O/T Minibke question

I starting on my mini bike project.

Has anybody used EMT for the frame? Also known as electrical conduit. I need something that is easy to find and easy to bend.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

WAAAAY too lightweight. PLus it's galvanized, which is toxic to weld.

 

If I am not mistaken, conduit is galvanized.
That is NOT a good thing to be welding on.

Find a local steel supplier. I have one here that is a fabrication shop and they sell steel to the general public.

I recently bought 40 ft of 1" tubing from them for around $40.

One small mini bike will only take probably 20 ft of tubing.
I am building a wild chopper that is about as big as a regular bike and I think I used just over 20 ft of tubing.

The real stuff is cheap.
That galvanized stuff is no good.

JT.

 

I know a guy who built one out of conduit, and man was it creepy. It broke in a few places but it was light. We used aluminum for one and it works killer....the cheapest way is black pipe around 1$ a foot, built a bunch out that stuff, good luck, if ya don't hurt yourself on the first pass ya did something wrong

 

<font color="red"> Her are some of Kmembers handy work......he knows what he is talking about .....blue one steel aluminum colored one is aluminum!

R E D M E A T </font>

 

Can I bend black pipe with a tubing bender?

I have access to a normal conduit type tubing bender.

Kevin

 

I just can't help it.
I'm gonna use this post to show off a little too.

This is FRANKENSTEIN.
A little tweaking here and there. and a custom fabricated hub for the rear and it will live. Soon....soon....muhwahhahahahaha.

 

Not so easy with a TUBING bender, but you can heat and bend black pipe with a torch and some round objects of your choice. I have used wood to bend around. As in a wooden template out of plywood about one inch thick, C clamped to a bench, heat pipe and wrap around your template ect..hope that helps...

 

I did all the bends on Frankenstien with a torch. I just carefully heated the one side and gently eased it down until I got the curve I was after.

If you fill the pipe with sand and cap off both ends before you heat it you can get real nice curves. I just never have any dry sand handy....

JT.

 

I use the Ol harbor freight pipe bender, it works like a champ. VT the franken chopper is LOOOOOOKING GOOD.... and the sand method works great for the nice looking tight bends.

 

Hey thanks K-member.

You and your sick ass mini bikes are what inspired me to go down this path....

(and I mean "sick ass" as a compliment)

Your bikes kick ass.
JT.

 

Thanks, VT, Im glad that I've corrupted another mind.

 

Hey, Von! THAT'S what you've been working on????

Kick-ass!

I was out riding my little abortion last night when I saw some guy pushing a dead Harley the other way. I circled around to see if he was outta gas or something. He said it had gas but just died. I didn't have a tow strap on me or I woulda pulled him the last half mile or so to his house...now THAT woulda been a Kodak moment...a dead custom Harley being dragged home by a motorized GIRLS bike!

Mini bikes rule!

 

Well, here's another pic of mine. This is as far as I got (house repairs right now) Black pipe using harbor freight cheapy bender.

 

I agree to use a cheap Harbor Freight tubing bender and black pipe. If you get the sch. 40 3/4 inch pipe it is actually about 1.05 inch diam and 0.118 wall. Perfect for mini-bike frames.

The HF tubing bender is about $70 if you get it on sale, and besides being a bit slow, works just fine.

 

James where'd you get the forks? They're nice man.

 

The forks are off a 26" beach cruiser from Electra. Do a search, they're pretty cheap.

 

if you want to see a cool minibike you should check my brothers out. he made it himself and the forks are about 4 feet. it looks like a miniharly. it also has a jockey brake on it.