Giant 3-speed Suede w/ Jackshaft Nightmare

KCvale · Jun 16, 2010

I set out to build my first Jackshaft shifter kit bike and wanted a heavy duty bike with shocks, so I ordered this 2010 Giant Suede GX.

What I got was this 2009 model.

I was going to just return it until I started looking at it.
This was a nicer bike. It has a seat shock, wood carrier, leather seat and awesome padded hand stitched hand grips, and it looked the motor would just fit so I kept it.

And so the nightmare began...

I set a motor in without the carb on it and figured everything would fit fine paying no attention whatsoever to my height constraint or the fact that the crank was way forward of the seat post.

I put the Jackshaft on the motor as instructed for a test fit and everything was going along great!

Heck, this was easy so far!

KCvale · Jun 16, 2010

I loose fit the motor on the bike and that is when the forward crank reared it's ugly head and asked "Can you see me now?".

With the chain lined up perfectly it hits the motor!

It didn't hit by much, if I could have raised the motor 6" it would clear, but I had no room at all.
There is only 4" of total motor movement so the solution had to come another way.

I wasted a couple of days messing around with trying design an idler pulley to get around the motor and then the guy at sickbikes had me try just moving the jackshaft sprocket out a bit.

That worked I thought.

But the angle was just too much and the chain kept coming off so I had to move the jackshaft sprocket out some.

I just put washers between the freewheel bearing and the sprocket.

And then it came to mounting the front.
I had no choice but to go with a bolt through the frame and it is nearly impossible to get to.

Very messy way to mount, but it works.

KCvale · Jun 16, 2010

Finally I am almost put together enough to try it out right?

Wrong!

That forward crank reared up again and said "I'm still here sucker"
The tailpipe won't fit!

I figure if I unbend the curve a bit it might mount and clear the crank case.
Anyone know a way to do that with minimal metal bending tools available?

Steve M · Jun 16, 2010

I like it! Should turn some heads! On bending your pipe I put the bolting flange in a vise and turn the muffler clock ways.
Hope this helps, Steve.

nidyanazo · Jun 16, 2010

No dont do that!

Go get a brazing torch for $20.

Heat that sucker up and it will bend easily.

KCvale · Jun 16, 2010

nidyanazo said:
Go get a brazing torch for $20.
Heat that sucker up and it will bend easily.

Where do I aim the flame, the curve in the pipe?
So hold the flange end with a vice, heat it up, and just grab the muffler end and bend?

I'll try that, thanks.

corgi1 · Jun 17, 2010

A vice,dont crush your flange, heat all around the pipe>>> AND<<<small bends move a long way ,it gets Hot,,plan and re-plan,then gental bends

KCvale · Jun 17, 2010

Thanks.
I have test pipe I can try first, it blew the back end off and the catalytic converter out.
You should have heard how loud it was, louder than no tailpipe at all, it was like a megaphone hehehehe ;-}

KCvale · Jun 17, 2010

I don't have a vice so I improvised ;-}
Introducing the Tailpipe Bending Truck Vise.

That is the test pipe I had that blew it's wad in the street.

I tried the good pipe first but I couldn't budge it and have nothing that can go around the muffler outside for leverage, so I will wait until I have some heat.

It was easy to test with this pipe, I have leverage on it.

I un-bent the curve about 5 degrees and that cleared the frame, but it is still outside too much to clear the the left pedal crank.

So I put it back in my truck-vice and tweaked it about 5 degrees in and that did the trick.

It actually fits quite nice and points almost straight down.

My "vise" did flatten the pressure point (blue circle) of the bend a bit so I'll put one of those curved cast iron motor mount brackets under it with something soft like a rag between them to spare the paint.

Thanks for the help guys, I should baring any more problems I should be operational soon now.
Actually, I am pretty tempted to go run it with the megaphone tailpipe just to try it out ;-}

KCvale · Jun 17, 2010

I love how just posting something with pics like my last post gives me new ideas.

I can bend this thing by hand.

First let me make it clear that you don't want to try to use your vehicles motor to operate the vise, use a jack.

I also put a kit bracket with some inner tube in the middle on the concrete to lesson the fulcrum point damage.

I have all the leverage I need this way.

Lock washers and lockTite and I am in business!

I guess it's time to get dressed and try it out.
I like working on them in boxers and slippers but I won't ride one that way hehehe ;-}

KCvale · Jun 17, 2010

I can't believe how fun this is to ride!

It's like a semi-automatic transmission.
I can lay on the power and move through the gears without letting up, and then back off the throttle and the engine drops to idle but the bike just keeps coasting at full speed.

The dual pull brakes are awesome too, she stops in on dime.

