Tote All Scooter

1. Get Ready for Spring with a
TOTE-ALL SCOOTER
You can lug all your gear and cover ground
fast and easy, whether you're playing golf,
hunting, or just plain roamin'
By LYLE GILLIOM Craft Print Project No. 326
START w i t h an old bike frame and a used
one-lung engine, add a l i t t l e expert
scrounging, and w i t h less than $40 you can
b u i ld one of these mile-shrinkers for you and
the kids to zip around on.
For week-end hunting or camping, Beats
Walkin' (Fig. 1) increases your range and
mobility. Carry it in your car trunk as far
as your car can go, then unload and take off.
You can make this high-power, high-ratio
sports version for off-the-road use, or with
high power and low ratio, but without the
load-rack, and you have a fast street job. The
same machine w i t h low power and high ratio
is idea' for the younger tots to learn on
(Fig. 11).
If you're in a real h u r r y to save shoe leath-er,
the quickest answer is the Buzzbike (Fig.
2), w i t h a one-stage reduction drive for high
speed (26-28 mph), and bike-pedal foot rests.
Beats Walkin' for street operation has
pneumatic tired wheels and a top speed of
about 26 mph w i t h a 2-1/2 or 3 hp 4 cycle en-gine.
The child's model is primarily for back-yard
operation by children as young as 6
years old. With semi-pneumatic tires and a
10.5 to 1 drive ratio it w i l l have a top speed
of 10 or 12 mph using a 1-1/2 to 2 hp engine.
Controls for all versions consists of a hand
throttle on the handle bars, a brake operated
w i t h the heel of the right foot, and automatic
clutching w i t h a centrifugal clutch.
Any 26 in. balloon tire type frame can be
used. The girls' model (Fig. 11) is preferable
for use by smaller children since the absence
of the top bar makes it easier to get off and
on. Junked bicycle frames are not hard to
find and they are usable for our purposes in
almost any condition. Many shops w i l l sell
a used frame torn down and stripped of paint
very cheaply. Or you can buy a "junker" and
tear it down yourself, discarding unneeded or
unusable parts.
Modification of the bicycle frame to ac-commodate
the engine is shown in Figs. 3 and
5. Saw out and discard a section of the upper
rear fork from about
1 in. behind the seat
post to 6-1/4-in. above
the center of the rear
axle slot. Then bend
down the lower fork
until the front fork,
pedal crank housing
and rear fork rest on a
common base. Hack-saw
almost through
the fork just behind
the crank housing, if
necessary, and bend
the fork down. Then
close the gap by weld-ing.
The simple wooden
w e l d i n g j i g (Figs. 3
and 5) positions and
holds together all the
components of the
frame so that it can be
t a k e n to a welding
shop for welding, al-ready
fitted and as-sembled.
A local weld-ing
shop took approximately 35 minutes to do
ours including the welding of the brake shoe
assembly; total charge was $3.50.
Make the Welding Jig from construction
grade f i r assembled w i t h 2-1/4 i n . #10 flathead
wood screws. Bolt the bicycle frame to the
j i g w i t h the front and rear axle bolts, spread-ing
the forks as necessary to fit the blocks of
the jig. For cleaner welds, clean all paint
f r om the frame in the areas to be welded.
Check all dimensions with your frame
mounted on the j ig before making the parts
which are to be welded to the frame, as there
is considerable variation of styling in frames.
Make the brake shoe components too (Fig.
10), so that this assembly can be welded on
the same trip.
Secure the Pipe U-Frame in position with
C-clamps (Fig. 3). Filing a concave notch
54 SCIENCE and MECHANICS

