Help me choose a cruiser from Walmart

[raattlerviper]

Does anyone know of a cruiser from Walmart that a HT type motor will mount on without fabricating any special sort of brackets and what not? I know I will need to add brakes to the bike for safety as coaster brakes are not that good. But any leads towards a cruiser style bike that the engine will just fit in would be great. Thanks in advance guys.

 

[lonjack]

I'm doing a Schwinn Landmark that I had delivered to my local Walmart, and so far it's a drop in type conversion for my 4 stroke kit. The bike has a steel frame, so should be sturdy enough, and easy to make any repairs needed down the road.

 

[JTinFL]

Walmart Cruisers

I've done 2 cruisers from Walmart.A Huffy Cranbrook.Only mods were to shave down dust cover on back hub.And should have gotten the wide tube adapter for front engine mount instead of drilling through frame.But even doing that I've had no problems.The second one is a Schwinn Landmark 7 speed.Got wide tube adapter on that one.The only other mod was a shift kit.Another cruiser i did is a Huffy Classic Beach Edition 6 speed.Just the front wide down tube engine mount was needed.This bike was a throw away by a dumpster,but came out ok.Could'nt beat the price.

 

[raattlerviper]

Well thank you so much guys. I looked up all those bikes and I like the look of the cranbrook, and a good price too. Prolly end up gettin one next week.

 

[Al.Fisherman]

Remember, there are very few bikes off the rack (big box stores) that the wheels are true. You will need to tune them up. In order to cut down on the labor, take it off the rack, set it on the seat and handle bars and spin the wheels...if it's too out of true try another.

Other things to do before starting the engine... very inexpensive...
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?p=269210#post269210

 

[chefdouglas]

Remember, there are very few bikes off the rack (big box stores) that the wheels are true. You will need to tune them up. In order to cut down on the labor, take it off the rack, set it on the seat and handle bars and spin the wheels...if it's too out of true try another.

Great advice. Also with a walmart or any non-bike shop bike check every nut and bolt, brakes and connectors. My walmart special came with most hard ware hand tightened and brakes on just wrong. I bought the point beach model, it's the same frame but with gears and better brakes then some of their other cruisers. They also sell a seat post shock, I recommend it, cuts out some vibration but not a substitute for suspension.

 

[raattlerviper]

I agree, great advice guys. Luckily this is just my first go around with a motored bike and not bicycles. I will have my spoke wrench handy, but had never thought of flipping the bike over and checking the wheels for true, though I do that to use the brakes as a truing stand.
I haven't seen the seatpost shock around here, maybe I'll have to look it up online.

 

[raattlerviper]

Any of you guys know if the Ocean Pacific beach cruiser is a straight forward install without fabricating any mounting bracket? I have a wide tube adapter on the way, just trying to make a final deciscion about the bike. I saw the one Foximus built, but it has custom rubber mounts so I don't know if the engine would fit stock or not, and it looks as though he has been away from the forum for awhile.

 

[chefdouglas]

You'll need the adapter for the front tube, but the seat post should fit fine. My bike which is the same frame I believe, I needed a few washers to get the chain tensioner to line up. Since you have not purchased yet one suggestion is going with a mountain bike instead. I would like to have front suspension if I where to do mine again. I like the cruiser look but pot holes at 30 mph can be jarring and probably shorten the life span of the bike and it's components. Walmart has a mountain bike with front shocks and front disc brakes for around $200. It's more money now but cheaper than up grading latter. Also having gears is good if you have a engine(cdi, magneto, ect)problem and need to peddle home or if you decide to go with a shift kit in the future. I know it's not what you asked but my experience makes me wish I had thought about some of these points before I built.

 

[raattlerviper]

All excellent points. However...this is more a pleasure bike than anything else to be honest. While I will ride it to work everyday work is only a 10 minute walk from home, so even pushing it to work would not be a major fail. I also live in a state (az) that limits me to 20 mph unless I register it as a motorcycle. Which while it sounds like a good idea I am unable to find a company that would be willing to insure it (unless someone has suggestions), so I will have to live with a 20 mph limit.
I am also a big guy. 6 foot 1 and 200 lbs, and have found the front suspensions on box store bike to be worse than none at all. 2 metal tubes with a coilspring in them does not a suspension fork make.
Honestly I am looking for something that looks like the board track racers of yester year because they look cool. If I find myself yearning to use this as a real form of transportation I think I would feel better served by a trek or specialized (or some other name brand bike) with a Honda 4 stroke mounted over the back tire. Worst case scenario with this as a pleasure bike I'll whip out the cell phone and call the wife to bring the pickup truck out and pick me up.

I would however like to thank you for your suggestions. I can see many people making the mistake of going cheap and thinking they were getting a perfect cheap form of transportation. Gears and better brakes would be highly important if this wasn't going to be just a hobby. What can I say? I would like to build a v twin, but my family's current finacial situation limits the funds I have available. This my friend apears to be good cheap fun.