#1 Honda PA50II Hobbit Hotroding. (The Intro) ' Pimp My Ride' oh boy this will be fun... :)

well... in the adventure of moving i'm changing some stuff... one of those are my transportation...

yes feel free to laugh at me haha its ok, ill except it lol

this will be a fun project i hope with good results ! :)

[dennissytsma]

Hi, I enjoy your videos and understand your need for inexpensive transportation. I bought my PA50 in 1978 because my dad was using my Honda CA-160 to ride around Redland farming area near Homestead Florida and due to his age and his poor physical state feared he would hurt himself. I figured a Moped would be safer for him to use because it was lighter. After I bought it, my mother broke her arm riding it and a colleague from my office who was in his 60's was killed when a truck hit him riding his Moped. The PA50 was more difficult to keep working due to old gas and clogged muffler and the gas tank rusted out. I wish I had kept the CA160 because it was easy to keep it on the road with parts more available due to the numbers sold. The PA50 was in storage for many years and I recently rigged up a fuel tank and replaced the carburetor and got it running and posted my video to youtube. I am amazed how many parts remain available for the PA50, all except a good fuel tank. I would love to fully restore my PA50 and hot rod mine beginning with the improved aftermarket muffler. I am told my Moped is still legal to ride in Florida but not sure about needing insurance. I stopped riding motorcycles years ago after someone hit me. Far too many distracted drivers to ride a motorcycle around south florida in urban traffic. I enjoy your videos, keep them going. cheers.

[walterb]

Hi here from the Lowlands,

Don't forget the spring in the rear, rear wheel part of the variomatic. Buy a stiffer spring. Otherwise, with only the lighter rollers, you'll just end up with a short acceleration and then the torque dropping down. With these 2 stroke engines it's in the refs where you will find the power. On the other hand don't go to stiff, it will cost you a lot of gasmoney. Just buy a stiffer spring and 3 different weights of rollers to try out for the front end of the variomatic, near the engine.
If you're concerned about gasmillage. Why don't you try to find a 4stroke that fits your frame.

[steav]

if you go to ebay and type in (honda PA50 speedo) in the heading, speedometers for the honda PA50 will show . there are muffalers for it on ebay also

[kenlee]

I rode a PA50 (I) to highschool for 2 1/2 years, they are great. Russ! You can get Green 2 cycle oil at your local Sthil dealer. Oh yeah! the compression bypass! I love that thing!, Momentum baby!

[leseptumearkaladorian]

a small waterproof container will take care of the rainy days in the spring to fall i use a yamaha 200 and i keep extra clothes in my container " which makes for a better ride when you get there kind of feeling" vaccum sealing them works also so the rain doesnt have to be that much of a bother  other than the sting :) good luck!

[josephcperry]

Well welcome to California little buddy! Blessing on you and your GROWING family.

[motorheadv]

Sweet ride Russ!! I've got a Yamaha sitting in my shed for a future project too. I may fit it with the geet system.

[fred-san]

I just bought yamaha RT 100 (to use as scooter, unless use my car).
Everything is broken (the two segments are both wider on one side than the other, the axis eaten, reseal the broken framework, etc .... )
 but cheap,  nice made, & easy restore I  (kid cross).


Powerr/ petrol :
If some don't know.

For intake air, and exhaust, see on google (fr)
" A.V.E.C. vortex "

You have to make aluminum for beginners, and find the right number of blades depending on the engine, it is generally 8-12 intake air 5-7 exhaust.

but make the perfect,
45 ° with little scratches due to tong marks, well trimmed, polished, etc. ...
otherwise result zero or reverse sometimes.

Pdf print plan etched vortex (there are known french forum)
glue with double-sided tape,
etched chisel a nail,
but then leaves the tape for formatting this will avoid large stripes with the clamp (or files you teeth a small clip) ..

[ScottCalkins]

Double check on "not needing to register or license it.  At least here in Arizona you do need to register/license them.  At one point you needed insurance as well, but that was dropped.

[SirCharles.]

