1976 Western Flyer

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livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
After having issues with my first bike, I decided I'm gonna go ahead and build up a different one. After wrecking and messing up the front forks, and not really having the brakes that I want, I'm gonna build up on a Western Flyer that I got from the Antique store that I work at. I'm still gonna keep the belt drive, but I'm also going to keep the pedals in working order as well as the coaster brake. Right now, I just need to get a different rear wheel, a different belt, and I might try to make up a jackshaft so the engine is centered in the frame. A friend of mine gave me an old edger with a 1980 2hp Briggs that his father quit using a long time ago because it quit running. After replacing the points ignition coil with the electronic coil, the engine ran just fine on whatever it is that was in the tank(it didn't smell like good gas). I'll get some pictures later, right now I'm messing around with cleaning and tuning the engine because it's been sitting in weeds for five years.
 
livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
Been out on the road a few times with pretty much the same setup as my last bike, just without a belt tensioner right now so I'm moving with whatever the belt can grab on its own. Engine runs very nicely. I've been thinking that since this engine does have points in it, that I might put a car ignition coil and a battery on it and some kind of small charging system; mainly for looks of course. I wouldn't do it for any kind of power increase because the little 2hp seems like it runs a lot stronger than the 3.5 that I had before it. Still need to get some money up so I can buy a 26"x1 3/8" wheel with a coaster brake in it being this bike originally had just a coaster brake. Right now I swapped out the front forks for a set with a v-brake on it, but it doesn't quite fit and it doesn't look right. I also still need to setup the throttle and I'm still contemplating a jackshaft of some kind for it. I picked up some pillow block bearings and I might try to do something with that. I'm also gonna try to get some pictures of it tomorrow so everyone can see what I'm up to with this thing.
 
M

msrfan

Well-Known Member
Sep 17, 2010
1,808
120
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Southern California
The electronic ignition coil you installed should replace the points totally. The magnet generates a pulse without the points on an electronic unit.
 
livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
I know, it's just that being they're still there, but not in use and I was thinking use them with a car coil mainly for looks and I do have one laying around. I have nothing against the electronic coil and I generally replace every points coil I come across with no spark with one. I'm just thinking of doing something different.
 
wheelbender6

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
4,059
221
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TX
Cool. My motorbike is also a 1976 Western Flyer. Made in Tennessee. It has a 2 stroke China girl in the frame. Sturdy but soaks up vibration well.
 
livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
wheelbender6 said:
Cool. My motorbike is also a 1976 Western Flyer. Made in Tennessee. It has a 2 stroke China girl in the frame. Sturdy but soaks up vibration well.
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Well, that bike sure looks much better than mine. Mine was apprently sprayed gold at one point in time, but it's mostly green and rust with the Galaxie Flyer on the chain gaurd in red and white. I also don't have a springer fork like yours. I also couldn't tell you where it was made, but I can say it's a Shwinn bike because it says so on the pedals. I finally had it up to top speed which is about 32mph; and that is pretty good for this tired old engine. It could do a little faster with a larger pulley, but 32 is pretty good. It's been burning oil, so I took the head off to see how bad it was. I found compression leaks at four different, oil-soaked headbolts, the compression chamber was coated in oil and carbon (I was surprised it was running with the amount of buildup around the valves), and what I thought was valve knock is piston slap; I was able to push the piston about 1/16" sideways in the cylinder, surprisingly no cylinder scoring. With it sitting at idle, I couldn't tell if there was more smoke and oil coming out of the muffler or the breather tube! But somehow this engine will not die and runs stronger than the 3.5hp I had before it. Also extremely easy to bump start. It takes about four turns of the engine for it to catch with bump starting whereas the recoil start would take all day because the spring is broken. I guess for a free engine with a coil stolen from a broken 11hp Briggs, it's not all too bad. No pictures yet because I can't find the little card that goes in my camera and my phone doesn't take decent pictures when it actually wants to take a picture.
 
livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
Finally found the card that goes in my camera, turned out it was in the computer the whole time I was looking. Any way, here's the pictures. The first two show the current tensioner setup, I'm gonna eventually have it lever operated from the handle bars once I figure out how to hold the cable in place. The next just shows the engine and how it doesn't have a recoil since that broke; with how well this engine bump starts, it doesn't need it. The one pedal is currently supporting the engine a little bit, when I'm done I will be able to pedal the bike and the engine won't need it for extra support. Finally, the last is where I have compression leaks around the front three headbolts and it looks like it might be leaking around the spark plug too. The plug lead is exposed because it had the little lever that you pushed over to short out the plug, I'm gonna put a boot on it since it doesn't have that anymore. So far, I'm having fun and I'm no where near done.
 
