Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Introducing The Homemade Gas Scooter...

animated Scooter
image map of scooter details.
Click on a part of the scooter to see details. A Brigs 2 Horse Engine Early Schwinn Handlebars heated and fit to driver Stock 12" wheel kickstand Scooter Deck

The Story of The Homemade Gas Scooter "GO BIG."

My Friend Tony Banchiari and I started building this scooter back in 1994. The engine frame is made of galvanized pipe. I remember assembeling the frame on the floor of Tru Value Hardware.
We welded the pipe to the frame with a wire feed welder and bolted a gear to the rear wheel. A Skyway peg holds the right side of the wheel to the frame .This has worked well for over 12 years.
The "Go Big" has seen 3 different engine configurations. It started life with a 5 horse engine Tony rebuilt in his garage. It had tons of power. We were never really able to get the thing to run reliably. It was hard to start and ran a hot.
Eventually we figured out that we were ruining the carb by picking the thing up by the gas tank. It caused the manifold to warp and develop and intake leak.
A neighbor traded a old 2 horse Briggs to me and We were off and running again. It ran well for many years and had plenty of power. It suffered the same fait and developed an intake leak.
It takes me around the neighborhood with ease and I live in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. I have averaged over twenty miles an hour with the stock 2 horse engine.
The latest engine is off a "Lawn King" Rototiller. It is in great shape and seems to have seen very little use. It starts right up and runs strong.
I fabricated the throttle linkage with a mini-bike twist grip connected to the stock governor. To start, I twist the grip until the choke is engaged and pull the cord. This is how it was designed to start. Knowing this I was able to create a set-up that allows smooth operation of the throttle.
Recently I cut out a plywood deck to have more foot room. It has a draw back. With my weight distributed more evenly, the thing is harder to turn at speed! I have to remember to keep my weight balanced in the middle of the board or I could crash hard! The long chrome handlebars came off an early Schwinn. I custom shaped them with a can of MAPP gas. The kick stand is also a new addition. It is perfect for the "GO BIG" because it is so heavy duty.
Future mods include a custom K&N air cleaner, performance cam, and a rear brake!
update 1-30-2005
"GO BIG" with the Sierra Mountains in the background
scanned image of "GO BIG" in 1995
Above you can see how the "GO BIG" evolved. We really had to lean over to use those short handlebars. Throttle lever is an old 10 speed lever. There is not much support under the engine. The chain got lose and broke. Original Mongoose plastic deck now replaced with a larger wooden piece. If you look closely you can see the center mount kickstand Tony bolted up. It worked, but was sketchy. That is the 2 horse Briggs my neighbor traded to Me. Seeing the thing like this reminds me of when I would push it around my neighborhood and jump curbs. How about them white tires!

"GO BIG" Scooter
Here you can see the mini bike twist grips and detail that went into the wood deck.

Update 2-1-2005 After more time I noticed I can turn the scooter by shifting my weight on the board. It's kind of like snowboarding. The engine is in need of a tune up as it will not make power at the top of its power curve. I should look into replacing the points.

Update 2-13-2005 It is always good to talk to someone at your local small engine repair shop. Stan at "Placerville Polaris" helped Me get the engine tuned up. I brought him The Serial number stamped on the side of the starter shroud "60102 0001-01 77042901". Turns out the 77 is the year of Manufacture. This helps Me and Stan troubleshoot. These early engines used conventional points and condenser ignitions until 1985. They also have a carb that draws gas into the cylinder using the engines own vacuum. It makes for a simple engine that is somewhat easy to tune. Anyways, the engine wouldn't make power at full throttle and was hesitating in it's midrange. The good news is it started and idled well. Stan was quick to eliminate the ignition knowing it idled well and said it sounded more like a fuel problem. My first thought was to check the gas cap knowing it was vented to see if it was plugged up. Then I pulled the gas tank and examined the pick-up tube and replaced the carb to tank gasket. It started right up and ran smooth after adjusting the mixture screw.

This morning I took It out for a cruise. I brought it over to the Lava Cap Winery. I rode around their smooth circular driveway. I would slalomn down the drive and then throttle back up. I enjoyed myself so much, I forgot to check the gas and ran out. Oh well, at least it's cruising! I think I'll buy some cones and set up a little road course for fun!

Update 3-9-2005 I had a lot of trouble getting the tire to seat on the wheel. I worked it on slowly and it seems to be seated good enough. Today I altered the throttle linkage. I bypassed the governor and linked the throttle directly to the cable. This should cure the frustrating surging I've been experiencing. I'll road test tommorrow!

7-24-2005 I ran into a rough idle. Sprayed some carb cleaner at the base of the carb and the thing died. So, I replaced the 30 year old gasket with a new one I cut myself! It runs like a top! I did discover an oil leak at the flywheel side of the engine, after I found out the thing only holds 20 ounces. Oh wel,l a new oil seal would cost a lot. I made new motor spacers today. I cut some sheet metal to the shape of the engine and new bolts from a piece of 5/16's Allthread. Now the chain is tight! future plans: handle to pick the thing up, better brake, chain guard/keeper.

Todd Sweetman with MP3 Player
Here I am with my latest contraption. A set of headphones with a built in MP3 Player.
sweetmantodd@yahoo.com

 

Links to Other Cool Gas Powered Scooters:

GO PED

ExtremeScooters

 

Top of Page