morini hotrod

GoldenMotor.com

camlifter

Active Member
May 4, 2009
1,033
16
36
acme labs marion ohio
got the morini build done, this thing is crazy fast, the clutch dosen't kick in untill your almost reved out. with the nuvinci hub in low it was throwing up rooster tails in the yard. damn hard to get used to the clutch, can't wait untill i can dial the clutch down some, it's almost unrideable the way it is. heres some pics.
 

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silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Wow, that is one nice looking bike. I can picture you eating up that dirt track in Ohio. So how can you 'dial down' the clutch engagement? I hope to see and hear it this fall at the bike show/race. Is that still on?
SB
 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
Beautiful build Cam lifter and great looking pipe set up.
The reason these motors need to engage at a high rpm because it needs to engage near the power band or your bike will bog and sometime will not run if the engagement is set too low. I'm pretty sure its the 3 shoe so you can adjust it by removing the clutch and barely back out (1/8-1/4) the screw in the center of the shoes. Dean made me a new intake manifold for my bike that kicks the carb out to the side so I can install a different air filter. I'll post a picture of it soon.
 

camlifter

Active Member
May 4, 2009
1,033
16
36
acme labs marion ohio
dvddtz. we've been a little lax on emails lately, for now were not making any parts or tanks except for our own use untill we get the v twin going.

the clutch engagement has to come way down, it's way to high, kind of like your drag racing just to make it go, theres no way i would try to ride it through town the way it is. i'm going to adjust it as soon as we get back from ventage days this weekend, no way i'm going to ride it for 5 hours like this. we'll see what early adjustment does to the break in.
 

nidyanazo

New Member
May 25, 2010
316
1
0
SoCal
Although I don't like the style of the bike cam, I will commend you on the quality welding you did with the mounts. But the overall package seems poorly planned. The hub is rated for a maximum sustained HP or 7.0. I can see that you are using the 9.4hp engine. Plus the associated drivetrain losses of three chains, and the rotating mass of all those sprockets, shafts and finally the heavy rear hub.

You took the photos before you rode it right? I hope you pulled the red crankcase plug like the yellow sticker indicates.

Good job on the mounting, now make some videos of it running!

PS. looks heavy. what's the ready to ride weight?
 

camlifter

Active Member
May 4, 2009
1,033
16
36
acme labs marion ohio
haven't weighed it but it is heavier than it was with an ht motor. the nv hub probably adds 10 lbs. if your going to have shifting then you need the jack shaft. yeah, pulled the plug, i like to leave stickers on.
 

Kevlarr

New Member
Jul 22, 2009
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Mi
Although I don't like the style of the bike cam, I will commend you on the quality welding you did with the mounts. But the overall package seems poorly planned. The hub is rated for a maximum sustained HP or 7.0. I can see that you are using the 9.4hp engine. Plus the associated drivetrain losses of three chains, and the rotating mass of all those sprockets, shafts and finally the heavy rear hub.

You took the photos before you rode it right? I hope you pulled the red crankcase plug like the yellow sticker indicates.

Good job on the mounting, now make some videos of it running!

PS. looks heavy. what's the ready to ride weight?
Pot meet kettle? laff

Looks awesome camlifter. Very well thought out and executed. It's almost like you took some time and thought out the install instead of just slapping a Morini on a bike with some straps.
 

GeneFiorot

Member
Feb 12, 2009
170
1
18
Punta Gorda Florida
One thing for sure is the engine won't bog from a dead stop if you can get the clutch to engage early. There is no reason to have to be in the Power Band to enjoy the rideability of this engine After all that is the beauty of the engine to begin with. With my build I don't think we hit the power band yet and it is plenty fast.
 

nidyanazo

New Member
May 25, 2010
316
1
0
SoCal
Pot meet kettle? laff

Looks awesome camlifter. Very well thought out and executed. It's almost like you took some time and thought out the install instead of just slapping a Morini on a bike with some straps.

My steel "straps" as you call them are great.. Strong as s**t and work as designed. Light weight, too.

Form follows function my friend.