mapbike

mapbike

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2010
5,502
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Central Area of Texas
livesteamfan said:
Finally found the card that goes in my camera, turned out it was in the computer the whole time I was looking. Any way, here's the pictures. The first two show the current tensioner setup, I'm gonna eventually have it lever operated from the handle bars once I figure out how to hold the cable in place. The next just shows the engine and how it doesn't have a recoil since that broke; with how well this engine bump starts, it doesn't need it. The one pedal is currently supporting the engine a little bit, when I'm done I will be able to pedal the bike and the engine won't need it for extra support. Finally, the last is where I have compression leaks around the front three headbolts and it looks like it might be leaking around the spark plug too. The plug lead is exposed because it had the little lever that you pushed over to short out the plug, I'm gonna put a boot on it since it doesn't have that anymore. So far, I'm having fun and I'm no where near done.
Click to expand...

Not seeing any pics...........

must have been an issue uploading them.

map
 
C

curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
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minesota
Off to a realy good start, if you run a jack shaft you could center the engine.
Normally the tensioner goes on the slack side of the belt but if it work good that way go for it. You have it on the power or pull side. Thats a nice little engine...........Curt
 
livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
curtisfox said:
Off to a realy good start, if you run a jack shaft you could center the engine.
Normally the tensioner goes on the slack side of the belt but if it work good that way go for it. You have it on the power or pull side. Thats a nice little engine...........Curt
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I would like to run a jack shaft on it for that very reason, but lack of time and money (mainly money) said I should go with this instead.The reason I put the tensioner where it is is because I wanted to be able to pedal the bicycle and that was also the only place I could get that big pulley to fit. I had a smaller one, but it fell apart. The engine has been nice to me so far, but is starting to show its age of 33 years. It burns through its oil supply in about 50 miles, it smokes, knocks, and I can wiggle the piston in the cylinder. I have a vertical shaft engine somewhere that I can steal parts from to fix the old girl up, I'd also like to try and do some performance mods to try and get more than 2HP out of it. Until then, it runs good enough and top speed is 27mph on flat ground, 22 uphill and 35 downhill.
 
C

curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
6,048
3,959
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minesota
What i did years ago was use a bottom bracket with the crank bearings and all, some how cut the pedal arms off and used it.
Or changed the shaft but still used the crank bearings 50+ years ago so kind of forgot the details, anyway it worked good...........Curt
 
F

Fixit

New Member
Jul 19, 2013
3
0
0
Waveland,ms.
.flg..flg.
livesteamfan said:
Been out on the road a few times with pretty much the same setup as my last bike, just without a belt tensioner right now so I'm moving with whatever the belt can grab on its own. Engine runs very nicely. I've been thinking that since this engine does have points in it, that I might put a car ignition coil and a battery on it and some kind of small chargiH.duh..duh.ng system; mainly for looks of course. I wouldn't do it for any kind of power increase because the little 2hp seems like it runs a lot stronger than the 3.5 that I had before it. Still need to get some money up so I can buy a 26"x1 3/8" wheel with a coaster brake in it being this bike originally had just a coaster brake. Right now I swapped out the front forks for a set with a v-brake on it, but it doesn't quite fit and it doesn't look right. I also still need to setup the throttle and I'm still contemplating a jackshaft of some kind for it. I picked up some pillow block bearings and I might try to do something with that. I'm also gonna try to get some pictures of it tomorrow so everyone can see what I'm up to with this thing.
Click to expand...
 
wheelbender6

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
4,059
221
63
TX
i would recommend a cruiser rear wheel (26x1.75, 26x2) rather than 26x1 3\8. There is a very limited selection or tires available for 26x1 3\8. 26x1 3\8 tires will not fit rims for 26x1.75 and 26x2. In general, tire sizes ending in a fraction do no interchange with tire sizes ending in a decimal. 26x1.75 will not fit a rim for 26x1 3\4.
 
livesteamfan

livesteamfan

Member
Oct 24, 2009
126
1
18
Palmetto, FL
wheelbender6 said:
i would recommend a cruiser rear wheel (26x1.75, 26x2) rather than 26x1 3\8. There is a very limited selection or tires available for 26x1 3\8. 26x1 3\8 tires will not fit rims for 26x1.75 and 26x2. In general, tire sizes ending in a fraction do no interchange with tire sizes ending in a decimal. 26x1.75 will not fit a rim for 26x1 3\4.
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I would like to use a cruiser wheel, but being I have nothing to widen the rear forks or cut and extend them, I put the two 26x1 3/8 wheels together because, although bigger than the original wheel, they do fit within the rear forks and so far between this bike and the other ones this has been on, I have about 2000-3000 miles on this setup without much of a problem. Plus, the local hardware store always has this tire and tube size in stock at $10.99 tire and $4.99 tube.
 
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