Is it possible to attach a Lawnmower engine to a push bike?
Atomic Lemon asked:
My mate wants to know if there is a way to attach a lawnmower engine to his bike? is it possible?
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My mate wants to know if there is a way to attach a lawnmower engine to his bike? is it possible?
February 6th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
The chain wouldnt be strong enough, and the frame probably wouldn’t be able to take the strain. There’s a reason motorbikes (even small ones) have much bigger frames.
February 9th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I’ve seen it done before but it’s not a good fit because the drive shaft is perpendicular to the ground, you’d have to make a lot of difficult modifications. You need one with a sideways drive, like on a roto-tiller.
February 10th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
They make kits using weed eater engines that may be easier to install.
Lighter too.
February 13th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Yes it is possible ! So long as the modification to the Push Bike frame is carried out by an Expert & it conforms to the appropriate & relevant ‘Construction & Use’ Regulations that are in force at the time !
February 15th, 2009 at 10:53 am
This brings back memories, we once fixed a lawnmower engine on to a home made trolley , worked great .
February 18th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Sure is, many of backyard mechanics from yesteryear did this.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:44 am
I don’t know about that, but I have seen on TV a grass cutter or weed whacker or what ever you call it, being used on a bicycle to propel it.
February 21st, 2009 at 6:47 pm
First, you can’t use a lawnmower engine for this. A lawnmower engine is a vertical shaft engine. This means that the crankshaft is in an up and down configuration. You can not turn one of these engines on its side and expect it to run. The internal moving parts would starve for oil and the engine would quickly fail.
It would take a complicated set of gears to change the power to come from a vertical shaft. You would need this to have the power sprocket align with the wheel sprocket.
For this project, you would be better off using an engine from a small snow blower or rototiller. This would have the crankshaft in the correct configuration.
You would also need to come up with a clutch system. With out this you would not be able to start the engine.
I hope your metal working fabrication skills are up to the task. Motor mounts will need to be fabricated and welded to the frame. You will also need to fabricate some sort of throttle system.
More than likely, this contraption will not be street legal. Some places will allow them, but you are limited on the size engine you can use. These limits would make it no faster than a 50cc scooter. Where I live in Wisconsin, a contraption like this would be limited to 130cc. You would also need a driver’s license to operate in on the street.
With all the effort ad money required, you would be far better off finding an used 50cc scooter that is in decent condition.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Mad Jack is indeed well named as not all lawnmower engines are of that configuration.
That said however he is correct in that it would be quite a task but if it was one with a centrifugal clutch on it then it could be achievable as an interesting if not practically rather pointless project.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I Really Wouldn’t Advise It To Be Honest. Because It Has Big Wheels It Would Handle Attrotiously And Have A High Centre Of Gravity. Plus The Tyres Are Quite Narrow So The Lack Of Grip Would Be Horrendous. It Would Wobble And Lose Grip All The Time. Also What About The Petrol Tank Etc…
The Frame Is Too Weak And The Gears Probably Conflict With The Engine.
And Plus It Would NEVER Be Road-Legal In The U.K.
–MIkey B–
February 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am
all is possible, but not all is sensible
February 26th, 2009 at 11:26 am
go on youtube and enter victa 160cc and bicycle
March 1st, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Get a strimmer motor and it can be done easily.I was doing the exact thing 17 years ago.