Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

BEGINNING A NEW SERIES: HOW TO BUILD A TEACUP ROAD RACER AND ROAR WITH 50cc tory & Photos by Bob Braverman Road racing is fun. For some unexplained reason, many people look upon road racing and road racers wi th some sort of awe. Many individuals look at pictures of riders heeled well over in a turn and secretly wi sh they too could go out and do battle with the local heroes. In a great many cases finances are the limiting factors to one's racing aspirations, but if you want to get started in road racing there is a very low cost solution: For several hundred dollars you can have a competitive machine that has low upkeep costs, will handle well and give you a good taste of the fun in store for you as a road racer. For some strange reason the 50cc class has been lagging behind the larger bikes of late. Perhaps the reason is because there haven't been many production racers to choose from. And then too, the idea of building up a bike is attractive to many people, but they just don't know how to go about it. This is the reason for this series. smaller machine is easier to ride which allows Joe Average to compete without having to go 120 m.p.h. the first time out. This is probably one of the things that scares off most people. Let's Go There are actually quite a few machines to choose from. Motorcycles from Italy and Japan constitute the largest percentage of 50cc machines now being imported into the USA. Aside from the low initial cost of a 50, parts are cheap, the bikes are very easy to modify, and they are very receptive to tuning. One very important aspect of the small bike that is most overlooked is that of actually riding it. The new rider usually has his hands full learning what it's all about and the We found the Hal-Jet 50 pictured here intact, but rather sad looking because it sat out in the weather for the past year. The fuel tank contained nothing but stale gas and rust so starting the machine was out of the question. A careful examination of the bike showed virtually no wear on the stock tires and foot-peg rubbers so we felt the bike had received very little usage. Negotiations were completed, we loaded the bike in the van and headed for home. After unloading the machine we removed the tank and made a makeshift one from a small can that was taped to the frame. After a few kicks the engine started and there were no mysterious noises coming from within. So at least we knew the engine was in good shape. A short ride down the street showed the clutch and gear box in good working order. ',.-.-,...'. The oatstaading new .otor oil I AS UII 0IL Ott '1::a41U1U desiglled ~xcla~vely for. aircooled engInes IS DOW bemg di:'ltribated nationally by AfJe. Ue ~ ~# Sa. 1/taeu, ::W':,,::S "oose- ea/4 lASU II _08 SKS-6240 (415) 7n-4535 for dealer First Modifications The wheelbase was only 44\.2 inches so it was decided to lengthen the swinging arm and move the top shock mount back. This necessitates the use of a troch so it was decided to wai t and do all of the welding and brazing at one time. If you don't own a torch, don't despair. These items can be rented at a nominal cost from many of the rental outfits, or you can get all of the necessary torch wo rk done for a few dollars from your local welder. Next the front forks were disassembled, cleaned and inspected very carefully. Likewise both sets of brakes. If the bushings are worn, or the brake shoes look like they've seen better days, replace them. If the forks are sloppy, the bike will handle poorly, and if the brakes are bad you can't stop as quickly as you should. :it: c.:J ~ c.:J -J U ::., U .- Take Your Time If you follow along with us and build a 50 of your own, remember, that everything should be done to the best of your ability. Don't rush any phase of construction. Exercise patience, it will payoff in the long run. Most problems of a mechanical nature are self inflicted by someone who gets in a hurry. Don't rUSh. The success or failure of any proj ect of this type is dependent on the amount of time and thought given to every phase. Think every step out carefully. It's far better to spend an hour or two planning the next move rather than plunging in and discovering to your dismay you made a mistake and the whole job has to be redone. This happens all too frequently. Tune in next week and we'll get started on the chassis. Stripdown At this point we felt a lot better about the whole thing. The next step was to strip the bike completely and start with the bare chassis. All of the parts were removed except the forks, rear shocks and wheels. Since the bike had been exposed to the ;;:,:r,,...·...·...·.....r'...-.....,A-.-.,., •.•.A,'.,.·N.....,.·.yA·"...'•.•'.y.'. 2Sd. 0> The tank was filled with rust so we made one up from a small can and taped II to the frame. This was done just to check the Heine. A Beginning Here Is our IIltle beauty Just as we received It, Slltlne outside didn't help It any, ... weather for a long time, everything was very dirty, so cleaning the chassis and engine was next on the agenda. After this was done, we set about deciding how to modify the chassis to suit us. "Very well son, I'll bUy you a Motorcycle in the morning, Now set the Ladder up for [laddy like a good boy,"

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