So this is what I started with. A standard 12 speed tandem
bicycle with a little baby seat at the back to make it fun for the whole family.
Originally the engine would go in the back behind the front
seat, this however posed a bunch of building issues that would make the project
take a little longer. Problems involved new engine mounting spots that would
have to be fabricated, the frame would be in the way of the exhaust and if you
change the routing of the exhaust on a low budget, you could be facing leg burn
problems for the rider at the back. Longer throttle and clutch cables, longer
fuel lines etc. etc. etc.
After sitting with the bike for a little bit my wife said: “just
put it in front”. I (for some strange reason) never really considered that
option. The exhaust would work, I could use all the standard cables, hoses and
mountings. All I needed was a longer chain. In fact it will be a bit of a
monster chain but that is ok… we can deal with that!
So minor changes where required for the bike: I literally only
needed to remove a piece of the extra crossbar in the front.
I decided to leave the little piece in the front for 2
reasons: 1. it kind of leaves the original lines of the bike in tact and 2. the
angle grinder did not fit in to cut it off flush with the neck and I had
nothing else to cut with…
I took the piece that I cut out, fished the ends and welded it
back in, parallel with the seat post tube. Nice welding practice on thin walled
tubing. I nearly tore my hair out a couple of times, but that is how we learn…
So now the engine sits very nicely in the frame with but one snag. The pedal crank on the left does not clear the engine and needs to be bent ever so slightly to make it work.
I planning on just making it black and white, want to try
and keep things simple.
More next time.
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