reclaimer's Dyno Roadster w.i.p.

[reclaimer]

I had my Free Spirt Elite mtb nearly complete. When I realized it isnt as comfy as it was years ago(I'm getting stiffer, lol). It was sad to put her away, shes been good to me for 12 years. Life goes on thou.

Looked around and ended up ordering a roadster on ebay.I've had it for a couple weeks, but just got to work on it last night. I plan to take my time, I still have alot of parts to order. The tank will prob be the biggest hold up. That tear drop tank just doesn't suit it. It really needs some kinda in frame tank.

I got going on the motor mount last night. I think how your motor sits in your bike makes or brakes how good it looks. I didn't want the motor all the way back on the seat tube or up front on the down tube. To better center the motor I built a craddle of sorts.

Heres some poorly lit, kinda fuzzy pics I snapped late last night. (hope this works)(yay it worked)

 

[azbill]

cool looking mount
stretches are my favorite style for motoring
keep an eye on your mount...I made a similar mount and had metal fatigue cracks happen (these little engines put out a surprising amount of torque)

 

[h0tr0d]

Finally!! I have the same frame that you do, but my bike is the orange Slick Daddy version with the wide rear. I am about to start my project and have the same problem you do with motor placement. I did however order a moped tank from ebay to better fit the looks of the frame. Keep taking pics. Im subscribed to this thread and cant wait to see what solution you come up with.

 

[reclaimer]

azkronic, that mount cracked? How thick are/were the pieces you doubled up?

I'd love to see a pic of your tank h0tr0d.I hopped over to Ebay, some of them have real potential.

Just a small update.I did the free coaster mod to the rear. Pulled the brake shoes and added two thick washers. Now the spring clutch(thingy) doesn't engage with the coaster arm nut(thingy). Finished it off with lots of grease. I haven't ridden it but it seems to work well. Sorry no pics.

My kit (boygofast) came with a 5 bolt rear sprocket. It fit the small flanged freewheel on my mtb great. This coaster hub not so great.(I think the mtb had less spokes) Its gonna have issues.

Pulled the fender apart. Applied adhesive backed rubber to the tops of the supports. Hopefully it'll deaden them some. Trimmed the fender some for the drive chain to pass thru. After I cut it I put rubber edging filled w/ rtv on the rough edge.

I bought some bell single speed chain, doesn't fit either sprocket. Maybe I'll just get bigger chain but I'd rather not. Lights and brakes are on the way lots to do.

 

[azbill]

the plates I doubled up were approx 1/16" thick each (got the metal at ace hardware)
they cracked in front of and behind the stingray mount
approx 4-500 miles I guess, it was probably the way I bent them (hammer and vice, no heat)

 

[reclaimer]

I'll be sure to keep an eye on it. It's 1/8" I got from tractor supply. Bent it in the same manner clamp, push, hammer, bigger hammer, 40lb steel dumbbell. No heat.

edit: After further review it was a 20lb dumbbell.

 

[reclaimer]

Another Lil update.

Mounted a light switch(hard to see in the pic), mirror and dual pull brake lever/ throttle.

It doesn't have any brakes yet so I cant comment on the lever. The throttle however I like much more than my stock one. Its bigger and the cable is longer(the stock one was too short).

I also got around to drilling holes in the rear fender and mounting the tail light/ license plate holder.

I mounted the horn on the end of the springer bolt.

 

[reclaimer]

I'd been having trouble mounting my rear sprocket. I just couldn't get it centered right. That coupled with not having any brakes on the bike (or a suitable mounting location) prompted me to order new hubs. The first of which arrived today. A 44t solid hd hub and brake from bicycle engines.

At first glance it appeared to be near the same size as my coaster hub. After getting the coaster free from the rim, its a good bit narrower than the hd hub.

I've never built a wheel before but figured I'd take a stab at it. It was a brand new wheel to start so it came apart real easy. Armed with Sheldon brown's tut and some patience, 2.5 hrs later I have a new wheel.

It still needs some truing and a freewheel, but it wasn't near as hard as I thought it would be.

The second hub is a Sturmey Archer x-fd, I ordered about 3 weeks ago. Just shipped yesterday(thats what I get for buying it at the cheapest price I could find). Its much bigger than the front hub I have now. I think the spokes would stick out a half inch. Maybe I'll let a shop do that one. I had fun building the rear though.

 

[hellbilly]

Reclaimer: I'll be keeping an eye on you project since I have 2 Kustom Kruiser Roadsters that I plan to motorize next winter. I just finished with a couple of Nirve Switchblade Choppers, so that's enough for now since spring is upon us. Anyway, I used the Sturmey Archer X-FD Hub Brake for the front wheels and they work great. I had a shop build the wheels because they need to calculate for shorter spokes. It was also recommended to respoke in a criss-cross pattern for added strength to the wheel. You may want to consider that. My shop charged $65 for the spokes and labor, and I supplied the brake. Sure made a nice wheels, so worth the $$ to be able to stop in a hurry if need be. Good luck on your project. These seem like nice comfortable cruiser bikes, but would not want to peddle up a hill!!

 

[azbill]

the x-fd is a great hub
I have had mine for more than a year
the wheel has been on 3 motoredbikes and has 2000+ miles on it....still like new