Gas Bicycle Rear Mounted Engine Project Part 1

13 March:  Even though I am having problems with my Blue Bike, We are going to start bike 3.  This is going to be radically different from the first 2.  Intent is to use up some parts from 2 households worth of bikes to build a nice bike for someone to buy.  We are not looking to make a ton of cash.  The bike won't be fast it will just work well and be built solidly.  We have a rear mount 4 stroke engine that is broke in and a suspenstion frame, reasonably good rims.  Neither of us like straight across handlebars but we have a lot of them around so that is what it will have.

14 March:  I went to Goodwill today. I was looking for a door knob for my brother. I knew that I could get a whole houses worth if I would get them in polished brass for around $20 I saw them the other day, but that is not what I needed. I did find a close match wroing color right guts, the price tag was $2.99. Ther was the same trash bike I saw the other day. It was $14.99. Hiding in the back corner was an all sliver girls flightliner(similar bike pic) for $49.00, rims with no tires and an add on paperboy basket on the back.

I controlled myself, until I realized today was 1/2 price day. I walked back and took another look at both of the bikes. Thinking $7.49 and and $24.99, I should buy at least one of them. I then remembered the last time I bought a bike while riding my bike and the fun I had getting it home from that same Goodwill store.

I walked out of the store with my door knob for $1.49. I went to Checker Auto to buy oil and thought about getting a hotter plug for my problem child "Blue Bike" Thinking maybe it would burn more of the oil so it did not build up on the cylinder wall. Could not remember if it was E.10 or E.12 that I wanted so I just got the oil and went home.

Got home, got the spring out of the door knob and put it in the broken knob.

I realized that the "Powerball" was tonight and I did not have a ticket. There are a bazillion ways to get up to Circle K and back from my house. On the way home I took one of the speed bump roads. Its fairly late Saturday afternoon, most yard sales are over by now. I see someone putting things way from their garage sale. There are 3 bikes sitting off to the side 2 little ones and one 26" bike. I sit on my bike, engine still running and ask how much? She tells me the little ones are $5 and the big one is $10. Okay, I turn off the engine and take a closer look. The big one has a couple flat tires, rusted chain and the normal tired look of a bike in AZ. I don't know jack about brands really, it says Gary Fisher on it, don't see anything else. I do know the front shock is not a cheapo, the brakes are center and not cheap looking, the seat is in good condition so are the handle bars. Plus it came with a coil chain lock but no key. Oh what the heck, worst case I can replace the shocks on the "Blue Bike" and I am only about 1/2 mile from home. I can walk the bikes home.

I roll on home, park the bike on the side of the house. Under the coil chain lock it says "Mamba." On the Fisher site I found current version This one is older, but I think I spent my $10 wisely.

16 March:  Back from being sidetracked  by the Gary Fisher  Last week I tore apart the susspension frame bike that we plan on putting the rear mounted engine on.  Today, I took the paint off the frame..  While the main section of the frame was chrome underneath, the rear forks are not.  I think that we will be painting the rear forks a red that matches the color of the engine.  I guess tha means that I will probably make the front forks red as well.  Although it might be nice to leave them yellow. 

19 March:  Got sidetracked again
10 May:  Although I have worked on the project on and off since March, life seems to get in the way.  As it  stands  I have worked out how to mount the engine. painted the rear chassis, mounted the motor to rear chassis.  Got stuck when the bottom bracket would not go together.  I am going to have to break down and take the frame to a bike shop to see if they can figure out why I cant get the bottom bracket to go back together.   I just don't know where April went, I managed to build another bike with an engine on it redo the garage, including building a work bench, came up with a name for the other bike, acutally got a bike trailer built..