Is This Kit Nuts? or am I nuts

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captainmorse

New Member
Nov 12, 2010
29
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S.E. Florida
I just got a BGF/model Z280-BK Putting it on a Shwinn Riverside Cruiser.
First....NO ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS CAME WITH IT.......
I got the engine and all parts on the Bike....but two things got my goat here.
the nuts that came with the Kit to fasten the tank to the brackets are too big...they screw on but are a quick to big as they slip the Thread when
you go to tighten them down.....Now I'm going to take the tank to hardware
Store to find 4 nuts for it.:-||
Now for the Most AGRAVATING....The 3 bolts holding the clutch cover
is torqued down so TIGHT that I cannot get them free...I only got one free
the bolts are Straight/phillips head type and are so cheap as to strip the head
easily while trying to loosen them....I then tried an extraction tool....still the bolt would not budge...even broke the extraction tool. What Bothers me about this is that the NUMBNUTS putting these engines together KNOW that
the installation requires removal of that cover...Why bother to Tighten them down so much?
:-||
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
you can make a poor man's impact driver by taking a screwdriver and tap it with a hammer as you turn it. that might help.

i replace all the hardware with grade 8 allen head bolts as soon as i open the box.

instructions are available online somewhere...

...here's one from zone 8: bicycle engine kit installation

i didn't read through it to see how accurate it is, but it sounds like you've got most of it figured out.
 

msrfan

Well-Known Member
Sep 17, 2010
1,808
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Southern California
Yeah, that hardware is a joke. I also bought allen bolts to replace the ones provided. An old machinist taught me that a little valve grinding compound on the driver tip helps it grip. But if the clutch cover bolt heads are too far gone, you can drill them out with a 6mm or 1/4" drill bit, being careful not to go too deep. Be sure the bit is centered on the head and once it pops off and the cover is removed, there should be plenty of room for vice grips to twist the rest out. The nuts and bolts used on these motors are all metric. I know thread pitches and sizes are a mystery to some. The best thing you can do to learn is to purchase a digital caliper that switches from metric to SAE, and metric and american pitch gauges. The calipers are usually on sale at Harbor Freight and Auto Zone for around $15.00. Pitch gauges are available from industrial and tool suppliers and are reasonably priced. This takes all the guess work out of identifying sizes, and saves taking parts to the store to match. You go into a hardware store asking for the size you want and it saves you from an ignorant employee costing you another trip. Every time I go to Ace Hardware I end up helping two or three customers find metric stuff because the staff had no clue. An impact driver is also a good investment. Good luck. Would like to see photos of your bike.
 

Nashville Kat

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2009
1,501
55
48
Jacksonville, Florida
Yes- several different sets installation instructions are available at sites that sell the kits-

most are PDF files like Adobe reader- you can save the files on your computer and even print them out if you want-

Once you do a build- it's fairly all self-explanatory after that.

as for the clutch coverbolts- maybe Detroit has sent their strongest bubbas to sabotage your kit.
Get a square shafted Craftsman slothead you can get a crescent wrench on-

Ancient Mechanic Secret!
 
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captainmorse

New Member
Nov 12, 2010
29
0
0
S.E. Florida
This is all fine and dandy....however As I indicated earlier These bolts are on
so tight that I broke an extractor in one....Try as I may I have not been
able to drill through it. I called the BGF/manufacturers and get nothing but
recordings...leave name and number....Does not sound like a very reputable
buisness, if they cannot perform custumer service.
I can deal with having to make changes here and there...as the learning
process resumes....but from what I am seeing from videos and reading posts, BGF is not a reputable company that instantly stands behind their product or
good to deal with...OBVIOUSLY this company has to know of the little quirks
[like overtightened bolts] that its customer public faces and has not done much to remedy it. [How hard is it to remember not to torque these bolts down?].:-||
As I was going through the hardware I noticed a tiny brass part with threading on it as though it was some connector of sorts it was among all the nuts and washers. Any one might know what that might be?
Of all the Kits and Engines out there can anyone recommend a reputable and quality one?
Thanks Hal
 

msrfan

Well-Known Member
Sep 17, 2010
1,808
120
63
Southern California
Might as well get your cutoff wheel and/or hacksaw with some punches and work it until it's free. Destroy the cover. They're cheap. Sounds like a stupid thing to have to do, but it may be the only way. BGF has NO customer service. Just generic advice that has nothing to do with your complaint. I had to balance both of the last BGF motors I bought.
 

captainmorse

New Member
Nov 12, 2010
29
0
0
S.E. Florida
Hi...All of you have been super helpfull....The Brass thingy is the the Clutch cable stop.
OK....here it is...I have every thing together and looking good....Now for the Final headache.....When I pull in the Clutch lever it will not engage....Thus I cannot start peddaling to start the engine. I see the resistance on the cable and bar and all in it when I check it all..but the gears will not disengage themselves for some reason....
Any one knows about this? Also It seems that BGF is not a reliable responsible company to deal with. What motors/kits can I purchase that has good and reliable, with companies that have a decent customer service?
Thanks
 

captainmorse

New Member
Nov 12, 2010
29
0
0
S.E. Florida
Ok...got the clutch working....did a run and with considerable effort and some stamina,
got it running...once.....I shut it down and now it wont start at all....
[AMENDED]
After some investigating I noticed the the Spark plug wire at the Plug end was not connected
properly on the Plug itself....it had detached itself. Where can I get a new one....I was going
to use an older one I had laying around but the Mag is sealed...so I cannot open it to reattach
a new wire into it. I have built and repaired Motorcycles since I was 16 and I'm 59....between
some of the help here you guys have given me and my own knowlege and ingenuity, I have gotten this far. But I have never encoutered a piece of garbage such as this.
 
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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
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living the dream in southern california
the plug wire unscrews from the CDI. there's screw threads inside and the new wire just screws back on.

it's a primitive system, but it works.

some plug wires can be in there pretty tight, and i've heard of some that were sealed with glue or something, but they all unscrew.

then you can use a real wire and boot. i use 7mm non-resistor copper core wire. good auto parts stores and lawnmower shops have it.