Custom Motorized Bicycle
Been awhile since i've posted a new project on the forums, and i figure this is a good one for the Winter Contest. I've been putting together some custom motorized bicycles here and there over the last 6 months or so, and this is one my favorite so far!
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...psbabcbb6e.jpg
Here's a preview picture of the overall build to mewl over until i get the rest of the pictures ready and the write up finished.
That is really nice looking. What kind of speed can you get on it? Since it has a motor do you not have to have a plate if you were on a road?
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaneJackson
it's 100% street legal, even here in CA where nothing is legal. It's only 66cc, and the pedals are still functional so it's just a bicycle with a motor in it, and not considered a scooter or moped. You can ride in the bike lane, but not on sidewalks or pedestrian bike-paths,you have to wear a DOT helmet, and you have to obey traffic laws, just like you were on a bicycle.
At full throttle i can get to 35mph, but i usually cruise at around 17-20 mph. Faster than 20 mph on a bicycle is a little more 'excitment' than i care for!
Wow! That turned out very nice! I'm also curious about the motor. How is fuel economy and what is the distance you can travel on one tank? Is it 2 cycle or 4 cycle? I have been thinking about doing a motorized bicycle for awhile now after seeing them used on Wine tours (I live in the wine country). I thought some cool looking "mini" saddle bags (like the ones that come on the late model Electra Glide Harleys) would make grocery getting a lot more cost effective and fun, but I'd follow your overall theme by leaving it "stripped down" and plain. I'd like to start with a boys cruiser and mold the gas tank into the top bars though. Do these motorized bikes need lights to be street legal? What about helmet laws? Sorry for playing 20 questions, your creation peaked my interest. Keep up the good work!
Edit: Oops, I walked away from my computer to eat and you snuck in and posted before I finished posting. How loud is the engine while cruising?
Fuel economy is one of the selling points here in CA! it gets about 100mpg... if one were lighter than my large self it would get better, i think. My tank holds about 3/4 gallon, so i get about 80 miles. It doesn't need lights to be street legal, but i have to recommend them for street safety. headlight and strobing tail light.Quote:
Originally Posted by youngnstudly
I use the 2 stroke engines, because they actually look like little motorcycle engines, rather than the 4 strokes that look more like a lawnmower engine.
That is a nice bike, 35 MPH is getting with it.
Very nice! Is this your frame design? It has a very retro look but I spy some updated components, like the disk brake in front, and the way the gas tank tucks under the top tube makes it look like a custom job. What is the extra "fork", that start just fore of the head tube?
What brand engine is that? Looks like a weed whacker.
That's a springer fork, a kind of suspension. The frame reminds me of an Electra, but slightly different.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveO
Looks like a MotoVelo to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
Is that a Micargi front springer added to the Airwalk Cardiff frame. Looks pretty cool
Yep. Well,.it's a Schwinn style springer. It takes some work to fit the springer to that frame, the neck tube is a lot longer than normal so I had to make a new steering stem, and forge out a new spring perch.
It's just the generic imported motor. I get them local, I think "black stallion"is the importer brand... But they are all almost exactly the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
So, one day while mindlessly roaming through motorcycle blogs and youtube videos when i stumbled across motorized bicycles. I'm in california, and gas at the time was at $5 a gallon and i decided "hey... i could do that... just cooler." Building custom motorcycles is a nice practice run for these extremely difficult and complicated bicycle builds. :cool:
I picked a bike with some classy looking lines, and with this one, the configuration of the top tube lets me have enough space to build a very nice gas tank in between the two top tubes. After initial assembly the bike looks like this.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...psf4a43131.jpg
The engine kits are fairly straight-forward. the vague chinesse instructions that come with most kits are fairly useless, but i know there's a whole horde of install videos on youtube. I picked the 2 stroke motor because it looks like a motorcycle motor, and the 4-stroke versions look more like lawn-mower engines. The 2-strokes are also FAR simpler machines. no cam, lifters, valves, timing bits, and since these things are cheap and made in china, i'm banking on simplicity being an important factor in longevity!
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4a880d82.jpg
I found a local guy here that sells kits, and i HIGHLY recommend buying these things local if at all possible. These kits are made and assembled in china, and not in exactly a 'high quality control' fashion. Having someone that you can take broken or defective bits and bolts to is a huge stress reliever.
Mocking up the motor is interesting, on these frames, the motor has to be in just right to keep the chain from rubbing on the rear chainstays when it's finished. You can see in the picture that there's inches and inches of clearance between the front clamp and the frame when you just use the regular clamp setup, also, the carburetor doesn't fit like this.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3c0d5e74.jpg
I have made extension blocks and new clamps on a couple of the first ones that i did, but i don't like that way of doing it. Now i make my own motor mounts from some chromoly tube and TiG weld them in so that the motor is solid mounted. This makes the whole thing much more 'solid' feeling. the engine is quieter, the clutch is smoother, and it runs smoother. And there's no slipping clamps that can come out of alignment if they get loose.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...pse228e4e3.jpg
Alright, that's all i've got time to write tonight. I'll get some more pics when i have more time at the computer.
