ready to build, looking for last minute advice

B

butchatron

New Member
ok guys, I'm getting ready to gather all the components for my first MB and looking for some advice. I've decided to use a Schwinn Delmar as the platform for the project, and an 80cc engine with a 50t sprocket, as I am a heavy rider and I live in the foothills of Appalachia. The only mods I plan to make to the bike are 15" apehangers and front caliper brakes. I'm very mechanically inclined and have worked on bikes all my life, but any advice you guys can give would be greatly appreciated, particularly what company(s) to buy from and any issues about the Delmar frame I should know about. Thanks a heap and wish me luck!
 
secure the front mount tab on the front fender.
if u get a flat tire,the tire will fall off of rim. carry patches with you and small air pump,as you will not be able to walk the bike.
 
skip the "ape hangers" they are uncomfortable, shake too much, and look weird. You will be thankful if you have a straight handlebar. I would also recommend using a bike with gears and springing for a shift kit. Even if you don't use a shift kit, gears are nice for those times when the bike breaks down or runs out of gas and you need to peddle somewhere.
 
i did a cruiser build. and love it, aside from the downtime it suffers when it breaks. (3 weeks waiting for a warrenty engine, going on a week with a knackered back wheel)

the stock bars that come on cruisers are very MB perfect. you can hunch your back and trundle along like your a greasy biker in the heart of montreal without picturing yourself on the bike. thats what i do.

lol

if you can figure out where to get a 600ml bottle full of carbide or steel blasting shot get some and fill your handlebars to isolate vibes away from your hands.

the front brake is a good idea, if i were you id even go as far as researching how to remove a coaster brake to disable its function.... mine ate bolts and gernaded the entire hub.

other than that, use some rubber around your frame under the mounts, change out the studs for bolts, use locktite (or cheap nail polish) check all nuts and bolts on your engine for fit. use some motoseal around the carb/intake connection.

have fun~
 
That's some good advice guys. I have thought about doing away with the rear coaster altogether. I found a few sites that sell dual brake levers, so I'll look into that down the road. And I havn't thought about rubber for the mounts, but that makes sence. As for the apehangers, sorry guys, but I absolutly LOVE apehangers! I have never liked strait bars, I find them very uncomfortable, but apes put me in the perfect riding position, plus, IMHO, they look awsome! But I will take your advice on the steel shot, that sounds like a good idea, thanks!
 
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hey i have some let me know next week if you havnt found any by friday. i can mail you an envelope full ;) harley trick
 
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the ape hangers my son used on his bike were very comfortable for me and kept me from hunching forward . I didn't think I would like them but I sure did. They were a blessing for a person with a back problem . He used dual brake lever, custom grips, P.S. we had to install a screw in the center of the handlebar mount . The ape hangers make it difficult to tighten the bars down enough to prevent them from moving when any force was applied . They are like a long lever on that clamp and you have to drill a hole through the clamp and the bars and insert a screw to lock it in a position that you like. If you haven't puchaced an engine yet ,I have a new in box 66/80cc Black Stallion never opened for sale .Just like the one in this picture . My add is in the Swap and Shop catagory of this forum .
 

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I second what Joe says... I just prefer not to rubber mount at all.
Make sure the rear sprocket spins perfectly straight!!!
Also... after you're sure everything is working perfect & the chain isn't popping off when you pedal around, put a small screw through the chain tensioner into the frame, to keep the tensioner from moving! (VERY IMPORTANT!)

Also... KEEP THE APES!!! (^) Check out my bikes on my website...
 
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Big Guy Joe, thanks for the headsup about the rubber mounts, and I think I'm just going to eliminate the coaster brake completly and go ahead and order a dual brake lever when I order all my other parts. I think things will be easier that way.

LeftWoody,
thanks for posting the pic, that's almost exactly what I want my bike to look like. I'm on my way to look at your engine add right now, but I wont actually be able to make the purchace for about 3 more weeks (gotta wait on Uncle Sam, ya know)
 
Ok I'm going to ramble a bit here but I do all this on a build. The more you do before you ride the more riding and less fixing you'll do afterwards.

