Homemade Motorbike III

[watto]

Hey everyone I'm back.. been over a year actually, just bin working a lot fixing/building boat trailers for a few different companies, kinda lost interest in making guns since I’ve had a lot less free time, but now I got 3 weeks off for chrissy so thought Ide fill yous in on my latest project.

Its the 3rd in my 'Deathwish' series of motorized trikes, 'Deathwish I' was made of wood which unsurprisingly failed spectacularly (before I got a welder) 'Deathwish II' was slapped together from angle iron & kids bike tires, it somehow lasted over 6 months through 2 big crashes & 2 cop chases (thank god for alley ways!) I threw out all its old bald tires the other day & there was over 30 of em me and Carlman burnt through!

'Deathwish III' uses a GX200 which is a 4 stroke 200cc 6.5hp honda industrial engine. The frame is made from 20x2mm duragal box section except the front which is half a kids scooter just like its predecessors. It's chain drive from a centrifugal clutch and uses a go kart back axle & running gear, the chain & sprocket are new but everything else I got either given or got off ebay. The sprocket is nylon to reduce noise & the tires are kart slicks which are free from the track as the pros leave heaps of meat on when they chuck em out.

One problem I’ve encountered in early testing is that because of its live axle and lack of differential, obviously both wheels spin at the same time & with most of the weight on the back its hard to turn on bitumen, as when you go round corners one wheel will have to travel further than the other. This isn't a problem on karts because they have 2 fat grippy front tires but with my skinny front bike tire, turning does very little it just wants to keep going in a straight line. I'm hoping that once the throttle is hooked up and I put a fatter tire is on the front it'll just spin the wheels and drift round corners, if not then it'll just be a burnout machine for grass!

I still need a throttle & brake cable & some kind of seat, eventually the front will have a pitbike wheel with hydraulic brakes on, I'm also planning on un-governing the engine & adding a wheelie bar, spotlight, tail lights, chopper handlebars, eski, under-seat copper marble gun and lots of checker plate!

Any comments or suggestions welcomed!

[kenbo0422]

Could you put a differential or a ratcheting device on the rear end to give you a better steer?

[inonickname]

Find a differential from a gofer (old people kart) to use. It should work just fine. A different front tire will also be an improvement.

I'd like to see some nerf bars 8)

[watto]

Could you put a differential or a ratcheting device on the rear end to give you a better steer?

It would be possible but I'm not sure where to get something like that.. also that would mean cutting the axle and joining it back together around the diff which all seems like a lot of work. I wonder if putting more weight on the front would have much of an effect..

[watto]

Find a differential from a gofer (old people kart) to use. It should work just fine. A different front tire will also be an improvement.

I'd like to see some nerf bars 8)

yeah If I could find one thats 30mm.

nerf bars? sounds tasty what are they?

[boyntonstu]

[youtube][/youtube]

1.5 HP 4 stroke 31 CC engine, 29 mph, can also be peddled.

Note the universal joint on the handle bars.

I can aim the rear view mirror and see anywhere behind me.

I can steer with my feet hands off.

The seat is about 13" from the ground and it corners well for a delta trike.

[McCoytheGreater]

That thing looks so bunk ass, but I'd totally ride it. Very clean frame, though. If you have the tools, make your own throttle assembly. A simple trigger, like on a chainsaw, should suffice. you'll just have to make sure there's enough travel to let the engine get to full throttle. I know how much of a pain go-karts are, I used to work on mine every day trying to get it to go faster. Looks awesome, though. What is this duragalv? I haven't heard of it before.

[watto]

1.5 HP 4 stroke 31 CC engine, 29 mph, can also be peddled.

Note the universal joint on the handle bars.

I can aim the rear view mirror and see anywhere behind me.

I can steer with my feet hands off.

The seat is about 13" from the ground and it corners well for a delta trike.

wow you got on TV nice! Is it road legal? The cops hate my trikes Mines geared to do about 60 kmh I think. The last one was geared to do 70 kmh with only an 120cc motor but that was too fast for around the suburbs, so I made this one more torque less speed. 8)

heres Carlman doin some burnouts on Deathwish II before I scrapped it
[youtube][/youtube]

[watto]

That thing looks so bunk ass, but I'd totally ride it. Very clean frame, though. If you have the tools, make your own throttle assembly. A simple trigger, like on a chainsaw, should suffice. you'll just have to make sure there's enough travel to let the engine get to full throttle. I know how much of a pain go-karts are, I used to work on mine every day trying to get it to go faster. Looks awesome, though. What is this duragalv? I haven't heard of it before.

thanks, yeah the throttle is easy, with my other ones I just put a return spring on the rev selector & run a bike brake cable to it.

Duragal is a brand of non-imported galvinised steel in Australia its harder to weld but doesnt rust as much, I coated the whole thing in cold galv aswell which should keep the corrosion at bay for a while.

[boyntonstu]

1.5 HP 4 stroke 31 CC engine, 29 mph, can also be peddled.

Note the universal joint on the handle bars.

I can aim the rear view mirror and see anywhere behind me.

I can steer with my feet hands off.

The seat is about 13" from the ground and it corners well for a delta trike.

wow you got on TV nice! Is it road legal? The cops hate my trikes Mines geared to do about 60 kmh I think. The last one was geared to do 70 kmh with only an 120cc motor but that was too fast for around the suburbs, so I made this one more torque less speed. 8)

heres Carlman doin some burnouts on Deathwish II before I scrapped it
[youtube][/youtube]

When the cops arrive, I'm just pedaling a tricycle. lol


I suggest that you try a recumbent design.

