Electric Rat

Wildcat · Jan 23, 2023

I think this bike will get painted up as a Tiger. That's a ways off yet.

I was going to buy some tubing but see I have enough scrap to make it work. Using the cantilevers that came originally with the frame and a fork used for a springer, I'll have the rear triangle.
I need to trim the cantilevers and the top of the fork to mesh up to the frame for welding. The fork needs to be widened for the 3" tire, that will put the fork ends width right at the chain stays.
Then I was going to try to make some templates for dropouts when I remembered the ones from a BMX frame I used for the springer fork extensions. They will work for dropouts and maybe look halfway decent.

JennieDraegon · Jun 21, 2024

Wildcat said:
I'm going to give it a shot and convert my big bike to electric. Riff Ratt is a build from last year and doesn't get much ride time, as it's a hike back up the hill when I go riding. The weight and size are issues.
My plan is to shore up the front end in anticipation of a front hub motor that can be laced to the 86mm rim. I think a 26" electric hub wheel should have the right spokes and I just need to swap in the hub.
I measured and cut some steel to replace the thin struts on the front end and change out the drops to something more solid.
View attachment 218195
I'm still studying the electric conversions to get a good idea while I work on the bike first. The local bike shop owner says he's going to try a conversion so I'll wait and see how successful he is first. I'm not investing a load of bike budget easily.
I'll also modify the frame to hold the battery(s) like it was made for it.

I know what it is like taking on a "project". This is taking me too long to work on.

JennieDraegon said:
I know what it is like taking on a "project". This is taking me too long to work on.

I am also building this on a 2nd fl apt, with no elevator.

Wildcat · Jun 21, 2024

So far I haven't invested in electric power for a bike. I still may get one though. This same frame is now the Triple Threat, the trike I'm working on now. It will be perfect to motorize later.
There's an electric bike store in town that does pretty good business. However, the maintainence and battery life make the small gasoline motors a better choice. I haven't invested in one of those yet either, everything I have is human powered. The advantage to electric is the ability to use them anywhere, whereas gas motors are prohibited on many bike paths and city streets in the USA.
Over here though, I can ride anywhere with a gas motor. I've seen all kinds of things here, from a dog powered bike to a big cage thing driving through town. Then there's guys like this who always are pushing the envelope:

Son of Kradus · Jun 21, 2024

Wildcat said:
So far I haven't invested in electric power for a bike. I still may get one though. This same frame is now the Triple Threat, the trike I'm working on now. It will be perfect to motorize later.
There's an electric bike store in town that does pretty good business. However, the maintainence and battery life make the small gasoline motors a better choice. I haven't invested in one of those yet either, everything I have is human powered. The advantage to electric is the ability to use them anywhere, whereas gas motors are prohibited on many bike paths and city streets in the USA.
Over here though, I can ride anywhere with a gas motor. I've seen all kinds of things here, from a dog powered bike to a big cage thing driving through town. Then there's guys like this who always are pushing the envelope:

View attachment 270347

Feeling your pain bro, ive got about 6-7 projects on the go! some I havnt even doco'd

JennieDraegon · Jul 5, 2024

Well I finally took the beast out, and had a blast. My biggest issue is living on a 2nd floor, with winding stairs.

Ulu · Jul 7, 2024

JennieDraegon said:
Well I finally took the beast out, and had a blast. My biggest issue is living on a 2nd floor, with winding stairs.

Stairs can be a problem!

I fixed my first little motorcycle in the USU dormitory room on the fourth floor. I snuck it up in the middle of the night inside the elevator, and I took it down the stairwell in broad daylight.

Normally it stayed outside chained to a bicycle rack with all the bicycles. Back in 1972 you could still do that stuff in places like Logan Utah.

Well, sometimes.

One of the Dormatory supervisors heard about the elevator and stairwell incidents.

To punish me he stole my motorcycle and hid it in the ironing room. Nobody used the ironing room except to wax their skis.

We would’ve both been punished if the college ever found out about any of that.

It wasn’t specifically forbidden to rebuild an engine in your dorm room. But nowadays it probably is.