lowrider turns drag bike

[pedal scraper]

I already posted this in the "builds" category, but I forgot that there was this category "bikes with motors."

so for you guys who only come to the bikes with motors category, here's my drag bike.
It started out as a Bratz lowrider that i put the engine on about 3 years ago.
I got bored with the lowrider look so i decided to do something different with it.
here's what it looked like before i made any changes.


I chopped 2 coils out of the spring in the front, which lowered the front end maybe an inch and a half.
put on a set of drag bars, chopped the seat post tube on the frame to get the seat as low as possible and re-did the exhaust.
the exhaust is an expansion chamber with a modified baffle that I built, all welded together and wrapped with header wrap.
I took the headlight off and gutted it. I made a bracket to bolt it to the neck, and flipped it around.
I made a clear lens for it, and a gauge face with the moon logo on it, and I put a digital speedometer inside of it.
I had to add a caliper brake to the rear wheel because the pegs on the rear axle is where my feet now go when i ride it.
I'm waiting on some custom made vinyl chain guard decals that my friend made up for me.
here's the speedometer that i made.

here's the chain guard decals that i'm waiting for.


here's the bike all done except for the chain guard decals.

[wheelbender6]

I think low riders are great candidates for motorizing because they are so hard to pedal anyway. Thr China girl motor really fills all the space in the frame and looks great.
That being said, i would make sure i installed a front brake of some kind. The best rear brake cannot stop you very quickly from 25mph.

[pedal scraper]

I think low riders are great candidates for motorizing because they are so hard to pedal anyway. Thr China girl motor really fills all the space in the frame and looks great.
That being said, i would make sure i installed a front brake of some kind. The best rear brake cannot stop you very quickly from 25mph.

Nahhh, don't need a front brake, and besides that, there's no where to mount one unless i go to a disk.
when i ride this bike (or any of my other motorized bikes) I never ride anywhere but around my neighborhood (that happens to be a one mile circle).
there's no traffic or pedestrians.
Right now, i have a caliper brake and a coaster brake in the rear, which works perfectly fine.
Prior to the caliper brake, i rode this bike for 3 years with just a coaster brake and never had any problems stopping.
I've built motorcycles, cars, bikes and all that stuff my entire life, (42 years) so I know what i'm doing.
of corse, if i rode this bike in a very heavy traffic or populated area, I'd put a front brake on it, but i don't see any need for one considering where i ride it.
the main idea of this bike is to take it to car shows when i take my 55 pontiac. putting around a car show lot at -5 mph doesn't require a front brake.

[wheelbender6]

i can see why you are OK without one. it must be a blast riding that thing at car shows.
I commute 10 miles each way to the park and ride on my motorbike, going through freeway interchanges and passing a lot of businesses. The front brake helps in traffic and when I get caught in a rain shower.

[pedal scraper]

I took it for a ride today and according to the digital schwinn speedo, I got it up to 32 mph...not sure how accurate the speedo is tho.
But i can tell you, I was hauling butt !
the caliper brake did an excellent job of bringing me to a stop, but again, I was on a straight road with no traffic, pedestrians, dogs, deer or squirrels. I'd never do that in an area with traffic, animals or people without a front brake.

by the way, here's how it sounds with the expansion chamber and my modified baffle. I built the exhaust to make it look louder than it actually is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj3b_RxFv0M

[pedal scraper]

I got the custom vinyl decals for my chain guard today.
I designed them and my friend who works at a vinyl decal making company, made them up for me.
I put this one on the chainguard a little while ago.
they aren't the same scale as original schwinn chainguard lettering. I had him make the lettering oversized to catch everyones attention when they look at the bike.
The purple has a ton of metallic in it.

[MplsCoaster]

Your bike has a wicked look to it

[isaiah3g]

Dude, this is pretty cool! I love what you did with it! The black header wrap is a great touch. Looks like a blast to ride!

[KJV]

very tough machine.

[Bike Bum]

I have the same Bratz bike that I found in a barn. Still looks like new. Just the other day I wanted to see if one of these motors will fit the bike and it does but I wasn't sure how it would look finished. I'm glad I came across your pix, very cool. This is what I'm going to build next.