They met by chance.

Tim “Dutch” Yeakel of Carbon County and Dan “Curley” Thompson of Schuylkill County were strangers only a few weeks ago.But the two hobbyists shared a common dream — to create the perfect motorized, gasoline-powered bicycle.The two met unexpectedly recently when Yeakel, on a short trip, was diverted through Coaldale after a tractor-trailer crashed at the bottom of the Broad Mountain near Nesquehoning.“There was a detour,” he said.That’s when he drove southwest on Route 209 through Coaldale and stumbled on Thompson.“I happened to drive by his garage and saw his bikes,” said Yeakel, 53, a former Navy flight engineer.Turns out, Thompson, 59, was helping a friend, Randy Gilson, 53, to build a motorized bicycle inside a garage on Water Street, Route 209.Easy travelThe idea just makes sense, say the men. After all, bicycling on the mountains of the coal regions can be difficult; pedaling uphill can become very strenuous.And so Thompson, a native of Tuscarora, is trying to innovate a way to retrofit any existing bicycle with a small engine.His concept is to use a modest, two-stroke, 48cc power source.“It’ll work as long as there’s enough space in the middle,” he said.Meanwhile, Yeakel has been doing the same thing 17 miles north at his home in Coxeville, near Beaver Meadows.“I’m the last house in Carbon County,” said Yeakel, a Bethlehem native. There, he’s been dabbling in 50, 70 and 90cc engines, custom built.“I’ve been doing it for five years, back when gas was $5 a gallon.”The unusual hobby has been therapeutic for Yeakel, who deals with injuries suffered in the military. Yeakel’s plane was shot down near Tikrit where he was deployed in an Iraqi Freedom mission aimed at keeping the flow of weapons from the hands of rebels.Now a self-employed contractor under the name Northern Roofing, Yeakel is busy rebuilding his life. The bike hobby provides just enough challenge to make sure he never gets bored.New ideasIt was inevitable, it seems, that Yeakel and Thompson would team up and compare ideas.For instance, Yeakel discovered that the best way to attach the gas tank is to drill holes through the bike’s frame.Some might say an easier way would be to strap the tank to the top frame bar, but Yeakel believes straps don’t make it secure enough. If the tank were to move, it could be dangerous.Yeakel has been experimenting with improvements to the motorized bicycle concept ever since his days as a pilot flying off the USS Enterprise.“We used to buy the bikes in the Philippines. They have them in Asia but they have flawed technology,” he said.So Yeakel figured he could improve on the concept.“I was trying to build a better mouse trap.”Yeakel and Thompson recently displayed some of their motorized bikes at the Hometown Farmers Market to gauge public opinion.“Last week was our first time doing that,” Thompson said.The bikes can achieve 120 miles a gallon. They’re not made for riding on streets as a licensed motorcycle. They’re more of a recreational opportunity.But the gas savings and low cost are obvious advantages.Expertise requiredA motorized bicycle can run about $500 to $1,000.Retrofitting an existing bike might cost about $375, while simply purchasing a motor, as a do-it-yourself, can cost about $225.But Yeakel warns do-it-yourselfers to stop before they start.Building a motorized bicycle is best left to those who’ve devoted years to the concept. Yeakel is committed to safety.“I would advise that if you that think you’re going to order a motorized bike kit and make yourself a motorized bicycle, think again,” said Yeakel.“You’ll figure out that you need a welder, a die grinder and whizzer and a torch just to mount the exhaust so the muffler doesn’t hit the pedals or you don’t ride out one day and smell breakfast bacon burning then realize it’s you.”The other warning Yeakel offers is that motorized bikes aren’t a toy. They can reach 40 miles an hour or maybe even 60 miles an hour going downhill.“These bikes are not something you hand to a 13- or 14-year-old kid,” said Yeakel.The toys Santa builds at his North Pole workshop are suitable for the little ones.But the ideas coming out of workshops in Coaldale and Coxeville are intended for adults.