Hand Truck Turned Into Motorcycle

For those motorcyclists looking to get a classic American-style cruiser, often the go-to brand is Harley-Davidson. However, these bikes not only have reputations for being stuck in the past, both in terms of design and culture, but they also tend to be extremely expensive—not only upfront, but in maintenance as well. If you want the style without all of that baggage, you might want to try out something like this custom motorcycle which not only looks the part, it reduces those costs by being built around a hand truck.

By the end of the project, though, the hand truck does not retain much of its original form or function. [Garage Avenger] has cut and welded it essentially into a custom frame for the diminutive motorcycle, while retaining much of its original look and feel. Keeping up with the costs savings aspect of this project, the four-stroke engine was free, although it did take some wrenching to get it running and integrated into the frame. A custom axle, a front end from another bike, a gas tank from an online retailer (that needed re-welding), and some wiring finishes out the build.

With a fresh paint job to match the original color of the hand truck, it’s off to the track. Of course it doesn’t have quite the performance of most street legal motorcycles, including some quirks with the handling and braking, but for the trails around [Garage Avenger]’s home it’s certainly a fun transportation mode he can add to his repertoire. If this is your first time seeing one of his projects, be sure to check out his other work including this drifting shopping cart and this turbine-powered sled.

13 thoughts on “Hand Truck Turned Into Motorcycle

    1. This guy is pretty darned good with a MIG welder. I built a tiny minibike inspired by the somewhat famous 1970 Popular Mechanics “Tom Thumb” minibike. I did it as a project to learn TIG welding with, bent up the frame and everything. Let’s just say, “a grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain’t”. But it’s strong enough and looks great.

      Later, I saw a welding expert on YouTube say that small diameter tubing is the hrdest thing to MIG weld. Sigh.

    2. As a semi-pro artist (i.e. not staying overweight and having healthcare from this skill, but enough to pay taxes on it); that meme is new to me. Made my chuckle, thanks for that!

      Always find it a bit insulting when I hear “You’re so talented!”, it’s a compliment so I don’t let it rub me too raw. But I always thank em anyways and respond with, “Thanks! I wish that were true but it truth is it was hard work and long hours that got me here.”

      1. Talent is in nearly all cases the product of hardwork.

        Even folks that must have some natural bias that makes them better than average at something by default still have to work at it to really get good and/or create those really really fine finished objects – look at some of the fancy bladesmiths, or the golden demon winning mini painters with the project they spent probably most of the whole year on…

        Most definitively talented folks to be able to get the result, but to take the talent they have and make such a fine quality end product still requires significant time investment – maybe it took them with their practised skill and library of custom tools and processes half the time it would take another more journeyman skilled crafter with the patience to get there in the end, but it is always serious work still!

  1. That rear tire is glorious and he’s a pretty good welder, both to be making welds that look like this and also to trust his welds to this kind of use. I feel like it should be dubbed the Hardly Davidson, and what a great bike it is.

  2. IMHO, Harley-Davidson is the epitome of the Ferrarization of the motorbike industry in the US. Every HD bike is now sold for the price of Ferrari it is really not. Same (ie “Ferrarization” happened earlier in pretty much every industry, car insurance (separate topic of its own), then car pricing (to a degree – not yet – but we are going there), recently – residential housing, etc.

    Sorry, Mr. Ezo Ferrari, but your cars now serve as the illustration of cartels, voluntary, involuntary, planned or emerged, same difference. Cartels are cartels. Their main purpose is making sure they exist, and product customers need sold for the price they can afford is not on their radar screen.

    Translation – DIY crowd always picked up the slack and did it without Big Swanky Name Tags Sold For Hundred Prices. I personally know few people (local to me) who don’t have time to sit and wait when HD wakes up from its self-induced slumber and asks what they need, they go with Yamahas, Hondas and Kawasakis they can tune to their liking, and there is lovely secondary market for the awesome affordable machines they make. It may not be the most inventive market in the US, but worldwide it quite is so, and we are AGAIN full 25+ years behind everyone else.

    1. Harley and ferrari are both veblen goods, where the high price is an advertisement to others that you can afford to spend that much on a luxury item. The item’s value is in showing off. But at least ferrari puts some really cool technology in their unaffordable cars.

      1. I would disagree with your assessment.
        Harley’s dont really cost more than comparable motorcycles from other manufacturers.

        The Harley Nightster with a 975cc engine, is currently their cheapest model starting at $9995
        The Honda Rebel 1100T with its 1083cc is the most comparable bike they make in size and format and it starts at $9599
        The slightly smaller Honda Shadow Phantom with its 745cc starts at $8,699
        Yamaha’s Bolt R with a 942cc motor starts at $8,999

        On the larger side
        Yamaha doesnt make big bikes.

        The Harley Fat Boy Grey Ghost with its 1917.29cc engine starts at $25,399
        The Honda Goldwing Tour with its 1833cc engine starts at $28,700.

        Harley has a number of premium options going up to $45K start prices.
        Honda has a number of smaller sized budget options going down to $4,849 start prices.

    2. ” Every HD bike is now sold for the price of Ferrari it is really not.”
      HUH? The most expensive new Harley costs 1/5 the price of the cheapest new Ferrari.
      I know few people (local to me) who go with yamahas hondas and kawasakis as they are perfectly able to tune Harleys to their hearts desire. There is also a lovely secondary market for the awesome machines they make.
      I think your just hanging out with people looking for high revving street bikes not long distance cruisers.

    3. Let’s refine that – “Every HD bike that I’ve personally seen or heard of (ie, was bought/sold/owned by my friends and/or friends of friends) within the last 30 years”. That’s large enough pool of examples that my opinion is based off of. BTW one of them friends of friends co-owns one of the local HD shops, both, shop and garage. Regulars stop by at that place, it is next to an interstate. He is doing well as far as could tell.

      My question was always “just WHY are these things so expensive?” Maintenance, too, spares, etc. In general, upkeep of one HD is not cheap compared with the mentioned Hondas and Yamahas.

      Let’s add more to the mix, I also know two BMW motorbike owners. Upkeep is still cheaper than. BMWs that I’ve seen are not terribly budget-priced, but still, japanese bikes win.

      At any rate, we have no shortage of high-revving bikers thundering next to my house – actually, some of them ARE my buddies. I was trying to make a blanket statement, and the conclusion is in the last paragraph – some cannot afford the greatest and latest and go for what sells withing their budget. Others, like the post, just build their own.

      “Ferarrization” is a term that means “selling ordinary cars for the price of Ferrari in the fake market where there is some kind of artificial shortage of OTHER options making it look as if there are only these cars available for sale”. Ferraris are sure out of my price range, and I am guessing they compete with what, Mazeratis maybe? Sure not with Koenigseggs, the edge has been lost some time ago, even though, at some point Ferraris WERE the Koenigseggs of the era. Bentleys, maybe (though, I have my personal doubts).

      Sorry about the vitriol, but I do not see much of a change happening this year, since it hasn’t changed for the last 30 years. I also see that the worldwide market for motorbikes doesn’t suffer from the US tariffs, and goes on with their locally produced kinds just fine.

      1. If you cant afford the latest and greatest, There are plenty of old harleys out there for sale and they really arent that expensive unless theyve been heavily customized. Ive got a buddy with a 1980 flhs in good running condition and a clean title for sale $5k. I can probably rustle up a dozen Sportsters at or below $2k ranging in years from 68-2010. There are a ton of reasonably priced hogs out there if youre looking to buy.

        If you cant wrench yourself, and every issue is a trip to that buddy of yours shop of course youre going to be dropping fat stacks.
        The parts for ANY harley are readily available and reasonably priced for the most part. I tore down my 69 FLH during the pandemic. Changed out all of the gaskets, bore out the cylinders and swapped the pistons for a set of .050 oversize. $300 in parts.

        Sure if youre doing a complete top and bottom end rebuild of a 3 year old bike the parts are going to set you back an entry level honda. But thats to be expected.

        Im not a ferrari guy and I dont have a ferrari budget. I do have a softspot for old Porsche 924, 944, and 928s. A belt job on any of which will set you back $1800-3K every 15-30K miles if youre dropping it at a shop. I just lose a weekend and a couple hundred bucks doing the belt, front seals, and whatever else is more convenient to include while Im at it than waiting till it fails.

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