2. Young man-in-a-hurry gets around on campus the
easy way on the Buzzbike.
Why walk a country mile when Beats Walkin'
will tote you and all your gear? Convert it to
camping use by packing a bed-roll instead of
the golf bag.
i-floorboard,
gooseneck, and
splash guard according to Fig.
7. If you are making the sports
model of Beats Walkin', you
will also need the floorboard
extension, load rack, and rack
support blocks in Fig. 7
These can be attached to or re-moved
from the finished ma-chine
as desired. A coat of shel-lac
or enamel undercoat on all
wood parts before assembly
will make painting later easier.
Attach the engine deck to the
rear fork with three 1/4-in. car-riage
bolts (Fig. 8). Notch the
engine deck and floorboard to
fit around the pedal crank
housing. Saw out the goose-neck
to match the contour of
the bicycle frame (Fig. 7). Now
assemble the floorboard with
the splash guard, gooseneck,
and engine deck. Bolt the
gooseneck to the bicycle frame with two 1/4 x
5-1/2-in. carriage bolts. The entire bike frame
is now complete and ready for painting. Use
implement paint, which works equally well
on wood or metal.
Wheels for Beats Walkin' are the popular
4.10-3.50 x 4 in. (10.6 in. O.D.) pneumatic
kart wheels with 3/4 in. bore ball bearings Or
use 3.4/3.00x5 in. wheels, which will work
equally well. If the bike is to be geared for
high speeds, wheels with tapered roller bear-ing
hubs should be used (See Materials List).
Sprocket, spacer ring, and wheel assemblies
are shown in Fig. 12. The 40-tooth sprocket
and wheel with matching bolt holes can be
purchased from Sears (made by Indus Corp.,
1815 Madison Ave., Indianapolis 25, Ind.)'
Replace the original bolts which assemble the
wheel with 3/8 in. x 3-3/8 in. long studs cut from
in the sawed ends of the bicycle frame to
match the round contour of the pipe will aid
in keeping the U-frame in position.
Fit and position the two jackshaft bearing
supports (Fig. 3) and bolt them to the ply-wood
location block. Determine exact dimen-sions
of these parts by fitting to the frame.
Tack-weld all joints, including threaded pipe
joints, then remove the frame from the jig
for final welding.
A 3/8 x 3 in. long pipe nipple drilled out
with a 1/2 in. drill serves as a bearing for
the brake pedal pivot bolt. Install it in the
pedal crank housing with two spacers—5/8-in
wrought washers—(Fig. 9), held with two
pipe lock-nuts. These spacers bear against
the inner races of the pedal crank bearings,
the rest of which are discarded.
Wooden Parts. Saw out the engine deck,
JANUARY, 1962
55

3. 3/83/4in. threaded rod (Fig. 12), and three nuts
for each rod. The spacer rings are cut from
3/4 in. fir plywood and Vs in. hardboard to fit
snugly inside the rim of the wheel. Total
thickness should be 7/8 in., or enough to in-sure
that the chain will clear the tire. Paint
the rings prior to installation. Standard rear
wheels for go-carts made with extended hubs
and flange for attachment of sprockets, can-not
be used as the width is too great for the
bicycle rear fork. (See Materials List for a
source of special parts.)
Wheels for the Child's Version are the
much less expensive semi-pneumatic 2.75 x 10
in. O.D. with either 3/4-in. or 5/8-in. ball bear-
The sports version of Beats Walkin' has a two-stage
speed reduction ratio of 14.5-1, giving a top speed of
about 8 mph with a 2-1/2 to 3 hp engine.
56 SCIENCE and MECHANICS

4. adult use. For a child's bike, 1/2 in. bicycle
chain and sprockets are suitable. An offset or
half-link may be used along with a regular
connecting link to get the needed chain
length.
The Brake consists of a drag-shoe applied
ings. Sprocket, wheel, and spacer rings are
shown in Fig. 12B. (The use of 1 in. pitch
sprockets and chains is not suggested because
matching engine sprockets are not generally
available.)
Vehicle Speed is easily calculated with
the following formula:
Speed (mph) = Engine RPM X Wheel Circumference in feet
88 X Overall drive ratio
For example, to find the speed with the engine
turning at 3600 rpm, a wheel circumference
of 2^2 feet, and a drive ratio of 4 to 1:
3600 X2.5 9000
Speed (mph) = 88 X 4 = 352 = 25.6 (approx.)
Also, you can determine desired drive ratios,
starting with a known speed, with the same
formula rearranged:
Engine rpm X Wheel circumference in feet
Drive Ratio = 88 X Speed (mph)
For example (using the same values as be-fore)
:
<-"'"" - WVm - " i i r -«<«-«•»
Axles and Jackshaft (Fig. 10) are the only
machined items required. Milled keyways in
the jackshaft are strongly recommended.
Jackshaft bearings of the self-aligning type
can be sealed ball bearings or bronze bear-ings.
Use #35 or #41 roller chain and
matching sprockets on bikes intended for
Drive of this Buzzbike is a one-stage 6-1 reduction,
gives speeds up to 18 mph. For this outfit, a simpler
frame alteration is employed.
JANUARY, 1962 57

