TheRedlineBoss- Anything Goes build 2016 - Pocketbike Crossbreed

[theredlineboss]

All right, this one could be fun. Now, to preface, I love vintage bikes (such as my Rupp Roadster), but I find that I become a perfectionist when working with them. The end result is that I have a great bike that I've sunk more money into than I'd care to admit. :doah: :laugh: For my Anything Goes build, I intend for this to be mildly unique, relatively affordable & above all, fun!

So, with that out of the way, I acquired a Chinese pocket bike which had been partially stripped. It was identified HERE as a 50CC Cat Eye pocket bike. As you can see, it is absolutely glorious in its ugly nakedness:

The plan is to retain as much of the pocket bike suspension as possible & to set it up with a more traditional minibike engine setup. A lot of this is up in the air at the moment (particularly the rear suspension & sprocket/jackshaft setup), but I think this will actually turn out pretty well.

I'm expecting this to be a bit of a slower build, primarily since I'm wanting to use this as a chance to learn how to weld. So this may wind up going down in flames, but at least nothing of value is at risk here. :devil2:

-Rob

 

[capguncowboy]

Holy hell! That thing is going to be stuffed in there, eh? Looks like a fun project though!

 

[cheezy1]

Thanks for participating. I have seen some cool stuff done with these bikes..good luck on your build.:thumbsup:

 

[chipper]

Glad ya in , right arm !

 

[bigrob]

Looks like a death trap I like it ! Lol

 

[mrpat]

Thank you for joining in on the fun! This build looks like a lot of fun!

 

[buckeye]

Get a helmet..

 

[OND]

Good Luck Rob ! :thumbsup: Cool Idea...

 

[theredlineboss]

Thanks guys! Been working on disassembly & I think this one will come together well.

 

[EEKaMOUSE]

Rob,

Your idea is a great one! I have one of these bikes in about the exact state and I want to do the same thing!

 

[theredlineboss]

So, searching youtube for "Cateye predator" yielded a few builds where people fit the predator with minimal changes. For this build, however, I wanted to make it more of a minibike (visually). So, out comes the sawzall!

As you can see, I laid out the rails to get an idea of how it will start to look. Not sure what I'll do with the handlebars yet - torn between keeping the low handle (ala cafe racer), or switching to a typical minibike setup. In any event, next up is removing all the brackets for the fairing!

-Rob

 

[theredlineboss]

Most of the unnecessary brackets have been removed, so it's time to mock it up again. The top bar still needs to be shortened by several inches, but otherwise it's starting to take shape.

-Rob

 

[OND]

It is taking shape :thumbsup: and I like it.

 

[T-Town Mini]

Most of the unnecessary brackets have been removed, so it's time to mock it up again. The top bar still needs to be shortened by several inches, but otherwise it's starting to take shape.

-Rob

I like the Café looks of that bike. :thumbsup:

 

[chipper]

That otta be a blast !

 

[jdogg]

OK thats looking pretty sweet!! I like the low bar cafe look also but maybe try a mock up of tradition bars since you are shooting for a mini bike look and then decide!! Engine looks incredibly good in there!! :thumbsup:

 

[theredlineboss]

Yep, I'm going to try a couple different looks for the bike & see what fits best. I think we'll all agree that whichever way it goes, it looks a lot better than a naked pocketbike frame!

-Rob

 

[trinik7597]

engine does fit good !! i like the way its looking :thumbsup:

 

[firemarshal71]

I think you are pretty close (if not there already) to a cafe style and it's looking good. Not sure what top bar you are planning to shorten but what about taking a couple of inches off of the area above the back wheel (the back hoop piece)? :thumbsup:

 

[theredlineboss]

No new pics, but like I said, this was going to be a reason for me to learn how to weld. So, I picked up a basic, cheap welder & have been trying it out.
Should have some visible progress soon!

-Rob