South Texas Style

DogBunny

DogBunny

Motorcychologist
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A few months ago I was thinning things out, and I put a few poor condition XS650 gas tanks on Facebook Marketplace for cheap. I sold one for really cheap, dented and rusty inside, to a guy who calls himself Mr. Rodriguez from San Antonio. I tried to upsale a gas cap to him to go with it, but he said, naw, I'll figure something out. He said he was going to use the tank on a motorized bicycle he was building. Whatever.

Yesterday he texted me. Said he was finished, and sent me some pics.

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There's my tank on his motorized bicycle build.

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He has a friend who does paint. I guess he removed the stock gas cap neck from the tank and welded or Bondoed a new neck on for this cap.

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Here's another one of his motorized bicycle creations, and another tank paint job by his friend. If you're a Yankee who doesn't know, that's Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Note the Bandidos sticker on the side. SYLB.

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Also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe. The closer you get to Mexico City, the more you see her.

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Couple more pics...

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Even if it's not my style I can sure appreciate the skill and artistry both of the painter and who ever built the bikes! There sure are some talented people out there!

For myself I'm lucky if I can draw a straight line using a ruler!
 
Downeaster said:
Interesting. I'd be interested in details of the engine and drive train.

Neighbor kid and I tried something like that, but the weedeater motor wasn't up to the job.
Click to expand...
I did an eBay search of "bicycle motor kit," and the very first hit is the one he used:

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https://www.ebay.com/itm/80cc-2-Str...921662&hash=item342ef96474:g:Uj8AAOSwV7pfNVtg
I see these motorized bicycles on Austin streets pretty occasionally. They seem pretty fast. I'd guess 35 MPH, which is 10 more than my 1978 Honda Express will do.
What I wonder is how you get one titled. To be legal on public streets in Texas, it absolutely needs to be registered, inspected, and insured, and the rider needs a class M driver's license.
 
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I always wanted a gas powered bicycle or one of those mopeds you can start by peddling.
 
joebgd said:
I always wanted a gas powered bicycle or one of those mopeds you can start by peddling.
Click to expand...
img_1065.jpg

I have a lime green 1978 Honda Express like this one...

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Except I have a basket on the front like this one. Together with the rear rack, I can and do get a lot of groceries on this thing. It's not a pedal start, and it's not a kick start, it's a wind-up foot-crank start.
You would not believe how many comments I get on mine. I think I get better than 80 MPG. Everybody in the world should own something like this, and we wouldn't be fighting wars over oil. One caveat: they aren't for heavy people!
 
I see them all over Phoenix ( not detailed like that ) no license required here. Very popular with guys who have had DUI’s and had their license suspended. :laugh2: Arizona has very tough drunk driving laws.
 
If I recall it right, the law says 25mph top speed on a 49cc motor. That's the top for Insurance free motorbike. Now around here, one can get up to a bolt on 80cc piston/cylinder kit and unless Johnny Law gets a close look at the engine and knows what to look for, he might not know what size the engine is. I've seem some flying by at quite a clip more.
 
gggGary said:
yew ole fogies!
'lectric is where it's at.
No gas engine noise smoke to draw attention.
There are more n more ebikes showing up on CL cuz a bunch of us farts buy, then don't use for the usual reasons.
Click to expand...

Yup, but even used they're stupid expensive. Besides, where's the fun in "buy it and ride it"? You know the old saying, "If you didn't build it..."
 
gggGary said:
yew ole fogies!
'lectric is where it's at.
No gas engine noise smoke to draw attention.
There are more n more ebikes showing up on CL cuz a bunch of us farts buy, then don't use for the usual reasons.
Click to expand...
That was something I had thought about many years back for a ride to work machine, only had about a one mile run each way. The main thing that stopped me was not having any real idea of how to make a simple variable speed control.

Then again I was thinking something a bit different that a motorized bicycle, I was thinking more on the line of replacing the gas engine in my XS650 sidecar outfit with an electric starter motor and power it with a large lead acid battery. I figured the limited range needed would not need to deal with any fancy high tech space-age batteries I could charge it up each night or even at work if need be!

The XS650 would have the brakes and the gear drive at the back wheel so drive train would be easy, just the lack of speed control was the problem stopping me!
 
So, thinking out loud here...

If I was gonna do this, I'd want a bike with a double tube top frame and I'd want a custom tank that fit between the upper frame rails. The generic peanut tank sitting on the top tube like a wart just doesn't work for me.

What do you suppose it would cost to get a tank welded up? Pretty much have to be TIG'd I'd think and I'm nowhere near good enough to weld a leak-proof seam.
 
My dad was a constant tinkerer, when he was 86 he found some kit to adapt a Chinese knock off of a little Honda Single into a bicycle. That SOB was fast! Too fast, it very quickly built up speed that was more than that old bike was good for, bike had no suspension and brakes that weren’t up to the task. I took one ride on it and told him he was going to kill himself on that thing! :laugh2:
 
There are hub motor kits, and lithium battery building how to's galore!
near me asking $200 see?
ebike!.jpg

where's MM's inner tinkerer?
 

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