The first thing I do after I order the motor is place a second order to Sick Bike Parts. I order a motor hardware kit, tank petcock, teflon clutch cable, carb o-ring. The hardware kit comes with everything you need to replace the chinese fasteners. The stock ones are very soft and easy to break. The price for all of them at a hardware store is almost the same if you can find them all. The stock tank petcocks are poor quality. The new one will last thru 10 bikes and never leak. The new clutch cable is stronger and pulls alot easier. Carry the original as a spare. Get some double sided (sticky both sides) foam tape. Use it under the gas tank to pad it and keep from needing to tighten the tank mounts to much. If you tighten them up tight the tank will eventually start leaking at the studs. Use nylock nuts on the tank mounts. Use the foam tape under the CDI too. You should also replace the acorn nuts on the head with good ones. Be careful not to disturb the cylinder base gasket. While the head if off it's a good idea to lap the bottom of the head with some wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of glass to get it really flat. Re-torque at 12 ft. pounds for 8mm studs, 9-10 for 6mm. Use some gasket paper to make a good intake gasket and toss the stock one. Unscrew the motor clutch cable mount and use a grease injector tip or a screwdriver and push some grease down into that hole. It goes right to the clutch spring. Put a dab of grease on the gears on the right side of the motor under the cover but not to much. Replace the stock plug wire and the plug. I use a NGK b7hs but there are many choices. The plug wire just unscrews from the CDI. I've tried mounting the motor with padding and without. I get alot less viberation with no padding. If the motor mounts need padding to fit use Aluminum or Lead. Take your time with the rear sprocket mounting. If you don't think you'll use a shift kit then consider getting a sprocket mount and sprocket from Maniac Mechanic. As far as bikes go Mt. Bikes make way easier builds. They usually have better brakes and stronger wheels. Esp. if you buy a bike shop bike not a dept store one. Consider Craigslist for a bike. If you really search you can find a 300-500 bike for about 100. Make sure the frame is the right size for you if you want a comfortable safe ride. If the bike has fenders remove them. Fenders are dangerous on a motored bike. A bike with a front shock really helps. The right tires help too. I like Servas Survivors but there are many choices there too. Alot of this depends on what you want the bike for. If this is just a novelty your going to ride 8-10 times then it sees the garage then this is overkill. I ride 50 to 150 miles every week. The best bang for your buck as far as power upgrades go is a expansion chamber. I've have good luck with the big slanthead motors from Zoombicycles. I hope you have as much fun with this as I do.

If you use a tensioner then what Venice said about locking it in place is very important. If you can use a aluminum spacer behind the rear motor mount to adjust the chain tension and don't use the wheel tensioner.
 
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VENICE BOY said:
I second what Joe says... I just prefer not to rubber mount at all.
Make sure the rear sprocket spins perfectly straight!!!
Also... after you're sure everything is working perfect & the chain isn't popping off when you pedal around, put a small screw through the chain tensioner into the frame, to keep the tensioner from moving! (VERY IMPORTANT!)

Also... KEEP THE APES!!! (^) Check out my bikes on my website...
Click to expand...

Dude! Your bikes are freakin' sweet!!! I especially like 'The Bomber', I'm going to put an iron cross on my tank too, hope you don't mind...
 
Junster,

I saved your post as a seperate file. I think I'll print it off and keep it handy when I do the build, as hat was very informative. Thank you. I'm definantly going with a cruiser frame,as I want style as much as I want functionality, Mountain bikes are nice and all, but they look a little plain to me, no curves y'know. BUt yes, this is a serious hobby for me, something I've wanted to get into for years, so I plan to rack up as many miles on it as possable. I also plan to build at least 2 more bikes when I'm done with this one (a chopper and a trike) beyond that, don't know, but I got a feeling I wont stop there...
 
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