I Saw It, I Knew I Had To Do It
It honestly was that simple. While visiting YouTube one evening I came across a Post about how a fellow cut two Volkswagen Beetle fenders in half, welded them together and then stuffed a minibike beneath them. So, with a tip of my cap to Brent Walter (Ultimate Rebuilds) our project began.
Only a week later, two reproduction Beetle fenders hit my doorstep. With the immeasurable assistance of my friend Steve D., a retired welder-fabricator, the project was underway. The premise is simple, but as they say, the devil is in the details. You can expect to spend many evenings and weekends to complete a build this involved (it took us nearly 7 months).
There's no need to go into every detail on our build. Basic construction is covered by BW's six-part series as well as others. Some highlights, when the forks and frame were shortened, I added metal rods inside prior to welding. Flat 2-inch bar stock was rolled to match the inside of the fender and welded in place, near the bottom edge, on both the front and rear. This improved the strength of the fender shell and allowed a hard point to weld the mounting brackets to. I didn't want to weld mounting points to the thin fender shell. This was designed so that one person can easily install and remove the fender. Four brackets on the frame were welded in place; the fender has four welded studs. That allows the fender to simply drop down to be securely fastened. With the extremely short wheelbase and no steering rake, I installed a steering damper, something which I would absolutely recommend.
A battery provides power for the running lights and brake light (lighting coils can be installed on this engine). I retained the minibike’s handlebar mounted engine shut off switch. The steering post was drilled, and a nut welded in place. Then, the bicycle steering post was inserted and drilled to match the hole in the steering post for a bolt to be inserted and secured with a locking nut. This provides additional safety in the unlikely event that the bicycle stem lock might fail.
This was not to be a minibike relegated to only the parking lot or alley; the ability for it to be ridden to Saturday morning coffee and local events was paramount. It was able to be titled and insured as a scooter, so it is now perfectly street legal. All of the parts were powder coated with the single exception of the top side of the fender shell.
There were so many hours - skilled and very patient hours. This would not have happened without my buddy Steve’s (and wife Marge's!) tireless effort. With thanks to SKYCOAT powder coating, Baldwin, Wisconsin. Body work was handled by Darren S. and Mark T., River Falls, Wisconsin. Paint by my friend Mark T. (marks650yamahas.com). Cables fabricated and supplied by GoMoto in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Thanks Marty!). Thanks to an anonymous admirer for assisting with the production of this video.
