Motorised Bikes
Strapping a motor to a bicycle has been around for a while, over 100 years in fact. The very first motorcycle prototype was a motorised bicycle. However, since then, motorcycle brands have ditched the idea of having pedals, put on fat tires, a larger motor on a larger frame...and just like that, motorised bicycles were vanishing...but not completely. Cheap Chinese engine kits are available literally on any online shopping site, coming equipped with all you need to successfully ruin a perfectly good bicycle.
From our experience, it doesn't matter how carefully or properly you fit your kit to your bike, it all depends on the bike itself. Gerald being a prime example, even though the engine with its components and drive sprocket fit properly, the bicycle simply couldn't handle the mighty 2hp two-stroke engine leading to his disassembly.
Apart from the bicycle, there's also the brand of the kit. Some kits work better than others even though they look indistinguishable from one another; it all comes down to what's on the inside. Be it improperly machined bores or a stiff clutch assembly, it does matter where you buy from price-wise but more importantly brand-wise. In the rarest of occasions, there might be one in a gazillion knock-off, unbranded motors that work just as well as the branded ones.
This is the case with Brutus and Stan. Brutus' engine, is a standard, unbranded Chinese engine which took about two hours to assemble from scratch. Stan, on the other hand, has a branded Zeta YD100 engine, costing a little bit more due to its quality and reputation amongst other motorised bicycle enthusiasts. Both engines work exceptionally well, Stans being the better one. However, our advice is to buy an engine that will last long, to avoid problems that will last forever.
Stan
The newest addition to the garage; Stan.
Stan is a Schwinn Stingray Orange County Chopper bicycle (try saying that 2 times fast!). These bikes were manufactured in 2004 when the well-known Schwinn company partnered up with the legendary Orange County Choppers.
I came across the bicycle after browsing online auctions when I stumbled upon the Chopper. I instantly knew I had to have it; that fat rear tire was a childhood desire. Back in the day when I used to strap a playing card to the back of the bicycle to let it slap against the spokes of the wheel as I rode about, pretending I was riding a real motor bicycle. Eventually, after what seemed like an age of browsing the web, I found a semi-good condition bike with some surface rust. Sold!
On the power side of things, Stan packs a whopping 100cc two-stroke engine delivering a thumping 8.18HP! Might not seem like much in terms of power or capacity, but we can assure you that anymore power would make this bike nightmarish to ride about. The engine itself is a YD100 from Zeda; a premium choice motor for other motorised bike builders and enthusiasts. Compared to other engines, the YD is more reliable due to its better build quality and more cooling fins to prevent overheating and compression loss.
Some might say "Jezza, it's a chopper bicycle, it would sound silly with a whiney little two-stroke, why not go with the four-stroke kit instead?". One word...mods. There is a sea of mods and performance parts online that would make petrolheads go mad with ideas and combos to boost their creations to the next level. From billot crankshafts to shaved heads, it's all there...and not too pricy either!
Gerald
The first of the four. Gerald was built in early 2020 by Jezza. The frame; a classic Raleigh Chiltern with Sturmy Archer gears and a bag rack. The bike was chosen based on the large size of the triangle which could "easily" accommodate a small 49cc engine with a carburetor and exhaust pipe. However, the large frame meant that the engine couldn't be mounted directly to the bike. Luckily, the kit came with adapters that tackled this problem. But, of course, with one problem solved, another arose; the engine sprocket didn't fit around the gear hub. Eventually, Gerald was completed.
After multiple rides and countless breakdowns, the bike started to show signs of stress. It was clear that the frame couldn't handle an engine which led to Gerlads dismantle.
A future project lies ahead for this bike, possibly restoring it and making it electric. Stay tuned!