Bicycle 80cc: Best Frame

If a guy really needs to build an 80cc bicycle, perhaps in homage to the World War II era Whizzer bicycle engines, he may wonder what the best frame for the largest engine is. The answer is the same for the smaller engines as well.

1. Schwinn Single-Speed Frame. The retro-styled single speed street bikes offer heavy tubing, a large seat, and enough space to put the engine. Wal-Mart and Target sell this brand to consumers. The space between the top and bottom bars give the rider enough space to mount the engine. The thick bars provide stability for the engine and rider. The large seat with springs makes it more comfortable to ride.

2. Huffy Street Bike Frames. These frames offer the same features as those listed above. The brands are roughly the same in quality.

3. The frame for an old Whizzer Bike. Whizzer made the first bicycle engines in World War II. In fact, they were the only new civilian vehicles made during the war years. If you can find frames made by Whizzer after the war, it adds an indescribable coolness factor to the project. (Whizzer mopeds with an engine can still be bought.)

4. A Trek Mountain Bike. Mountain bikes are designed to handle the rugged terrain, but the multiple gear systems make them poor choices to mount an engine upon. The gear shifters that are already part of the machinery and the larger cog in the back make the project more difficult.

5. The frame of a busted-up Moped. Most bicycle engines sold on Ebay or on other online sites are not more than 50 cubic centimeters in size, despite their name. If you have a moped you still want to use but cannot do anything else with, you can throw a bike engine on it. It does, however, take extra effort to mount the engine on a moped because these engines are designed to fit on bicycle frames.