Off Road Bike Builds

I see a lot of sweet cruisers around the forum and I figured it would be cool if we had a thread for bikes with some heightened off road capability (If anyone besides me has built one). I love riding on canal roads and in the desert with my bike and wanted to see what some of you guys have built.

I'll start with mine,

My friend and I built this one, it's a 1984 Schwinn Impact (chromoly steel frame) which was a mountain bike back in the day. This was back when Schwinn had just stopped making bikes in the US. Anyways, I installed a 50cc I bought off amazon that with regular maintenance, has served me well so far. Since then, I have installed some modifications to make it better suited for trail riding, including a kind of expansion chamber, 50 tooth rear sprocket, CNS Carburetor, headlight, and then a fork swap. The fork is actually pretty sick, the original bike came with a rigid chromoly steel fork and I figured that if I wanted to go off road I'd better get some suspension. I wanted it to be period appropriate, so I bought a 1994 Rock Shox Mag 21. With 46mm of travel (and I think mine might have the Long Travel conversion so 63mm?) it was a top of the line air sprung fork back in the 90s. I had to the cut the head tub on the frame a little but other than that the fork fit perfectly and in my option it looks insane, especially with the knobby tires and the mud fender.
All in all, its a pretty sweet little trail bike and it rips off road (as long as there isn't any hills haha).

Here are photos...

 

[Schmidty Boy]

Yessir, there's probably some good dirt roads out there that are fun to rip on.

 

[Gordy]

Yessir, there's probably some good dirt roads out there that are fun to rip on.

If you ever get a chance you should ride the trails around the Owyhee dam. There's hundreds of miles of trails out there and it's so incredibly beautiful. It's probably about a 2 hr drive for you, but for me it was 45 minutes out of town.

 

[Chainlube]

Especially like the mz

I call it the bowel.

 

[Mike Cyanide]

looks great dude

Now that I've had time to think. Boy was I alittle bit of an ass. Sorry man ta caught off guard at first but now I feel like a sincere apology is in order. Sure I still think the same of that banana pipe and no I'm not a fan of the lack of engineering that went in to the little motor we both have but ya know I can definitely relate. Like you saw I've probably made double the ridiculous mistakes you have but I am genuinely excited to see what you make of it! If it works I may seek advice yo try to play with min3 if parts are ever available I do still need to push considering a different platform at you tho but only for lack of parts. A big part of how I got the power I sought was purchasing a few tope ends and maybe a high comp head. Having a few top ends has alot of benefits. 1. No down time if failure occurs. 2 being able to to try no things but switch back if required. 3 practiceractice,practice. It's Important to spend time grinding on old junk cylinder to hone your skill. Just getting the feel to grind a flat surface and how to operate your tool takes some hours and it might seem silly but alot can be learned by grinding on a deas cyl. If you ever need advice like tuning for a reedorting:decking or even just basics always feel free to ask and I'll do my best! Maybe b4 a carb you could consider a reed for that motor? Prob give you alot more grunt!

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Now that I've had time to think. Boy was I alittle bit of an ass. Sorry man ta caught off guard at first but now I feel like a sincere apology is in order. Sure I still think the same of that banana pipe and no I'm not a fan of the lack of engineering that went in to the little motor we both have but ya know I can definitely relate. Like you saw I've probably made double the ridiculous mistakes you have but I am genuinely excited to see what you make of it! If it works I may seek advice yo try to play with min3 if parts are ever available I do still need to push considering a different platform at you tho but only for lack of parts. A big part of how I got the power I sought was purchasing a few tope ends and maybe a high comp head. Having a few top ends has alot of benefits. 1. No down time if failure occurs. 2 being able to to try no things but switch back if required. 3 practiceractice,practice. It's Important to spend time grinding on old junk cylinder to hone your skill. Just getting the feel to grind a flat surface and how to operate your tool takes some hours and it might seem silly but alot can be learned by grinding on a deas cyl. If you ever need advice like tuning for a reedorting:decking or even just basics always feel free to ask and I'll do my best! Maybe b4 a carb you could consider a reed for that motor? Prob give you alot more grunt!

When I first motorized the LandRider, many told me it was impossible to do and would never work; I rode the bike for 10 years.

LandRider Hill Rider.

5 speed automatic motorized bicycle.

youtu.be

 

[Schmidty Boy]

Now that I've had time to think. Boy was I alittle bit of an ass. Sorry man ta caught off guard at first but now I feel like a sincere apology is in order. Sure I still think the same of that banana pipe and no I'm not a fan of the lack of engineering that went in to the little motor we both have but ya know I can definitely relate. Like you saw I've probably made double the ridiculous mistakes you have but I am genuinely excited to see what you make of it! If it works I may seek advice yo try to play with min3 if parts are ever available I do still need to push considering a different platform at you tho but only for lack of parts. A big part of how I got the power I sought was purchasing a few tope ends and maybe a high comp head. Having a few top ends has alot of benefits. 1. No down time if failure occurs. 2 being able to to try no things but switch back if required. 3 practiceractice,practice. It's Important to spend time grinding on old junk cylinder to hone your skill. Just getting the feel to grind a flat surface and how to operate your tool takes some hours and it might seem silly but alot can be learned by grinding on a deas cyl. If you ever need advice like tuning for a reedorting:decking or even just basics always feel free to ask and I'll do my best! Maybe b4 a carb you could consider a reed for that motor? Prob give you alot more grunt!

Hey I appreciate the apology man, I understand that my comment on the other thread insulted you so I would like to apologize for that.

I think you should take a closer look at my motor it's not as cheap as it appears to be. I have some images of the top end taken apart on this thread I started on my project: The Ongoing Search for Maximum Power... except its a 48cc.

I appreciate your advice and I will definitely contact you if I have any questions.

 

[Schmidty Boy]

When I first motorized the LandRider, many told me it was impossible to do and would never work; I rode the bike for 10 years.

Thats an amazing build dude. I'm starting to wonder myself how much the 48 would benefit from a strumey archer upgrade.

 

[Chainlube]

When I first motorized the LandRider, many told me it was impossible to do and would never work; I rode the bike for 10 years.

LandRider Hill Rider.

5 speed automatic motorized bicycle.

youtu.be

You forgot to mention that it was self shift.

Thats an amazing build dude. I'm starting to wonder myself how much the 48 would benefit from a strumey archer upgrade.

I think Jerry is talking about the SA hub as a jack shaft.

 

[cloakedvillain]

Being able to switch from a 32, to a 42, 51. Lets you stay in the power band longer. 1:1, 3:4 and 5:8 reduction ratios

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

You forgot to mention that it was self shift.

I think Jerry is talking about the SA hub as a jack shaft.

My main point is with mods, it's possible through experimentation to achieve a goal in spite of many telling you it won't work.