1st doodle bug

[purehavoc]

I picked this up last weekend , It didnt run , both tires were flat. seat was broken, paint is flat from sitting outside . I have a few questions , its it paint or powdercoated ? Looks like paint but not 100% sure . The engine didnt run so I took it off , cleaned the carb , cleaned the rust off the flywheel and the coil, put a new plug in filled with fuel and it fired right up , Now , its not going back in there , its a turd but I have another bike to put it on for the kids which will be perfect since take off speeds will be a lot less violent . LOL . I guess my question is I have a GX200 and a Predator 212 I could put on it . The GX200 has some hours on it but it runs really really good , the Predator has about 1 hour on it . WHich motor would you put on it . I have a hilliard clutch for it thats got about 30 min of ride time and it works really well . I will use this to ride some local trails on so its not going to see a ton of speed . Im really not interested in modding either engine at the moment , I need to keep it as quiet as stock just to keep neighbors of the trails happy . Here it is after I got it cleaned up . I think Id like to paint it to make it a little different than every other Doodle out there .
Thanks
PH

 

[T-Town Mini]

I build one last year and it was a lot of work to get it down to bare metal. It had a thick powder coat which I scraped off then sanded the metal surface smooth before priming and painting.

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/doodlebug-minibikes/92640-gs-bug.html

If the frame is in good shape you might be better off just sanding the coating and keep it on as a primer before applying paint. I would also suggest replacing the original Chinese brake cable with a better one. As far as engine choice I'm not sure...the Predator is usually a better choice when costs are the issue but, since you don't plan on modifying it, either one is a go.

 

[purehavoc]

If it is powder coat I will just acetone it ,spray some self etching primer on it , paint it and call it good . I thought it looked like it was but its thinner than most of the PC I have seen. I have 3 other older minis and I thought this one might be a little easier on my back with the balloon tires compared to my old ARCOs and Rupp

 

[OND]

Hey I 've got a DB with the metal fenders just like yours and with the ballon tires its one of the best riding bikes that I've got...throw that Predator on there and have fun lifting the front wheel off the ground. You will have to redrill the engine plate or buy the after market aluminum adjustable plate from the OldMiniBikes to mount the clone or the Predator ...but no big deal !

 

[thirdeye]

I have had both the predator and Honda in my bike. Both are very very similar, hard to say any performance difference between them. I originally had the predator which ran great, eventually got some leaks and issues with the carb. Although I ride dusty conditions often... The Honda has never let me down. I have been ridig the Honda for a long time now with no problems. I would say put the Honda in. Both mount up the same so you could try both and see which you prefer.

 

[thirdeye]

As for paint not sure if it is powder coated, I would guess no but I could say for sure. With my frame I sanded lightly just to get it rougher, primed and painted. Has held up well, but I ride hard and drop the bike often and scratch it up. Still is noticeably black with some red chips after 3 years of riding. Looking into a touch up paint job soon. But with cheap rattler can from the hardware store it is easy to touch up spots if you want it pristine looking.

 

[creia]

We have had 2 of the "old style" DBs (like the one in your photo)- and they were both definitely powder coated.
Michael

 

[Gadget Man]

Greetings.
I'm in the same boat as PH.
I bought a DB frame off Craigslist and have started to plan my re-build.
First will be new paint. Does it matter if it's powder coated? I planned to just scuff it up and do a good primer coat and then a nice top coat with a rattle can from Home Depot.
How are you guys all doing your paint jobs?

Thanks
Gadget Man

 

[1troy7]

I had to use a grinder with a wire brush wheel, and even that tool a lot of elbow grease. Powder coating is nice when it's the color you want.

 

[purehavoc]

I put the honda on it. I already had it set up for #35 chain and the other had a #41 clutch on it. It's not real fast tops maybe 27-30 just guessing , but damn it's got killer acceleration . It's just going to be used to ride trails on anyway so big top speed isn't a issue anyway and in all honesty 30 would be pretty crazy on the trails in the woods where we live. I loaded up the tubes with green slime, since we have locust trees all over and they have huge thorns . I will put the fenders and chain guard back on after it gets painted.
Anyway this 42 yr old man is going to have a blast on it.

 

[Gadget Man]

1troy7

So are you saying I can't just spray paint over the powder coat?
I am going for a total color change, from red to possibly a blue.

And
pure havoc
What tires are those, and where did you buy them. I'm looking for something similar.
Are they Snow Hawgs?

Thanks
Gadget Man

 

[OND]

[/URL]

Thats what its all about ! :thumbsup:

 

[purehavoc]

As far as I know they are stock tires. I have seen a few with those on them . Someone said they are on the earlier DBs, but I dont know that for sure . I have seen them on Ebay a time or 2 fairly cheap

145 70 6 Front Rear Tubeless Tire 50 70 90 110cc Chinese Taotaoquad ATV Go Kart | eBay

1troy7

So are you saying I can't just spray paint over the powder coat?
I am going for a total color change, from red to possibly a blue.

And
pure havoc
What tires are those, and where did you buy them. I'm looking for something similar.
Are they Snow Hawgs?

Thanks
Gadget Man

 

[purehavoc]

Im not a big fan of the China no name tires the rubber seems to crack alot sooner than the Carlisle or Kendas. But the Carlisles and the Kendas add about another $10 per tire also