motorized bicycle quick tips

iRide Customs · #11 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 09:08 AM

The stuff I used was gasket material from work that was laying around. I don't think you'll have a probley melting any thick rubber though. Try it and report back your findings.

Dan

**Bikeguy Joe** · #12 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 05:24 PM

Remove the right hand side cover and grease the gears with some white lithium grease, or high temp. wheel bearing grease.

**Norman** · #13 (**permalink**) 01-20-2008, 03:53 PM

Guys
When you first get your engine take the time to make good gaskets use the kits gasket as a pattern and use your home made ones. mostly the side covers,intake and exhaust will be the ones to make here's an example.

**Norman** · #14 (**permalink**) 01-20-2008, 04:01 PM

Here's how I get the nice holes. you can cheat by using the right size tubing and sharping the end. Most important I think is the wood block using the end grain this will make the best backup. another tool for holes is a leather punch. You all will come up with other ideas I'm sure so share them.

**Norman** · #15 (**permalink**) 01-20-2008, 04:07 PM

Get good gasket material I go to a shop that makes oil field industrial gaskets and these guys let me have scraps. The picture shows examples the high temp material will work good on the head and exhaust believe it or not.

Pablo · #16 (**permalink**) 01-20-2008, 07:41 PM

Good stuff. Two tips from today:

1) Redo the cheesy bullet connectors for the wires to the CDI pack. They barely make electrical contact. I temporarily crimped mine. Works fine, but will make some nice HD connections in the spring.

2) Totally ignore the carb instructions on the Chinese kits. Put it together logically. Don't even look at the pictures!

deacon · #17 (**permalink**) 01-20-2008, 07:46 PM

Find the norman post and use it instead of the directions for the carb and ask questions

**Norman** · #18 (**permalink**) 01-21-2008, 03:52 PM

If you just gotta work over the mainjet by soldering it closed and redrilling may I suggest a set of these drills and pen vice. I got the vice at a hobby shop and the metric micro drills at a gun show.

deacon · #19 (**permalink**) 01-22-2008, 08:14 AM

Not sure if I gave this tip or not but here is one for those of us who are clutz types. During all my throttle troubles, and there were many, I got the silver washer behind the needle sucked into the engine, (don't ask and I won't tell) anyway I had to have a replacement. Of course there is no such thing. HOwever there is a flat washer that fits the cylinder perfectly. I'm not sure if it is an 8 or 10 but I think 10. Just have to grind a corner off for the cable to pass.

The clip on the needle is available from a good auto parts store. A number 4 finishing nail is almost the exact diameter of the needle end. It is just a little bit fatter but nothing you cant correct for. So you can carry one of them to the auto parts store for the match. That is if you dont trust yourself to carry the needle, I didn't.

Eve if the new clip is smaller than the orig it will block the hole in the bottom of the cylinder just fine and if the clip looks as though it could work itself through the washer (if you had to use a generic one like I did) you can cut a bit from an alum coke can, drive a nail through it and make a second washer to slip under the steel washer. A number four finishing nail and you have a perfect fit.

My throttle cable now has only one end the small one. I'm thinking that if it goes bad, i can grind the end of a regular cable down to make the smaller end of the throttle cable saving me having to try to find one like it.

So it looks like most of the small easy to lose parts can be replaced. The needle I'm not sure of. Does anyone know where one of those could be found.

**Norman** · #20 (**permalink**) 01-23-2008, 08:50 PM

When you first get your engine do you ever take a bike frame tube and tape course #80 grit emery cloth to a chunk of correct size frame tube and sand the mounting lugs on the engine to get rid of any imperfection on the mount as I've done this on all of mine and yet to have a engine fall off or come loose along with the other frame mounting technique I use and employ.
Something to ponder.
Norman