Between the bike and the motor how much $$$ do you have in the project? Do you have a link for the motor? I bought the girlfriend a new mountain bike for her birthday this year and now we have an extra schwinn beach cruiser sitting around doing nothing.
I am also interested in this bit of information. I am not really the type to ride a motorized bike around but you never know what the future might bring. I rode bikes a lot growing up and have considered getting a new one recently.Quote:
Originally Posted by agent4573
Looks good. That frame style definitely gives a place for the fuel tank to fit nicely.
Are they pedal start like a moped?
Damn this forum! You guys keep posting these great projects and it just adds to the list of stuff I want to do. :)
I love this project for so many reasons... cant wait to see more.
I wonder how far towards a motorcycle you could get away with before the law started looking for a tag?
The motors you can usually pick up for between $200 and $250, and then it's just the cost of the bicycle and some odds and ends nuts and bolts; Don't use the chinese bolts and hardware in the kit. I went to Fastenall and picked up a big bag of 8mm nyloc hex bolts that set me back about 11$.Quote:
Originally Posted by agent4573
I've got a bit more into this bike, because of the springer, the gastank hardware, the disc brake, and the new wheels.
I don't have a link to the motor, because i buy mine locally, but they are all over the place online. I recommend getting one that is as close to you as you can, so it will make any warranty/return prolblems that you have an easy chore to deal with.
You hold in the clutch, and start riding like a bicycle then pop the clutch and the motor starts. Same way you'd push start a dirtbike, only there's pedals to get you going. Once you're on the go, you still have to pedal to start from a stop. The motor doesn't have gears and the little motor and gears just don't have enough 'umpf' to get you going from a stop.Quote:
Originally Posted by sportbike
It varies from state to state, and CA seems to be the worst about it. The letter of the saw say that if it's over 50cc or goes over 20mph, or has an automatic transmission then you have to get a "moped" tag... it's a little sticker tag rather than a real motorcycle tag. But you can't tell 50cc from 66 or 110cc, since they all look pretty much the same on the outside, and even a bicycle can go over 20mph without a motor... so how it works is "as long as your not being stupid" you won't get a ticket. If you're cutting in and out of traffic, or flying down a sidewalk they'll bust you, but they'd just go for the moving violation rather than a vehicle violation unless you were being an extreme nuissance. Since it's obviously a fully functioning bicycle with a little motor kit added onto it, you get a lot of leeway, because there's no serial number or vin stamp to register for a 'moped' tag with. I havn't heard of anyone getting a ticket who wasn't doing something stupid at the time (wheelies on the roadways, riding through pedestrian walkways, running red lights, etc).Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaneJackson
Gas Tank Fabrication
Now there is a goofy little gas tank that comes with these motor kits. It has a lot in common with a soda can, and i dented mine with my fingers when i grabbed it out of the box. it uses these little clamps that break off and leak... just junk. I was already planning on making my own tank, so i chucked mine in the recycle bin as soon as i got it out of the box.
I made mine out of aluminum. It ended up being about the same weight as the paper-thin tin-can that came in the kit... held more gas, and looked better to boot.
My tank bolts in like a motorcycle gastank, i made some threaded aluminum bungs and i drilled holes through the two smaller frame top tubes for the mount bolts to go through. With aluminum, it's important to get a lot of support contact area on the weight bearing surface of the tanks, so it works out well that the whole bottom of the tank makes contact with the frame rails for the mounts.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps35a67dad.jpg
The bungs are a 'blind-tap' type, which means the threaded hole does not go all the way through the back of the bung. Great for tanks and other things that need to be sealed.
The shape of the tank is very similar to a style of motorcycle gas-tank that i make, and the whole shell is only 3 pieces (top, bottom, and the sides are 1 piece). Using the english wheel, plannishing hammer, and a myriad of hand hammers and dollies all the panels have compound curves in them. Here's a picture of some tuck shrinking on the top panel.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...psee6fe4ef.jpg
Shrinking is an essential step to making a deliberate curve like this.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd4e020c.jpg
With any aluminum project fitup is very important. Steel is very forgiving, but aluminum is not. Steel is your buddy, steel is your pal... aluminum pretty much hates you and doesn't like it when you come over to play, and if you don't play exactly right, there's a big falling out and it takes a lot of work to get everyone back together. It's worth the extra time spent in fitup to get it as close as possible. The alloy of the filler rod is much weaker than the base metals, so you want your seams to be small to minimize the stress on the weaker filler metal.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...psc052de95.jpg
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps23eef177.jpg
I didn't get a picture of it before i welded it up, but the sharpie line at the bottom of the tank is a 'flange'. After the top and sides were welded up i flanged the bottom edge in, so that the face of the flange sits on the tank's base, and there's more material on the load bearing edge, rather than just a 90 degree butt weld. Not sure if you can tell the radiused lower edge in this pic.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...pscb8e3a8f.jpg
After the shell was all put together, i welded in an aluminum gas-cap bung for a harley style gas cap, and threaded and welded in the fuel petcock bung.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6249507f.jpg
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...psf64ba74b.jpg
Looks great! It looks like it would take quite a bit of skill and patience to Fab a tank like that. I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by greygizmo
I think it took me about a day and a half to make the tank, maybe two days. including mounting and pressure testing. I could probably do it in a day if i was working hard. When i get my new power hammer going i could probably hammer out 4 tank shells at one time and get 3 or 4 done in the same amount of time.
