Pawn shop/Goodwill build!

[braswell57]

Hello gentlemen,
I am a 54 year old that has always wanted a motored bike since i was a kid. I live in Southern Illinois and have noticed a NIB 48cc Chinese motor kit in the showcase of a local pawn shop for several months. The price was $169 which i thought was too high, although i hadn't priced any motors previously and didn't know what they sell for new. I didn't seriously consider buying it till i walked into the local Goodwill recently and noticed an Ocean Pacific "Roller" bike in like new condition sitting in the front window. The price was $50 and i immediately envisioned the pawn shop motor mounted in this bike. I bought the Roller and headed straight for the pawn shop to do some negotiating. As i expected, they still had the motor for sale and it even had a 10% discounted price tag attached. I thought i would have some fun so i told them i would make them an offer since i knew they had been sitting on this item for several months. I tried bluffing the manager saying they probably wouldn't find another buyer for such an off the wall item and i would give them $95 including tax. She actually acted interested in my offer and looked up the item to see how much money they had invested in the motor. She said that my offer was $5 below what they had in it, so i offered $100 plus tax so they could at least break even on the deal. To my surprise she accepted my offer and even extended the return policy to two weeks so that i could have time to mount it and run the motor. Well, i now am in the process of building my "Chinese Motor Roller". Everything is looking good and i have currently replaced all of the Chinese hardware with good old US 8.8 nuts and bolts. I also replaced the engine head studs and intake/exhaust studs as well as engine mounting studs with 6x1.0 all threaded rod from Fastenall. I should have her up and running very soon and will plan on taking some photos to post here after i finish. It looks like this web site is a wealth of information and i have already printed several threads with excellent tips on building, breaking in and operating motored bikes. Thanks for all of the good information that you all have made available for noobs like me! It is greatly appreciated and i look forward to a long future here! Kind regards to all, braswell57

 

[PatrickW]

Welcome to MBc, Braswell. Now that you have introduced yourself, be sure to read all you can, including the 'Stickies' at the top of every Forum. They contain a lot of information. For example, Sticky #1 under "Introduce Yourself" has 20 or so links to “How To…” threads, and important pages for you to follow. Sticky #3 has info on Forums...how you are expected to conduct yourself, and where you might find and use various features. However, read all of them; many new members just skip over them and miss out on a tremendous introductory education. And, be sure to use the search feature. Almost every question you might have has already been asked and answered someplace here. If you are still stumped with a certain problem, post your question in the proper Forum and I am sure you will get an answer.

It sounds like you made two excellent purchases (assuming there isn't something drastically wrong with the motor.) So far, you have followed the first steps "to the letter" by replacing the cheap hardware with the good stuff. Be sure to keep us posted, and send pics as you build. Good Luck to you.

Patrick

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Here are important questions to consider when building for yourself or others:

1) What is the predominant riding terrain?
2) What type of physique does the primary rider have?
3) What will the rider's local laws allow and require them to have?
(Lookup and personally read these laws.)
4) What kind of bike is being motorized?
5) What is the bike to be used for?
6) How much of a budget is to be used for the build?

Seek the answers to these questions in order to get the most out of the bike you're building. We're here to help with any questions you may have. Good luck with your build.