Let's make a motorized bicycle: Junkyard Wars Style

lokie56 · 09-13-2021, 03:38 PM

I'm a Bicycle mechanic by trade and experience. I've worked over 30 years in the heart of happy, hippy bike Nirvana Eugene, Oregon as a bike shop mech and sales, and also some manufacturing and have a half dozen friends from these years that are now famous or possibly infamous Bike Illuminaties.

I have this relationship with bicycles that includes the possibilities of their having silly little gasoline engines driving their wheels. It makes me somewhat of the oddball at bike events when I show up on an engine powered bicycle.

Last May of 2014, I decided, (for no particularly smart reason..) to build a 30cc weedeater powered friction drive bicycle from an old Nishiki commuter bike I picked up at the Recyclery in Glenwood.

I even have a video of the finished product..

This bike is powered by a classic old 1980's Italian made McCullough Pro-Scaper II weedeater with autoclutch. It's actually surprisingly punchy, and can manage to cruise at 20 MPH and climb 6% grades at 14 mph while towing a trailer with 30 pounds of cargo ( single wheeled Aosom BOB trailer..).

This bike has gotten me into some hot water with some neighbors who think it's illegal, ( it's not..)

This is a retrospective tale of an innocent bicycle that I turned to the dark side.

Boatguy · 09-13-2021, 07:14 PM

Any more details on that friction drive?

wheelbender6 · 09-13-2021, 08:51 PM

Cool. I like the belt driven roller on the seat tube.
I have have motorized a couple of bikes with kit motors. Frame mounted 48cc 2t china engines.
-I was planning to do a friction drive beach cruiser when I lived in Arizona. Now that I am in east TX, I don't think friction drive would work well here. We have a lot of afternoon rain showers.

09-13-2021, 03:38 PM	#1
lokie56 Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: West coast Posts: 15	Let's make a motorized bicycle: Junkyard Wars Style I'm a Bicycle mechanic by trade and experience. I've worked over 30 years in the heart of happy, hippy bike Nirvana Eugene, Oregon as a bike shop mech and sales, and also some manufacturing and have a half dozen friends from these years that are now famous or possibly infamous Bike Illuminaties. I have this relationship with bicycles that includes the possibilities of their having silly little gasoline engines driving their wheels. It makes me somewhat of the oddball at bike events when I show up on an engine powered bicycle. Last May of 2014, I decided, (for no particularly smart reason..) to build a 30cc weedeater powered friction drive bicycle from an old Nishiki commuter bike I picked up at the Recyclery in Glenwood. I even have a video of the finished product.. This bike is powered by a classic old 1980's Italian made McCullough Pro-Scaper II weedeater with autoclutch. It's actually surprisingly punchy, and can manage to cruise at 20 MPH and climb 6% grades at 14 mph while towing a trailer with 30 pounds of cargo ( single wheeled Aosom BOB trailer..). This bike has gotten me into some hot water with some neighbors who think it's illegal, ( it's not..) This is a retrospective tale of an innocent bicycle that I turned to the dark side. __________________ 1958 J.C. Higgins 3 speed/ 48cc HT bicycle engine. 1968 Honda C-100/Qingqui125cc pitbike engine 2006 LF200GY-5
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09-13-2021, 07:14 PM	#2
Boatguy Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Northeast Posts: 934	Any more details on that friction drive? __________________ 2020 Lifan x-pect
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09-13-2021, 08:51 PM	#3
wheelbender6 Join Date: May 2015 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,902	Cool. I like the belt driven roller on the seat tube. I have have motorized a couple of bikes with kit motors. Frame mounted 48cc 2t china engines. -I was planning to do a friction drive beach cruiser when I lived in Arizona. Now that I am in east TX, I don't think friction drive would work well here. We have a lot of afternoon rain showers. __________________ "Its not WHAT you ride; its THAT you ride"
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