will my bike cruise at 40 mph????

[bairdco]

i ride 15 miles each way to work everyday now, in mostly flat, smooth surfaced streets with a huge bike lane.

i'm running a modded 66cc motor with a 28t sprocket. it pulls slower off the line, but i'm only 135lbs, and it cruises with traffic at 45mph.

once your motor's tuned correctly, it's all about the gearing. on my route, there's not that many stoplights and only one hill, so i sacrifice quick acceleration for a higher top speed.

and, you learn to coast up to lights so you can time them and don't have to stop completely.

the most important thing about building a bike for everyday commuting is to make it reliable and comfortable. you don't want your bike breaking down all the time or wearing you out. if it's uncomfortable on long rides, you'll be tired when you get to work, and even more on your ride home.

my bike's so fun i look forward to the ride home, even at 3am after climbing towers on a mountain top all night long...

 

[rustycase]

Tnx KC... gotta remember, jackshaft isn't going to bring more horsepower, it's just going to allow you to appy it in the right places (shifter bike).
Hence, it will NOT bring you higher cruising speed, just a more manageable torque band. Which is a good thing!

Can I 'armchair' your MAB ? ??

I really DO like it... If I were to make changes, I would put the tank down on the lower frame tube (change it to an offset filler, on the right side?), and the coil... well, wherever! Maybe behind the seat post stay. Or hang it off the top tube???
A rear fender.
More front fender...
Wow! I Really like your exhaust! Is it quieted down well with the glass pack?
Does that give it a deeper note? ..with the larger diameter following the expansion chamber?
Gosh, I'd really like to hear an audio of your bike!

Do you have a front disk brake on your list for your MAB?
I can see you do have great brakes... a disk front might balance the look out a bit better.

Lol... there's just not enough room on one of these MAB's for a proper exhaust system, is there!!! ;-)

Very nice MAB, KC. I like it!

PG sez...
"I feel right cruising at like 25. That's where it just starts to feel fast for me."

Great ! THAT must be the 'sweet spot' where your engine is suitably responsive and you are most comfortable as a gladiator out there in traffic dueling with the behemoths! A good offense is the best defense. Period.

and Bairdco...
There's the 1st 40+mph HT class cruiser I've personally seen posting... with credibility... and he will admit he has given up his low end capability to accomplish it along with other optimal factors in the equation.
(Ha! I just weighed in, at the doc, at 236. There WON'T be any 40mph around here!)

Great thread guys!
rc

 

[KCvale]

How do you like the NuVinci? I can't even begin to think about spending that much money on my bike right now but I'd like to imagine that it is possible in the future. Did you lace up your own wheel or have someone do it for you? Or did you buy the whole wheel/hub together?

Actually I really scored, I bought 2 brand new Cadillac Fleetwood bikes for $300 each before those deals were gone and they went to $600 on Amazon, specifically because they came with the NuVinci hub. The disc brake was just an added bonus considering buying Just the NuVici Hub on Amazon is $500!

One Caddy I Jackshafted and sold.

The other is still in the box except for it's wheels, which I put on my bike.
That Caddy is getting new pair of regular wheels and a direct drive because not everyone can afford a $1000+ bike but still love the Caddy look.

I really like the Manual NuVinci, there is just a trick to riding it motorized.
I have a few videos of it but this gives you an idea listing to how I shift.
http://www.youtube.com/v/Zrd2Ei3ZzzI&hl=en_US

I pretty much treat it like a 20 speed, but adjust the gears to exactly what speed and rpm I want when I cruise, which in the neighborhood is slow and quite.

Again, building shifters is not for rookies.
Get some MB experience first ;-}

 

[bairdco]

my race bike tops out at 45mph with a 32t, and it'll pull me off the line without pedaling. it'll do donuts in the dirt, too... it ain't the most comfortable daily rider, though.

i've got a new phone with a great GPS/speedo app, so i'll get some videos up soon.

 

[Pilotgeek]

Mine can cruise at 60... when it's in the back of my truck. =)

 

[Kristof]

Mine can cruise at 60... when it's in the back of my truck. =)

Love it. (Whats with the 10 character min. limit?)

 

[Willy P.]

I run a super rat ported with the MM billet intake, 44T on a MM adapter, speed carb, and stock exhaust and hit almost 40 (37-38).... but after I hit a car going 25-30 when she ran a stop sign I have weighed out my options and am in the market for a 50T on my current re-build so I cant do it anymore to hopefully keep me out of trouble. Like everyone says you can make it happen but you are runnin the crap out of them to get there and you have to have good front and rear brakes for it to be safe.....ish.... by the way awesome build KC.

 

[gubba]

i have a RAW 66/80 and 44tooth sprocket
i only use the older style CN carb drilled out to 74mm
i have a speedo and a 2-stroke mini-tah on it
i have 7,500 miles on it.
florida has a 25mph speed limit but i ride at 32 on a regular basis
and it is showing 5800 rpm on the tach, not quite full throttle
the qualuity of a china motor will vary from one motor to another from the factory.

i had one skyhawk that didn't make 500 miles and blewn a piston during break-in (15 to 20mph). i'm sure it was a defective motor but thats my point.

i have a friend who went over the handle bars at 20mph. 12 stapels in the head, 5 broken ribs, broken sholder and broken collarbone and a punctured lung...... these things can be dangerous. BE CAREFUL!!!

stay dry

gubba

 

[Mannhouse51]

Don't forget about them Brakes! You still gotta stop her after ya hit 40! I just bought one of them NGK Iridium bpr6hix plugs. Made a nice difference. Good luck.

 

[gubba]

i will not do a build until they install at least a front hand brake on their cruiser.
i got tired of them comming back in 2 or 3 months wanting to know why i screwed up their rear hub. i explian that these hub brakes were never designed, or intended or stand up to stopping a bike at 25mph or more for very long.
use the hand brake unless the road is wet or an emergency.
thin spokes and standard hubs will end up being constantly repaired or replaced.
a local bike shop sells (on order) a rear wheel with 12 guage spokes and heavy duty rear hub for about $65.00.
many of my customers get one and come back, put on a front hand brake and we start the build
if you have the money get a matching front and ride foley ride

stay dry
gubba

 

[headtrama]

It's a bike its not supposed to cruise at 40 . I have a bike that will do 40 with a 40 tooth sprocket at 8200 rpm . To much stuff can go wrong to maintain that speed for very long . I think a safer more realistic cruise speed would be 30.