Hey guys, this is sort of an odd post that I didn't think I would ever have to make, but here it goes anyway. I have always wanted to get on the dirt and ride motorcross but my family have always been against it (Due to accidents that happened way in the past). Even though legally I can get one of these bad boys on my own, I could never afford to buy one. After much begging and pleading, my dad said "I wont give you the money to buy a motorbike, but if you really have the initiative I will buy you the parts so that you can make one yourself, then we will see if you really want it". I am sort of at a loss here, since although I have built things before I have never had to deal with motorized equipment, and I wouldn't know where to start. Do you all think its viable for me to undergo this task? And where could I possibly start?
(Should probably add this isn't going to be a street legal bike, but something I can ride around on the dirt.)
Easiest way i can think is a regular bicycle+ a 49cc engine.
I know someone who builds them for a living, theyve got all sorts of fancy options.
Might even be street legal, depending on laws where you are from
Functionally they aren't all that complicated, you could do it if you were dedicated enough. Might take you a while.
[QUOTE=FordLord;43257123]Easiest way i can think is a regular bicycle+ a 49cc engine.
I know someone who builds them for a living, theyve got all sorts of fancy options.
Might even be street legal, depending on laws where you are from[/QUOTE]
Although that would be a fairly viable option, I have always wanted to ride one of these:
[img]http://www.dirtrider.com/files/2012/06/2013-Yamaha-YZ250F-left-side-view-01.jpg[/img]
Not professionally of course, but it has always been that one thing that I am desperate to get a hold of and ride around. As for the build you mentioned, it would most likely be street legal in london but I want something more beefy that can handle actual cross tracks.
[QUOTE=reevezy67;43257150]Functionally they aren't all that complicated, you could do it if you were dedicated enough. Might take you a while.[/QUOTE]
Trust me I am willing to put in the time.
Sounds like a fun project actually. Hop on craigslist and find a clapped out broken bike, study it, get to know what your dealing with by watching videos, doing some mild research, etc etc. If you're dad is serious about buying parts then have him buy the parts and replace what's broke on your own. With a bike like that its not very complicated. Just remember where everything goes and how it goes together! Good luck!
Does he mean 'build' as in you get a giant bucket of parts and you put everything together, or 'build' as in rebuild a cheap old thing? It would be extremely cost prohibitive to do the first.
[QUOTE=ramirez!;43263237]Does he mean 'build' as in you get a giant bucket of parts and you put everything together, or 'build' as in rebuild a cheap old thing? It would be extremely cost prohibitive to do the first.[/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;HwuQmvdVIfU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwuQmvdVIfU[/video]
I didn't see them spend any money
[QUOTE=Serj22;43280159]
I didn't see them spend any money[/QUOTE]
[I]watch us as we pull items from a conveniently filled junkyard where we don't have to pay for the items that we pull and are given all the tools and know-how to make what we want.[/I]
yeah, no.
[QUOTE=ramirez!;43263237]Does he mean 'build' as in you get a giant bucket of parts and you put everything together, or 'build' as in rebuild a cheap old thing? It would be extremely cost prohibitive to do the first.[/QUOTE]
I think the plan is I find some piece of shit motorcross bike and have to figure out how to fix the whole thing up. I am going to get a certain amount of money per month to buy parts I need but I don't know how much I am going to get yet.
[QUOTE=KeitaroCoS;43285395][I]watch us as we pull items from a conveniently filled junkyard where we don't have to pay for the items that we pull and are given all the tools and know-how to make what we want.[/I]
yeah, no.[/QUOTE]
Oh come on... there's tons of places like that.... somewhere... in my mind.
Get an oldie with some carburetors on it, none of this "fuel injection" wish-wash.
I build e-bikes all the time for myself and other. They are failry easy to build and some of the frames are just at good as light dirtbike frames.
[IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/15rz8ll.jpg[/IMG]
as long as it has compression it can be made to work.
yamaha xt250?
Also, the Honda CB's that have the carburetors (1970's- early 1980's) are a nice bike and have a decent sized following. They can be made to near stock specifications or can be "tricked out" into the cafe racer style. I would recommend these, or similar models as they are almost fully mechanical, easily worked on, nice beginner bikes, and can be gotten for a decent price on craigslist.
I don't know if broken would count as "build it yourself" to him, but it could be an option.
I bought some shitheap 50cc pit bike with a burnt piston and broken rocker arm, I'm still working on that thing. :v:
[QUOTE=n0cturni;43325977]I don't know if broken would count as "build it yourself" to him, but it could be an option.[/QUOTE]
Buy a couple of cheap & identical model wrecked/disassembled bikes, and assemble a working one out of parts from the others.
Should technically count as "build it yourself"
You could try to find a not running street bike and do a scrambler thing with it since you mentioned wanting to ride around in the dirt. Older bikes with out all the electrical gubbins that have been left sitting can be as easy as fluids changed and carbs cleaned. I got my current bike for $400 and it only needed an oil change and a spark plug (the engine was flooded before I went to go buy it). If you got everything running for cheap enough you could use your parts money towards making it better in the dirt.
You can get dirt and street bikes in kits, for like £2000, they've got a 125cc. I can't talk for the 125, but the 50 has a great engine, the most popular in the moped industry. There's also a couple of websites that sell parts for them. [URL="http://www.skyteammotorcycles.com/motorcycle-range/st125/"]Skyteam[/URL]
I bought a $150 dirtbike and turned it into this thing.
[IMG]http://i39.tinypic.com/334klev.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i41.tinypic.com/2cz6ogi.jpg[/IMG]
Be creative and do something unexpected.
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