Everything seemed fine as I took it to higher speeds but then it happened... Threw the pedal chain.
I figured I just didn't have the pedal chain tight enough and tried it again and sure enough, threw it again cruising top end for awhile.

Then it dawned on me, there was something in the kit I hadn't installed...

How handy for that to be included.
I will remember to put it on before I mount the motor next time, but I got it in.

That seems to have fixed it but no more outside anything until morning, it's 105F (40.5C) outside right now.

One thing is for sure, I love this bike.
Despite all the hard work to make it, it rides exactly how I expected, like a luxury motorcycle.

KCvale · Jun 19, 2010

DONE!

I look like a giant on it, but note my left foot is fully extended and I am 6'2 and 165 Lbs.

She turned out pretty good though, and a real pleasure to ride.

I finished mounting everything like the lights and computer/speedometer and did all the detail work, it takes awhile.
Despite 4 cables and 2 wires going to the handlebars I managed to size and zip-tie them in nice and neat.

I love how clean my Keylock Ignition Modules go on, it really cleans up the look. The black thicker real gas line helps too.

The bungie cord came with the bike and I used a 6-pack Igloo for storage in that pic for multiple reasons but I am making something else now.

Now I just need to get some video of it in action.
I am thinking a small hot babe and shooting the video from the back of a pickup pacing just ahead of the bike.
Something good for YouTube.

The sound of the shifting and acceleration are pretty cool, I love it ;-}

corgi1 · Jun 19, 2010

is that you following the truck or her

KCvale · Jun 19, 2010

hahaha HER riding!

I am only 1/2 a mile away from the ASU West college campus and it is over 100 daily now, so the campus it is a sea of hot babes wearing as little as possible.
I'm pretty confident one would like to become a YouTube star and ride a fun toy, and by shooting it myself I can get exactly the shots I want ;-}

corgi1 · Jun 19, 2010

This could get to be a real nice thread lol

KCvale · Jun 25, 2010

I rode over to the campus yesterday but it's summer break and was 113F yesterday so the place was pretty much deserted.
I guess I will have to find my model elsewhere.

BarelyAWake · Jun 25, 2010

Lookin' good man (^)

After alla that it's deceptively simple & clean lookin' now - hard to spot the effort that went into it

KCvale said:
It's like a semi-automatic transmission.
I can lay on the power and move through the gears without letting up, and then back off the throttle and the engine drops to idle but the bike just keeps coasting at full speed.

A friendly warning, it's possible to detonate your 3-speed hub shifting this way - it may take it, it might not and it's totally up to you... but I back off the throttle a bit to less than engagement RPM before shifting and "ease" the RPM back to engagement to prevent/reduce the "slamming" effect of speedshifting, it's not as slow as it sounds...

...although

Sometimes... mebbe... if there's a recumbent that needs passing or a buncha spandexers takin' up the road... I might... NO! I would never "abuse" my ride that way - honest!!!

KCvale · Jun 26, 2010

BarelyAWake said:
Lookin' good man
...but I back off the throttle a bit to less than engagement RPM before shifting and "ease" the RPM back to engagement to prevent/reduce the "slamming" effect of speedshifting, it's not as slow as it sounds...

...although

Sometimes... mebbe... if there's a recumbent that needs passing or a buncha spandexers takin' up the road... I might... NO! I would never "abuse" my ride that way - honest!!!

Hahaha. Spandex has no chance against us ;-}

I actually ride it pretty smooth. I only do the full on power shifting when I want to show off and the heavy duty Nexus hub takes it smooth as silk.

I got to put some miles on it today in traffic in the afternoon heat. 111F when I went out.
I really like the look of the black Grubee's so that is all I have built with and now is when they really get the heat test.

No problems at all. I was cruising around 30 MPH at half throttle in 3rd for miles.
The canals are a fun place to ride, paved paths, and every now and then you get a banked concrete culvert for the street that dead ends at it to drain water. The shocks make a huge difference and once I got comfortable with them I was taking them at full speed and getting a wee bit of air, a very entertaining way to commute ;-}

I have a nice digital camera, I need to mount it somewhere and take some video of the canals I ride.
Phoenix really is a bicycle friendly town. All I get are big grins and "That is soooo cool" when I ride.
This was a really tough build but like many of you other guys bikes, it is unique and has a wow factor to it.

Thanks for the "clean look" comment too.
I don't care what it looks like while I building and testing, but come "finish work" time I take a lot of pride in buttoning them up nice.

wheelbender6 · Jun 26, 2010

That Giant bears a strong resemblance to a Trek Soul. Looks great and I like the high tech pipe bender.

donutguy · Jun 27, 2010

Dude....that is one sanitary ride.

It's all there but nothing jumps out at you-nice job.

Giant 3-speed Suede w/ Jackshaft Nightmare

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