YouTube is overflowing with incredible motorcycle and powersport creations, but the builds that truly captivate are those born from readily available, budget-friendly parts. These projects showcase ingenuity, transforming common components into extraordinary machines, far removed from the realm of bespoke, high-end builds like a Hayabusa engine crammed into a kei truck.
In a recent video, the creators at BUM exemplified this approach perfectly with a project that’s both simple and surprisingly effective. They began with an affordable rolling Miniature Bike frame kit, a smart move that avoided dismantling a perfectly good engine and saved on initial costs. This kit, priced at $677, provided everything needed except the engine itself. The next step was to find a suitable powerplant.
For the engine, they chose a 196cc diesel engine sourced from Amazon for just $110. While this air-cooled engine isn’t synonymous with high performance, its affordability was the priority. After some modifications to fit it into the miniature bike frame, the initial top speed was a disappointing 6 mph.
Crazy Builds
To drastically improve the miniature bike’s sluggish top speed, BUM turned to Amazon’s cheapest turbocharger, a mere $129.99 investment. Their target was a modest 20 mph, a 300% increase from the original performance. Given the turbocharger’s low price point, skepticism about its effectiveness was understandable.
Before revealing the outcome, take a moment to consider: what top speed do you think this turbocharged miniature bike achieved? The video below unveils the surprising result.
The $129.99 turbocharger delivered an astounding 400% increase in top speed. This remarkable value for money transformed the miniature bike’s performance. The entire build, totaling just $916.99, proved to be exceptionally worthwhile, especially considering its impressive off-road capability demonstrated at the video’s conclusion. This project underscores the potential of budget-friendly DIY ingenuity in creating fun and functional machines.
