My Mutt street bike project

[johnrobholmes]

Just picked up a cheap roller from the 'bay that will get me started on my wintertime project. It is some china clone crf50. It doesn't look built to take jumping, but I won't be hitting more than speedbumps on it anyway. I have a Honda CRF50 motor that will be the power plant, maybe get an 88 kit in the future.


My plans are to remove the body, add another seat, get some dual sport tires, make a light kit, and lengthen the frame. With the frame lengthening I will add a jackshaft and electric motor drive system as well for quiet downtown cruising and breakneck acceleration to 25mph. If my lathe is running properly I may fabricate a new swingarm and frame from chromoly.

It ain't much, but it will be a good start to some fun. I will be particularly pleased with the semi-auto transmission, since it allows the bike to be an unlicensed scooter in my state.

 

[liveforphysics]

If you are looking to take it on the street as a motorcycle, make sure it has a legal street motorcycle branded title before you even try. Lots of guys have made awesome streetbikes out of various non-roadlegal bikes, only to have them sit and rust due to impossible to register titles. If you start with the right title, and you are clever, it doesn't matter what you do to it, you can keep street legal plates on it. If you start with an off-road title, it doesn't matter how clever you are, you were boned before you even got started.

 

[johnrobholmes]

I don't need a title in missouri if I don't go over 30mph, and it is super easy to get a vin from the state troopers if in case I did want to register and plate it. I just need lights and blinkers, although on the MO state trooper site they don't even mention that.

 

[liveforphysics]

Being <50cc, and not considered a motorcycle is how you can make something like that work. May want to carefully check your laws though, as I know WA and OR states both have laws the explicitly prohibit the use of any "miniature motorcycles" for street use, regardless of meeting DOT requirements or not. They did this to block the wave of pocket bikes getting shipped out with turn signals trying to get licence plates.
To try and register as a motorcycle, it's going to not work out, unless you have a manufactures certificate of origin that has no title brands.

I wish you the best of luck of course, but I've struggled down this road myself a few times, and friends have as well. It is so much better to start with something all ready registered as a street motorcycle if you wish a project to end up as a street motorcycle.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Missouri has no toy laws or seat height laws. We just need a drivers license to drive anything powered. The state trooper site goes over what is needed to ride the toy pocket bikes on the road- drivers license.

To license as a "real" motorcycle in my state:
If the frame doesn't have a VIN (I bet it doesn't) then I just need a receipt for all of the parts (bill of sale). If I want to make it easier, then I can weld up a frame and consider it a custom build. My neighbor gets VINs for his custom builds and stepped me through the process. MO is super lax on this stuff, almost as easy as MI regarding title production.

 

[liveforphysics]

Do you see people riding pocket bikes with licence plates down the street? I'm guessing not.

My state makes no laws on seat height or tire size (as these could effect scooters), but it specifically makes provisions to outlaw miniature motorcycles.

 

[liveforphysics]

It looks like your state lets it slide if you have an auto-tranny and you are sub 50cc. I got this from your states laws:

Scooters and Mopeds
Scooters and mopeds, if they fall under the category of "motorized bicycle," don't have to be registered. Missouri DMV officially uses the following criteria to define a motorized bicycle:

Two or three wheels.
Automatic transmission
Motor with a cylinder capacity of less than 55 cubic centimeters.
Motor produces less than three gross brake horsepower.
Cannot have a maximum speed of more than 30 miles per hour on flat ground.
If your scooter can travel more than 30 miles per hour or has a cylinder capacity of more than 55 ccs must be registered as a motorcycle, and requires a motorcycle license.

Registration, Licenses, and Helmets
While motorized bicycles don't have to be registered, you do need a valid driver's license to operate one. Currently, Missouri law doesn't require helmets, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Some local or municipal laws have different helmet requirements, so be sure to check.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Exactly. Sub 30mph, sub 50cc, and auto tranny are the only real requirements besides lighting. I was surprised, but it also lends to very lax ebike laws too.

 

[vanilla ice]

Luckeeeeeeeeee!

 

[johnrobholmes]

Just got it running last night. Boy that stock wiring harness was a huge mess. I only needed a few wires anyway so I ripped out everything and redid it. The honda engine purrs like a kitten, it started up with just one gentle kick.

Got a trailtech Vapor on there, and headlights/tail lights too. I don't have a lighting stator yet, so I am just using a battery pack that I recharge at home for the time being. I need to get a new brake light switch. The one on my front lever is a normally closed, I need a normally open one.

Some blinkers, paint, and the lighting stator wind will round out the project in the current form. I plan to lengthen it and then mess around with the electrical system, maybe put an electric motor on there. I really want to try some hybrid systems to see if efficiency is higher or not.

Just took her out for a little ride, and I am a bit disappointed! My electric bike is faster, lighter, quieter, and accelerates faster too! Looks like I WILL be making a parallel hybrid soon.