First Time Ever

UTurn

New Member
Local time
8:41 AM
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Messages
20
Location
Gainesville, Florida
Hello All,

I am new to any Forum of any kind. That being said I'm not sure what kind of intro write so I'll just run with it... For reasons I won't go into, I don't drive anymore. A couple years ago I asked my Brother and my Nephew, both Street-rod Hobbyists, to help me design a motor for a bicycle. They laughed it off as foolish I think, because it went no further. A year later, and quite tired of walking, I figured that if I had that idea, someone else must have too, so I looked up "Bicycle Motors" and to my surprise there was a whole world of Motored Biking. WOW, FAR OUT, and COOL!

A friend had given me an old, messed up, home painted Schwinn. About then my knowledge of bikes stopped back in my preteens with my Stingray with a banana seat and a sissy bar, I think the late 60's. Anyway, I bow to the internet for it's base of knowledge. :bowdown:

I made a quick decision and bought an 80cc Skyhawk. That was my first Build and I was so proud of it. The guy who gave me the bike said "That's the Sickest thing I've ever seen." I was living in Spokane at the time and you just didn't see such a thing there. That was only just over a year ago and I'll say I've come a long way in a year. My Plan was to ride the bike from Spokane Washington to Florida. Well, there were too many problems that prevented me from leaving and then Winter hit. I left the bike there, shipped the motor, and flew to Florida instead (trip just postponed).

I acquired a much nicer Timberline GT, my Second Build sort of and added some extras. Of the bikes I see on display on the net, they all look like show bikes. Mine is more makeshift but it works for me. I added a speedometer, and a rear view mirror and saddle bags. Next came a bullet headlight, brake lights, tail lights, turn signals, and all powered by a very small motorcycle battery mounted on the rear rack. Later I discovered a very fine company called "Sick Bike Parts". With their 2 stroke shift kit I was able to shift gears which I thought was Great. Had a lot of problems with the 2 stroke breakdowns, slipping clutch, tangled chains, and much more.

Finally I decided to chuck the 2 stroke and get a 4 stroke motor for which I'll refer to as my Third Build. I now have 25 miles of problem free riding. The fine people at SBP sold me just the parts I needed to switch the 2 stroke shift kit to the 4 stroke kit. This should be delivered tomorrow. These Guys at SBP were extremely helpful and reasonable with the sale. That's just my experience, not a spam :).

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! I still plan to take a trip across country with the bike, just not today. Much more to do first.
 

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Doesn't look makeshift to me. Like the signals and trailer especially. You want makeshift, I can show you a few things. :whistle:

And welcome to the forum.....we have a little of everything here.
 
Yeah, the trailer... Someone once told me that you can't weld aluminum at home... There are 7 nuts & bolts on this, the rest is all welded. Guess I showed him! Thanks for the compliment.
 
Someone once told me that you can't weld aluminum at home...

That someone, was never a welder ! I do my best aluminum welding at home. lol

Very nice clean builds, love your light/blinker set ups. you did good on the builds and that trailer is cool also, mind getting a close up on how you connected it to the bike?
 
what are you using for brake lights and turn signals? I've got a strong headlight (just bought a better/rechargeable battery for it) but I want working brake lights and signals because my bike is for commuting (as well as lookin' cool).

My bike is deceptively "custom"... you can get a lot of "custom look" mileage out of a well chosen bicycle!
 
I also love the lights.....could you start or add to a thread in the electricle section? I am interested in your setup.
I love the trailer also....but alas I do not weld......electricity and I have an agreement, or should I say we have restraining orders against each other.
 
RedBaronX, My tail/brake light was just a cheap 6 dollar auto parts store light. I welded up a bracket for it. The turn signals were off a honda motorcycle I think. I fabricated a bracket for those too. You are probably more interested in the switch. You would not want to copy what I'm using right now, it's "Farmer Jones makeshift". However, I'm working on a new design that uses a spring loaded, normally closed, push button switch. The idea is to modify the brake lever some. On the lever body I will mount the switch, on the lever I will mount a short rod that will enguage the switch while in normal use, and release the switch when the brakes are applied. This will apply power to the lights when I pull on the handle. I use a duel break lever by the way. Also the mod requires a little aluminum welding or rather soldering sort of.

For the rest of the lights I have plans for that too. All in good time. I am tired of charging my battery every time I take a trip out, so I'm loading the headlight bucket with superbright LED's and same for the other lights. You can run a very long time on LED's as apposed to the incandesant lights.

Before I can do that I need to research the correct resistors to use and how many bulbs can go on one resister. Anyway, I'll keep posting as I go. There might be something usefull in there eventually.
 
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you are correct that I am interested in the switch to engage the brake light. When I went to Radio Shack a few weeks ago to get the switch, wires, solder, etc for the light I have, I looked at a bunch of the switches to think about how to make one work--I was trying to think of a way to push a push button switch with a pull of the brake lever, but nothing really HIT me as the "best way". I have a dual-pull as well, so all the better if you come up with a switch solution.

I just ordered an LED back light, and will be ordering an LED headlight (I have a halogen ATV/tractor light right now) because I know charging the battery will be a pain... didn't think of how much power the halogen pulls until after I bought it (and someone pointed out the wattage/amperage... it's been a long time since I've thought about that stuff...) The headlight I have in mind is something like $70, so it's going to be a month or so before I get it.

Oh, I have a question-- the battery I just ordered has to be strong enough for my current headlight-- the battery is 12 volts and 7 amps (it's a 55w bulb)... is that "too much" to run LEDs rated for 12v systems since LEDs draw minuscule amounts of amps? It's been a LONG time since I've built circuits, and I never built any without the help of my dad who was an engineer (but long since passed away)

As for welding/soldering, I've got soldering covered. There is also always epoxy and epoxy putty...
 
RedBaronX,

I guess the trick isn't to push the switch when you pull the brake, but to release the switch when you pull the brake. A normally closed switch completes the circuit without doing anything, but when you push the button it opens the circuit to cut power. With this in mind, if the rod connected to the lever is pushing the button all the time until you pull the brake then you will have just what you need.

I'm sorry but I'm not sure about your battery question. I only know that the light mod that I'm working will require resistors. Something already manufactured will have the resistors built in which allows them to rate it a 12 volt. If you have built circuits then you probably know as much as I do already. I'm learning as I go.

As for the aluminum welding, Google a product called Dura-Fix Rods. It may surprise you what this stuff will do. That's what I used to build the trailer.
 
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