OcotopusJones's Axis Build

[octopusjones]

so i posted earlier about my Axis, but i figured it deserved a build thread.

for this build im going with scooter of the zombie apocalypse, or scooter from found materials. im buying as little as possible to test my ingenuity and fab skills. after this phase, i'll move on to a proper custom build. but for now, here is what i have:

cost so far? 10$ (scooter) , 8$ (spray paint), 4$ (black chromium body screws)

items that i have for the build? scooter, spray paint, soda transport crate, battery, nuts and bolts, plastic seat cover, tarp, bungee cords

unless otherwise noted, i have paid nothing for the materials so far. the paint is for the frame, and the exhaust.

the scooter cost me a massive 10$ and some lady was about to take it to the dump. it's a 1993 yamaha axis, the bike came modded when i got it with a proma tuned pipe, a daytona CDI, and presumably roller weights. it had not been run in 13 years and weighed about 5 pounds extra because of all the spider webs. after seeing that the engine was not locked i deided to give the old 2 stroke a proper tune up. cleaned the carb, checked the plug, fabbed a spark plug boot, had a friend pick all the locks (no keys) and kicked it alot (there was more to it than that but i'll spare you) and it fired up and ran like a champ. i needed a battery so went to the local motorcycle shop and got a dead one, it was free, i then went and put it on the fancy digital charger and charged it up and it miraculously held up and will indeed work for the bike (tested). it was too large however, so i needed a box to hold it as i did not want to mutilate the factory plastics. i acquired a soda crate to mount on the small factory rack. i mounted the battery into the crate with a rig made from bolts and nuts i found, and some rubber caps. i'll have pics of that soon. i'll soon be running a harness from the rack to the battery hook ups on the bike.

i needed a floor mat since half my floorboard plastics are gone, so i found a floor mat to a chevy, viciously mangled it with some scissors, and made a floor mat. the seat was both old AND rat eaten, so i covered it in a bit of plastic seat cover i found, and it is working for now. ugly though, i'll look for an elegant solution for that soon.

im hoping to get some plastics from a wrecked roketa style 50 scooter (with is almost identical to the japanese yamaha jog *late model) for the lower quarter panels. i also need a floor board (back half) so i'll be looking for something for that as well, my spark plug cover is gone, so i cna fab one of those from things i have laying about or just look for one that will fit it. either way, it's been a fun build so far and it runs like stink. very fast scooter. now for the pics!








shots of some mysterious badging and the speedo in KPH as well. it's not pretty to look at, but it's got a certain mad max charm about to it, that earned it the nickname "haikyo" which is japanese for "ruin"


i'll have more updates as they happen
anywho, gotta jet, enjoy!

[Rebel]

This is akin to turning a pigs ear into a silk purse. I got to hand it to you, one of the cheapest builds in the book. I'm sure it will turn out nice.

[octopusjones]

lol thanks! i took her out last night and im still in awe of how fast it is. i mean looking at it, you would opt for a different bike, but it just moves like a scalded rat. i had it nearly pegged on the speedo and it was still pulling like mad.

i'm trying figure out a floor board solution, but, i still think my best bet is to find a wrecked roketa style bike and go from there. this is a JDM bike, which was imported by some scooter importer in florida. or so the under seat tag says anyway.

so far i have been unable to find any body panels, minus the plug cover, but i missed that one on ebay

i have discovered that she gets a little twitchy when you upset her balance, because of the short wheelbase, and tiny rims. i want to up grade those once i get done with this portion of the build, just to add more stability for corners. it's ugly as sin right now, and i want to address that in some form or another. im thinking of some kind of camo paint job, but time will tell. i got a new air brush so i'll work something up and stick with a theme.

im contemplating integrating a katana holder into the bike, since in a zombie filled world, you will run out of bullets eventually. not that i would ride it that way, id get arrested, but it would make some great pictures. plus i have a kickin katana to stick on it.

i gotta get to work this weekend to get more stuff done and have some boss pics come monday

[Rebel]

You pegged it at 60 kph and it was still pulling? That is what about 42-43 mph?

