During the month of February, Master Linal Kularatne came up with a proposal to convert a foot peddled bicycle into a motorcycle. After studying the feasibility of the project, it was approved by the College Authorities.
And so we began this great project with Middle School students, the first project to be carried out in the newly opened Automotive Workshop.
The group worked with great enthusiasm from the very beginning, with some of their friends also joining in.
The engine was donated by Master Joshua Sathish Kumar, and the bicycle by Master Danitha Perera. Other components were bought and assembled by the group.
A slight setback occurred due to the April 21st security incident. Although we received the bicycle by the end of the first term, the engine and the components could only be delivered to the College in May.
First, the frame was disassembled completely, and then painted in red and black. Then we faced our first challenge – the original hub was incompatible with our transmission and had to be changed. Our next challenge was the holding bar for the fuel tank, this had to be welded on to the frame.
Due to the fact that this frame was not tailor made for the project, we had to improvise at every step of the way, but the students worked tirelessly without giving up and were able to get through all the challenges.
The group received assistance from the members of Senior Automotive Society during the assembly process, including the President, Master Gayendra Amarasekara and two other grade 10 students. We also thank our master-in-charge, Mr Subash Dhanasekara who continuously supported us and taught us to the completion of the project.
The project was completed and the motor was first started on 18th of July, 2019.
The team members :
S. J. S. Kumar
G. K. D. T. Perera
D. H. Premawardhana
N. T. D. K. Naththarampotha
J. D. R. S. Wickramaratne
L. B. C. Kularatne
W. M. T. R. Wijayasundara
R. N. Weerasekara
E. A. D. N. Hope
U. K. S. L. Udunuwara
L.A. Mallikarachchi
Review by Linuka Mallikarachchi
Following is a video review of the bicycle:
