Rebuilding his Keystone mini bike.

Rebuilt frame with new motor

My boyfriend has had this little mini bike since he was a teen. About 15 years he has tinkered with it, rode it and also used it as a memento to the past good times. When I first met him it was sitting on his patio deck getting rusty as something had broken on it and he didn't have the time to fix it up. Since we moved in together he has taken the time to dismantle it and rebuild it from scratch.

Sitting on the frame in the basement

Sanding and repainting the frame to change it from a rusty hunter green to sparkling navy blue took about a month. Along the way he also reshaped the frame to accept a slightly larger motor as the older one was pretty much worthless and the new one had a bit more power and speed to it. He likes power and speed!

The only issue I have had with the rebuilding of the bike is the repainting process. He was smart enough to take the pieces outside and spray paint them in a well vented area but he would often bring the pieces inside about 10 minutes later. Spray paint needs at least an hour to properly cure and to let all the fumes dissipate. Because he was bringing it in so quickly after the paint job I would often get headaches from the fumes. My senses are a little sensitive like that. He wouldn't notice a thing and therefore thought it was fine while I am hurting from the migraines!

All done

It is turning into a pretty good looking mini bike. In the pictures it is hard to tell the color of it that well but as I said earlier it is a sparkly navy blue. For the mini bike enthusiasts you will appreciate this little gem regardless of the color. As you can see in the final picture the bike is done. The build is over. All that is left if for the engine to be tuned, oiled and gassed. The last engine he had on the bit was a little 3.5 horse powered one. The new engine is a 6.5 horse power. He is looking forward to seeing how much more umph this one has. The previous engine was Loud! So loud that you could hear it a couple blocks away. It had such a high pitched rev that the sound carried for a long distance. Even when I was inside the house with the doors and windows closed the sounds penetrated. This new one should have a slightly lower pitch but we wont know until he starts it.

If it is nice weather this upcoming week he will probably give it it's first spin around the block. Right now he isn't feeling the greatest (a cold) so next week is the goal.

Looking good outside

You can see the color better in this picture because it is outside in more natural light.

Here is a vid or him riding the Mini.