Small bikes turn into a pretty big job, y’know
Sam Ekenasio’s mini motorbike was built with plenty of elbow grease and a good dollop of motor oil.
Ekenasio, 20, was among the 18 Witt trade school students who had spent the last six months tinkering in the shed putting their motorbikes together to sell at the end of this year.
About 18 bikes have been com- pleted so far but tutor Gary Sharpe said they are looking to build more bikes before the year is up.
The bike has a 49cc engine which powers it along at speeds of up to 50kmh.
Ekenasio told the Taranaki Daily News he will be buying the bike for himself.
He felt ‘‘pretty satisfied and proud’’ when he finished his bike last week.
‘‘I fired it up but didn’t have a play on it,’’ he said.
However, fitting the axles along with making the coil springs to fit the bike had been frustrating, Ekenasio said.
Nathaniel Robinson, also 20, said the project ‘‘wasn’t too bad’’ and he liked the sound of his motorbike roaring to life.
‘‘I had it fired up and it seems to be running quite well,’’ Robinson said.
This was the first year Sharpe has introduced the bikes and he said it was a good way for students to use their numeracy, literacy and technical skills.
‘‘The importer is showing a lot of interest in us providing a national assembly manual. It’s like making a recipe book for it on how to put the thing together,’’ Sharpe said.
The project has made learning easier for students who struggled with traditional teaching methods, he said.
Witt industry development executive director Glen West said the bikes would be priced around the $350 to $450 range.