April 8, 2015

            It has begun. Today Campbell and I made the first large step in our motor bicycle making careers. I loaded up my car with two bicycles and a full gas motor kit and headed down to Auto Repairs by Patrick to meet Campbell. Being the first day of construction, we were very eager to get to work. First, I had to move around equipment, dump the trash, and move cars around for Patrick before we could get started. We brought in the Eddie Bauer bike and electric kit and got to work.

            The first step was taking off the back wheel to replace it with a much cooler electric wheel. Campbell and I rushed to take things apart so we quickly forgot how the chain looked when it was on the bike. Therefore, with the new wheel on, it took quite a lot of time to figure out how the chain went back on. We were able to tighten the back wheel up and move onto the throttle and brake system. We already ran into trouble with the brakes with the back wheel so we decided to save it for when we had to deal with both of them. The throttle was easy to figure out when we were able to find the right tools and fit quite nicely on the handlebars. Things went wrong when we began dealing with the brakes.

            Neither Campbell nor I are experts with bikes so we had a little bit of trouble when it came to fixing the brakes to a new wheel. They were two loose and would not stop us safely enough before we would crash into the nearest building that could shatter all our bones. Therefore, we will fix that problem tomorrow.

            We were also able to notice a few things we are missing until we can ride this bike. Campbell and I need a bike carrier rake to fit on the back for the battery that did not come with the kit. Patrick is going to help us find a battery that will work with the bike and also be within our price range. The rack is cheap and can be purchased at Wal-Mart. I am not going to lie; I am a little nervous now.  The batteries can be very expensive and we are on a timeline with a small budget. However, I have faith that Campbell and I will be able to bring it home for the boys.