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Make Your Bike ROAR!

Make Your Bike ROAR!
Make your bike roar like a motorcycle using just a piece of plastic!

This is an old trick my Dad taught me, though I'm sure many of you have done this before. It will make your bike make a sound like a motorcycle when you go, and the faster you go, the louder it gets!

Stuff you'll need:
A piece of plastic, like an ice cream bucket lid.
Tape, duct tape works best, remember, this is on your bike so it will be outside.
A bike, of course.

Could someone make a video with the sound of this thing? I would make one myself but I'm on dial-up so I can't upload video.
 
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Step 1Make the flapper

Make the flapper
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  • Cornered strips.jpg
  • Strips.jpg
  • Lids.jpg
For the piece of plastic, an ice cream bucket lid works great. Other reasonably stiff pieces of plastic will work too, but make sure you don't use one that's too stiff or it might damage the spokes on your bike. I couldn't find an ice cream lid when I started making this instructable, so I used two bendier sour cream lids (I later found an ice cream lid, that's what the yellow ones are from).

Get the piece of plastic, and cut out a piece about four inches long by one inch wide. You can make multiple ones too, it might make it louder (I've never used more than one at once though).
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30 comments
Mar 31, 2011. 1:40 PMhappyjo says:
OOoh! I will have to try this! :D
Jan 23, 2011. 2:13 AMtassie2 says:
i saw this old idea from when i was akid
made the one in my pics out of a small chocolate tin with a removable lid. a flat piece of very tough polyethylene storage tub plastic goes thru it in a slot. Inside a bit of wood traps the flapper and it is scrwed so it won't come out. lid is screwd on also with self tapping metal screws. The box is mounted to bike back frame with a bent bit of old door hinge.
This one I made is 20 X louder than the old playing card ones we had!
My nephew rides the bike and you can hear him coming 1/2 a block away!!

PS acommercial " exhaust pipe is in toy shops with a faux plastic exhaust attached. This one blows it out the water!
Cost nil old junk value guys. Hope the vid works etc.
Tassie 2 Australia
Jan 23, 2011. 2:29 AMtassie2 says:
the metal tin makes the noise resonate and it sort of vibrates as well.

The two holes in side are about 3/4 inch diameter punched into tin with wad punch.

The flapper is like a double finger shape where it catches the spokes. by changing the shape and hang past on spokes, and also the flapper materials you can alter the sounds. The commercial one has 3 or 4 different cards you snap into a holder for different sounds. A video on u tube shows that one. This one .. advantages,,, cheap and cheerful. made of junk. what more could a noisy young Fonzie want!

PS the bike is a really neat bmx with simulated motorbike fairings, swingarm type rear end, disc brakes, and adjustable centre rear coil strut suspension.

Cost me 30 bucks from a charity shop down under!

The great things kids these days have to play with !

tassie2 (a 50yo old fart tinkerer from aussie! )
Feb 24, 2010. 1:44 PMblake77 says:
 of course you have to use duct tape its the bomb nothing beats duct tape 
Feb 24, 2010. 1:24 PMfastback570 says:
the Louder option: (if you don't have a 1000 wheelset) is to wedge a half crushed 1 liter soda bottle in between the seat stay and the spokes.
Jan 17, 2010. 6:32 PMScienceWiz says:
Hahaha
This would be fun to do to my bike and take it to the Velodrome (track)
The people would freak out as I went ripping past them with this thing installed!

Great instructable
May 18, 2008. 9:01 PMskunkbait says:
Cool! Haven't seen this in 30 years. Back then we used playing cards and clothes-pins. I think I'll do this to my kids bikes.
Mar 10, 2009. 6:40 PMBryan Smith says:
I hate to think how many baseball cards and clothes pins I ruined as a kid doing the same thing!
Dec 28, 2009. 9:56 PMFyrebyrd says:
I had always used a pop can. I would bend it over the back tire and the rear fork would keep it in place
May 17, 2008. 5:00 PMGorillazMiko says:
I haven't done this in years. Nice job, +5/5 stars. I can't do this because me and my friends destroyed my bike. ;-)
Aug 21, 2008. 9:30 PMBright Shadow says:
THAT MAKES YOU SOUND OLD :(]
Sep 3, 2009. 9:55 PMxerxesx20 says:
Excellent smiley! 8-)
May 16, 2008. 9:45 AMpacey_waring says:
alternatively: chain a mountain lion to your bike. Make it run alongside you, pulling you up hills! Makes a great theft deterrent too.
Jun 23, 2009. 11:31 PMjuanamae says:
lol awesome idea :)
Aug 21, 2008. 10:42 PMDuctTapeRules! says:
And to think department stores make you pay for this huge yellow/purple handlebar attachment.
Jul 16, 2008. 8:04 AMmillenniumtree says:
I used to just run over an aluminum soda can with the front wheel. It would grab onto the tyre, travel up to the back of the fork, and then make a beautiful motorbike sound as the knobbly tires passed through it. It slowed the bike down a bit. Good times, good times.
Aug 3, 2008. 6:01 PMharley_rly says:
yeah that works real good if you put it on the back tire
Jul 23, 2008. 4:10 AMdifflock says:
people actually pay for a version of this for there kids bikes (at least, they do here in the UK) Shops charge anywhere from £10 to £20 for a kits which is a flapper like this, and sometimes has a small cone that you fix next to it, to amplify the sound even more! But good instructable! its been a while since I did this to a bike!
Jul 19, 2008. 11:12 PMbeyondimagination says:
I made a video but with a playing card and masking tape so you dont ruin your paint. just search "make your bike sound like a motorcycle " in metacafe. I made and instructable too
Jul 6, 2008. 11:17 PMPie_eata says:
i used to just put like 5 zip ties per wheel made an interesting sound
May 26, 2008. 3:22 PMshadowman414 says:
Me likey 5 stars
May 14, 2008. 5:59 PMJake Turner says:
Can I has? kthxbai.
May 20, 2008. 1:51 PMNoodly0ne says:
"Every time you 'can has', God kills a lolcat."
May 16, 2008. 12:18 AMThe Rocketizer says:
Another thing you can do with some bikes is ride straight over an empty but not crushed aluminium soft drink can with your back wheel. It folds around and then gets pulled to the top of the frame where it gets stuck. so the can is held by the wheel moving and it rubs on the tire. It sounds pretty cool usually
May 16, 2008. 7:34 PMThe Rocketizer says:
Yeah I don't reckon it would be, but usually you only do it for a short amount of time to show off, you don't leave it on your bike all the time as you may do with your way.
May 15, 2008. 2:58 PMDoveman says:
I used to put a card on my bike... It would fall off sometimes, but man, it was cool!
May 15, 2008. 9:44 AMmefromliny says:
Excellent! I just did this really quickly and my daughter loves it! Good job. Ken
May 15, 2008. 12:08 AMll.13 says:
Hehe, I prefer quietly coming upon people, and whizzing straight past them. =D

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