Joe from Tucson, AZ

joe_speeded

New Member
Local time
11:02 AM
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
1
Hey guys, I just built my first motor assist bike and I'm lovin' it! I use it more as a commuter bike than a toy since my drivers license is suspended from speeding tickets. When building my bike, I wanted something more reliable than fast, I went with a 4 stroke so I can gas and go without dealing with push start and mixed fuel.

In arizona our laws specify that as long as your bike is 48cc or less and operates under 20mph, it's considered a "bike" and we don't need all the crap we need for cars.

I have occasional questions, like what kind of spark plug to use, should i gap it, fuel filters, jets, things like that, that aren't common knowledge, so I figured I'd sign up and become part of the community.

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This is not your average micargi 2 stroke cruiser that you'll see everywhere in Tucson. This is a crappy 700c touring bike with a 700c back tire and a 26 inch front tire. The bike sits pretty level despite the odd tires because I removed the rigid fork and put some suspension on it (Mostly for disc brakes and to save my hands on bumpy roads). I've got disc brakes on the front and pull brakes on the back, the combination lets me go from 20 to stop gracefully. When buying the tires, I got some cheap 20$ matching continentals, wide.

In the future, I plan on moving the engine to a different frame, but I'm cheap and I'm picky, so time will tell.
 
Hey, this is Tony from Tucson. Great looking build. That must be a huge frame to fit the 4-stroke. I had to use a 26' cruiser. So if you see an old guy riding a blue and white cruiser with a banana seat and ape hangers around Oro Valley, it's probably me. Welcome to the insanity!
 
Welcome. It sounds like you know the laws. I hope you intend to follow them. Here in Phoenix, about 95% of riders do not. Most of them have illegal engines, exceed the MB speed limit, and ride recklessly. IN order for MB's to remain legal people have to follow the laws.

What brand bike is that? I noticed it has a front disc brake. 2 things I would change asap is the chain tensioner and the rear rag joint sprocket mount. You can get nice spring loaded engine mount tensioners and clamshell rear sprocket mounts from eBay and other places that are 100% safer.
 
I find it quite odd that almost half the websites I visit/check to verify motorized bicycle laws are sooo wrong it's ridiculous. half of them say Arizona requires a valid drivers license which is hogwash. how do you/can you believe anything you read? they say the same for almost every state and I KNOW that Arizona isn't the only state where you need no license at all.

anyways,... at least here,... ppl are more hesitant to post HEARSAY,.. and it is good to see. HEARSAY benefits NOBODY.
 
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I check the actual state statutes on their government sites to know what the actual laws state and how they are worded. How they are enforced varies officer to officer and how they are interpreted can vary judge to judge.
 
I can tell you with confidence that NO police officer wants to be laughed at back at the barracks. if he writes tickets for a guy on a bicycle,.. and the guy fights it/pleads not guilty? the wasted time, money, and effort to convict a guy on a bicycle will go down in department history as the biggest waste in history. and superior officers get FLAK for not focusing on easy, revenue-generating, un-defensible tickets like SPEEDING where 90 % of defendants simply ask "where do I pay and how much?" I think now,.. cops are actually hesitant and reluctant to get mixedup with MB'ers that are just passing thru.

but repeat, every day individuals that the cop has seen before,..who are doing something obnoxious or generating complaints from local citizens?---completely different. you WILL get janked. hard. whether its legal in that state,..or not. *not* making that person you flipped off call the police is the number one difference. if there's no phone call, there's no record of him (the cop) even see-ing you,...talking to you,..stopping you,..etc. so he can just let you go WAYYY easier, without having to EXPLAIN anything back at base.

phone call complaints are the leading cause of handcuffs IMHO......they will literally drop the donut and go LOOKING for you. bad things are a-coming your way.
 
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sometimes all it takes is a loud muffler and you piss off someone and they lie bcs they hate on cyclists anyway
 
I dont know why,..but some people find the sound of a 2 stroke to be amongst the top 3 most annoying sounds on earth. and you can take it from there. I love that sound,..personally…

BTW just ordered some 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD x 1/8" wall latex tubing for my exhaust nozzle. im leaving no stone unturned. I don't see how 1/16" wall would work. gotta have some shock wave absorbency,.. and not come apart in less than 5 minutes.
 
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