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An Enjoyable Compilation of Bad Ideas (a Custom Baja Minibike)
compilation :
[kom-puh–ley-shuh n]
noun
1. the act of compiling 2. something compiled
Yes that sounds like the perfect definition for this little project, it was a compilation, and now it is a compilation. It started out as a little extra sweetener thrown in on a deal when I purchased an old motorcycle to part out. Originally I planned to see if it would run and do the bare minimum to get it rideable and flip it. One of the great things about the Baja MB165 & MB200 minibikes is the fact that they are actually big enough for a grown man to ride comfortably. The bad thing for a full grown idiot like myself is that they are slooow. This is great when your kid is riding it but kind of dull for daddio. Plus there was no dirtbike in my stable so I decided to keep it and have some fun with it!
The original gas tank was full of rust and the carburetor was gummed up but the engine was otherwise sound. It turned out to be so inexpensive to replace the Honda clone carburetor
The other really noticeable bad idea you see here is the addition of a large heavy duty sprung bicycle seat
Of course, being me I kept as much of the crustiness as I could only covering the fenders and the crappy looking dirtbike handlebar with a thick coat of do it yourself truck bed liner
The handlebar came from an eighties Honda XR250. It had a fair amount of surface rust that I knocked off with a wire brush before coating it with the bed liner. I am sure the rust will eventually come back through but that’s okay with me for now. Changing out the handlebar was the single best comfort & control improvement to this minibike. From the factory Baja installs what looks like a “beach cruiser motorcycle” handlebar on it. Very good for little people with short arms, not so good for long armed gorillas like myself. The foot pegs are a set of passenger pegs from another old Honda motorcycle and are much bigger & sturdier than the oem items that came with it.
Also missing was the original big round chrome chopper style headlight, but in all honesty it would have been ditched in favor of the evil eye shaped driving lamp you see below. Like the original this light’s a bit dim at idle, but give it some gas and it keeps getting brighter & brighter.
There is one really good performance enhancing mdification and that is the installation of a GTC Torque Converter. In my last post I did a quick installation overview & product review on this part. There is also a video of this mini running & being ridden on that page so that you can check it out. Click here to view it if you haven’t seen it yet.
The front end is still a little bit tweaked from an accident that is was in prior to my owning it, and will stay that way. It’s such a little thing & it doesn’t bother me or anyone else who has ridden it. It’s just that the handlebar is cocked about a half a degree to the right when the bike is going straight, & not really worth trying to fix.
Now that I have told you all about this custom Baja minibike, it is time to say that it is for sale. There’s a real running dirt bike sitting in the barn and I anticipate that this one will soon be sitting around more & more. So the first person to give me $350 bucks for it gets it. Although I would prefer to sell locally for cash, I am willing to crate it for shipping as long as 1. you make all the arrangements for the shipping. and 2. I get at least 3 working days notice to build the crate before pick up. and 3. I have been fully paid via verified USPS money order. NO online payment options available for this, as I have been the target of too many scams lately. If you do purchase this machine you acknowledge that it has been altered from its original factory condition using questionable & potentially unsafe modifications and that you the purchaser assume all risks associated with operating it including the possibility of severe injury or death. And for heavens sake if you’re gonna let a kid ride it, put a belt guard on it.
This minibike has been sold!
Peace Y’all
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The GTC Torque Converter for Minibikes & Go Karts Installation and Review
Here’s what came in the box. I ordered it from GoKarts USA mainly because it was listed as being a direct bolt on fit to directly replace the cheesy jackshaft plate & tensioner that this minibike came with. Despite what is said on some of the forums around the internet, this is a good quality unit that is made right here in the good old U.S.A. Yeah sure it’s got a couple of imported components in it, but suck it up sunshine that’s just the way the world is, we’re all on one rapidly shrinking planet and the market place is making it smaller everyday despite the best attempts by idiot politicians and knuckle dragging nationalists to stop it. Still it’s nice to see something made here that is of good quality and is price competitive. The backing plate is especially well machined & finished to the point that it is almost a shame to cover it up with a belt guard.
Now this is not going to be a full complete step by step set of installation instructions, just an overview with a few tips. If have lost your kit instructions or have purchased a second hand unit without instructions please click here to get a set from the GTC website. As always you may click on any picture here for a larger view.
First you have to remove the original plate with the factory clutch & intermediate sprocket.
Make sure you remove all of the spacers from the end of the crankshaft, if you are doing this to an older engine oxidation may cause the spacer to look like an integral part of the crankshaft. If you don’t remove it the drive pulley won’t line up and you’ll be scratching your head for a few minutes like I was.
This tab is no longer used and will have to be flattened or removed for the torque converter to fit.
The kit comes with longer bolts to mount the plate if needed.
This particular installation just reused the stock bolts
A picture of the driven shaft with the snap ring and washer installed.
Here it has been started through back of the mounting plate.
Next get the chain sprocket, key & spacer,
sprocket,spacer, & key
and slide them onto the driven shaft as shown here.
The next shot shows the driven pulley with it’s associated hardware, slide it all into place and install the nut finger tight at this time.
Here is the driving pulley & the belt. When you cut the tie wrap to install it take not of how the various parts & pieces fit together so you can re-install them correctly.
I should have cleaned up the screw threads in this hole before I got this far, be sure to learn from my mistakes. BTW your engine must have an existing tapped hole in he end of the crankshaft or you cannot install a torque convertor. Be sure to check this before you spend your money as a few of the Honda clone engines are missing this feature.
The other drive pulley parts
Stick the belt into place & begin assembling the drive pulley onto the end of the crankshaft.
Now that you’ve gotten everything assembled it is time to tighten it all down.
You really need to use a torque wrench
I did this install several months ago and have been driving this thing around the farm at least two or three times a week. While it did not transform my otherwise nearly stock MB165 into a 50 mph speed demon it did bump the top speed up enough to be much faster than a stock Baja minibike. Perhaps on a smooth surface with the governor removed it would but it is already able to outrun it’s own steering and stability out here in the deep soft sand & mud where I live.
Four months ago when I installed this it was purely out of curiosity to see if it would really be an improvement, and it really is. The initial low speed engagement is much smoother than with a factory clutch allowing it to be driven at a lower speed than was possible with the clutch, while still increasing the top speed. The belt has proven durable and still looks fine after four months of hauling my big 200+ pound ass around the farm, down the dirt road, through the woods. And when it does eventually wear out the belt is a little over half the price of a factory clutch. So is this worth spending the extra $200 buck on? If you are serious about actually riding your minibike, the answer is yes especially since the GTC TC2 is a direct bolt on that does not require engine mounting spacers to fit a stock Baja frame. Granted at this price it should come with the plastic belt guard but that really is my only complaint. At this time I’m running mine without the guard for a cool but possibly dangerous open primary look, but I don’t let kids ride it either.
Here’s a little video of the completed minibike so you can see how it works.
Peace Y’all
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Attention Deficit Project Disorder!
Well it was another rough week at that thankless job that I go to everyday of every week to keep the lights on around here until my web store catches fire & I can sell enough products to retire from everything but blogging. (go buy something, click on any ad here and help a brother break free!) My original plan for the evening was to go climb up in a tree & try to shoot Bambi’s father, but it was starting to rain kinda hard when I got home so instead I decided to grab a beer, & carry the forks that the mail carrier just dropped off from the house out to the shop and maybe work on fitting them to the CM400 bobber that I’ve been tinkering with for the last few months, but decided that the shop really needed cleaning up a little before proceeding so I pushed some of the junk bikes out into the rain for more room.
What’s under your desk?
Then I moved the two portable work benches back to the sides of the shop to clear up floor space. Then I decided to go ahead & start soaking my new to me,old pile of junk Suzuki with penetrating oil so that it would come apart easier when I go to replace the rear inner tube and the 40 or 50 other parts it probably needs to be trail worthy. Of course it’s a lot easier for an old fart to work on a motorcycle if he doesn’t have to bend over so I grab the old furniture truck ramp from the yard and dig through my lumber pile for a couple of timbers to set it up on since my motorcycle lift table is loaded down with my CB360T restoration project. For some reason as I was digging through my scrap lumber pile, a misshapen piece of wood that was left over from some long forgotten construction project jumped into my hand and said, “hey look at me, wouldn’t I make the perfect Plains Indian gunstock war club?” But by this time I had enough of a buzz going that there was no way you could ever get me near the bandsaw so I threw it back on the pile, got the timbers and headed back inside to prop up the dirtbike. Hopefully I can find it again when I am sober & have some time on my hands as it would go so well with my Hawken, powder horn etc. In fact it would look really sweet hanging up next to my black powder shotgun if I ever finish building it….
Can you see the pattern here? It’s a serious disease that afflicts middle age men. ADPD Attention Deficit Project Disorder It’s incredibly dangerous, because the problem just gets bigger & bigger. You become an addict scanning Ebay & Craigslist for just the right item at the right bargain basement price. The problem is that you don’t need it, there are a dozen projects, plus your honey-do list ahead of it, and just as sure as hell your boss will start demanding extra overtime on top of what you already work, so your discretionary income is temporarily enlarged while your time to enjoy it is diminished, this leads to more shopping & less doing until your place starts to look like a salvage yard, and your neighbors start calling you Fred G. Of course this is also the time when everything in your house will break down too, so you have to take care of those things first. Sure you could pay someone to fix the plumbing or the light fixture but for two things 1; the guy you call can’t do it any better than you can & maybe not even as good. 2; You just scored the deal of the century on another old piece of shit motorcycle, gun, car, jeep, boat, plane or what ever your addiction is & spent the money already.
At any rate I got the TS185 up on the ramp so I can work on it, but since the weather is supposed to be nearly perfect for riding tomorrow, it was time to give the old CB650 a good going over & adjust the chain so I stopped to do that instead. Hey you got to look after your main squeeze if you want her to look after you! Well it’s been fun blogging with a little buzz going on, but right now I need to find a carb kit & battery for the 1969 CJ5 under the carport & figure out when I’m going to get time to fix my tractor so I can keep the wood lot clean & get the garden ready for next year. Then maybe I can relax, watch a little television while checking out the crack-list on my tablet.
Peace Y’all
//
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Oops I Did It Again. A Junkyard Dog Double Feature. (updated w/ video)
I went prospecting for rusty gold again. Brought home a couple of early 80’s Suzukis.
One is an RM 80
The second one is a 1980 Suzuki TS185
I really like the headlight assembly.
There are plenty of interesting crusty bits on this one.
Overall this old cycle is not the worst I I have ever tried to restore. At this point my plan is for a basic restomod as a woods bike, but if too many of the parts needed for that are not available, it may become a “brat style” custom scrambler.
Peace Y’all
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Scooters at the Rumble!
One of my favorite classes at the Bull City Rumble is the scooter class. No I’m not talking about the 50cc chicom whiskey cycles, but fine vintage steel and plastic from around the world. This years event was dominated by Italian scooters, Vespas mostly, Lambrettas, and one or two of the late model scooters from Asia. Even though I pretend to be a big hairy chested macho man, I’d be proud to have any of these in my garage, and yes it would get ridden at every opportunity. When I was a dealership mechanic whenever some one would bring in a 125cc or larger scooter my fellow mechanics and I would hurry up and try to grab the work order first just so we could ride them. This way when all of our “real biker” friends saw us we could tell them we had to ride the scooter because it was our job. 😉 Now I’m too old to give a shit what you think…
If you love scooters enjoy the pictures!
Mod or Rocker?
I really enjoyed checking out the scooters at the rumble. Thanks to Ton Up NC for putting on another great show.
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Scout Versus Sportster ??? Not Really
Well it looks as though Polaris has the new Indian Motorcycle Company revival going full steam. The new Chief and its variants seem to be doing well as they have a truly beautiful retro styled engine slotted into a decent heavy cruiser chassis with fairly unique looks. Not my cup of tea but I hope they do well with them.
Recently they announced the coming release of the new Indian Scout model with a 100 h.p. liquid cooled engine. This was certainly enough to make me take notice. Ever since then the internet has been buzzing with discussion about it. All of the Harley haters (and some of the “Big Twin” snobs) have popped up on Facebook and all of the forums predicting the end of the Sportster.
Normally I would not write about a motorcycle that I do not have some personal experience with and having never sat on one yet will not comment upon its performance as a motorcycle, but just by looking at the available specs and pictures I can say with absolute certainty that this new Indian is no threat to Sportster sales. I repeat the new Scout is no threat to the Sportster. Sure it may be a more modern engine, in fact when I first heard about it I really had high hopes, until I saw the chassis it was slotted into.
There is not anything really wrong with the chassis if it is what you like, the North Star company has some of the best engineers in the world, and it looks really good and probably handles very well for a power cruiser. But you are locked into what you have, sure there are different footpeg and handlebar options, but the frame & suspension are finished. To put mid controls or rearsets on this motorcycle would require extensive modification, possibly a whole new frame. Ditto for trying to chop it, rake it or anything else. This is a completely finished motorcycle with a high tech alloy frame, there is really not much left to do to it, and at present time not much you can do with it.
The new Scout is a power cruiser. Don’t think Sportster, think V-Rod, V-Max, & the dearly departed Honda Magna, this is the market segment that this new Indian plays to, and quite frankly it’s a rather limited market. Harley knows what they are doing with the Sporty, and they know that a big h.p. Sportster will not sell. They already tried with the XR1000 back in the eighties and they frequently collected dust on the showroom floors because they were unwanted and unloved.
Now THIS is a badass Harley!
Motorcycle magazines are another source of the speculation; normally they tend to treat U.S. manufacturers with kid gloves but are getting a kick out of fanning the flames of this potential rivalry. If it sells magazines more power to them.
But I digress let’s get back the Scout versus Sportster. As mentioned earlier I have not ridden a new Scout yet, but I have ridden dozens of Sportsters & believe it or not really like the way they ride and handle with the standard size wheels & tires, and some reasonably tall rear shocks. At this point in time the Sporty is still in a class by itself, Yamaha has made a good go of it with the Bolt but it still lacks street cred in some circles. It’s a cool bike but all of the other road pirates will pick on you for riding Jap crap.
Remember I mentioned earlier that the Scout seems to be a completely finished bike? Well the Sportster is not, and that is a very good thing. Sure you can buy your Sporty and leave it bone stock and have a nice enjoyable ride which will run on reliably nearly forever. But what fun is that? Here is the real advantage the Sporty has over every other motorcycle on the planet including the Motor Company’s own big twins, it is the most versatile two wheeled customizing platform to ever exist on the planet. You can make it into a chopper, bobber, street tracker, café racer, dual sport adventure bike, add bags & fairing for a touring bike, throw a wad of cash at the suspension & engine & create a canyon carver or a muscle bike / power cruiser, you can even race the damn thing if you want to. The factory has realized this and the have created several variants of the Sportster to take advantage of those wimps that don’t want to bleed on a bike in order to make it their own.
The new Scout look ready to kick ass & take names right out of the box but the Sportster is still the ultimate blank canvas for the garage artist.
Advantage Harley Davidson…
You see a motorcycle, I see art waiting to happen!
Please note any pictures not taken by yours truly were listed as “free to use and share” by Bing image search. If I have inadvertently used your copyrighted image please let me know & I will be glad to replace or remove them.
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The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride! September 2014 Website of the Month!
Did you know that about 500,000 men die annually of prostate cancer? Or that globally more men are affected by prostate cancer, than women by breast cancer? I didn’t either. Now we’ve all seen the pink ribbons that say save the ta-tas, in fact you can hardly swing a dead cat anywhere without hitting a “Warrior in Pink” attempting to raise awareness of and/or funding for breast cancer treatment research. Now this is a very good thing because I really love ladies, some more than others, but still love them all & wish nothing but the best of health for them and their boobies.
Don’t forget we need to save the guys too.
Gentleman’s Ride.com
Let’s face it, people love titties, men love them, babies love them, and women love them too. So while you are writing out the check for breast cancer research take a moment to see if you could spare some change for a less attractive body part. Sure the prostate is not up in your face drawing attention to itself the way a nice pair of knockers will, but prostate cancer is still a deadly killer. My own father has & is still dealing with this evil scourge & its lingering effects, we are still waiting for the resolution of his treatment and hopefully he will be in complete remission soon.
Please take a moment and check out the website for The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, and sign up for an event, or just make a donation to the cause. I would love to see a 100% cure developed for this in my lifetime.
Mark your calendar for September 28th 2014, there will be 235 rides in 56 countries, so no matter where you are there is bound to be one near you. Check out the Gentleman’s Ride website for the location nearest you.
The organizers did ask me to remind everyone that this was an event for Classics, café racers, bobbers, trackers, customs, modern classics, classic scooters & undefinable 2/3 wheeled machines. So break out the good vintage stuff, and leave your plastic fantastic, crotch rockets, and your big inch, late model, fuel injected cruisers at home please.
P.S. If you are past a certain age, don’t forget next time you get a checkup, to be sure you get a PSA (prostate antibodies) blood test, and if necessary an actual physical exam. Trust me it’s a lot less painful than dying from the cancer.
Peace Y’all
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Honda Recon Stalls Going Uphill
I noticed someone has been searching this site for information on this topic. If you have just done or had work done on your Honda Recon 250 ATV or it has been sitting long enough for mud daubers to nest in it, and it runs well other than the fact that it stalls going uphill then you need to check the upper vent hose on the side of the carburetor that runs up to the steering head area. If this hose gets pinched shut or plugged up it will cause this to happen because the trapped air prevents the float bowl from refilling when the atv is on too steep of an incline to vent through the bottom of the carb. Just find the rubber hose that leads from the left side of the carb as shown below. The other end should be up near the steering head and completely open to the atmosphere. Make sure that it is not routed in such a way that the fuel tank pinches it shut when the tank is re-installed.
If you are trying to sort out why your Honda Recon stalls going uphill or any other problem you may be having with it I highly recommend a good service manual. If you are doing your own work it will save your ass a lot of trouble.
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Mercury
It was a crisp cool morning, 65 degrees made it feel more like October than the middle of August. The gravel crunched beneath my tires as I traversed that last half a mile before reaching the asphalt. To my left just peeking over the trees a huge brilliant sun was shining like a cosmic blow torch burning away the foggy mist that lay gently on the forests & fields that surround my Carolina country home. Stopping at the end of the dirt road, I made sure the choke was completely off, and checked my surroundings before pulling out onto the empty back road of the kind that I love so much.
After a quick run up through the gears, it was time to weave back and forth leaning the old Honda to the left and the right as far as I could without leaving my lane to warm up the tires a little and clean the sand off of the sides of the treads. So far, so good, the road is still empty so I ride on stepping up the pace a little, confident that all is well with my steed.
Then I spy a nicely banked sweeping curve that is followed by a nice long straight running down through the pine trees, so I lean forward a bit and twist the exhilarator a little bit more. While swinging through the apex of this gentle curve, I peer down the road ahead and note that it’s completely empty for at least the next 2 or 3 miles that I can see.
Exiting the curve I simultaneously lean over & reach down, wrapping my armor plated leather fist around the top of the left fork tube, while my right hand twists the throttle all the way to the stop, and my heart pounds as the devil may care grin on my face stretches from ear to ear. In that moment all is perfect, a curious mixture of calm serenity, and the heart pounding excitement of the illusion of danger. In this moment it seems that I am thundering down the back straight at the Indy Mile aboard the legendary RS750, as the crowd goes wild. Hitting the red line in fourth I shift into fifth and screw it on for just a few seconds more.
Real Honda Dreams
Before you know it, it’s over, it’s time to let go of the dream and the throttle. Up ahead there are houses with driveways & cages, filled with prisoners, their cell phones in one hand, breakfast in the other, and a cup of coffee between their legs as they attempt to navigate through the commute that they regard as a waste of their life. To them the road is just an obstacle course to be run, a linear prison where they are held against their will, and driving is a form of punishment. God help the innocents that get in their way.
Turning onto the multi-lane roads heading into the city, two fingers on the clutch & two on the brake crawling through traffic at forty or fifty is far more dangerous than any amount of ludicrous speed on the back roads. You watch every car & truck like a hawk, trying to anticipate any bone headed moves that might punt you into the emergency room or the morgue.
Knowing these things why do I still ride? Even sensible motorcycling is still far more enjoyable than being stuck in a box isolated from the surrounding environment, you see, hear, feel and smell what is around you. But the best times for me, are the rare moments like this morning;
I was Mercury, my feet had wings, and I could fly!
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Welcome to the Asylum 