5. to the tread surface of the tire by an adjust-able
rod and foot pedal, Figs. 8 and 10. Brake
components are attached to the underside of
the engine deck. Position the shoe close to
the tire surface so that contact with the tire
is on the upper two thirds of the brake shoe
for more effective leverage.
Brake parts and kick stand are bolted to the under-side
of the engine deck. Brake pedal pivots in the
crank housing.
On all models, pedal crank-arm housing is used for
mounting the brake pivot, a piece of 3/8 in. pipe
drilled out to 1/2 in. Note notches in plywood engine
deck to clear housing.
Modify a bicycle kickstand as shown in Fig.
8 and attach it to the underside of the engine
deck. If your machine is to be used on soft
ground, add a strip of hot-rolled to the kick-stand
foot (Fig. 4).
Engine. Almost any horizontal type light
weight engine of 1-1/2 hp or more can be used

6. MATERIALS LIST A—BEATS WALKIN'
MATERIALS LIST B---BEATS WALKIN'

7. Two of the author's children here demonstrate the
low-power, low-speed version of Beats Walkin'.
Girls' model at left is best for the smaller tykes.
and the drive ratio altered as desired by-changing
the jackshaft V-pulley, the chain
drive sprockets, or both. The Beats Walkin'
(street model) or Buzzbike ratio is approx.
4.3 to 1 which should give a top speed of ap-prox.
26 mph at 3600 engine rpm. With a 2-
1/2 or 3 hp motor this ratio provides for rapid
acceleration and good hill climbing ability.
Use the formula previously given to de-termine
pulley sizes for the two-stage drive.
For instance, a 3-in. engine pulley and an
8-in. jackshaft pulley give a ratio approxi-mately
2.6 to 1. Multiply this by the sprocket
ratio (say 4 to 1) to get the overall ratio: in
this case 10.4 to 1.
Engine Drive is by means of an automatic
centrifugal type clutch which attaches di-rectly
on the engine shaft and takes either
A or B belts. Because of variations in engines
and frames, belt length must be determined
on assembly.
Left, a wheel, spacer, and 40-tooth sprocket for a
high speed model. Tire is 4.10-3.50x4 pneumatic.
Threaded rods replace original bolts. Right, similar
parts for child's model, with 10x2.75 semi-pneuma-tic
tire, 48-tooth bicycle sprocket, and spacers.
Note steel inserts in spokes to position rods.
Install a throttle lever of the lawn mower
type on the handle bar with a 6 ft. cable con-nected
to the governor or carburetor. Some
newer engines now provide for direct carbu-retor
control between idling and full throttle
positions. Such control would be ideal for
these bikes.
Belt Guard. A hardboard or plywood belt
guard is shown in Fig. 7. Because of varia-tions
in engines and frames, dimensions must
be checked and the pattern altered as neces-
You don't have to be in the chips to build a Buzzbike.
This one has 6 to 1 reduction for 18 mph top speed.
sary. The aluminum angle has part of one
flange removed to clear the clutch. Bolt the
removable U-frame brace to the guard with
two 3/16 x 1-1/2 in. rh stove bolts, so that for en-gine
service, the brace and guard can be re-moved
as one unit.
Make fenders (Fig. 10) of half-hard alu-minum
sheet (0.040 in. thick) and is easily
hand-formed or 22 to 26 gauge sheet steel.
All That is Left is to gas up and go. Beats
Walkin' should have a range of 15 to 20 miles
on a quart of fuel. Some of the newer engines
have 2 quart fuel tanks that would double this
range. Many standard bicycle accessories
such as luggage carriers, baskets, lights, and
horns can be added. Street operation will re-quire
both a license plate and a licensed op-erator
so check with your local license bureau
or police department for regulations in your
area.
• Craft Print No. 326 in enlarged size for building Tote-All
Scooters is available at $1.50. To avoid possible loss of coin
or currency in mails, remit by check or money order (no
C.O.D.'s or stamps) to Craft Print Dept. 2168, SCIENCE
and MECHANICS, SOS Park Avenue, New York 22, New
York. Now available, our new illustrated catalog of "194
Do It Yourself Plans," 25C (Refundable on first order).
60 SCIENCE and MECHANICS