing with young people spotting tends. The back of the shirt could have a black silhouette in 3/4 view of a rider. I'm thinking of something in the spirit of the old 1920's Speedway riders....or course riding motorized bicycles instead of Indians or Harleys.

How's everyone's imagainations on this ? Empty your thoghts out on the table please. eDJ can make magic with them.

In the wildest reaches of my imagination this may snowball and be like the early 1960's when HONDA brought the little 50 to these shores and started an explosion. Today that would be done with Chinese/Japanese bike motor kits that just clamp on. For the more advanced of us...possibly converted large stringtrimmers adapted to this duty or perhaps a cottage industry of making adaptors there the
mechanic customer buys the adaptor as the kit and adapts his own stringtrimmer unit to make his own Riquimbili.

 

[Pablo]

So those bottles of yellow liquid on the side of the road are full of gasoline??

Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKEEEEMBILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!

 

[eDJ]

As a thanks to Bikeguy Joe for his help and advise on my project, I took some time today to take the images from the Riquimbili web site he posted and blow them up and tweek them so everyone can really see the details. It never fails to amaze me how so many web sites rely on such unrefined images. (considering all the work they go to)

The photos are linked here in the order they appear in the site:

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery1b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery2b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery3b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery3c.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery4b.jpg]

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery5b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery6b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery7b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery7c.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery8b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery9b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery10b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery11b.jpg

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/ABJGallery12b.jpg

I hope this helps everyone here. I know it did wonders for my being able to understand what I was looking at.

Exibits #8 & #10 capture my imagination. The simple utility of a bolt on for the masses would certainly be welcome. Although it isn't in the "real" Riquimbili spirit it would put the less mechanically able on the road with their basic skill sets. The other exibits are the real deal when it comes to improvised transport. That takes talent. Especially the thinking behind exibit #10 to convert what looks like a "String Trimmer" power head coupled with two bent pieces of metal and some rods to support it. To me this Mitsubishi TLE43 kit is an approach to motorizing a bicycle that I find hard to resist. By just using an already existing source and modifying it with a few fabrications,
a reliable solution is rendered. It's hard to argue with that and I'd say it would be considered SAFE in most circles too. If a modification kit were to exhist for string trimmers to power bikes (listing a range of those trimmers with centrifugal clutches etc) to be used with the simple metal fabrications
then I'd bet there would be healthy demand for it. String trimmers litter the landscape around my area as the magneto ignition unit burns out (simple enough to fix) or the thing sits for a season or so and gums up. (again simple enough to fix) Lawnmower junk yards have all kinds of the things that can be purchased for $5 to $20 dollars. If the "kit" were sold for around $50+ shipping with a web site and some UTube tutorials, then there could be alot of American Riquimbilli's running around for less than $100 bucks getting their owners back and forth to work with close to 100 mpg efficiency.

Anyone agree ? (this could be where Americans & others could live the Riquimbilli Spirit)

 

[eDJ]

I found this image in google and edited it to visualize with.

Need to find some images to use and some backgrounds.

Then it would be time to Photoshop.

 

[UncleKudzu]

(this could be where Americans & others could live the Riquimbilli Spirit)

Riquimbili for the People - an idea whose time has come?

dood, i like your enthusiasm!

 

[smithmule]

mine has adopted the name of smithmule (smithed mule / motor donkey)

ok .. enough reading .. back to riding

 

[MotorbikeMike]

Hello, a Cuban name (don't consider 1963!), for a totally homemade bike, aditionally a Cuban Home-Made name, un pronounceable by most of the masses, AND not likely to be spelled correctly is the correct name for a "movement" in the USA where English is our primary language?

Never mind that I am fluent in English, and Spanish, (Which MOST Amaricans are NOT) why would this be the right path to whatever you wish to portray?

Re-think, re-assess, and re-group? Hmmm NOT the "3-R's" you may be most familiar with, but perhaps the most logical?

Remember the Alamo!!!

Mike

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

Geeze mike, we were just havin' a little fun....

 

[MotorbikeMike]

Hmmm then perhaps a build-off re-creating Jack Black's Motor biucycle in that wrestling movie?

And does anyone remember the name of that BlockBuster?

And, go ahead and use soda bottles for your gas tanks! (oddly not mentioned that was all they could find there?)

Mike

 

[eDJ]

LOL, yes Mike you make a good argument for Logic and Proper Order I'll have to agree. But show me where Logic, Proper Order, straight laced, thinking inside the box ever lead a marketing movement or FAD. But I'm sure the accounting department of the revolution would be happy to have you aboard.

Myself and several others here, thought the poor Cuban kids who fought oppression with creavity to steal motors off Soviet Tanks to make rickety homebuilts should get some recognization for their inventiveness. Afterall they don't have Moms to take them to WalMart and buy a Chinese made prebuilt for them with a credit card. Not something I'd think any American kid should be proud of himself for. Unless mommie just wants her baby schnookims to grow up to be a pencil pusher.

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

Well said eDJ.

Mike, maybe we should all use our premium platinum gold Visas and buy a real expensive made in Taiwan wizza?

Then we'd have t-shirts made saying "Viva the Visa!" or ¡Amo mi moto costosa que mi mama me compró!

 

[UncleKudzu]

...poor Cuban kids who fought oppression with creavity to steal motors off Soviet Tanks to make rickety homebuilts should get some recognization for their inventiveness.

yeah, i was even thinking that my pre-fab kit will hardly qualify for the honor of being called riquimbili when compared to the ingenuity of the Cubans.

who'da thunk the idea of giving motorized bikes some kind of name would get so political?! although i do think that "riquimbili" sort of captures the DIY, shade-tree engineering aspect of the hobby, my proposal was meant in fun and i hoped it might prompt some ideas on a good name for this innovative transportation movement.

 

[theonlyhek]

I like it. I will spread the word!