what did you do to your motorized bicycle today?

GoldenMotor.com

1flyingfool

New Member
May 25, 2011
15
0
0
Yelm
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

I too was tired of fixing flats,I got the thick tubes,some help,not great,next,I got an old tire and cut the beads off,the wire that goes around it,and put it in, Haven't had a flat in a whole year and I ride everyday.
 

fatdaddy

New Member
May 4, 2011
1,516
4
0
San Jose, Ca.
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

I haven't really had a chance to work too much on my bikes lately, Been to busy fixing my friends and customer bikes. "Tis is the season" I guess. With summer here everyone is dusting off their bikes, riding and breaking them. Just finished another build for a customer, and started a rebuild for a friend that caught his bike on fire. Thats right, burned up in the middle of the street. He had a small gas leak that he thought he could fix "later". Well, later never came. He had to just stand there and watch it burn. Now I'm putting the engine on another frame and replacing the wiring and electrics. I think the engine itself came out OK, We'll see.
fatdaddy.
 

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
20
38
N.M.
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Got up this morning to do my usual ride to work and had a terrible squealing noise on the rear brake? I looked down to see what looked like oil on the caliper 'Hydro' disk brake. Did not see anything any where else.

Had to make a split second decision. Having not seeing anything and no time to get specific I broke my usual ''every day religious habit'' I actually took the truck. I know used a whole weeks worth of gas in one trip.laff

Did take home some valuable scrap metal for future tinkering tho. I got sheet metal for some battery boxes etc now! That was worth the trip!

Got home and was about to investigate the seals on my caliper . What did I find???


The night before I had a can of concentrate grape juice. In the back yard poring it into a water bottle to put in the freezer in the garage for work the next day.

I split some on the caliper when I accidentally splashed it opening the can lol. laff

So I detailed the BoXer machine admired it some for how faith full it has been and vowed never to spill that stuff on it again.:D Will be aback to my regular appointed scheduled tomorrow.dnut .
 

d_gizzle

Active Member
May 29, 2012
1,102
0
36
43
ARDMORE,OK
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Took a long awaited ride,with fingers crossed,(in my mind;have to hold the bars!)and with some adjustments of the mixture screw.

Pulled harder than on previous trips and hit about 4mph more than usual. I was anxious due to the "new and improved" one way bearing(complete with j.b. Weld) but it was fine. Letting off the throttle........sounds like grinding the clutch in a '71 subaru.



Coming soon: rear disc brake,new rear wheel,and 30 tooth sprocket.
 

happycheapskate

New Member
Nov 26, 2009
1,989
3
0
Rockwall TX
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

No joke! I got 6 flats in 100 miles with paper tubes, been riding for months with no problems using the thickest tubes I could find (think they were Avenir). Some prankster put a pebble in my air valve but I didn't find out till the tire felt squishy. I rode it "flat" quite a ways. I get mine from www.niagaracycle.com
got another flat for the umptenth time well gotta stop being cheap go buy another thick tube and stop useing some old thin cheapys .
 

Allen_Wrench

Resident Mad Scientist
Feb 6, 2010
2,784
26
36
Indianapolis
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

I just got done re-wiring the brake light for a 4-AAA battery pack and a 6V brake lamp. I did some testing a day or so ago on the hunch that it might be brighter that way. It was, so I changed her over from the old 9V LED. I really thought the LED would have been brighter too, but I have my photographer's light meter and it agrees with my eyes.

Well, of course I had to go out on a bit of a cruise to try it out. And, of course, I wasn't paying much attention to anything but cruising while I was out. But the brake light was just as bright when I got home, so I'm all good.
 

DaveC

Member
Jul 14, 2010
969
1
18
Boise, ID
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Took the rear fender off as well as the wheel. I'm getting ready to mount the sprocket with a pineapple mount. I need to grind out the center hole on the sprocket to clear the brake arm as well as heat and bend the arm. I have a new vice to put on the work bench. I broke the last one tearing apart some plumbing last year. The new one is twice as big but still no where near the size of my grandpa's old one...I broke that one, too :p To replace one that size costs $200+ for a new one. I broke the clamping screw on that one. If I knew someone with a lathe maybe they could make a new screw but I don't so it's a new smaller one for me. I just need to be more careful with them.
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
48
58
Moosylvania
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Wow Dave, how are you breaking vices? I told you you had to use your powers carefully! (lol, "Super Dave")

I have a lathe and am just learning to use it so would enjoy making one for you. Be a learning thing for me and will gladly take a stab at it. Building a shop so all tools are in a pile. So would be a while. If you subscribe to workshop thread, it will remind us both to work on making your clamping screw when I am set-up. If ya want. I don't want any thing for it, just to see if I can actually make one. But let me know. Really does sound fun and simple. LOL, I say that now. Not so much when I am throwing stuff at new shop walls.
 

Allen_Wrench

Resident Mad Scientist
Feb 6, 2010
2,784
26
36
Indianapolis
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Well, DaveC, we're on to you. The alias of Clark Kent had outlived its usefulness, eh? So now you're learning that you have to be careful with those poor, wimpy, SOLID IRON vices.

