TheCrystalSkull
New Member
Hey there! I've seen some pretty neat machines on this forum over the course of the last year, since being bitten by the motoring bug. I mostly do electrics, easier to get away with them where I'm at. Not to say I don't like gassers, mind. I was a mechanic on German cars for ten years or so, then switched into Landscaping; long story. Got back into bicycling a recently when somebody kindly gave me a decent old Schwinn cruiser of indeterminate age and model. Rebuilt it and rode it all around the Seattle trails. I was looking for a headlight that didn't suck and wound up on one of those scooter parts websites and it hit me. I needed to build a powered bike.
I converted a gravity bike I was working on into an electric and that's pretty much how it got started. That bike was ugly, rickety and slow and twisted. But it was a start. I decided I needed to start with a fresh frame, so I found blueprints for an old Harley and scaled it down...
First I built this:
Which became this:
Then this:
It was heavy, with lead-acid batteries, a 500w motor and extras. Probably only 20 miles range and broke drive train parts every 15. At this point, I want to convert it to gas and keep the pedal action, finish building the forks and I think it will be pretty fun then.
The other bike I am presently working on is based on an old Schwinn heavyweight, it's being made into a cafe racer of sorts. It's electric, mid-drive (I don't like the idea of motors in my wheels...) and I'm shooting for a 200+ mile range at an average speed of 25mph.
The only original part is the frame, and I've only widened the rear drop-out width to accommodate a multi-speed downhill hub and will be welding tabs for the brake caliper. I'll post up a more detailed build in the appropriate place.
Anyways, I'd like to meet up other Pacific NW motor-bikers, and all that.
Happy motoring!
I converted a gravity bike I was working on into an electric and that's pretty much how it got started. That bike was ugly, rickety and slow and twisted. But it was a start. I decided I needed to start with a fresh frame, so I found blueprints for an old Harley and scaled it down...
First I built this:
Which became this:
Then this:
It was heavy, with lead-acid batteries, a 500w motor and extras. Probably only 20 miles range and broke drive train parts every 15. At this point, I want to convert it to gas and keep the pedal action, finish building the forks and I think it will be pretty fun then.
The other bike I am presently working on is based on an old Schwinn heavyweight, it's being made into a cafe racer of sorts. It's electric, mid-drive (I don't like the idea of motors in my wheels...) and I'm shooting for a 200+ mile range at an average speed of 25mph.
The only original part is the frame, and I've only widened the rear drop-out width to accommodate a multi-speed downhill hub and will be welding tabs for the brake caliper. I'll post up a more detailed build in the appropriate place.
Anyways, I'd like to meet up other Pacific NW motor-bikers, and all that.
Happy motoring!