TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Peddling Power Get Your Motor (Bike) Running

Tribune photo by CHRISTINE DeLESSIO

wenty year old Brandon Boyett rides his motorized bicycle at his parents house in San Antonio. He has been using his summer off from college to build these bikes.

ADVERTISEMENT

By PAUL CATALA

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 14, 2008

SAN ANTONIO - When gas hit about $4 a gallon, Toby Herrmann knew there had to be a way of cutting down on expenses on his 30-mile round-trip to work.

He found an answer to high gasoline prices through two wheels, a small engine and young entrepreneur Brandon Boyett.

About three months ago, Boyett also began looking for ways to save his money for other things than gas. After searching the Internet, he found what he was looking for: motors for bicycles.

Shortly afterward, Boyett began converting pedal bikes into motorized gas-savers, giving commuters the chance to go from 25 to 150 miles per gallon per trip.

Working on his family's 10-acre farm off Darby Trail, Boyett, 20, used his own bicycles as prototypes to test the viability of his new endeavor - Brandon's Motorized Bikes. Ordering assembled, 49-cubic-centimeter, 1- to 3-horsepower engines and one-third gallon gas tanks online, he devised a way to attach them to a bicycle frame from instructions on the Internet.

By the end of June and after about four days and 24 hours of work, Boyett had his first motorized bicycle taking him around town, and an idea was born.

"I thought gas prices were getting horrible, so I just started looking on the Internet to see what I could do and found these engines," said Boyett, a 2006 Pasco High School graduate and Dade City native. "I have a lot of friends nearby who were tired of spending a fortune on gas, so I decided to build them bikes, and that's how it started."

So far, Boyett has converted two bikes, both his. Using online diagrams and intuition, he has turned a $700 Roadmaster 18-speed and $200 Kona Kula beach cruiser from pedal to petrol power.

Boyett began parking his 11-mile-per-gallon pickup and hopping on his self-propelled wheels to get to classes at Pasco-Hernando Community College and Wesley Chapel.

As he rode, folks started noticing and began asking him about converting bikes for them. Herrmann, a friend of Boyett's, has ordered a bike. With a 15-mile commute to kitchen work at Saint Leo University, he said the chance to save gas was welcome.

Boyett has begun work on Herrmann's new set of wheels.

"I saw his, and it made me want one, too," Herrmann said. "The money you spend on one you'll end up gaining back in savings in no time."

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, motorized bicycles propelled by human power and a motor not capable of exceeding 20 mph are considered the same as leg-powered bikes. Motorized bikes with engines smaller than 50-cubic centimeters do not require riders to have a driver's license or insurance. That, Boyett said, makes it even more reasonable to ride.

Boyett said he can build a new motorized bicycle for about $400, with the conversion kit costing $280. A used bike can be motorized for about $350.

Boyett's father, Larry, said his son has been tinkering with motors and engines since he was young. He said his son always seemed to have the entrepreneurial spirit, and he supports the business venture.

"He's always tried to take things apart and put them back together. It doesn't surprise me he's doing something like this," said Larry Boyett, a trucking company owner.

Although Boyett said he doesn't like the high gasoline prices, he's hoping more disgruntled drivers will consider one of his motorized bicycles.

"It someone really wants to save some gas money, they should get one, especially if they have a short commute," he said.

For details, call Brandon's Motorized Bikes, (352) 279-2961 or e-mail brandons bikes88@yahoo.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT