Russian depression and my oncoming third attempt at a motorized bike

[Artilleryleader]

Hi everybody!
I live in Russia and have tried to build a motorized bicycle for something around three years now.
I know that I'm a sore loser, but this is what you get when you have no money.
In this thread I will tell you how I tried and failed to make my own transportation device...

 

[Artilleryleader]

The first attempt was quite bold actually: a front wheel drive scooter with a chainsaw motor.
The concept was to experience riding on something with a real engine without it taking too much space
I got the engine by asking everybody I knew about it. One of my friends just happened to have a dead chinese chainsaw in his garage: he found it at a local tree felling site near his village. After acquiring the dirty heap of spare parts I had to make it run again somehow. Turned out the saw was thrown away because the piston finger holder broke apart and the pieces have filed a channel in the piston and the cylinder (it began at the transfer port and went up).
Then someone disassembled the cylinder and forgot to put the spacer between the crankcase and the cylinder.
And water got in.
And there were tons of metal filings in the crankcase.
And rust.
And dirt.

 

[Member 30571]

Welcome to MotoredBikes .

 

[Artilleryleader]

Welcome to MotoredBikes .

Thank you!

 

[Vikingimike01]

I once pressure washed my bike and blew the motor seals.

 

[Artilleryleader]

So anyway I started that chainsaw up, I heard that engine for the first time and it was really exciting, it felt like I'd be riding in just a matter of days!
I was extremely wrong.
I have spent a bunch of weekends working on the metal frame of the motorized scooter on my (other) friend's workplace. The frame was terrible because for me it was the first time using a welder (of course it was a stick welder)
The frame of the motor was not parallel to the front wheel and the drivetrain was weak even in concept.

 

[Artilleryleader]

I once pressure washed my bike and blew the motor seals.

Oh, I've heard horror stories about people ruining their regular bikes by pressure washing them.
There is an extra degree to this when the guy telling the story goes "and THEN he left it the cold with all the water under the seals"

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Welcome, Comrade!
Americans say "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again".
No harm in trying, if you have the time, energy and the will power.
Can I make suggestions?
Find as much as you can for free.
Try to fix your chainsaw engine cheaply.
In the meantime, find as many engines as you can, for free. They can be anything from a small weedwhacker to a blower motor, chainsaw, etc.
Easiest motorized bicycle is friction drive on rear or front wheel.
Find an engine that works.
Be patient. Work safely.
Make sure your brakes work VERY well.
Good luck.

 

[Artilleryleader]

The second summer was somewhere on the productive side, but not much. I have bought a lawnmower engine, a bunch of carbs and I've learned how to spoke a wheel. Also I've got a soviet bike frame in fairly good condition.
Buying the carburetors was quite fun, we raided the local flea market with a friend and spent usually not more than two dollars per carb. (usually the crappy carburetors went for a hundred rubles - a bit more than one buck) After buying the things I disassembled them, washed 'em in gas and then reassembled back. There was a thought that one day the spare bike and engine parts will just be enough to make a something complete out of them...

 

[RB55]

Someone give this man an 80cc 2 stroke kit!!! Sounds like you could really use it lol