Old School Mini-Bikes

[druryj]

I want to put together an old school mini-bike; you know, a project thing for me and my grandson to work . Seems like they are available as kits or finished form. I'd like to find one that we could fix up, repaint, maybe put a little bigger engine on it so my fat-body self can ride it a little too. Anybody know of a local source for this kind of project or where I might find an old one we could restore one together? Here's the kind of thing I'm talking about; the old type that had the six inch fat tires and an old lawnmower type of engine.

 

[swampratt]

Genes mower service at 50th and rockwell will have clutches and throttle mechanism. Possibly other parts pretty good prices.
Maybe a back wheel with sprocket..I know off I 35 toward the mile of cars (earth quake hit 631pm just now)
There is a Honda dealer that has the wheels and tires..

I built my second one from gas pipe.. Used old 5 HP brigs engines and bypassed the governer and hooked throttle directly to the carb throttle butterfly.

*I made a big tire one..10" fattie rear tires off a riding mower.. and a fat 8" on the front..It would stand up without a kick stand.

Footpegs I made long from gas pipe also and if you get in a bind you can lay it sideways and drag the peg in the dirt to stop.

Mine with 5HP would hit 47 MPH in a very short distance about 150 feet and you are at 40+ MPH With a cheap 22 dollar clutch.
Not a hill climber .. but fun just the same.
I usually had 300 in one when finished.. paying 95 for the engines when I could find a good one.

Keep an eye on the oil level.. My boys burned up 2 from low oil.
They were young .. about 12-14 and that was cheap learning for when they got real vehicles.






IF YOU MAKE A FAST ONE.
Do not let other kids ride it.. limit throttle opening for the boy until he gets the hang of it.
Mine would go slow for the first 15 feet then hit the power like NITROUS.. a few adults froze up and started dragging their feet to slow it or get off.. Brutal power for a 5HP if you are not ready for it.

I set the motorcycle twist throttle to shut the carb butterfly completely to shut off the air and kill the engine.
So if you let off all the way it would die.

That is a good thing,, but you need to have a brain to manipulate the throttle to keep it alive.

Brainless riders do not need a toy like that anyway.

 

[druryj]

Genes mower service at 50th and rockwell will have clutches and throttle mechanism. Possibly other parts pretty good prices.
Maybe a back wheel with sprocket..I know off I 35 toward the mile of cars (earth quake hit 631pm just now)
There is a Honda dealer that has the wheels and tires..

I built my second one from gas pipe.. Used old 5 HP brigs engines and bypassed the governer and hooked throttle directly to the carb throttle butterfly.

*I made a big tire one..10" fattie rear tires off a riding mower.. and a fat 8" on the front..It would stand up without a kick stand.

Footpegs I made long from gas pipe also and if you get in a bind you can lay it sideways and drag the peg in the dirt to stop.

Mine with 5HP would hit 47 MPH in a very short distance about 150 feet and you are at 40+ MPH With a cheap 22 dollar clutch.
Not a hill climber .. but fun just the same.
I usually had 300 in one when finished.. paying 95 for the engines when I could find a good one.

Keep an eye on the oil level.. My boys burned up 2 from low oil.
They were young .. about 12-14 and that was cheap learning for when they got real vehicles.






IF YOU MAKE A FAST ONE.
Do not let other kids ride it.. limit throttle opening for the boy until he gets the hang of it.
Mine would go slow for the first 15 feet then hit the power like NITROUS.. a few adults froze up and started dragging their feet to slow it or get off.. Brutal power for a 5HP if you are not ready for it.

I set the motorcycle twist throttle to shut the carb butterfly completely to shut off the air and kill the engine.
So if you let off all the way it would die.

That is a good thing,, but you need to have a brain to manipulate the throttle to keep it alive.

Brainless riders do not need a toy like that anyway.

Now you got me thinking about this...Ideally, somebody has an old beater one in the shed or garage I can buy off them, or if I find just a frame, I'd be able to build the mini bike from that. I want raw power. (Not really; more of a putt-putt-putt. I think).

 

[swampratt]

In all my years of looking in scrap piles and hauling scrap iron I only ever found 1 mini bike frame.
That was my first build.
Mary's swapmeet may turn one up.
The price of scrap iron hit 11+ dollars a hundred a while back before the last crash and everyone was crushing their cool things they had saved for decades.

I scrapped 3 35 gallon trash cans full of 2 barrel gm carbs way before that.. about 1988.
Those carbs are worth much more now than all of those carter AFB's I held onto.
I hit all the local salvage yards and turned up 2 gm 2 barrels back in 2005.
I was on the search for them for a 69 Mercedes 280S with a factory dual 2 barrel intake.

Go to tractor supply and look at theirs. or maybe some places that sell newer ones..
There really is not much to them.
You could use bicycle parts on them.

My step brother in-law wanted a go cart.
He was scrapping a dodge omni I think it was ..it was front wheel drive.

He is an electrician and had a bunch of Kindorf in his yard.
I told him take the rack out of it and make the steering on the go cart out of it..He did and used the spindles.
I had yamaha 4 wheeler tires and rims with really close bolt pattern.. a diegrinder and the wheels fit.

I showed him how to make an articualting rear suspension..I gave him 2 old coil over motorcycle shocks.
He fashioned a rear axle from the half shafts and installed 1 disc brake off the car onto the go cart.

His cage was way small.. gas pedal and brake pedal and master cylinder were used from the Dodge.

It worked out pretty well.
He installed a store bought torque averter system onto it and a 3HP briggs.
Ran really good.

So if you weld and have junk laying around you will be amazed what you can build.

 

[Wheel Gun]

Lots of mini bike frames and parts on ebay.

 

[swampratt]

lots of them on craigslist okc also.
https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=mini+bike

 

[dennishoddy]

I want to put together an old school mini-bike; you know, a project thing for me and my grandson to work . Seems like they are available as kits or finished form. I'd like to find one that we could fix up, repaint, maybe put a little bigger engine on it so my fat-body self can ride it a little too. Anybody know of a local source for this kind of project or where I might find an old one we could restore one together? Here's the kind of thing I'm talking about; the old type that had the six inch fat tires and an old lawnmower type of engine.
View attachment 60390

Thought of you when I was at Camper World in Edmond today.

 

[swampratt]

Looks like a torque averter under that cover..If so it will climb hills much better than the regular clutch type, and have more top end.

I always liked the ATC 70 3 wheelers for general fun and travel..They will haul 3 people and gear to almost anywhere you need to go ..Yea 3 adults on a little 70CC

 

[Jeff405]

I see them on craigslist often. I have seen them by the name "doodlebug" as well as other names. Normally go pretty cheap on there, I wouldn't mind getting one myself to play with. I have a Geely 50cc scooter project I'd get rid of if your interested in another to tinker around with.

 

[druryj]

Craigslist! Didn't think of that...got a lil medical issue with a post surgical infection going on right now, then I'll get on there and maybe find one.