Very comfortable. The lower, the better.

However, the best trike is the tadpole design with 2 wheels steering up front.

The ultimate is a "lean steer trike". (Google or YouTube)

[inonickname]

Find a differential from a gofer (old people kart) to use. It should work just fine. A different front tire will also be an improvement.

I'd like to see some nerf bars 8)

yeah If I could find one thats 30mm.

nerf bars? sounds tasty what are they?

Guards usually used on quad bikes..that will look something like this:

Duragal is a brand of non-imported galvinised steel in Australia its harder to weld but doesnt rust as much, I coated the whole thing in cold galv aswell which should keep the corrosion at bay for a while.

I hate welding galv..it stinks, the welds can look messy and you end up being sick after. I take the time with an angle grinder to take it off.

I like the sound of this cold galv stuff, where did you get it over here? If it wears off or you make another a paint like killrust (epoxy enamel) or a rust converter (rust-black shellac) would work well.

[jmadden91]

You get it from bunnings mate, its made by killrust IIRC, stage one of the process or something. Its good stuff.

Edit: Here it is, but get it in a spray can

[Heimo]

Duragal is a brand of non-imported galvinised steel in Australia its harder to weld but doesnt rust as much, I coated the whole thing in cold galv aswell which should keep the corrosion at bay for a while.

I hate welding galv..it stinks, the welds can look messy and you end up being sick after. I take the time with an angle grinder to take it off.

I like the sound of this cold galv stuff, where did you get it over here? If it wears off or you make another a paint like killrust (epoxy enamel) or a rust converter (rust-black shellac) would work well.

You are not supposed to weld over galvanized metal but I am sure you know that here is a tip to remove the zinc from the steel. stick the places you want to weld in some dilute hydrochloric acid and it will eat the zinc right off when you are done wash the metal thoroughly and give it a shot of WD-40 to protect the now bare steel until you paint it and remember to dispose of the acid in a responsible way like first neutralizing it with baking soda then all that will remain will be common salt

anyway the sickness you experience after welding galvanized steel is called zinc fume fever or metallic fume fever lucky zinc fume fever do not cause any long term effects as far as I know (still not a good Idea to breath it in anyway) for your information lead and magnesium can also cause metallic fume fever and lead fumes is a little worse then zinc

also I cannot confirm this but drinking lots of milk after inhaling zinc fumes are supposed to help with the symptoms now I have tried this after inhaling some zinc fumes once and I did not get sick but I do not know if it was the milk cause it appears zinc fumes does not make everyone sick once again that is just speculation
PS I inhaled the zinc fumes while melting a charge of brass

[D_Hall]

A little late in the game, but for Deathwish IV you may consider having two tires up front and one in the back (the one in back being a drive wheel, of course). This elliminates the need for a differential and results in a platform that is much more stable when turning.

[watto]

Guards usually used on quad bikes..that will look something like this:

Yeah I like the look of them.. I’ll add it to the list XD

I hate welding galv..it stinks, the welds can look messy and you end up being sick after. I take the time with an angle grinder to take it off.

Yeah welding galv takes a bit of practice, I’ve worked for the last few years building & fixing boat trailers which are all heavily galvanized so I’m used to it though.

I like the sound of this cold galv stuff, where did you get it over here? If it wears off or you make another a paint like killrust (epoxy enamel) or a rust converter (rust-black shellac) would work well.

Cold galv just means galv in a can, proper galvanizing is done ‘hot’ by dumping the metal in a molten bath of zinc. Theres heaps of different brands, but Ive found ‘anchor’ is the best as other cans Ive tried have a tenancy to block up. I might still paint it with epoxy enamel & the galv can just be an undercoat.

You are not supposed to weld over galvanized metal but I am sure you know that here is a tip to remove the zinc from the steel. stick the places you want to weld in some dilute hydrochloric acid and it will eat the zinc right off when you are done wash the metal thoroughly and give it a shot of WD-40 to protect the now bare steel until you paint it and remember to dispose of the acid in a responsible way like first neutralizing it with baking soda then all that will remain will be common salt
anyway the sickness you experience after welding galvanized steel is called zinc fume fever or metallic fume fever lucky zinc fume fever do not cause any long term effects as far as I know (still not a good Idea to breath it in anyway) for your information lead and magnesium can also cause metallic fume fever and lead fumes is a little worse then zinc
also I cannot confirm this but drinking lots of milk after inhaling zinc fumes are supposed to help with the symptoms now I have tried this after inhaling some zinc fumes once and I did not get sick but I do not know if it was the milk cause it appears zinc fumes does not make everyone sick once again that is just speculation
PS I inhaled the zinc fumes while melting a charge of brass

Yea I can confirm milk does fix galv sickness, its saved me many a time, the symptoms are similar to cyanide poisoning. I never heard of using acid on galv before welding, I’ll have to try it, Ive always just sanded the area a bit with a flap disc.

A little late in the game, but for Deathwish IV you may consider having two tires up front and one in the back (the one in back being a drive wheel, of course). This elliminates the need for a differential and results in a platform that is much more stable when turning.

Yeah I had considered a reverse trike design actually but abandoned the idea due to lack of front steering components. Ive been looking for something to put my big heavy 8hp on though.. that would do some serious circle work.