Fat-Tire 7-Speed with Shift Kit

It was a tight fit, but I managed to get the engine in there. I couldn't use the high compression head I wanted to use...heck, but I'll live. The pic isn't very good because I just got back from riding it, and it started to rain so I took a pic of it in my garage full of boxes from a delivery I got today. Time to clean up now!

I couldn't use the bottom bracket supplied with the shift kit because of the super-wide axel. I stuck with the stock bottom bracket assembly & changed out the cranks & it worked out fine.

ALSO, the shift kit's shaft wasn't long enough so I had to buy a 9" shaft & cut it to length. I forget how much linger it is, but it's around 1.5" longer.

The chain guard that mounts on the right side case cover doesn't work either because the chain is out so fat. I'll figure something out there though.

And because of the tight fit of the engine in the frame, the top of the shift kit mount is all the way at the top of the seat post tube preventing me from using the adjuster on the bottom to slide the engine up to tighten the chain. Luckily the chain is as tight as possible & I ordered a tensioner for it if it does stretch. I know the 415 chains stretch...hopefully the bike chain that came with the shift kit doesn't too much.

The last little item I will address is that the chain-block that mounts to the seatpost tube & has a metal bracket that keeps the pedal's chain from popping too far inward does not reach out anywhere close to the chain.

All in all, it wasn't very difficult. I picked up the bike for $260 shipped from Academy Sports & it's actually a very solid bike. The disc brakes work very well, but they are a little squeaky right now. I'll dial them soon. It's really fun to ride because it's so unlike any bike I've ever ridden. I'd say the ride is a lot like what a 2 wheeled tank would feel like driving. It's really smooth, and with the shift kit it eats up hills. I just have to make sure I don't have to be anywhere in a hurry when I'm on this.
 

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Wow you wasn't joking about a tight fit. I could tell you how to spread the range between your gears to some thing like this 4 speed (34,28,21,14). By reducing the number of gears and spreading out the range its less shifting and quicker acceleration.
 
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It was a tight fit, but I managed to get the engine in there. I couldn't use the high compression head I wanted to use...heck, but I'll live. The pic isn't very good because I just got back from riding it, and it started to rain so I took a pic of it in my garage full of boxes from a delivery I got today. Time to clean up now!

I couldn't use the bottom bracket supplied with the shift kit because of the super-wide axel. I stuck with the stock bottom bracket assembly & changed out the cranks & it worked out fine.

ALSO, the shift kit's shaft wasn't long enough so I had to buy a 9" shaft & cut it to length. I forget how much linger it is, but it's around 1.5" longer.

The chain guard that mounts on the right side case cover doesn't work either because the chain is out so fat. I'll figure something out there though.

And because of the tight fit of the engine in the frame, the top of the shift kit mount is all the way at the top of the seat post tube preventing me from using the adjuster on the bottom to slide the engine up to tighten the chain. Luckily the chain is as tight as possible & I ordered a tensioner for it if it does stretch. I know the 415 chains stretch...hopefully the bike chain that came with the shift kit doesn't too much.

The last little item I will address is that the chain-block that mounts to the seatpost tube & has a metal bracket that keeps the pedal's chain from popping too far inward does not reach out anywhere close to the chain.

All in all, it wasn't very difficult. I picked up the bike for $260 shipped from Academy Sports & it's actually a very solid bike. The disc brakes work very well, but they are a little squeaky right now. I'll dial them soon. It's really fun to ride because it's so unlike any bike I've ever ridden. I'd say the ride is a lot like what a 2 wheeled tank would feel like driving. It's really smooth, and with the shift kit it eats up hills. I just have to make sure I don't have to be anywhere in a hurry when I'm on this.


VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO PLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever since I saw those I've been wondering how an engine would look on it
 
LR Jerry,

I think I'm going to stick with the 7 gears for now. It's the slowest motorized bike I've ever ridden, and I'm actually using all of the gears when I'm riding it. I guess it's because it's really heavy plus the fact that there's a lot more resistance from all the surface area of tires. Also, the steerer-tube angle is a lot steeper than a regular mountain bike & a whole lot steeper than a cruiser. This makes turning a whole lot less natural for me. It's really strange going around a sharp curve because there's so much rubber on the road, and I can feel the weight shift to the front as the front tire grabs. I really don't want to be going anywhere above 20mph on this bike at the absolute fastest.

I can't wait to get off-road somewhere with it. It would be a blast in the snow too, I'm sure! It's

typtohe - I'll see what I can do for video. Maybe by the weekend.
 
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ALSO, the shift kit's shaft wasn't long enough so I had to buy a 9" shaft & cut it to length. I forget how much linger it is, but it's around 1.5" longer..

Yours is a very nice bike, and I bet it is fun. I'm in the process of assembling parts for a similar bike based on the same frame. I'll be replacing the rear tire for better jackshaft clearance. I see that your tire does not appear stock.
Since I don't have the shift kit at this point, and don't know what the shaft you replaced looks like; where did you get the replacement shaft? Is it simply stock material? I'll be replacing the rear tire for better jackshaft clearance. Thanks, Steve
 
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