Never fear, Superma...er, I mean Dave. In all seriousness, I used to know a fellow in the SCA who worked at a shop capable of milling titanium. I'll bet he could make you a vice. I'd be cool! I don't think it'd be cheap though. And it might take me some time to track him down.
 

fatdaddy

New Member
May 4, 2011
1,516
4
0
San Jose, Ca.
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

I pretty much abuse ALL my tools, including my vice, and I've never broken one, let alone TWO. And I'm 57 years old, plenty of time to break one. You're gonna have to tell me your secret as I like to experience everything life has to offer. So, tell us again, HOW do ya break a solid steel vice? (Or two.)
fatdaddy.zpt
 

DaveC

Member
Jul 14, 2010
969
1
18
Boise, ID
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Guess I'm just gnarlier than ya'all heheheh. First one I was useing a cheater bar on, something was not gripping well enough and kept turning. Snap. Second, the base broke. And if that vice was made of steel I'll eat it ;) Cast junk iron from what I could tell. Even though I got a pretty nice new one I watch craigslist for old ones. I'd like a Winton but they are expensive. I promise to take better care of the one I just got :)
 

tooljunkie

Member
Apr 4, 2012
663
5
16
Manitoba,Canada
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

i like record brand vises
the threaded part is probably acme thread,there some places on this planet that sell it.
its cool Dan wants to try his hand at making you one.
nothing to lose,i'd try it myself if it was close enough.just some custom grinding on a piece of tool steel and many hours of swearing.

i saw a home built vise on the H.A.M.B. under home made tools.
its awesome.wait,i go find the link.
k,i'm back, here it is
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=235784&highlight=homemade+tools

will take some browsing,but well worth the time if you like tools....
i like tools.....

oh,ya, i went for a ride to the highway and back,came flying into my driveway (blind spot)
and narrowly missed my van coming out of the driveway,had my wife not heard me coming it would have been worse than my knee wiping a little dirt off the fender.
 
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killercanuck

New Member
Dec 17, 2009
1,748
6
0
47
Wallaceburg ON
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Just checked out 1/3 of that thread TJ. And Wow! It's amazing what people can do with a welder and some steel stock, eh? Anyone who welds should check it out.

Found that whicked vise on page #24. The offset grip is brilliant!

Loud pipes avoid run-ins with wives :p
 

DaveC

Member
Jul 14, 2010
969
1
18
Boise, ID
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Wow Dave, how are you breaking vices? I told you you had to use your powers carefully! (lol, "Super Dave")

I have a lathe and am just learning to use it so would enjoy making one for you. Be a learning thing for me and will gladly take a stab at it. Building a shop so all tools are in a pile. So would be a while. If you subscribe to workshop thread, it will remind us both to work on making your clamping screw when I am set-up. If ya want. I don't want any thing for it, just to see if I can actually make one. But let me know. Really does sound fun and simple. LOL, I say that now. Not so much when I am throwing stuff at new shop walls.
Dan, I didn't see this until now and sure, IF I can find the vise I'll remove the screw so you can give it a shot. You'll prob need 1 inch stock to make it from. I'm pretty sure it's still here, some might call us "hoarders" but I tell them I'm just lazy ;) Things have a tendency to stay where I place them for years...well... except for that gokart Airhart brake I had hanging on the wall from when I first took up gokart racing 25 years ago. That's what I get for letting deadbeat friends stay here...stuff comes up missing :(

I'll let you know if and when I find it..trk
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Yes home made vise by welding ect. Nice!

The Hobart site has plans online for a brake press I should like to weld up and build.

MT
 

dodge dude94

New Member
Jun 8, 2012
1,017
1
0
East Texas
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Got the rest of my brake stuff in the mail yesterday. Installed it, looks awesome now and stops well.
Gonna wait till I get the rear wheel straightened before I mount up my rear brake. Then again, I also have to get a new barrel adjuster on the dual brake lever because the one that is unused that the moment rattled out when I was riding it yesterday. >.<



Sorry for darkness, it was hard to see as the sun was in my face. :p

Also, this thread needs to be stickied.
 

fatdaddy

New Member
May 4, 2011
1,516
4
0
San Jose, Ca.
Re: what did you do to your motor bike today?

Hey dodge dude, I've always said stopping is much more important than going. If you can't go, you can't die, If you can't stop, you will die.
On another note, I noticed you have a dual pull lever. I WILL get an argument about this, but I've used these before, a lot, and have found that they can not be adjusted like most people will tell you. A lot of people will say that since 70% of your stopping power is in the front that you should make the front wheel your primary braking wheel, (70%). This works very well most of the time. The problem is that if you're in the carp, oil, sand, water, ect, and your front is doing most of the braking then your wheel is gonna slide out from under you and you WILL wind up on your butt. I even had one guy tell me, " Thats OK, That he could control the slide, (Huh?). I just know, that if you're doing 35mph and have to jam on the brakes before you T-bone a car, your front wheel sliding is NOT going to be an advantage.
So, if you live in a perfect world where there is NEVER any carp on the roads, then yes, make your front wheel the primary. If you think you might run into stuff on the road, then set your REAR WHEEL as the primary braking wheel. THEN TEST IT. you want to get it set to stop you as quickly as possible. If you don't agree with my assesment, then throw a little mud and water on the street, set the brakes at 70% front, then jam on your brakes while in it as fast as you dare go without killing yourself. You'll see what I mean. It's a scary feeling to have no control over your front wheel.
And the thing is, once it slips, it slides so fast that, most of the time, you can't react in time to stop it, you just fall down.
Like I said, I'm gonna catch carp over this, but DO THE TEST. Anyone that does this will have to agree. Either use two brake levers to control each wheel, or with dual pull, set most of the stopping power to the rear.
fatdaddy.
 
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