my tomos chopped moped (cho-ped)

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biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
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Dallas
That's really looking good Baird. Before reading your text I was thinking you've been working your ass off on it lol. That will be quite an eye catcher.
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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i think it's better to use premix. the old injector setup is unreliable from what i've read. a lot of people switch it out for premix. the only advantage i can see for the injector is you could fill up at the pump.

i've got a few carbs i can try. i bet an NT would work. but i have to make an angled intake.

but first i gotta get a stupid petcock...
 

bill2781

Member
May 24, 2013
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okmulgee OKlahoma
i found a bike like that at a junk yard around here they told me they would seel it to me for 20 bucks I looked it over looks like it needs a new engine and new chains and well basically a frame and rims everything els needs fixed or replaced I wonder if this is a good buy for 20 bucks or will it be a money pit??? ohh and the wheels it has on it is 16 inch wheels If I reamember right there called mag wheels
 
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silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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northeastern Minnesota
$1200.00 for a new Tomos sounds like a deal to me. $20.00 for the junker could be a deal if you want a project bike to play with. I paid $120.00 for my Tomos in more or less running condition... but ugggleee having been painted with a paint brush, broken lights, bent pedal, dirty carb. I looked at it as an organ donor.

Especially if you have need for immediate, reliable transportation which has a title and can be made legal just about anywhere... new is good.
SB
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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hunh? is this thread still about my crappy moped?

bought a new petcock today. going to the motorcycle swapmeet tomorrow. didn't touch the bike today. the last few days have really taken a toll on my shoulder, so i went drinking instead.

see you soon...:)
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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northeastern Minnesota
hunh? is this thread still about my crappy moped?

bought a new petcock today. going to the motorcycle swapmeet tomorrow. didn't touch the bike today. the last few days have really taken a toll on my shoulder, so i went drinking instead.

see you soon...:)
Yes, it is, Baird. Forgive the diversion... now back to our regular programming. Glad you found the petcock. I recall the one on mine (I looked to see if I had it in my junk, but don't) was very long and I believe had two positions so that one acted as a reserve for the gas tank.
SB
 

bill2781

Member
May 24, 2013
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okmulgee OKlahoma
thanks bikenut and silverbear for the information. I know its very tempting to go and try to bring the junker back to life but I am afraid it might cost as much as a new one lol
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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ugh. installed the petcock and messed with the points and timing and finally got it to run. for about 45 seconds.

thought maybe i didn't tighten the points enough or something, so messed with them again, nothing.

the points and condenser are behind the flywheel, and are a pain to get to. so i pulled the flywheel off and the keyway is trashed on the crankshaft. it's a weird pin instead of a woodruff key, and it was jammed sideways and elongated it's hole, and also gouged out the flywheel, so the timing is off probably 15 degrees with no way to fix it without getting a new crankshaft and flywheel.

so there she sits, going nowhere till i get some parts.

i hate bikes...
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
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northeastern Minnesota
Ah man, I'm sorry to hear that. Crap. Maybe a brilliant fix idea will come to you. Maybe another engine or at least parts on the cheap through Moped Army. Still, lots of fooling around, time waiting and more money.
SB
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
messed with it all day. pulled the pin out of the crankshaft, welded up the elongated hole, drilled a new one, smoothed out the messed up spot in the flywheel and still no start.

messed with the timing, point gap, carb, everything. still nothing.

i gave up before i started throwing stuff.

i'm gonna order some points and a condenser and give that a try.

probably order a gasket kit as well. if the points and condenser don't fix it, i,ll tear down the whole engine and look for other problems.

i was really hoping to keep this a cheap and easy build, but if i need a new crank, flywheel and whatever else, i might be spending a coupla hundred bucks on this stupid thing...
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
yeah, plenty of compression. pulled the head and jug off before i reinstalled the engine, lapped the head smooth and made new gaskets. it all looked good like a low mileage engine.

i'm thinking it's a bad coil, points or condenser. or all of the above.

rewired it too, so no shorts. no kill switch. continuity in all the wires.

it's freaking baffling me. the engine is too simple to be giving me this many problems, so it's gotta be a bad part.

i'll figure it out eventually...
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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it's alive!

it had a very weak spark and i kept messing with it, then on myron's mopeds site there was a way to T an external condenser into the mix.

soldered it all in, checked for spark, shocked the freakin' heck outta me, put it together and it fired up second kick!

rode it up and down the street and it rides good. clutch slips a little, but i should be able to fix that, then it's add some lights and get a plate and i'm set. :)
 

fasteddy

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2009
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British Columbia Canada
Well that's certainly wonderful news indeed. You were most definitely right when you said it was something other than the crank and flywheel.
Would like to have been there when it fired up just to see the smile on your face.

Congratulations.

Steve.
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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yup. my roomates were messing around with their "real" bikes when it fired up. after riding it up and down the block i was jumping up and down. :)

really happy i didn't have to spend a few hundred in parts!

i've got a headlight and a taillight ready to rig up, polish up the cases and make a chain tensioner.

also rode it to the liquor store to get a money order to send to the dmv.

cost breakdown:

beat up moped: $200
paint and supplies:$60
lights:$30
petcock:$20
license:$19

i had the front worksman rim and spokes, new kenda kiniption tire, slightly used pirelli tire, od beach cruiser seat and handlebars to chop up, old school acs bmx stem, thomaselli super pratic B throttle, dia compe tech 77 lever, jagwire titanium braided cables, kmc 415h chain, and a bunch of steel from other projects already laying around and the money already spent a long time ago...

what i'm saying is, i kept this a cheap build. :)