First of all, thanks to all of the OldMiniBikes folks that took the time to post pics, answer questions for others, etc. Although I’ve been working on my project, I finally collected some pics & wanted to share my build experience.
1) Got the BD gigantic tire mini bike from my wife as a christmas gift
2) While that was on it’s way, I picked up a predator 8 hp engine & a TAV2 30 series torque converter, and fitted it with a 9T sprocket
3) As soon as it got to the house, I put the parts together in the living room (gotta love being an adult and being able to do what you want), at this time, I realized how big this thing was
4) My buddy Mike helped me out by welding the motor plate, and adding some reinforcements (the 8hp predator needed it), then we cut off one of the oil fills on the predator, & shaved a rib off of the TAV2, and trimmed the plate (see pics) I wanted to get the engine in there and only put in a small spacer plate so I could use the gas tank that it came with.
5) Took the Frame in for powdercoating…….the 2 step illusion blueberry turned out awesome, I am very happy with it & have got a lot of compliments in it.
6) After putting it together, I realized the predator exhaust was too close to my leg, and I didn’t want to get burned, or have someone else get burned, so back to my buddy mike’s where we made up a custom exhaust. The RLV muffler was really quite loud, so last week on sale I picked up a muffler at menards, welded on a pipe & with my muffler support, I can swap out the mufflers in about 5 minutes. This one is quite a bit quieter (don’t need to upset the neighbors)
7) I added a kill switch on the handlebar as well.
I was really a bit disappointed, as it was not as responsive as I thought, so I changed out the spring in the TAV, and it picked up a bit, but not much. Then I saw the problem……..the spark plug wire was touching the throttle rod from the governor. Once I put the plug wire back in the retainer, so the rod was clear, the thing woke right up and it was day & night difference. Give the throttle a twist while it rolling & it now pulls that massive front wheel up.
All in all, like any project, it took some tweaking, but I really can’t wait for the weather to get a little better here in Michigan so I can go playing. The bike is big, and takes some getting use to when turning, but I plan on taking it down the trails, and possibly on the beach.
The one thing I want to do, is add some fenders, but I am not a big fan of the diamond plate fenders. So I’ll have to figure something out here. Maybe one day, I’ll even paint the kickstand I made !
Like I said, thought I owed it to you guys to post this.
Hope you enjoy.
1) Got the BD gigantic tire mini bike from my wife as a christmas gift
2) While that was on it’s way, I picked up a predator 8 hp engine & a TAV2 30 series torque converter, and fitted it with a 9T sprocket
3) As soon as it got to the house, I put the parts together in the living room (gotta love being an adult and being able to do what you want), at this time, I realized how big this thing was
4) My buddy Mike helped me out by welding the motor plate, and adding some reinforcements (the 8hp predator needed it), then we cut off one of the oil fills on the predator, & shaved a rib off of the TAV2, and trimmed the plate (see pics) I wanted to get the engine in there and only put in a small spacer plate so I could use the gas tank that it came with.
5) Took the Frame in for powdercoating…….the 2 step illusion blueberry turned out awesome, I am very happy with it & have got a lot of compliments in it.
6) After putting it together, I realized the predator exhaust was too close to my leg, and I didn’t want to get burned, or have someone else get burned, so back to my buddy mike’s where we made up a custom exhaust. The RLV muffler was really quite loud, so last week on sale I picked up a muffler at menards, welded on a pipe & with my muffler support, I can swap out the mufflers in about 5 minutes. This one is quite a bit quieter (don’t need to upset the neighbors)
7) I added a kill switch on the handlebar as well.
I was really a bit disappointed, as it was not as responsive as I thought, so I changed out the spring in the TAV, and it picked up a bit, but not much. Then I saw the problem……..the spark plug wire was touching the throttle rod from the governor. Once I put the plug wire back in the retainer, so the rod was clear, the thing woke right up and it was day & night difference. Give the throttle a twist while it rolling & it now pulls that massive front wheel up.
All in all, like any project, it took some tweaking, but I really can’t wait for the weather to get a little better here in Michigan so I can go playing. The bike is big, and takes some getting use to when turning, but I plan on taking it down the trails, and possibly on the beach.
The one thing I want to do, is add some fenders, but I am not a big fan of the diamond plate fenders. So I’ll have to figure something out here. Maybe one day, I’ll even paint the kickstand I made !
Like I said, thought I owed it to you guys to post this.
Hope you enjoy.