 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
One thing for sure is the engine won't bog from a dead stop if you can get the clutch to engage early. There is no reason to have to be in the Power Band to enjoy the rideability of this engine After all that is the beauty of the engine to begin with. With my build I don't think we hit the power band yet and it is plenty fast.
You're saying that if you engage the clutch at a low rpm (1-3k) it won't have a problem accelerating or hitting top speed or half speed? This I'd like to see. Post a video of it engaging that early from a dead stop to top speed.
GH had a 2 shoe clutch and stretched his clutch springs and his bike wouldn't run after that until he replaced his clutch with a 3 shoe.
 

GeneFiorot

Member
Feb 12, 2009
170
1
18
Punta Gorda Florida
You can ask Jim Manic Mechanic how he adjusted the clutch to engage at a low rpm and the bike can take off from a dead stop with no problem. and since it engages early it is less wear on the clutch and certainly will have no effect in reaching top speed and rpm since it is fully engaged. I am not making a video you can take Jim's word if you don't care to take mine. It is a 2 shoe clutch and it is the 5.8 motor. I do believe you can achieve almost the same results with the 9.4 although you probably have to engage a bit higher. Who wants to engage at 11,000 rpm anyway?
 
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GeneFiorot

Member
Feb 12, 2009
170
1
18
Punta Gorda Florida
i do!!!!!!!!!!~
Well if you want an on/off situation then engaging at that rpm is fine. But if you want to ride at all different rpms then your clutch will be slipping and heating and wearing prematurely. There is no downside to engaging earlier. As long as you have enough initial rpm to keep the motor running. With the 5.8 it is very comfortable at all speed ranges with Jims mod. As a stock 5.8 it was not that rideable and clutch slipping would have destroyed the clutch in short order. Judging by other Morini Clutch Problems posted here that is probably the biggest reason for clutch failure.
 

Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
47
38
Aztlán, Arizona
The one thing I don't like is if you try to take off up hill it won't happen even if I pedal as hard as I can. The BoXer really needs to be multi-speed. My friend lives on a hill and it's not even steep, the only way to go up the hill is to go down turn around on flat ground and go 40mph just to make it to the top. Like I have always said...my China girl pulls the Morini like its a joke on the low end.

Sometimes I feel like mounting the motor on my Specialized just so I have the option of using the gears for pedaling. Next DR I just might do that cause there is gonna be more Morini's and I need the option of the pedal gears to make up for the Morini's lack of low end.

For daily riding around town, I need the power but not at 40mph. When I went up A Mt not too long ago I could barley keep the Morini doing 10mph and that was pedaling with my heart just about ready to bust out of my chest.

I don't see how kids use these motors on mini-bikes. I wish I could swap it to a manual clutch, I should be the one that decides how the power is laid down not the clutch.

*I can cruise all day long at 20mph, as long as there is no hill
 
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foureasy

New Member
Jul 9, 2009
478
0
0
tucson
i probably have 500 miles on this clutch total, and half of that is with this configuration of reduced weight and more spring tension. it probably engages at 3000-3500rpm. i would like to be engaging a little higher, but i dont ever have to pedal, which is good because the clutch sticks out too far and stops my crank arm anyway.



the point is, all you have to do is add weight or reduce spring tension to achieve what you all want. if you add weight, try to add the same amount to the same places on the shoes. springs are fairly consistent if you can find them locally.

under 50cc motors that can turn 11k rpm dont make very much power down low, and morinis are for motorcycles that dont have pedals.
 
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camlifter

Active Member
May 4, 2009
1,033
16
36
acme labs marion ohio
i haven't had the cover off to look yet, but the paper work says there are 3 arms with clickers on them, turn ccw to bring the clutch in at a lower rpm. with the gears in the nv all the low ranges are just about useless with the high rpm engagement, you have to be about half way through the ranges to get a little speed out of it. so it should work well with a lower rpm engagement since the gearing will still let it rap out before you up shift. the rear wheel cocked over on me today so i'm making toruqe arms to beef it up. it's just so radical engaging at that high of an rpm that it's hard on everything. once i get the clutch dialed down some i think it will be a lot of fun, as it is now theres no cruising, you just blast up to speed, then coast and then blast up to speed again, not realy fun riding like that.
 

foureasy

New Member
Jul 9, 2009
478
0
0
tucson
i forgot your bike was variated, (so to speak). you definitely do not need a high engagement then. i really want to see that hub last with that motor.