Okay, so I’ve been itching to build something totally off-the-wall, and a 4-wheel motorbike? That sounded just crazy enough. I mean, who needs practicality when you can have pure, unadulterated fun, right?
The Brainstorm & Scavenging
First things first, I needed a donor bike. Found a beat-up old dirt bike on some dude’s lawn – offered him a few bucks, and bam! Project started. The engine was surprisingly decent, just needed a good cleaning and some TLC. The frame? Well, that was another story. Rusted, bent… it was a mess.
Then came the wheels. I didn’t want to go with standard motorcycle wheels; I wanted something beefier, more… ATV-like. So, I hit up a local junkyard. Spent a good few hours digging through piles of scrap metal and finally found four matching wheels from some old lawn tractor. They were rusty, the tires were bald, but hey, that’s what we call “character,” right?
Chopping & Welding (and a Lot of Swearing)
This is where things got… interesting. I’m no professional welder, let me tell you. My garage looked like a warzone – sparks flying, metal grinding, me yelling at inanimate objects. I basically chopped the dirt bike frame in half (measured once, cut twice… or maybe three times). Then, I started fabricating a new rear section to accommodate the wider axle and the two extra wheels.
My welds? Let’s just say they’re… “robust.” Definitely not pretty, but they hold! I used a cheap MIG welder I picked up from a hardware store, watched a few YouTube videos, and just went for it. There were a few moments where I thought I’d ruined the whole thing, but a lot of grinding and re-welding (and a few more choice words) got me through it.
- First attempt: Total disaster. The frame was crooked, the wheels wouldn’t align… it was a mess.
- Second attempt: Slightly better. Still crooked, but at least the wheels were pointing in roughly the same direction.
- Third attempt (and many more after that): Finally got something that resembled a four-wheeled frame. It wasn’t perfect, but it was functional!
The Mock-Up & More Swearing
With the frame (sort of) done, I started mocking up the rest of the bike. I used some scrap wood and cardboard to figure out where the seat, handlebars, and footpegs would go. This was crucial because I wanted to make sure the riding position was at least somewhat comfortable (or, you know, as comfortable as a homemade four-wheeled motorbike can be).
The steering was a major headache. I ended up using a combination of tie rods and steering knuckles salvaged from the same lawn tractor I got the wheels from. It took a lot of fiddling and adjusting (and, yes, more swearing) to get it to work even remotely well. It’s definitely not power steering, but it gets the job done… eventually.
The First (Terrifying) Ride
After weeks of work, it was finally time for the maiden voyage. I put on my helmet (safety first, kids!), said a quick prayer, and fired up the engine. It sputtered to life, sounding surprisingly healthy. I slowly let out the clutch, and… we were moving!
The ride was… bumpy, to say the least. The suspension was non-existent, the steering was heavy, and the whole thing felt like it was going to fall apart at any moment. But it worked! I actually built a four-wheeled motorbike! I cruised around my backyard, grinning like an idiot. I even managed to hit a top speed of… well, let’s just say it was faster than walking.
Still a Work in Progress
It’s definitely not finished. It needs a proper paint job, some decent tires, and probably a whole lot of reinforcement. But for now, it’s a running, riding, four-wheeled monstrosity that I built with my own two hands. And that, my friends, is a pretty awesome feeling.
Gonna give it a rest and figure out the next steps, next weekend is another can of worms.
