lotsa_mpg's motorized bike

Here's a pic of my Dax 70 cc Vagabond. Note the dual stands...I needed to add a middle one after installing mirrors, headlight, speedo, etc to the bars. The extra weight on the front of the bike made it want to fall over with just the factory rear stand. I've got close to 400 miles on this rig now and it's been reliable so far. Not even a leaking gasket and I haven't laid a wrench to any bolt since I put it together. I know I shouldn't be saying that cause it'll likely end up breaking tomorrow.

Pete

 

[gone_fishin]

nice looking bike! she caught my eye as soon as the page loaded

 

[lotsa_mpg]

remote choke lever

Being a six speed, this bike had a RH twist grip shifter for the rear derailer which I had to ditch when I installed the throttle twist grip. I ended up finding a downtube mount dual shifter on an old road bike in our local garbage dump and decided to use it for a shifter and mount it on the LH bar. But what to do with the second lever when I only had one derailer to control? The answer came to me the first time I fired the bike up. Reaching down to operate the carburetor mounted choke is a real pain in the buttocks, so I built a bracket mounted to the carb and installed a choke cable routed to the other shift lever. I mounted a return spring on the cable and it smoothly returns to the open position when I flick the choke lever off. It makes for much easier starting and I don't have to take my eyes off the road while the engine warms up. No doubt, many of you have already rigged something like this up, but I just thought I'd show what I did. I snagged an NOS 1960's Huret speedo on ebay a couple months ago and just installed it last week to replace the black plastic one I first had on it....I kinda like the retro stuff alot better. The newer speedo I first had on it was calibrated up to 60 mph and I thought that was just a tad optomistic for a bicycle (engine powered or not). It pulls 30 mph on most days and will occaisionally bend the needle over to about 36mph when the conditions are just right.
Pete

 

[JosephGarcia]

Very nice, similar to mine



but shinier. I like your mirror style.

 

[lotsa_mpg]

mountain dax





Thanks for compliment, augidog...I appreciate it. Here's a couple pics of the mountain bike I just put together for my cousin. The thing really handles sweet and seems to vibrate less than my cruiser. I suspect the lower vibes might be due to the somewhat higher engine mounting location that I had to use to fit it into the frame. I think by being mounted higher, the engine itself serves as a bit of a stressed member...possibly damping the vibes to some extent. That's my theory anyways. The bike he brought me had a huge diameter front downtube and I just didn't like the idea of drilling a hole through the frame in order to mount the engine. So, I ended up fabricating a custom aluminum mount that goes over the top of the frame tube with a curved metal plate going around the bottom. It proved to be an awful lot of work to get it right, but it turned out pretty sweet...though it is the main reason I had to mount the engine as high as I did.....Yet, it seems that the higher mounting has worked out for the better and the bike really handles well. Actually, it's more fun to ride than my cruiser, but I think the cruiser trumps it in the looks department.

Pete

 

[Guest]

Mmmmmmm....chrome.

Nice jorb on the fabrication of a few bits too.

I was thinking of making a remote choke lever, but I have too much fun reaching down with my left hand and operating the choke while I pedal down the road. Plus I saved a few ounces of weight.

JUST KIDDING!

 

[go you good thing]

Nice work lotsa_mpg.

Nice bike.

I'll be looking for a leaver for my choke to install for the weekend.

Could we get a picture of the carby end of your cable choke?

 

[lotsa_mpg]

choke mount



Sure thing. Here's a pic of the choke cable bracket. I've been meaning to to remove it and give it a coat of paint, but I haven't got around to it yet.

Pete

 

[azbill]

nice clean solution
well done dude !!!
8) 8) 8)

 

[go you good thing]

Thanks lotsa_mpg.

It's location looks like it would handle the arc of the leaver travel nicely.

Before seeing this I had thought about mounting a bracket of some sort to the adjuster screw and nut at the top of the carby but thought it may vibrate lose.

Does the nut need tightening at all?