I wanna ADD 80cc engine to my electric girlie cruiser.

5

5-7HEAVEN

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8)howziit guys,

i have sentimental feelings for my nearly-new RALEIGH cruiser, which i've neglected for 2 years. i enjoyed her quiet, powerful, longrange joyrides. i gave up on "GIRLIE", having to carry her 135 pounds up a 2nd floor walkup, and removing/charging/reinstalling her SIX heavy batteries mounted fore and aft in metal baskets. before i stored the bike, i installed HD rims and tires,12g spokes, SHIMANO coaster brake, front v-brake, speedo, a brand-new ROCKSHOX fork, motorcycle-type center stand, front and rear baskets and of course the electric motor kit. i also bought 3 80cc engines to convert "GIRLIE" to gas. i found out that chinese engines sit WAY too high on female bikes, an impossible fit. :eek:

with wife and daughter occasionally pointing out "GIRLIE'S" condition, i need to fix her. here's my plan:

1.clamp a metal bar from head tube to downtube, for rigidness.
2.eliminate the frame's middle tube, then install the COMPLETE engine kit.
3.have a welder fab a new top tube to the frame.paint to match.
4.live with the SHIMANO coaster brake and front v-brake.
5.decrease voltage to a lightweight 36v batterypack. it'll be much easier to carry "GIRLIE" upstairs, or leave her on a bikerack and carry the batteries upstairs.

my questions to you are:

1.if done right, will all this welding/cutting weaken the frame?
2.the engine SHOULD fit, shouldn't it? the bottom tube is way fat, but shouldn't pose a difficult mounting problem.
3.is it possible to weld mounting rear mounting brackets/posts for v-brakes?
4. if so, then how do i eliminate the coaster brake?
5.should i be looking for a men's cruiser frame(aluminum),and just transfer all the gear onto it? my suspension fork is fat, so i need a fat frame post,preferably SCHWINN or RALEIGH.

yesterday, i'd contacted a seller on craigslist to build me a bike. i'll call and cancel my order.

thanks for any help you can offer, guys. :cool:
 
if you have to cut up the frame and then weld new sections. you will be better off getting a bike that will suit your needs, it will be cheaper and way less of a headache.
 
:cool: thanks for your advice, iron.

i placed an ad in CRAIGSLIST, looking for a bare RALEIGH/SCHWINN aluminum cruiser frame. a frameswap seems more dependable.
 
my .02 about "eliminating" the coaster brake:

i did a lot of thinking about things before i chose my bicycle, and everything i see here has only reinforced my decision...using a 5- or 7-speed rear derailleur setup has too many advantages, from ease of install & maintainence to plenty of gearing/pedaling options while running.

like i said, just my opinion :)
 
Gentle reminder to folks NOT to drill holes in the frame.

I mistakenly thought I could, with a reinforced peice covering the area. I added the extra water bottle holder underneath to hold my tent poles, distribute that 5-6 pounds out of my front basket.

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My bike dealer emphasized that the frame is so light that a hole would surely crack the frame, especially at the speeds we are attaining.

So, zip ties hold my extra bracket, and the cokebottle bottom keeps the tent poles saddled.
 
Aluminum frames, drilling holes, and other suicidal concepts

Hi all, many of you don't know me, but I've been doing this a long time, about 7 years. I really do date back to the days of Spitfire, even then as a dealer. I have not only built many bikes, but have followed the lives and times of many more.
I'm sure that I have said this before (many times) tho maybe not to you-all. NEVER drill holes in a bicycle frame unless you are going to weld a little tube thru the frame to re-inforce the structure you have just destroyed!!!
Don Grube came up with that idea the "Wide Frame Adapter" and shame on him for that, because he is a trained engineer (tho obviously not airframe, motorcycle chassis, or bicycle design etc.) Don has provided many great things for us, and I tip my hat to him for those, BUT this is NOT one of them! Bike frames WILL crack, deform, weaken and break eventually from this ill-advised activity.
ALLOY FRAMES in my book an absolute NO-NO!!! Aluminum cracks very easily from vibrations. Aircraft, and motorcycles are made from special alloys to reduce that possibility. Do you REALLY think your chinese made bicycle is built from High-end Aircraft alloy???
I will never motorize an aluminum framed bicycle for as long as we both shall live.

Do yourselves a favor, and build as safely as you can (I could tell you of certian bikes, and things to aviod like the plague)
MotorBikeMike
 
well come on Mike, if there are things to be avoided like the plague this is defintly the place to say something. I wish I had reserched more before starting my build. I stuck my motor on an old Schwinn Suburban with narrow tires and soon after regreted it (blown front tire and a slide across a parking lot)
 
i have seen aluminum bikes (with motor) with a hell of a lot of miles on them and no cracks? this frame is aluminum, dont think there will be a problem. if there is a problem . ill build a frame out of steel and move everything over to that frame.


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8) Mike, thanks for your strong opinion. i appreciate that.

it's just that i have a lot of equipment invested in my girlie cruiser, that i want to re-use. can you, or anyone else, recommend a steel frame that i can swap onto? the bike dealer who installed my new ROCKSHOX fork onto my RALEIGH frame said that the fork had the larger steer tube diameter shaft.

which frame do you guys recommend?

thanks for help.

Myron
 
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