Greetings from the General!

Kehkou

Active Member
Local time
4:08 PM
Joined
Jul 21, 2022
Messages
134
Location
The Duke City
Hello everyone!

I'm new here, and to motorized bikes. So far, it's been a blast! I ride in ABQ at about 5'100' (0.9 mi) ASL. No; there is no blue meth or drug lords here!

First, I want to thank you if you have already welcomed me, I'm humbled! Also, thank you to the entire community for the knowledge base you have built here. This site, even for non-members, seems to be the go-to on the web for motorized bicycle information and troubleshooting.

Without further ado, here is my bike. It is a rare 1987 General Catalina Plus 3, a 26-inch road cruiser with a two-speed internal hub and coaster brake made by General Bicycles, a defunct offshoot of Redline out of PA with an interesting history. I found it on the side of the road. It was turquoise and was showing its age. I fixed it up and kept it as a vintage bike for a while. When I decided to motorize it, I tore it down, painted it black, and cleaned and rebuilt it. I had the decals remade, except I went with the 1988+ General logo, and also superimposed it with the pre-1988 General 'shield' logo.

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@DAMIEN1307 Look closely at the "A" in "General". That is what it looks like!;)

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I had to beat up the muffler to get it to clear the pedals.

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Had to use a special sprocket for mag wheels to fit my coaster hub.

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Yes, tank is slightly tilted towards the petcock. I like it like that! It's not as noticeable in person.

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Plenty of room lol! (Stupid auto-focus...IT'S JUST GRASS!)

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Gotta secure that coaster arm. The power to stop is the power to live. EDIT: After many years of faithful service this king plate now belongs to the road. RIP! It has been replaced with a chinesium bolt. Sorry Damien. Check your bolts, ladies and gentelmen!!!!

@DAMIEN1307 We were so taken by the now missing king/striker plate, you didn't even notice the curtain rod bracket in place of a coupler nut on the sun gear shifter cable lol 😂🤣

Can call the bike the General Stryker!!!🤣😂🤣
Not anymore...I liked that one, too. :confused:

Thanks again for making me feel welcome! I look forward to sharing Ideas with y'all.
 

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Did you actually just use a door knob "jam plate/stricker plate" to secure that coaster brake arm???...lol.
Lol yeah, it was the only "washer" I had at the time. It holds like a champ though and would give a wheel thief a heck of a hard time. I never replaced it and now I guess it is part of the bike's "character".
 
Lol yeah, it was the only "washer" I had at the time. It holds like a champ though and would give a wheel thief a heck of a hard time. I never replaced it and now I guess it is part of the bike's "character".
I dub it the White Beach Cruiser; we both know why!;)
And what exactly would you "dub" your beach cruiser with it's intriguing usage of door knob striker plate hardware???...lol...lol.

Ps...Yep, I did see the Zia in the "A" in General...lol.
 
And what exactly would you "dub" your beach cruiser with it's intriguing usage of door knob hardware???...lol...lol.

Ps...Yep, I did see the Zia in the "A" in General...lol.
I haven't thought about that. I've just been calling it "the Catalina". I suppose it deserves a new one. What do you think I should call it?
 
What do you think I should call it?
I wouldn't touch naming that for you with a barge pole...lol...You will need to come up with your own unique name for this, just as you did with mine.

One member of the forums called mine the "Death Star" from Star Wars and me as Darth Vader...lol...lol.





 
Here it is, he called it the Death Star on wheels...lol.

 
I wouldn't touch naming that for you with a barge pole...lol...You will need to come up with your own unique name for this, just as you did with mine.

One member of the forums called mine the "Death Star" from Star Wars and me as Darth Vader...lol...lol.






Haha, just need the matching "helmet" lol! Extra points if it makes the "Ksssssh-khoooo" breathing sound.

I was thinking maybe "Nightrider" (btw it's actually a road cruiser, but "Catalina" and even its logo are very "beachy"), since I am a damn vampire (drinks blood and eats raw meat...jk lol! Of course, I just mean "night-person" not a freak), but those pretty lights function as a second kill switch; need the extra coil. In NM all bicycles need to have a headlamp and rear reflector if riding at night (MVD classes ours as mere "bicycles" not "mopeds").

There is just something about mags on a beach cruiser that just looks...majestic.
 
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