Academics
SOUL Seeking: Motorized bike
Grade 8 student Zak R.’s SOUL Seeking project is a true reflection of his long-standing passion for designing, creating and building. About two years ago, he saw a memorable video on YouTube showing how to build a motorized bike. The focused time dedicated to SOUL Seeking projects over the reimagined March Break finally presented an opportunity where Zak could turn his hand to building a motorized bike of his very own.
“My dad asked me once what I wanted to be,” shares Zak. “I didn’t know but I said that I just really liked taking stuff apart and he said that was called an engineer—taking stuff apart and building things.”
Starting out with an old vintage Huffy bike, Zak removed the parts that weren’t reusable, bought new parts, and refurbished and repainted the frame. Then came the task of adding the motor. When he ran into some issues with his tools, he took the bike to Shawnigan’s maintenance team who were happy to loan him the right tools needed to complete and fine tune the job.
What started out as an old bicycle is now a gas-powered beauty, running on a combination of two-stroke motor oil and petrol at a 1:16 ratio. The rider either pedals or free-wheels downhill to start the bike, but once the motor is going, even the steep hills around campus can’t stop it.
Further tweaks to the bike potentially include replacing the frame with one that is newer, but the critical lessons Zak learned in his original construction will serve him well and benefit future construction projects. A friend has expressed interest in building a bike with Zak’s help, so between continuing to work on his original bike and making new ones, there’s no shortage of opportunities to put his freshly acquired engineering knowledge to work.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
