The Phoenix, is not your ordinary bike. The body is a Giant Stiletto Chopper and its heart is a 80cc HT with a shift kit, and i am the wings.
Life of the Phoenix was not always so, the original bike was a 1988 Huffy "mountain" bike. I started with just the engine and the bike. It a good and strong frame, rear wheel spokes, not so much. I got the shift kit from SickBikeParts, best purchase ever! went through a couple of more wheels and sprockets till i get it dialed in. the i decided to design a full dot compliant lighting setup. all those lights and batteries made that bike super heavy. you could feel it flex and bend under the load of me and everything else. this bike was indestructible i could trust making multi-hour long trips on it.
So i brought it to a MB rally in CT (great rally, hope it happens again!) with my two friends and their MB's. We get there assemble and unload bikes, i take the bike bike out for a warm up ride. I get on the bike and get it going, then not even 500 feet away i feel the frame twist and hear a crunch and pop with the twang of spokes (i think the note was a F# ) Oh woes is sad, so sad my bike is broke and i dint even get to show it off. Well people are awesome and let me ride their bikes, i am grateful for the hospitality and new friends i have made. I go home a very happy camper even with the sad ending to the "Commuter"
So a week later my buddy comes across a Giant Stiletto Chopper for sale on craigslist and i get it. At first i just got it because i wanted a different bike, as is had another plan for the Commuter. Well i was painting the frame of the new "Commuter", when it hit me , that i could use the frame to mount the engine to the chopper. So i cut the frame and fit it to the chopper, once i get it close i brought the chopper to the local muffler shop and had them weld the frame together.
Frame is welded, it is off a bit but close in alignment, i can work with it. I get the engine and shift kit fitted, the front crank replaced. All there is to do is install the chains and mount the exhaust. The muffler i have to heat and bend to clear the cranks, it is about a 2mm clearance. Oh what fun the chain was, the chain would jump off the bike every time you started to trust it. well i mounted the chain idler to the bike and it carries the slack of the chain, it no longer jumps off. YAY for hours long rides!! This bike gets me pulled over by curious bystanders all the time, the police love it, especially the motorcycle cops Thus the Phoenix is born.
Now i have the bike registered with the RMV, it has Normans' light and taillight with the additional 6v alternator and battery charger. I think this build is finished. My next one will be a 4 stroke.
Here are the links to the photo gallery, i have uploaded 3 pics as a teaser.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hselomei...eat=directlink
I have to thank everyone in both forums, i would not have built this bike without their help and ideas.
Life of the Phoenix was not always so, the original bike was a 1988 Huffy "mountain" bike. I started with just the engine and the bike. It a good and strong frame, rear wheel spokes, not so much. I got the shift kit from SickBikeParts, best purchase ever! went through a couple of more wheels and sprockets till i get it dialed in. the i decided to design a full dot compliant lighting setup. all those lights and batteries made that bike super heavy. you could feel it flex and bend under the load of me and everything else. this bike was indestructible i could trust making multi-hour long trips on it.
So i brought it to a MB rally in CT (great rally, hope it happens again!) with my two friends and their MB's. We get there assemble and unload bikes, i take the bike bike out for a warm up ride. I get on the bike and get it going, then not even 500 feet away i feel the frame twist and hear a crunch and pop with the twang of spokes (i think the note was a F# ) Oh woes is sad, so sad my bike is broke and i dint even get to show it off. Well people are awesome and let me ride their bikes, i am grateful for the hospitality and new friends i have made. I go home a very happy camper even with the sad ending to the "Commuter"
So a week later my buddy comes across a Giant Stiletto Chopper for sale on craigslist and i get it. At first i just got it because i wanted a different bike, as is had another plan for the Commuter. Well i was painting the frame of the new "Commuter", when it hit me , that i could use the frame to mount the engine to the chopper. So i cut the frame and fit it to the chopper, once i get it close i brought the chopper to the local muffler shop and had them weld the frame together.
Frame is welded, it is off a bit but close in alignment, i can work with it. I get the engine and shift kit fitted, the front crank replaced. All there is to do is install the chains and mount the exhaust. The muffler i have to heat and bend to clear the cranks, it is about a 2mm clearance. Oh what fun the chain was, the chain would jump off the bike every time you started to trust it. well i mounted the chain idler to the bike and it carries the slack of the chain, it no longer jumps off. YAY for hours long rides!! This bike gets me pulled over by curious bystanders all the time, the police love it, especially the motorcycle cops Thus the Phoenix is born.
Now i have the bike registered with the RMV, it has Normans' light and taillight with the additional 6v alternator and battery charger. I think this build is finished. My next one will be a 4 stroke.
Here are the links to the photo gallery, i have uploaded 3 pics as a teaser.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hselomei...eat=directlink
I have to thank everyone in both forums, i would not have built this bike without their help and ideas.
Gonna start looking for those bikes! Very cool!
