One Year Later

[Timbone]

It's been about a year since I started thinking seriously about building up a motorized bicycle. With very little understanding of the resulting problems that arise as a result of bolting a gas engine to a bicycle, I bought a Walmart cheapo bike and dropped $140 on a 2 stroke kit. Today, 66 25- mile round trips behind me, I buzz around on a machine that is incredibly reliable.

Every type of failure has confronted me. Exhaust fell off. Flat tires. Broken engine studs. Air filter lost. Fuel lines have busted. Broken spokes. Broken wheel bearings. You name it, I have confronted it.

Today, 11 months later, I completed my first zippy commute of the year. Cruiser tires and thick, flat resistant tubes are a crucial improvement. Blue and red loctite on all nuts that I can apply them to are quite helpful, too.

The most recent improvements are my DAX supplied 69cc motor attached to a 41 tooth steel sprocket. My 26" wheels now offer a "soft cruise" of 25mph, and a WOT cruise of 30mph. It's all very smooth and my stretched frame (a GT2-A) offers wonderful handling characteristics.

This is such good fun. I really enjoy reading the forum and learning from those who really know their stuff. To be honest, I am quite surprised at how naturally and energetically some if you with huge knowledge bases help the poor newbies - something I was a year ago.

I've looked for a similar forum in reference to motorcycles, but I've found nothing comparable to this forum.

Thanks to all of you for your help. I sincerely hope that something I write on here will help someone.

Timbone

 

[Purple Haze]

T-bone, it's been great having you join us on this forum. You've gone about the sometimes frustrating business of building a reliable bike in a straightforward and practical manner, and should be proud of your accomplishments. Lots of people get frustrated and give up on the hobby, which is a shame. There are some very fine craftsmen on this forum who enjoy the hobby and are welcoming to the noobies, sharing their experiences and knowledge with all. Good luck with your future development, perhaps you'll stumble upon a trick mod or develop some new hardware that will take us all to another level.