1914 huffington

GoldenMotor.com

littletinman

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May 15, 2012
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Gaithersburg, MD
Love it man! Such a sweet ride. My next build will be similar bike and engine wise but I'm going to be experimenting with disk brakes and mountain bike forks.

Do you notice any performance change with the CNS over the stock carb or is it pretty much the same?
 

moonerdizzle

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Jun 28, 2009
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CNS allows it to rev faster. Shes got a little more mid range grunt now. I think it could rev higher but I know the rod couldn't handle it, so I try to keep it below 8000 rpms.
 

moonerdizzle

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Jun 28, 2009
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Frames doing alright. This is my second Cranbrook frame now. The first one got totalled when I got t-boned by a car. My only real complaint is the new frames are a good 2-3 inchs shorter than the older ones. I guess its to save shipping weight or something. Word of advice before buying, really look at the welds. There was more than one at my store when I bought mine, and all but this one had some really nasty welds.
 

littletinman

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May 15, 2012
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Gaithersburg, MD
Does the engine still fit ok?

My plan is to put a few hundred miles on the cranbrook frame and save up for one of those $75 bare steel frames from one of the vendors. I just need a frame to get started with.

Are the wheels on the cranbrook decent? Can they hold up? I have two spare mountain bike wheels I plan on switching to and using the cran's as spares. But if they are decent, I may just start with those.
 

moonerdizzle

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Jun 28, 2009
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The engine fits like a dream. with the stock carb the choke lever hits a little on the top tube, but you can still turn it on and off. and the wheels on the cranbrooks are good, with some work. they need to be trued from the store, which isnt too big of deal, since they are wide rims with thick spokes. you will need to repack the hubs and there wasnt much grease in them. And replace the coaster hub bearings, the stock ones in my hub were soft and blew out in a short time. i put in some shimano bearings from the local bike shop and it was fine. The rims will not work well with rim brakes, you might be able to use one of them disc adaptors, or make your own for up front, the flanges are pretty large. you could drill and bolt a disc sprocket to it, maybe.
 

littletinman

New Member
May 15, 2012
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Gaithersburg, MD
Thanks for the info! I figured as much about the bearings. I just re-greased all my bikes with Red Grease; made a huge difference.

Thanks for the info about the rims! Also, how was it attaching a sprocket to the rear wheel? Can it be done with a kit sprocket and the rear hub?
 

littletinman

New Member
May 15, 2012
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Gaithersburg, MD
Awesome! Good to know!

How many miles or hours have you run the engine? Does it perform to expectation? Not looking for speed as much as I am for reliability and consistent performance over time.
 

moonerdizzle

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Jun 28, 2009
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When i was running the stock gearing it was a good ride, you could take off with half a pedal and still have a decent cruising speed. I went for top speed and am running a 16-1 gear ration. 42mph top speed but i can cruise at 25 all day long at lower rpms. draw back is my clutch doesnt lock up till around 15mph. and i rode this bike, 5 days a week to work, 13 miles each way, for 6 months with out a problem other than two worn bushings and the crap oneway bearing that busted on the first ride. I welded the bearing first, then just removed it and replaced it with a custom made aluminum insert. you can also lock up the oneway bearing by removing the dust cover, and filling it with jb weld. then engine runs real good, and has a nice exhaust note. i only had to do routine maintenance on it so far, i change my oil once a week and check the valve lash every 3 weeks.