My Kestrel, the first time ever run...

[Kestrel Motors Inc.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CA7VRE7ocY

 

[Kestrel Motors Inc.]

I'll post a video of me riding it soon...

 

[motorpsycho]

wow, you need to turn the idle down quite a bit.

 

[Kestrel Motors Inc.]

wow, you need to turn the idle down quite a bit.

It doesn't have an idle, It doesn't even have a throttle! The only adjustment that the carb has is a jet and if I turn that even an 1/8 of a turn it kills the engine...

 

[motorpsycho]

then how in the heck can you ride it and control the speed?
you need to find a carb that has an idle adjustment and a throttle.

 

[Kestrel Motors Inc.]

The carb is so small it's almost a mixer and I adjust the speed by tightening or loosening the belt. I have it set up with a pedal, so the more I press the pedal down, the faster I go...

 

[motorbikemike45]

I'll bet this was a stationary engine designed to run at a constant speed to pump water, generate electricity, etc. It looks to be a very nice build. I built a scooter, mostly wood, when I was young, a thousand years ago, with a Maytag constant speed engine designed to run a clothes washer which used a similar speed control. My family also had a reel type self-propelled mower that used a pully tensioner/clutch and v-belt drive. The system works fine, but it will go through v-belts at a fairly high rate. Nice job, young man.

 

[Kestrel Motors Inc.]

Yeah, this is a Briggs and Stratton washing machine engine. I bought it at an auction for $4 and me and the local mechanic got it to run again.

 

[motorbikemike45]

I'm afraid your bike wouldn't be street legal here in Pennsylvania. An assisted bicycle here must remain capable of being pedal driven and the operator must have a valid driver's license(age 16). I'm pretty sure the driver's license requirement is to prevent folks who have lost their driving privileges(primarily from DUIs) from simply shifting to a motored bike. I do like the wooden running boards, they add a nice touch and a little class.

 

[Kestrel Motors Inc.]

Yeah, it's not legal here in NE either, and the license thing applies here. I just ride it through parades and sometime from my house to our shop. The next one I'm building will be legal to ride (at least when I get a license).