The Weed Wacker Bike, discussed on The Today Show on April 1, 2008 is a bicycle with a weed wacker motor. According to reports, people in the town of Gorda, California, have been using the bike as a means of transportation since the gas prices there have risen above $5 per gallon. Reportedly, the bike gets 100 miles per gallon.
Tips on Building a Weed Wacker Bike
Take an older bike with good tires and weld a sprocket on the clutch of the engine. Then, weld the weed wacker engine to either the back of the bike behind the seat or under the center main bar. This will depend on the size of the bike frame and also the size of the engine box. Take the chain of the bike and make sure it goes loosely around the wheel sprocket. Tighten the sprocket ring with a tensioner and the chain will tighten with the spring. This is the way to tighten the PTO shaft from the engine to the sprocket. Finally, hook your bike brake lever to the carb throttle.
Weed Whacker Bicycle
Pat Gayken test drives a weed whacker bike with a 28cc Craftsman string trimmer engine. The engine and bike combination have driven over 1200 miles at the time of the video. It is said that the bike gets over 100 MPG at 20 MPH cruising speed.
References
Fast Facts
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Combination of a bike and weed wacker motor
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Some weed wacker bikes can get up to 250 miles per gallon
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Need to use a mig welder
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The motor adds 2 1/2 pounds more weight than the original bike
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The only modification to the bike is the location of the chain
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Moves an average of 25 miles per hour
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Bike can be laid on its side with no gas leaking or flooding
