Alright, who was lucky enough to have a Big Wheel as a kid? Remember pedaling as hard as you could then pulling the handbrake and spinning out? The boy and I decided to make one, but that pedaling business sounds like a lot of work, so decided to go with a 6hp Predator engine. We haven’t started on the frame yet, but I imagine we’ll get the box section done this weekend. I’ll post pics as we go, and hopefully this will all come together in a video of us peeling out and drifting like maniacs. Here goes nothing!
First we got a live axle kit from BMI Karts. Axle, bearing, drive gear, chain, and clutch.
Next we bought the Predator engine from Harbor Freight. These are Honda copies, and they have a great reputation for reliability at a cheap price.
Then we had to find a donor bike. Couple different ways to approach this part. Either go cheap and get one free or at a pawn shop, or buy a new bike simply to destroy it. When I looked at the cost of the project I decided I didn’t want everything else to be new and shiny and then have some crappy old front end on it. So I bit the bullet and spent a little extra on a new bike. I did get it on a Christmas sale, but it went out of stock and didn’t come in until today. I picked this one because of the steel frame for welding and front disk brake. These scooters can go over 35-40, and stopping is....important. The fat tire I think will give a nicer ride and hopefully more traction for when we turn sharp to whip the back end around. We’re going to keep the forks, handle bars, and down tube. The rest is getting chopped. Kind of a waste, but I am not a good enough fabricator to build my own forks and headset.
Young’n getting ready to roll it out of the shop for a test drive.
We still need a rear brake disc and caliper, kill switch for the engine, throttle and linkage, and the back two wheels, tires, and plastic sleeves for the tires to let them drift. It’ll be an adventure, but it should be cool.
And speaking of cool, I naturally had to show the boy he’s got a long ways to go to be as cool as his old man.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
First we got a live axle kit from BMI Karts. Axle, bearing, drive gear, chain, and clutch.
Next we bought the Predator engine from Harbor Freight. These are Honda copies, and they have a great reputation for reliability at a cheap price.
Then we had to find a donor bike. Couple different ways to approach this part. Either go cheap and get one free or at a pawn shop, or buy a new bike simply to destroy it. When I looked at the cost of the project I decided I didn’t want everything else to be new and shiny and then have some crappy old front end on it. So I bit the bullet and spent a little extra on a new bike. I did get it on a Christmas sale, but it went out of stock and didn’t come in until today. I picked this one because of the steel frame for welding and front disk brake. These scooters can go over 35-40, and stopping is....important. The fat tire I think will give a nicer ride and hopefully more traction for when we turn sharp to whip the back end around. We’re going to keep the forks, handle bars, and down tube. The rest is getting chopped. Kind of a waste, but I am not a good enough fabricator to build my own forks and headset.
Young’n getting ready to roll it out of the shop for a test drive.
We still need a rear brake disc and caliper, kill switch for the engine, throttle and linkage, and the back two wheels, tires, and plastic sleeves for the tires to let them drift. It’ll be an adventure, but it should be cool.
And speaking of cool, I naturally had to show the boy he’s got a long ways to go to be as cool as his old man.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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