weed eater muffler mods

do you think that the clutch slows down the engine? I think that if there is too much of a load on it the clutch slips. It's probably a lot more forgiving to the engine to use it but... Weedwackers are cheap and easy to mount and use.

I'm getting a bike today to mount on, it's a MadWagon. Never heard of it and looks like the company went out. it's a big heavy frame, cantilever style. Perfect for this.

I'll post a link to the dave's farm video after i get out of work, even our shoddy net nanny picks up on youtube. (I'm on break now.)

His how to video is here:
YouTube - how to build a weedeater motorized bicycle

the video of the bike is here
YouTube - weedwhacker, motorized bicycle

I love that conversion kit... It gives me some ideas.

In the mean time I've gotten the new mount and engine up on the MadWagon and it is stiff and stable. I won't get to work on it tomorrow, have to work late but I think Saturday I'll have it on the road easily. I have to figure out a clutching system- I picked up a nice long throw brake lever today at the bike shop. Charged me $11 for a cheap used lever... Meh. They'll get to know me eventually.

Everything looks good, pretty much all mounted save for a brace I'll have to make Friday night.

I'm too tired to fiddle with the loading pictures tonight they are up on my flickr account and my blog- link is below in my signature. I got quite a few as I went along.

I thoguth I was going to have to work late tonight but it turned out that there wasn't enough work for me to do, and they didn't leave all the info for me that I would have needed to do the work. So I'm only looking at 2 hours of overtime instead of 4. Boo.

BUT I did get to work on the madwagon.

I forgot an important part when I went to home cheapo and so I'll have to stop again tomorrow. It's part of the lift system.

I"m' pretty sure I can get every finished tomorrow and then adjust the carb.

I had a hard time getting it to start tonight. She'd start, but only at full choke, race and die. A carb adjustment is due tomorrow and hopefully that will get her running.

deacon said:

I saw your mount and I like it. I mounted with the double sided mount for a while. I wish I could weld now and then. To weld the joints on that mount would be great. Bolt it together to get the fit right then weld the joints and forget them.

Click to expand...

Man I wish I had a welder and more equipment to work with. If I had more tools life would be a lot easier. I did find out that one of my friends has a welder... One that can weld Aluminum... I may take a trip NH and visit him some weekend.

I've got a few basic tools- dremel, jig saw, cheap craftsman cordless saw, cordless drill and a few other cordless tools. I have a beautiful antique bench vice but it's set up for my other hobby, book binding and it would be a pain to change it over every time I wanted to use it for something other than that. I'd like to get another and I'm searching for one to go in the garage. The basic tools are the reason I use aluminum, it's easy to work with and you can work it with most basic wood working tools.

OH MAN! I just took the MadWagon out for her first motorized voyage and let me tellyou that thing will move like a bat outta you know where. HOLY CARP! I was moving. That 31cc motor handled my fat butt like there was NOTHING on the bike. I was going so fast it was actually scary, also considering that the breaks need to be tuned (again) and I'm getting used to the gravity clutch. All I can say is wow is this thing fun.

I can see now that the set up I had with the craftsman wasn't the best- not a bad first effort but this works a heck of a lot better- THANK YOU DEACON FOR COMING UP WITH A GREAT MOUNT FOR ME TO get ideas from- YOU ARE THE MAN!

If it weren't so late I'd ride across town.

I got the carb tuned up and it was just the ticket, that thing hums at idle and I need to tune the top end a bit. I removed the restrictions so I can get it right.

Tomorrow I fine tune the brakes, locktite everything and ride it around.

I can't get the grin of my face!

I took the bike out for a spin, just on my street and 2 neighbors stopped me to ask questions, at first I thought they were going to complain about my late night ride...

The gravity clutch is going to be the bane of my existence I can tell that right now. I put maybe 2 miles on it and already it needs to be tuned up. POS.

Brakes, stop on a dime and it idles perfectly. Wide open without a load on it it sounds funny- like there is a knock, BUT under a load it isn't there. I can't figure it out. Anyone know what that is? Not that I mind to awfully much but to get the top end tuning right I think I need to figure it out... (DID a little reading, seems it might be 4 cycling... I guess I won't worry about it unless it does it under load.)

I need to run to the parts store and pick up a switch so I can move the kill switch to the handle bars.

stupid cheap @$$ speedo carped out after 18mph, don't know how fast I was going...

I don't think it's the mount because the engine made the noise when I first got it and it wasn't mounted. It made it when it was hooked up to the drive shaft and stopped for a bit when I put the right mix in it, then started back up on the top end.

When I took it out for a late night spin (after 10p)at the office park (Parking for hundreds of cars, gentle slopes and downhills, clean, few cracks and crevasses, and best of all no one but me and my bike and the security guard the other side of the place) I worked on tuning up the top end of it. I got smoother running with the carb H pin moved in (Clockwise) but less oomph when I turned the pin out a quarter turn at a time to around where the factory setting would have been I get the knock back even under load but I can fly on the bike. I"m going to go out again today, probably earlier in the day and see what happens when I turn the pin out further.

I opened the bike up wide open last night, I couldn't resist- was wearing jeans , gloves and a helmet when I did it, cell phone in pocket I scouted out a good long section of the parking lot with no cracks or rocks, and let loose. Oh man! This thing flies. The speedo carped out earlier in the night doing 18mph so from the feel of it I estimate I was doing a good 25 or so, on a nice smooth flat, pedal assist to get started and then no pedals. I can't imagine hitting a rock at that speed, I did at 15 and these balloon tires are very forgiving.

The vibrations loosened and I lost my kick stand. Today I plan on getting a new one as well as a new speedo.

Too much fun!

I couldn't resist taking the MadWagon back to the office park for another spin, this time earlier and this tie I rode it there under power. Oh yeah. IT was scary but nice to ride it past the spot where I got hit on my Schwinn so long ago.

On my way there I was standing at the end of my drive with the lights on the bike, pulling the cord on the engine and had it started when a cop rode by, very slowly. I looked up, a kids caught with her hand in the candy jar...

Cop didn't even look at me. I killed the engine anyway, ran and grabbed my gas and topped her off. Looked around for Mr. PoliceMan, and saw nothing, started her up and off I went. First I drove down to a nice and more populated section of town, turned it around and came back then headed for the office park. A car or two passed me as I rode but not much. I got to the main road and pulled out into traffic and rode under power, stopped at a red light, and a car didn't know what to make of my, and passed me.

Got to the office park avoided the security guard and rode to the back lot. Not a car in sight and not another person in sight. Sweet. Perfect for tuning things up.

Gravity clutch worked perfect the WHOLE time. Kill switch perfect almost EVERY TIME, I need to remember to drop the engine slowly that first time down.. And I found I can bump start her. I hadn't tried up until this point and I tried accidentally. I wouldn't want to do it unless I had it up to speed, because pedaling the bike with the drive down sucks. And the slightly more expensive speedo worked wonderfully. I would buy another one of these (Will put brand up on my blog later) for $19.99 I can see how fast I'm going and it doesn't carp out at I hit 18mph. It also holds my max speed, has an odometer, trip meter etc. Wonderful

Top speed tonight 21mph. NOt bad. I did another 5.5 miles and got a decent workout doing it. Lotsa fun.

forgot to add I got some new pictures but they are too big for here so they are at flicker here:
Bike Things - a set on Flickr