sweep
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Apr 26, 2014 20:53:38 GMT
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I've got a hankering to for a little motorized project, and so far I've narrowed it down to a mobility scooter, a ride on mower or a trike as I've still got one at my nans house from when I was younger that's just collecting dust, and I'm sure she'd be happy to see the space instead of the electric orange thing  I'm a fabricator by trade so any modifications won't be an issue, but I'm a little stumped on the engine, and more importantly what to use. I don't think I could use anything with a manual box as fitting a way of changing gear could prove tricky, so probably a twist and go job would be the easier route. Any suggestions/ideas? Ben. |
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Apr 26, 2014 23:08:20 GMT
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Mobility scooter front wheels are at a neutral castor angle so easy to steer at the low speeds they are used at. If made to go faster then you need to address this aspect. I'm disabled and therefore use a mobility scooter so can confirm they aren't very stable. I took mine down a long sleep hill and managed 11mph but it was very unstable. They rely on the electric motor for braking so the mechanical one is really just a handbrake when motor in neutral and again you'd need to think about brakes - mini moto discs could be worth considering as cheap plus small.
I modified a ride on mower to a legally registered invalid carriage. Again brakes are only suitable for the very low speed of normal usage. Loads of "slop" in steering so whilst OK for a couple mph when cutting the lawn not so good on the road - I ended up breaking mine as not really viable.
I've now settled on kart components for my next project. I managed to get a decent frame for 99p off eBay that I've cut up to provide front axle mounts etc as I want / need suspension but if that isn't needed then a kart frame complete should be considered.
I've also got a Yamaha Breeze quad I'm going to convert to a trike (keeping twin rear wheels but as long as they are close together then classed as trike by DVLA. Another eBay purchase bought me a full sized golf cart that I broke as just the hefty electric motor was needed (rest was junk anyway) that will probably go into the quad.
Have a look on eBay for brand new Chinese made mini moto etc engines. Accepted not the best quality but very cheap so noh worth messing with a used lump. They can be fitted with either a fixed reduction gearbox or CVT but both have a centrifugal clutch.
Paul H
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sweep
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Posts: 411
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Thanks, they seem easy to come by too, should be more than enough for what I need! |
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sweep
Part of things
Posts: 411
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Mobility scooter front wheels are at a neutral castor angle so easy to steer at the low speeds they are used at. If made to go faster then you need to address this aspect. I'm disabled and therefore use a mobility scooter so can confirm they aren't very stable. I took mine down a long sleep hill and managed 11mph but it was very unstable. They rely on the electric motor for braking so the mechanical one is really just a handbrake when motor in neutral and again you'd need to think about brakes - mini moto discs could be worth considering as cheap plus small. I modified a ride on mower to a legally registered invalid carriage. Again brakes are only suitable for the very low speed of normal usage. Loads of "slop" in steering so whilst OK for a couple mph when cutting the lawn not so good on the road - I ended up breaking mine as not really viable. I've now settled on kart components for my next project. I managed to get a decent frame for 99p off eBay that I've cut up to provide front axle mounts etc as I want / need suspension but if that isn't needed then a kart frame complete should be considered. I've also got a Yamaha Breeze quad I'm going to convert to a trike (keeping twin rear wheels but as long as they are close together then classed as trike by DVLA. Another eBay purchase bought me a full sized golf cart that I broke as just the hefty electric motor was needed (rest was junk anyway) that will probably go into the quad. Have a look on eBay for brand new Chinese made mini moto etc engines. Accepted not the best quality but very cheap so noh worth messing with a used lump. They can be fitted with either a fixed reduction gearbox or CVT but both have a centrifugal clutch. Paul H Thanks for the advice! Sounds like some interesting projects you've got on too. Brakes are something worth noting, that part had slipped my mind! Should be able to rig a disc set up on the rear, although the front of the trike does have a front brake, not sure about yanking that whilst doing reasonable speed though! Also, what's a fixed reduction gearbox? Thanks again, Ben. |
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Apr 27, 2014 12:28:48 GMT
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I have a PW90 pitbike i want rid of. Semi auto so you just keep kicking it through all 4 gears no need for a clutch. In fact it's almost the same thing if not the same as a cub90. Absolutely flys across the meadows. Any use to you?
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Apr 27, 2014 13:38:30 GMT
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There is a YouTube series by Colin Furze showing exactly how he converted his motorised wheel chair to do 70 mph with a mini moto engine. It's pretty comprehensive.
James
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sweep
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Apr 27, 2014 16:27:53 GMT
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Fantastic, thanks! Can you confirm if one of the above would fit on a Honda GX engine? I ended up going round my nans earlier and picked the trike up, already chopped it about and got it sitting much lower to the floor, will start a thread in the Other Modifications section! |
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sweep
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Posts: 411
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Apr 27, 2014 16:28:18 GMT
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I have a PW90 pitbike i want rid of. Semi auto so you just keep kicking it through all 4 gears no need for a clutch. In fact it's almost the same thing if not the same as a cub90. Absolutely flys across the meadows. Any use to you? Thanks for the offer mate but I've gone for a Honda lump. |
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sweep
Part of things
Posts: 411
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Apr 27, 2014 16:29:03 GMT
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There is a YouTube series by Colin Furze showing exactly how he converted his motorised wheel chair to do 70 mph with a mini moto engine. It's pretty comprehensive. James I've seen his stuff, only lives a few miles from me, proper nutter! Could be some useful info though. |
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Apr 27, 2014 16:41:19 GMT
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Apr 27, 2014 16:48:40 GMT
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I have a PW90 pitbike i want rid of. Semi auto so you just keep kicking it through all 4 gears no need for a clutch. In fact it's almost the same thing if not the same as a cub90. Absolutely flys across the meadows. Any use to you? Thanks for the offer mate but I've gone for a Honda lump. Ok fella but it is the same as far as i am aware. |
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Apr 27, 2014 17:20:48 GMT
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What size wheels are you running? Karts run a direct drive to the axle and run very small wheels. Mine has a GX160 and tiny wheels with a sprocket almost as large as the tyre.
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sweep
Part of things
Posts: 411
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Apr 27, 2014 19:19:45 GMT
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What size wheels are you running? Karts run a direct drive to the axle and run very small wheels. Mine has a GX160 and tiny wheels with a sprocket almost as large as the tyre. Funny enough I was just going to look at wheel size, not too sure what to go for though. I assume it's going to have an effect on top speed? The current plastic ones are 9 1/2". I'm thinking of going with a direct drive for the time being and see what it's like, I assume it'll be quite sharp accelerating? |
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