My new Zipper, his name is Chan

Well guys, I finally have my zipper. It was fun to build and pretty darn easy too. The only parts missing were a nut, the spacer thingy in the back of the brake lever, and the brake pads on the front were ripped. I fixed all these things and I got a new battery from radioshack. Now everything is working well. The only few stupid things I did were getting confused about which sprocket the drive chain goes on and which crank arm is right or left. I figured those things out lol. The other stupid thing is the center pull brakes. I HATE adjusting those, I will get the linear pulls eventually. I am more than satisfied with the build of this bike though! There were the proper holder loops for the throttle cable, the engine mounted like a dream on rubber cushions, and the muffler was also rubber mounted. The 24 inch wheels are steel rimmed and the spokes are size 12. The holes and hardware all lined up easily and the frame is nice and strong. The brakes are the most sensitive that I've ever had on a motorbike, the bell is cute, and the engine runs really well and revs up quickly. It is funnest thing I've ever ridden. I am so happy with this bike and the guys at Pirate, as always, were awesome and it was fun to go to the shop again. Here are some pics!

ZIPPER Brand - FindOwnerSearch

It was so great, it seems that everyone had varying degrees of damage to theirs, but hey, these are old. Meanwhile, a side project of mine is trying to trace Richard Wagner. As of 2008 he was still alive but he has tried a huge degree of business ventures since the Zipper. If I find him, I'm gonna try to find out what factory made them, and then maybe I'll pass on the info to whoever might like to manufacture these again. I could see a market for these cool little bikes in the U.S. In the 90's gas didn't cost NEARLY as much as it does now and they might do better. TODAY, I RIDE!!!! and make video

The good and the bad...

Well guys, I started out riding at about 10 today and I had a really good time...for a mile or so...Thing one that was wrong, the fuel cap was terribly vented so my engine died and it took me a long time to figure out that was the problem.

Then I rode along merrily, putting along at a slow but fun speed. Everything was working great, but I stopped and pulled the plug on the engine and saw it was running lean. When I re-positioned the needle in the carburetor, the little metal piece that goes on top of the clip and needle assembly fell in the grass and I lost it. I went to the recycling can at the park, got an energy drink can, cut out the bottom with my leatherman and made a new little metal piece to replace the one I lost.

Then I rode along another 3 or so miles and it was fun and it all went just fine, I rode along the beach, and stopped there for a bit, only to realize the weld on the muffler mount snapped. I had to use zip ties to keep it in place until I could get to the hardware store. On my way there, I ran the tank dry and had to bleed the fuel line when I added more fuel. I got to the hardware store, got a hose clamp, a spring, some screws, and some other parts, and put them on the bike.

The engine continued to run BEAUTIFULLY for the 5 or so miles back home but as I was shifting through the gears, suddenly CLINK DINK CLUNK PING..... My freewheel on the output shaft of the transmission exploded. I'm getting the staton freewheel adapter to fix it. It was my fault, I didn't know you weren't supposed to shift under power.

I really love this bike, and it's super fun, but there are some things about it that need to be improved. I'll make a better muffler mount and I still need to get the electric start to actually work reliably. It was still a lot of riding today, and I still had a good time, but there were a lot of things that went wrong I love the little engine though, it is so much more reliable than an HT, NO PROBLEMS with it at all. I'll get it all figured out and be back on the road in a week, though I wish it were sooner

Yepperz I was

He said that, that's why I thought it was ok, but it's only a matter of time until his blows up too... Staton parts and I'll be back on the road next week...

I'm sticking with a cheapy freewheel since I don't have much $$$ but I'm getting his cnc machined freewheel adapter which according to my digital caliper should fit easily.

did the freewheel actually fit though? The problem is no one has an 18t metric

To all of you who had troubles with your freewheel and wanted to get an adapter with AMERICAN threads NOT metric but with the right dimensions for the shaft, staton bought the tools to get this job done and he will be making several freewheel adapters that have left hand threads. Unfortunately left-handed freewheels only exist in 16 and 22t so I guess I'll be doing a little speed mod to Chan! I'll tell you how it all goes. It's been FOREVER since I've ridden and I can't wait to get back to it!