Weed Wacker Revisited.

Thanks guys here is the results of todays work. CarP lol. I got the new carb and it worked great. Got the motor running and took off. I droped the motor and it died. I tried again with the same results. So I figure i Have used these motors dozens of times but never had any luck with the clutch so I go home and take it off. Hook the spindle to the drive shaft used the clutch nut to weld to.

So it starts and off i go again I drop the motor and it chokes out. I pedal it some more hoping to make it work but nothing happens. So now it won't start. It has compression, it just wont start. I wonder if I have the spindle on too tight. I will have to try taking it off and working it somehow. Try starting the motor without the spindle that should tell me.

Great looking bike, now here is what I need to know. After sitting around this afternoon trying to decide what to do about this motor. I don't have dynamite, and I would have to weld the plastic gas tank to get an explosion putting me way to close. I thought about what I had done and what it might have caused.

I think what happened is the clutch nut also held the flywheel in place. Since I took the clutch off while the motor was on the bike not on a table or even the floor. I think between breaking it loose (literally with a hammer and screwdriver) and replacing the spindle while the motor was on the bike and probably not getting the spindle tight enough. I think the flywheel moved and now the motor is out of time.

I am going to pull it down and take a look at that first chance I get either tonight or tomorrow. So here is the question. How do you tell when the flywheel is in the right place. Is there a mark or a keyway anything to let me know when it is lined properly.

I know when I finally calm down and think simi logically, good information for the next guy follows. right now the best advice I can give you is don't try to use the clutch just go straight to the lift. When you take the clutch off, have the motor laying down on it's back so the flywheel doesn't move on you. Of course having the right tool would have helped as well, and I didn't.

Just for information I welded the spindle to the clutch nut.

this one has a very long shaft from the flywheel there is a spacer about 2,5 inches long then the threads for about an inch then another approx 1.5 inches.

I reversed the spindle so that it presses against the flywheel. i think that will be less of a strain. It looked like it is way too far out. even with the case and pull start on it. The flywheel also looks tight. So maybe it was something else. It would fire, but it did back fire about once each of the times while I was trying to start it. The plug is soaked so it is getting gas. Now that I have the case off I can test for spark.

Got any ideas. that was my only one.

I reversed the spindle so that it is pressing against the flywheel no pull start. Gonna do a rope start at first then drag start it. Ill do pics tomorrow/.

im going to have the spindle pressing against the flywheel so I'm hoping it won't be a problem. We will see god knows there are plenty of these motors around to screw up. Even if this one is shot, I can start over and get this far knowing pretty much what I'm doing up to this point. I am shocked at how much I had forgotten and I still dont remember it all. Oh well./

A little known fact I forgot to mention yesterday. The threads on the ryobi drive shaft are 3/8 24 which is also the threads on a coaster bike axle. So I used a bike axle nut. which has a built in washer to secure the spindle to the ryobi shaft. One more thing I had known once upon a time but had forgotten.

It is definitely out of time. it has spark it has gas it has compression. nothing else it can be and it backfires a little. but the good news is I think I have the mount worked out now. Just have to part this one and go for a different one.


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No idea but I bought a ryobi ryobi today. I already have the spindle on it and the case butchered. It runs and I will have it on a bike tomorrow. If I can't find something wrong with the newer one later today, I will just part it out.

It seems to be about 2 pounds lighter than the original ryobi I just got. I will have the bike ready to roll tomorrow I think. I'm gonna start buying only the ones I used before. That's what I bought today. I bought it from a small engine repair guy. Don't know how good he is, but I told him to keep my number and give me a call if any more of them show up at his doorstep.

I went back out and got the new mount ready. With interchangeability in mind I built a frame like a luggage carrier on the back with the front wheel hub as the end at the seat. I can raise and lower it easily.

So what I did next was to build a solid frame for the ryobi from angle iron. One piece on top and one on one of the sides.. i may have to go back and drill the ryobi to get a more solid connection but for now it is good. The deal is I can bolt that mount on any Ryobi from that time period. Then the top part of the engine mount bolts to the lift frame which never leaves the bike again. The motor can be changed out with just a couple of bolt removals. I should have gone with those seat clamps so that I could really change it easily.

Tomorrow will tell the tale.

I knew that weed whackers came with two different size drive shafts, I didn't realize that the Ryobi brand came with two different shafts. If it had the clutch, it is a 3/8" drive shaft. If it is the straight drive notclutch it is a 5/16 fine thread nut.

The one I just put on the bike is a 5/16 so it will be interesting to see how it goes. On the up side, the drive shaft is much shorter so it should have less stress on it. I'm going to remove the motor from the bike and try to beef up the small mounts on the engine before I ride it. Those things are one of the weak points. I might retap the holes for a 1`/4 bolt and then add a washer and nut to the back as well. If I can't retap for some reason, I will probably go with a 1/4 enlargement of the hole. then a nut and washer on the rear.

Well i test rode it today. Besides a couple of false starts that proved to be nothing more than frame adjustments, I rode it two miles so far. I just have one thing to say..

Other than being a complete idiot, somebody tell me why I stopped building these bikes two years ago

This bike has the perfect power curve for me and this area. It will most likely wind out between 15 and 20 miles an hour on the flat. Nothing is flat where I live so it will do about thirty down hill at wide open throttle. On a bike with a 24" front wheel and a 20 inch rear wheel that is about all i want, believe me.

So far it climbs the hills on my test track just fine. I can't catch the free wheel to help so that is good. It ran the long slow hill with almost no loss in speed. I definitely could not help it.

I think for this bike to be dangerous It would have to have three different things fail at the same time. I.m going to skip the kill switch. I can always kill it with the choke, if I need to after I have stopped and ready to store.

The easy build is to remove the front panel of the case. Yes you do lose the pull starter. But it gives you access to everything. It also gets you up close and personal with the flyweel so you can hook your spindle against it to avoid unnecessary strain on the small drive shaft.

If you get a ryobi with the clutch this might be a little different. When I get one I'll let youi know. For the long shaft I had earlier I just reversed the spindle so the open end pushed against the flywheel. But I never did get it to run.

There are a few things I would do differently next time. before I mount the motor I will tap the engine mount holes to 1/4 inch so I can put nuts, washers and stuff on them to hold them more securely. Other than that so far I'm thrilled with the bike. But that is just the fact that it works so far.

Best Maintenance tip I can see now is tighten everything daily.