Mini Bike

This was one of my first "big" projects. I started this project when I was 14, and there were many iterations of this bike. Unfortunately, I didn't have the forethought that I would be writing a project post about it 10 years later, so there's a lack of pictures of this project. 

The frameset was purchased as a single, pre-fabricated piece. However, it was missing foot pegs, which needed to be welded on. This bike ultimately sparked my interest in welding and inspired me to enroll in tech school. But, the biggest lessons learned from this project were by far the engine modification and repair. I had this engine in pieces doing a random modification every weekend. The engine was the classic Harbor Freight Predator 212cc. Out of the box, they make around 6.5 hp, which pretty impressive, but that's just simply too slow for a 14 year old.

I did everything I financially could to this engine to squeeze out every bit of power from it. This included governor removal to ensure unsafe RPMs, larger carburetor jets and  emulsion tube for fuel flow, larger air intake, performance spark plug and timing, stiffer value springs to prevent value float, and exhaust upgrades. I learned so much from working on this engine!

After all these modifications, this thing was pretty fast. In the most scientifically and safe way possible (my older brother driving next to me as I screamed down a residential road) I clocked the bike in at 55mph!!!