Eric’s motorized bike conversion

Bikes Energy & Sustainability Fun & Games

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

@garethb2

May 11th, 2010 5

MAKE reader Sophie sent us pics and details of a bike her boyfriend Eric converted to a motorized bike. Eric writes of the build:

The first part off this project was to restore an old Schwinn Cruiser I found. I stripped it down to the frame, took off all of the old paint, and sprayed it a nice blue. The handle bars, which I turned upside down, were the only part that were in good enough condition to reuse. I got the other parts like wheels with extra spokes and a banana seat from internet finds on eBay and various other sites. I then ordered a 66cc 2-stroke engine kit online for $120.00 from www.gasbike.net. It came with just about everything you need to convert any bicycle to a motorized bike. Before this project I didn’t have any experience with this stuff but it was pretty easy to install. It gets up to 150 mpg and cruises around 35 mph. Overall, it was a fun little project and it’s a great new way to get to work.

[Thanks, Sophie!]

Custom Motor Bicycle