Riding in the hood.

**CRUISER** · #81 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 09:18 PM

they do with all of us deacon and our wifes will never understand. just something about these motor bicycles that we become obsessed with them

deacon · #82 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 09:38 PM

I sure was like fish out of water while it was down. The guy at the bike store got the wheel trued and I bought a chain from him... It's a purdy chrome one. I am looking forward to testing it tomorrow. Even the electrified sissy bike.

deacon · #83 (**permalink**) 02-23-2008, 05:14 PM

somebody just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Today was one of those I shudda stayed in bed days. I fooled around all morning trying to stabilize the sissy schwinn. I figued I wood prototype it. Everything would have worked, if I could weld. Of course I can't and pcv is to flexible to use for a sidecar frame.

So the weather turned off nice this afternoon. Off I go riding the new gas bike. It does pretty well except for all these new noises. I come home and find the new twenty dollar tensioner is frozen. Naturally that gave a rash. If I tighten it down then it freezes if I leave it loose it gets completely loose and i have several inches of slack. I have decided thats enough buying parts that should work. They are never going to work for me like they should. I will just fake it that works best for me.

So I decided to break the chain on the bike side and add a link so I can stretch out the motor chain and throw the tensioner as far as possible... I started this day with two chain breakers. The half working park and the bell from wallymart. I stripped the threads in the wallymart trying to break a chain that refused to budge. The the park came apart and a piece got lost in my shop. Yes I will find it some day but in the meantime I have a bike that is down for lack of a couple of links of chain and I have chain all over the place I cant get a link out of.

The weather is supposed to be pretty good tomorrow and I will probably be stuck here waiting to buy a chain braker. the figure out what I am going to do for a tensioner.

I did ride a bit and had two people ask me what the **** I was riding. Always get stopped. The electric bike is a lot more reliable but not as much fun.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #84 (**permalink**) 02-23-2008, 05:46 PM

Sounds like ya' had a rough one.

deacon · #85 (**permalink**) 02-23-2008, 07:08 PM

Yeah my balance got okay to day to I wanted to work. Hey I did find the missing part of the chain breaker and made it work long enough to get a chain on the pedal side. Looks like I can ride tomorrow after all.

I still have to do something about the length of the chain. I added enough links to tighten the motor side but had to really crank the old tension to use as a chain guide. Take out the two halfs of the link and it is too tight for what I want too loose with them in. I might give that half link idea a shot. I have ordered a new chain breaker maybe this brand will be better.

And Joe I stripped the threads out of that bell breaker on the second 1/8" rivet. Man what junk. Somebody needs to make one that is just a six inch C clamp type thing with a little cup at the end of a pointed rod. The tiny cup to grab the round head of the pin.

deacon · #86 (**permalink**) 02-24-2008, 12:17 PM

It looks as though God my finally be smiling on the fatboy. The weather is going to be nice all next week. Well temperature wise anyway. I might just get out to do some riding other than within walking distance of my home. I still am trying to build up some faith that I will actually come riding the bike home not pushing it.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #87 (**permalink**) 02-24-2008, 02:42 PM

I'm telling you, every ride I went on ended in me pulling into the driveway, engine on, without a care in the world except a nearly empty tank.

Once you break in the engine, and check all your nuts and bolts and ect. you are ready to go, fuel capacity being your only limiting factor.

Neither of the two I built, or the one I have now ever left me stranded, the worst time was when I ran out of gas 7 miles from home on my frame mount Western Flyer, and that ride home was nothing.

deacon · #88 (**permalink**) 02-28-2008, 11:18 AM

I finally have the bike back to the point that I trust it. I have finally give it a name. "The Transylvainia county chopper

deacon · #89 (**permalink**) 02-29-2008, 02:24 PM

I broke my bike chain today. Thank god I had a front hand brake, well not really I was pulling away from stop sign so no big deal. I was also a block from home so it also wasn't much of a biggie.

I had put a link in my bike chain and knew it wasn't exactly right. Well guess what almost won't work on bike chains probably not on the motor side either. I came home and respliced the chain. A lot more carefully this time.

Tomorrow it will be warmer and I'll give it a long test ride.

Autocycler · #90 (**permalink**) 02-29-2008, 04:03 PM

Sweet name, Deacon. MY bike has cost me some blood too....mostly cash though.