Terrible noise under power and pedal

Well I took my 80cc china beach cruiser out on its maiden voyage just now. I am thrilled.

However, there is a great deal of noise coming from the engine whenever the engine is off and I am pedaling. A fair amount of resistance too I might add.

It is a high pitched noise with some whirring. Please be aware that the clutch is not the culprit. The noise persists when the clutch is engaged, the engine on and cruising.

When I first got the engine, pressing the clutch would not do a thing. I opened the clutch cover and was able to lock the large gear in place while I force the small deal in the middle to move, it broke loose and the small drive sprocket would then move when the clutch was disengaged.

I feel like the problem is a lack of lubrication between those two parts, which is probably why they were stuck to begin with.

Sorry for the long post.

Anybody had this problem? Am I on the right track?

Thanks,

Dave

Thanks for the welcome and the response.

I don't know exactly what takes place between the clutch on the one side and the drive sprocket on the other side. is there a set of bearings in there?

It seems like whatever is in the middle is causing the problem. I dont really want to take it all apart because I don't know what kind of mess I may be getting into.

Does someone have a picture or diagram of the drive assembly?

Sometime in the next day or two I'll take the clutch plate off and go for a pedal ride just to be sure its not the clutch. But the flower nut and I are well acquainted.

Perfect, thank you.

Oh man, thats just what I was looking for!

Should I go with something thin like gear oil or something thicker like grease?

Thanks a bunch everyone.

I hope I didn't do too much damage riding for about a mile without proper lubrication.

And hey, how do I get that ball out? I can get the little dowel piece out but it looks like i'll need a long skinny magnet for the ball.