Mopeds in Cali are sweet! $20 one time registration and it's under your name, for LIFE! But because of hipster/California inflation, mopeds tend to cost more. And don't be stupid and register it as a motorcycle or scooter cuz you'll be screwed with yearly tag renewals and other fees. btw, the hobbit pa50ii can get to 50mph+ without too much trouble, especially for an engineer lol. Stock with 30mph you can get over 120mpg!
Cons of mopeds: 1- they're two stroke, need fairly consistent maintenance and upkeep. 2- they're from the 70's, often rusty and missing lots of original parts/beat up over the years. 3- some models can be flimsy and as structural as a bicycle, going fast can be sketchy/dangerous. 4- it's a two wheeled vehicle, people in cars are jackasses and don't care about anything outside of their arms reach/you're invisible to other motorists.
Get over those main cons or look at it as a hobby instead, and mopeds are a amazing! They have a fairly big following and you can find a lot of the parts you need + upgrade parts for decent prices(be careful, they can become money pits real fast). The moped community is a great bunch of people who simply love mopeds, you can find lots of help with your ratty moped on the MA forum! Get into the hobby.. wrench, learn, and ride!

[heris]

Hi, your new lab is so small now, like mines. :) Or is it not all showing?
Everyday when i going to work with my car. I getting to trafic by the hill, and everyday one guy passes me with his electric bike. Hes not worying about hils. With his bike hes traveling about 6km and over 2big hils. One day i saw that he is helped his bike to climb on hill by peddling. I think he forgotten something to charge. :) So dont worry about fuel or if it will be electric bike, charging, because you will have pedals. :) I had that scooter like yours in shape like yours but it called diferent way. And when it overheated motors head i had it to sell and bought electric bike. He was more silent and with much power and tork. I was amazed what it can do on the road. I wheighting about 99kg. and with my on it i could drive my 12km and climb on that two hils without problems. When pushed to the limits its speeded up to the hill about 30-40km/h. But sad thing it got stolen and never found. So i thinking you dont need that power over you bike like you saying by the end of video. Try to rent or do test rides on electrical bikes and see in what you fit and do on your hills. In factory set. Is shops or some kind of bike stores that you could test what i sayed? I think you will like electrical way.
Now i am thinking about scooter for driving to work. In summer it is supper thing. But not the electric one. :) For one reason - fuel. Electrical bike or parts in our country sells with kit that with full charge you can go about 15-20km. And it hasnt charging when you doing downhill or free ride. Maybe somewhere is wheels with charging but it is more expencive. And with fuel motor with full gas tank you will get about 50-60km of ride. :)

[aaronhelmick]

that moped is pretty nice looking for an 83,   i always wanted one, lol. hope it works out for ya. they have some pretty nice speedos that would work great on it

[christopherpretti]

I build electric bikes, but what you should do with this one is convert it to run on water, Stan Meyer style.

[spokehedz]

You got to check to see if that scooter falls under the CARB laws out in California. It might be exempt because it is so old... But better to be safe than sorry.

Also look into an ebike kit/hub motor. You can make an ebike that is quite powerful for cheap if you do your own wrench work. I built one for about 2k and it is a blast to ride. Way fast. Silent. No gas. MAGNETS!

[kenlee]

Torque with variable drive is a rock crawler thing, their prints and specs should display concepts very clearly. Some robot drive systems are variable drive... you are soaking in it! Get a train Pass! My students at Antelope Vally College work in North Hollywood!
 
Mopeds fit on trains and buses

[vikdeville]

//Mr. Russ ... why don't you use a atmega and arduino code and a hall sensor, to run a small stepper (like the ones in car dash clusters) turning a needle if you want to keep the analog feel ?  parts cost under 20 bucks then just calibrate it with your smartphone speed app 

[jonbigman]

oops didn't see you last post. Well make your own setup then. The cost would be bottom dollar and give you a chance to put the whole build online for us to see. Build everything from Copper/magnesium crystal batteries to a custom build for the motor. You do have a full shop to do it in...

[Rawbush]

Russ, check your laws, here 50 and less CC's no registration required any more then 50 and registration required.

[AllThingsRamdom]

Hey Russ I have a Permanent Magnet Generator design for you. It has nothing to do with this bike lol but I want to get it to you. I'll need to talk it over with you so you can understand how it works. My wife and I with our kids are making a trip to California in June we should hang out for a bit. I'll have my wife talk to your wife about it, they are better at the details then I am lol.  

[fnkyearthling]

How about uController speedometer w/ solar charger?