The Ghetto bike(rupp)

#1
I bought this rather strange looking Rupp from a kid awhile ago..I am not sure what to say about the seat..I thought it was just something that was just stuck on there from another bike but it actually appears to have been made like this!..Perhaps the thinking was that it doubled as a fender but sitting rearward at all caused the front wheel to come off the ground..When my 12 year old son saw it he laughed and said dad that thing is "ghetto"...I am not sure what that means exactly but it was not a compliment..lol..Ever since it has been known as the Ghetto bike..



It had the big tecumseh 5hp engine that ran strong when it ran but had some bad flooding and carb issues..Possibly from the angle of the engine?..It also was very tight to the top frame rail so the stock tank was ditched and the mounting tabs cut off...I made the decision to do an engine swap as I wanted something that fit a little better and was reliable and powerful...
I have been very pleased with the clone engine that I swapped into my son's dirtbug..They were on sale yesterday so I stopped in and scooped a couple..







It looks a little odd in the Rupp frame but fits pretty good..The biggest hurdle appears to be the exhaust which angles up right into the side of the framerail....This would be much worse with a normal seat and top mounted gas tank









The flat pieces of steel that are welded onto the top frame rail will be removed and a stock type tank used.Looking at it from the rear there isn't a whole lot of room for snaking an exhaust pipe back between the frame rail and shocks either..

 
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#2
:lol: ghetto means it looks like something you'd see in impoverished poor side of town, the Ghetto.. I am hoping your new engine doesn't do the same as the Tecumseh being it's on that weird angle still.. They sell after market parts for those motors and you may be able to swap off for a better carb.. The Tillotson carbs work pretty great and is a diaphragm carb so it can be tipped to a goofy angle.. I got your "less ghetto" looking seat frame boxed up for ya. :thumbsup:
 
#5
:.. I am hoping your new engine doesn't do the same as the Tecumseh being it's on that weird angle still..
I asked a guy on here that had swapped a clone into a rupp(smallbikes88)..He says it runs fine and he hasn't had any issues with it so far...I was thinking the same thing though..If it gives me grief I will get a different intake to level out the carb..
 
#6
I asked a guy on here that had swapped a clone into a rupp(smallbikes88)..He says it runs fine and he hasn't had any issues with it so far...I was thinking the same thing though..If it gives me grief I will get a different intake to level out the carb..
Eh........ just duct tape a funnel on it and throw dynamite down it's throat... Should do something.. :lol:
 
#8
Looks awesome! Keep up the pics man..
I am especially enjoying this thread because I am working on a 71 roadster and considering different engine options.
 
#9
Briggs and stratton motors with the pulsejet carbs and the retarded tank on the carb works pretty good but they are a tight fit.. You can get the Tecumseh diaphragm carbs that will fix the problem but they are temperamental, you could just get or make a different intake manifold... theres a few ways around it..
 
#10
Not sure how that wired angle Won't effect the carb... my guess it will either flood or starve out...
Thats exactly how the tecumseh ran on there..Too much gas or not enough...There are a few guys running the clones on rupp chassis though so maybe the carbs are less tempermental...I am also thinking about putting some sort of wedge under the engine to straighten it up some..I can't really see any advantage to having it tipped..
 
#11
It was supposed to help them oil. :thumbdown: I see a hell of a lot of tippy engine rollers with it's Tecumseh done went :shrug: Yeah a wedge or extension of some sort may be just the answer.
 
#12
Didn't get too much done today..Just took the grinder and cleaned the flat pieces of steel(tank mounts) off of the top of the frame....Whats everyone's weapon of choice for taking off all those crusty layers of paint and rust on the frame?..I was thinking of a chemical paint remover but I know they are very messy...Wire wheel perhaps?
Also still trying to decide what to do for a gas tank..A rupp tank will fit but its very close to the air cleaner.



 
#13
This one old guy said put it in the driveway, doust in in gas and set it on fire works good for Powder Coat... :lol: I just sand the shit off with sand paper.. Sand BLASTING works pretty great if you have access to that..
 
#14
This one old guy said put it in the driveway, doust in in gas and set it on fire works good for Powder Coat... :lol: I just sand the shit off with sand paper.. Sand BLASTING works pretty great if you have access to that..
Thats a good idea just dont let it get too hot. I just go at it with a wire wheel on a grinder.
 
#17
I used my die grinder and a wire wheel and went at the frame today..It worked great and stripped away the rust and old layers of paint...I Need to disassemble it to get into some of the tighter spots but I can't believe how much better it looks...I think the chrome on the rims might actually be in decent shape so I am going to get some paint stripper and go at them next..



 
#20
Got some colour on the swingarm and frame the other day..It is a neat blue colour that has a gold fleck in it that really comes out in the sunshine..Unfortunately it is cold and cloudy here today.


 
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