Springer and Front Wheel
Next up is getting the springer onto the bike. I started with a standard Schwinn style springer front end for 26" wheels. To make the springer fit the bike, i ended up having to add about an inch and a half of length to the steering stem... not a big deal on a bicycle, i just put a slug inside the tube and extension and some plug welds to add extra strength to the stem. This also changed the angle that the spring mounted to the front end, so i had to re-forge/reshape the spring perch to fit the new geometry made by extending the steering tube.
Here's a picture after the springer was fit onto the bike.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1cf60026.jpg
This is the thing that makes the bike so much better. Without the springer and the brake, it's a little scary. With just a solid front fork there is a definite feeling that the front end is going to fold up and collapse on you every time you hit a bump.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps984a8d2d.jpg
I made a quick little mounting tab, and welded it right to the springer's leg to mount the little brake caliper. Since i had to remove the chrome to weld to the springer's leg i just repainted that part semi-gloss black to match the brake caliper.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps52c2fd47.jpg
I swapped the rims out for a heavy duty double wall rimset and put on the whitewalls once i got it to this point.
The more I see this, the more I want to build one. If you added gears, do you think it would be able to take off from a stop?
Instead of gears it would be better to just add a centrifugal clutch from a small go-cart or spend the money and get a constant velocity drive system for it. All those little crappy 2 horsepower go carts get going from a standstill, then this bike can too. It'll add a bit of weight and some noise, but it should be able to get you going from a standstill.
But without a positive clutch, you would need another method to start it. I'm sure with a few tweaks you can get enough power to have a standing start. I see some of those are tweaked to go 50+ MPH.Quote:
Originally Posted by agent4573
Its not like you have to pedal up to speed and then the engine takes over, I usually pedal 2 or 3 pedal strokes before I start letting out the clutch.
When I start out from an intersection, i'm letting out the clutch about halfway across the first intersection and under engine power again before i'm halfway through the second lane. If I weren't 250 lbs it would be faster.
Quote:
Originally Posted by agent4573
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambozo
Absolutely. You can buy a jackshaft kit, which replaces the bicycle's front crank and runs the engine's power through the bicycle's existing gears.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason
I've seen people getting up to 55-60mph with gear kits like this, and they start from a stand-still using the engine's regular clutch... so they still start the same.
Another option for adding some fuel economy, get up and go, and top speed, is to use an engine out of a little dirtbike with a CVT transmission (and a kickstart). I plan on building myself one of these with a 50cc 4 stroke engine from a dirtbike with a CVT transmission and an auto-clutch. with the CVT the engine can be even smaller and ends up working better.
I completely forgot the only way to start it was to pop the clutch. Forget my idea about the centrifugal clutch. I think if you go with a kickstart motor it falls under dirtbike/moped and has to be registered differently than if you just use the bicycle pedals to get going. A few pedals really isn't a big deal if the motor is doing the work 99% of the time.
Break In, Break Down, and Final Touches
Whenever i sell a motorbike, i put at least 20 miles on the engine to get the break-in period over with and work out any would-be problems before it gets shipped out.
This particular engine had a problem, and not a common one. Aside from having a terrible intake leak problem, there was a bunch of crud in the engine case from manufacturing that got sucked into the cylinder and scarred up the piston and rings. Like i've said before, it's good to buy a local engine if you can. All i had to do was take it out and do a warranty exchange it for a good engine.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5cc0d0f6.jpg
This picture also shows one of the upgrades i put on the engine. I throw out the junk spark plug that comes in the kit, and replace it with an E3 spark plug. Works great, and i've never fouled one yet!
During the second 20 mile break-in i realized i needed a place to put my drink, so i made a quick little cup-holder for the handlebars.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/...psa0f2f050.jpg
After the break-in it was all ready to hand over to the customers.
Road Pop???Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike
:: facepalm ::Quote:
Originally Posted by DVA
no... not booze. Coffee, soda, or usually just water.
By the way, drinking alcohol while riding a bicycle still gets you a DUI in most places.
The 50cc idea would be pretty sweet. Are you making your own front ends?
I didn't make this front end, only modified an existing one. Though i could easily make one, and it would be a far cry better than the one i bought. Isn't that usually how it goes?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason