Building Michael's OCC with a 79cc Predator

[Chainlube]

Sationary pedals at this time, although I have an idea how to make them operable in the future. I'm first going to see if the local police give me a hard time about it.

If you see a blue and white, just pretend you're pedaling.

 

[michael whiteman]

It's time to weld the motor mount plate to the frame, but first I though it would be best to use studs rather than bolts. I plan to have this motor in and out a lot and I do not want to subject the aluminum threads to that wear and tear. Besides, the space under the plate is so limited getting a bolt started without cross threading it might be a challenge. I put the plate on the motor and shortened the studs (with a nyloc nut) to a minimum length. Because I am using the balance point on the motor for alignment over the bottom tube, two of the studs come out directly over it. To get the nut on the stud I was forced to create a BIG dimple in the tube for clearance. I do not have a torch, so I used my tig set to 150 amps. Not needing the argon to simply heat the tube, I left it disconnected. The tig would not fire! Seems like 7psi, on my machine, is required to turn it on. Who knew? I held a ball peen hammer against the tube and pounded on it with a second hammer. This gave me better control in shaping the dimple. Here's what it looks like before I weld the plate on tomorrow. This will all be covered.

 

[GW's Motorized]

Looking good Michael! I got that template in the mail Wednesday.

 

[michael whiteman]

Today I welded on the chain tensioner bracket which was the last piece. Now it's off to the sandblasters to remove the flaking chrome on this frame followed by a coat of primer.

 

[michael whiteman]

With the amount of time and $$ I have spent on this project I am getting paranoid about not being legal because the pedals dont work. This is the case when using Predator engines because they are so wide. After mocking up the engine in the frame I realized my original idea would not work, but I did come up with this crazy, out of the box idea and would like your opinion on one question.

First let me share a scenario after I get stopped. The law states, among other things, that you must be able to pedal this bike. It does not state how fast it must go, only that it moves forward under pedal power, right? I'm sure the cop will be totally confused as I pull away slowly pedaling BACKWARDS. Without going into all the details now
( I will later) this is what I have in mind. I found a freewheel with a 6 inch ring gear that might just clear the engine. If I mount the freewheel backwards or get a right side drive one it will freewheel while the engine is under power. With the engine off the clutch will not be engaged and I should be able to pedal this bike if I pedal backwards, pruving it is a "pedal bicycle" after all. Here's the key question........how long will the freewheel guts live under constant freewheeling? I'm not sure how they are lubricated. Maybe come up with a way to inject some grease? Also, what's the fewest number of teeth the chain should contact on the clutch? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[GW's Motorized]

With the amount of time and $$ I have spent on this project I am getting paranoid about not being legal because the pedals dont work. This is the case when using Predator engines because they are so wide. After mocking up the engine in the frame I realized my original idea would not work, but I did come up with this crazy, out of the box idea and would like your opinion on one question.

First let me share a scenario after I get stopped. The law states, among other things, that you must be able to pedal this bike. It does not state how fast it must go, only that it moves forward under pedal power, right? I'm sure the cop will be totally confused as I pull away slowly pedaling BACKWARDS. Without going into all the details now
( I will later) this is what I have in mind. I found a freewheel with a 6 inch ring gear that might just clear the engine. If I mount the freewheel backwards or get a right side drive one it will freewheel while the engine is under power. With the engine off the clutch will not be engaged and I should be able to pedal this bike if I pedal backwards, proving it is a "pedal bicycle" after all. Here's the key question........how long will the freewheel guts live under constant freewhing? I'm not sure how they are lubricated. Maybe come up with a way to inject some grease? Also, what's the fewest number of teeth the chain should contact on the clutch? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

View attachment 210351

Imo, that frewheel will last plenty long enough. Think about it, the wheels on these bikes have a freewheel on the pedal side, so they are constantly freewheeling while we are riding. It might be a consumable because it will likely be spinning faster than it should. However I doubt it would need replacing very often if at all.

 

[michael whiteman]

I found out today that there is a left hand (left side) freewheel that would alow me to pedal forward normally, but the 2mph top speed still might not be too convincing.

 

[michael whiteman]

I really did not want to use a second chain, but it makes a little more sense so I will get back "in the box" with my thinking. This drawing is not to scale but you get the idea. The largest sprocket on the pedal shaft might only be 24 teeth due to the clearance from the motor's fan shroud. I would need a tensioner to force the chain under it to prevent it from rubbing. A 24T sprocket on the wheel would result in a 1:1 ratio netting a normal pedal top speed of 5mph. There might be some leway here in the end. The issue now becomes...............

seeing as the original freewheel threads are being used by the motor's drive sprocket, how do I attach this freewheel to the hub. There is a surface on the hub that could be tapped for a freewheel, but where would you ever find a 1.37 dia. x 24 t.p.i. tap the would start on a surface only .325 wide? It will be easy to get the FW to slide over this surface but how would one anchor it without using the threads?

Option 1 : Drill a few holes around the hub and smear JB weld over them the press the FW on and let it dry. I won't be standing on the pedals climbing hills, only showing the cops it really is a pedal bike.

Option 2 : Make it a press fit and spot weld two places with my TIG. I could always grind the weld off to remove it. I would also need to see if it's still possible to replace any spokes if need be.

Which option do you like, or do you have a better idea ?

 

[robe]

Post a picture of what you have so far.

I'm thinking of a wide multi piece crank and put the sprocket outside of the motor. You can move the sprocket by cutting the flat on the shaft where you want. Next you need a 1:1 jack shaft behind the motor to move the chain back in line with the rear sprocket. You could have a six speed free wheel and a derailleur to have multiple gears.

Bit odd and the front sprocket would put a lot of strain on the crank shaft being so far from the bearing. My two bits worth.

 

[michael whiteman]

Thanks for the reply Robe. I have already considered your idea and found the pedals would be toooo far apart. Maybe OK if I was a bow legged bull rider. LOL. I already have a jackshaft and DO NOT want to add a second one. In my post #85 I was exploring the idea of using it. My latest idea will allow me to run the chain straight to the wheel if I use a 24T sproket on the pedal shaft, which is OK because speed is not the issue. This is only proof to a cop that this is a functioning pedal bike.

My question is..............how to attach the freewheel to the hub.