[octopusjones]

something like that, yeah. i had it just past the 55kph mark, so pretty close, but till i get a gps on it, nothing is official, but i'm real confident i can tap 50mph. maybe better.

i was thinking it had the bigger cylinder, but the carb and air box are stock... ?? it's kinda scary at speed, the suspension is designed for a lower top end. it could really benefit from a stiffer set of shocks, larger rims and a stretched frame (or engine mount) by about 3 inches or so. terrifying is a better word really, because if you dig into a corner on it, and start powering out, your committed. if you try and quick change up, it's got a tendency to wobble.

might be a combination of old tires and old shocks amplifying it, but it's there and i would like to rework it some in the custom phase to see if i can iron it out a bit. could also be that it was designed for someone a bit shorter than me, and im making it top heavy, lol

[octopusjones]

nothing this weekend, i got a call from a guy with a fiji 150cc who needed some work done, so i spent the good weather taking care of that

maybe better news this coming weekend lol

[oldchopperguy]

Good Grief!

You may become a Mad Max-style legend with this one! My hat's off to you for sure. Reminds me of my very first Harley build back in 1962. Pretty much the same story as your scoot! That scoot is probably running so great in THANKS to you for resurrecting her from the bone yard.

Your story is iconic low-buck build to the extreme! WELL DONE! Please keep us posted as it progresses.

Ride safe...

Leo in Texas

[octopusjones]

well gang im not dead. i just relocated, and after nearly 6 months, i have my scooter back. i moved to a more scooter friendly, and more resource rich (area with more scooters/scooter parts in it) location. i have been rethinking the build since i have had some time on my hands waiting for my bike, and since i have access to more and better parts, im going to try for a bigger and more awesome build. im still on a budget, but not quite as tight. i get 'er running and riding was a party on wheels, but the shocks are bad, and the whole bike needs some love, just as a scooter, as well as a project.

the first step i have taken is to restock my scooter tools selection. i have purchased a new tool box and filled it with the "finest" tools harbor freight's mid priced line can offer. i also scored some scooter specialty tools, like a spark tester, a mechanics stethoscope, some hooks, and more. i'm tinkering around with posting a list of the tools, just for those people who need to know what tools you need to throw the smackdown at your scoot.

the next step i took was to get a list of parts the i have researched that are compatible with my bike. the chief issue is finding body work. now many of you are familiar with the cheap sunny/tao tao/whatever entry level scooter. this scooter is a replica of a yamaha axis cabin/kymco filly. well the body is anyway, and because the axis and the axis cabin share proportions and shape, it is my theory that i can use the chinese body work from one of the copy cat bikes, and sortof graft it to the remaining body work on the original yamaha.

after careful looking i think i have located the needed parts, and as soon as i have the extra cash i'll be buying each part once piece at a time, to begin the transformation from incomplete relic from the land of the rising sun, to really cool mod bike built by me. ^_^

so there's an update. sorry for the delay.

[Rebel]

octo nice to see you, I was wondering what became of you. don't forget to post photos of your work.

[octopusjones]

you bet i will! prolly this weekend i'll get to work on er and see what happens. i was scooter less for quite a while, so im pretty anxious to get started

[Rebel]

I certainly understand being scooterless, was that way for a long time.

[octopusjones]

one of the great horrors of my life, lol. sadly where i am now, i have to get tags on it, and the whole 9 yards, kind of a drag. but at least i can ride again. i miss the old girl.

come saturday, i think i might strip the body work off and start cleaning things.

[Enviromoto]

Dude you got a Axis in the states... do you even know what that is?

90cc Factory Goodness with nice performance parts.

Wanna sell it?

[Rebel]

Octo has been in the scooter business for a while, he probably knows what it is, I didn't.

[octopusjones]

lol i love my scooter. im not sure mine is a 90, they also made a fifty if my research is correct. it's pretty fast, so it might be, lol. the bike is classic jdm. it's "stylish urban runner" badges are the stuff of legend in the engrish world, lol. i do know that the axis is the ancestor of the axis cabin, which most entry level china scooter body work is currently patterned after. or the kymco filly, but im not sure which came first. i have a feeling it was the axis cabin.