Two SCOOTERS

This one is
made of STEEL

T WENTY-FIVE pounds
of used auto and bike
parts bought at a sal-
vage yard for 7 cents a pound
($1.75 total) make up the
frame of my Popcycle scoot-
er. You can easily build one
like it, if you have access to
welding equipment and a
lathe.
My rig is powered by a
three-horse Briggs & Stratton
mill, but any lightweight en-
gine will do. A four-cycle
job is best for easy starting,
smooth running at low speeds,
and the convenience of not
having to mix gasoline and
Fueled up, the featherweight Popcycle is ready for a day oil. Avoid a heavy, cast-iron
of cruising almost anywhere. Only exceptions are certain model. Its off-center weight
high-speed superhighways. Below: rear-axle arrangement makes balancing and steering
with engine removed. Bike generator, shown on swivel mount,
rides on engine pulley to supply electricity for lights. Main difficult. And be sure to use
frame tubing is from auto propeller shaft. pneumatic-tired wheels with
precision ball or roller bear-
ings, unless you whip up a
junior scooter for speeds be-
low 15 m.p.h. Tire diameter
is optional; I settled for 11",
but the integral half-forks
and axles can be modified for
larger sizes.
Another option is the drive.
Unless you live where the
hills are steep, a low-cost
hookup with good dig-out
characteristics involves no
more than a V-Plex clutch, a
heavy-duty neoprene V belt,
and pulley. Besides accelera-
ting better than a chain-drive
You Can Build
This one is
made of WOOD

N O WELDING rig in
your shop? You can
still build your own
transportation, as I did, using
simple hand tools, wood, and
readily available hardware.
Most of the scooter frame is
made of 1-3/4-square oak and
l-3/4"x3/4" oak. You'll need
28' of the former, 34' of the
latter.
Following the layout plan
on the next page, saw out the
members. Make only one
each of parts 7, 16, and 19;
four of 9, 12. 15 and 17; two
each of the others. Bore
holes as indicated (unless
specially noted, the diameter
is 5/16"). Omit the inter-
mediate holes in two of parts
17 and 9. Assemble the
frame with 5/16" carriage
bolts.
Form the seat parts as
shown. After tacking down
the canvas, glue the covered
pad in place. Cut out and
screw footboard 18 to parts 1.
Glue maple dowels in the
ends of handlebar part 19.
Slip steel tubes over these,
cementing the left one to the
dowel with epoxy glue. The
one on the right is worked to
a free fit for a twist throttle
(note setup in plan). Run Road-tested for 300 fun miles, this wood scooter is a curbside
the cable through the foot- conversation piece and a rugged, dependable performer. It
board slot behind part 8. climbs still liills briskly, cranks out half a mile a minute on
the Hat. It's licensed, but its builder cautions: "Save your bills
From 3/4"-diameter cold- of sale for the engine, wheels, and clutch. Some states re-
CONTINUED quire them before they will issue a license.
 rolled steel, cut a 27" steering column, an
8" front axle, and an 18" rear axle. Insert
the top of the column in the handlebar
hole and drill through it for a bolt (see
drawing). Slip a collar on the column and
work the shaft through the hole in 16.
Where it passes through 7, apply a bushing,
followed by steel and rubber washers. Oak-
fork parts 20 and 21 are assembled with
epoxy glue and threaded rods and nuts.
The drive is through a centrifugal clutch
—your choice of a chain or belt connection
to the rear wheel. A drawing shows the
braking. If you use pulley wheels instead
of slim sprockets for the drive, you may
have to recess the inboard axle collar on
the left into frame part 1 to give clearance
for drum and hangers. Finally, strap the
headlight battery to 13.

Named Pioneer, the wood scooter tips the beam

at 120 pounds, carries twice its weight in riders.
A special servicing note: Snug up the carriage
bolts after you've rolled tip the first 50 miles.
"Ape-hanger" handlebars qualify you to ride type. Slim contour of Popcycle is eye-catching.
with the wild ones—but for transport in a car or Both the front and the rear wheels are mounted
boat, you may prefer the conventional butterfly on integral axles and half-forks.
clutch, the alignment between engine and intersection. The stoplight—a 2" Delta tail
driven pulley is not as critical. For moun- lamp—is actuated by a brake-pedal-mounted
tain climbing, however, use a kart clutch, switch made from a set of discarded Ford
sprockets, and chain. A 1:6 reduction ratio breaker points (see detail drawing). I have
is fine. also placed a 4" truck-type reflector on the
The assembly and detail drawings show Popcycle's posterior. END
the adaptation of junked parts to the scooter
frame. Both the front-fork and rear-axle
assembly are made from 3/4" auto sway-bar
stock, which must be heated cherry red
and straightened, then slowly cooled, before
machining and shaping. To reharden, the
completed parts are reheated salmon red
and quenched in oil. Let a pro do this.
To meet the licensing demands of my
state, I've equipped my scooter with a bi-
cycle headlight, tail and stop lights, a bulb-
type horn, and a rear-view mirror. Juice
for the lights is supplied by a generator set
driven by the engine pulley. That way,
there's no blackout while I'm idling at an