Centrix cruiser build.

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boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Just got the bike put together. Awaiting the motor kit.
Picked up the frame , ( a Centrix )at the local wrecking yard for $2.



What a deal. Pays to have friends.
Its a nice cleen tig welded steel frame.

I then scavenged the running gear from an old full suspension bike that I built my daughter years ago.
Added a new set of XLC fenders and a 2 to 1 brake system to the bike.





New KMC chain and a bit of elbow grease .
Ended up with a nice little cruiser for little money. I love it.



Once the motor kit arrives I will machine aluminum mounts , an intake to accept an 18mm Mikuni , then fab a low mount expansion chamber.
I haven't decided on a head yet. Lot's of options.......
I am also debating on a jack shaft gear change.
As the rest of the parts wont be hear for a few days , looks like I'll have to try to get some work done on the bobber.



Merry Christmas all.......
 
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boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
The motor kit was delivered on Christmas eve.
So guess what I did Christmas after noon....
I am still waiting for the pipe , mag voltage regulator, throttle, racing carb and head light to be
delivered.
I decided to go ahead and install the kit as delivered so that I will have a base line for comparison.
My plan is to break the motor in with the stock pipe and carb , then one at a time add the upgrades .
Log them in my log book ( I am anal retentive ) as a comparison study.
My thoughts so far:
The kit was very well packaged and arrived in good shape.
The supplied instruction manual was well made (glossy ) with a tone of suggestions and
Pictures added by the author. It was fairly thorough easy to fallow and had allot of useful information.
The fit was near perfect to the frame.
I used Gorilla tape to the motor mounting aria as harmonic isolators .

It wont have the compression problems that rubber has.
I then built spacers for the gas tank studs to prevent them from pulling out of the tank down the road.

I then did the clutch cover modification.

Other than that it was a very easy and enjoyable conversion. ( No cussing)...


I'm going to start the break in this week end. I'll keep you posted.
 
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Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
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Moosylvania
Really is a good looking build, BoxCar

Not a thing wrong with being pragmatic. Hard and real #s is a good thing. I know I have done it but easy to let my frame of mind or opinion get in the way of objectively observing.

Funny thing, I keep track of weather when testing. Surprising how it can affect things. I use a cheap barometer/thermometer/air moisture gauge thing.
 

boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Well , thanks for the responses.
Weather is a BIG issue with me. I live at sea level as far north and west as one can go in Oregon without swimming in the Pacific.
I monitor the weather at all times as it has a large effect on my business. (contractor )
The SHA carb I have chosen ( I have herd ) has problems at lower elevations and air densities.
We shall see.
I may spend a lot of time tuning......
The fenders..... The XLC fenders have stainless rivets and struts , are flexible enough
that I don't foresee a problem, ( nylocks throughout ). Thanks for the warning though, I'll keep my eye on them.
To date the bike is ready to ride. In somewhat stock form.
I am still waiting for the rectifier / voltage regulator , expansion chamber , light switch and speedo.
I did make a few changes to the stock kit.
Added a 1/4 turn billet throttle to the SHA carb and new remote kill switch .
The stock plastic unit is a bit cheesy to say the least, and is set up on the stock carb.
This will make the comparison between the two much easier , as I won't have to set the throttle up every time i swap it out.
All wire connections are soldered ,heat shrunk and wrapped.
I hate rats nest wiring. A pet peeve with me.
I plan to break the engine as is , then start the upgrades one at a time, starting with carb then porting the intake and stock exhaust.
I then plan to modify the stock exhaust length ( some what like a long poo poo pipe)
Then on to the expansion chamber etc, etc , etc.......
I'm sure you have herd this all before.
Here is a bic as she sits now....



I moved it to the man cave . The shop is just a bit cold this time of the year.
 
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boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Went for the first test ride yesterday.
What a blast.
The little bugger fired right up and ran without a hick up right out of the gate.
I'm doing a 24:1 break in with OMC mixing oil to start with. After break in I will switch to Amsoil.
I opted for the OMC , as I have a good supply ( I run it in all of my vintage outboard engines) And have had good results for 35 years.
I did modify the stock exhaust system ( STILL WAITING ON THE CHAMBER ) into a copy of the long poo poo pipe .
Seems to work all right so far. Much quieter. I did loose a bit of top end , but had a slight gain on the bottom.
Long pipe , go figure.
The "Wonderful Products" charging system was at the office when I show'd back up last night.
I will get it grafted to the machine and let you guys know the results.
Happy trails.....

 
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boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Well, I wired the "Wonderful Products" mag charging system up yesterday.
Instantly blew the provided fuse and grounded the engine.
Contacted the seller who will replace the unit if I pay shipping to and from.
I kind of understand this logic. But it still angers me a bit.
I pay $24 for the unit + $4.95 freight.
End up with a bad unit, pay $9.90 to freight the bad one back to the seller who will then send the new one back to me...
Where is the honer in that?
I am happy to pay the freight as long as once the unit is tested and found to be defective the seller refunds freight charges.
Am I out of line here?
Any way. Once I get a usable unit I will continue testing.
So far : 1 strike....
zpt
I did manage to get my light mount fab'd and the duel 6 volt Sanyo head lights mounted.


and because I built a buss box for the harness


removal of the offending unit will not disturb the harness.
For now I will just run a jumper from the battery ( 6 volt lead acid 4.5 MA )to the buss box.
FUN FUN....
 
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Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
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Moosylvania
Can most certainly see your point. Aside from the cash, mighty frustrating. No ones fault aside from the manufacturer and is out of your pocket. Annoys me that I agree to these deals, too. To get it out of my head, I tell my self that was the contract I entered into. But after finding out it was a bad part, I ask they pay for shipping. Most do but I try not to expect it thinking they have been burnt by customers before, too. Honer rises same as bad an' dumb. Dunno.

Any way to replace the fuse your self? Or am I missing something? Am so cold, lol. Brain is even slower today and typing with 2 fingers as opposed to the usual 3 or 4.
 

boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Oh yea. The fuse is a no brainer to replace.But it just blows again as soon as the engine turns over.....
I hope that he will agree to pay at least the return shipping. We will see.
Sorry to hear about the cold. It's a blustery 38 deg here today.
 

boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Got the expansion chamber fit up yesterday.
After about an hour or two cutting it all apart and fitting it to the bike.
I had a nice looking little low pipe.
The carb would need to be fatten'd up to make it work properly.
It ended up being a fairly nice mid range pipe.
Fairly quiet.
Problem I have is: I like the sound and performance of the long pipe that I already built so much , I probably won't run the chamber .
Oh well, I guess I have a good start for the next build.


 
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SuperDave

Member
Sep 24, 2011
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Panama City Beach, Fl. USA
Why not adapt the muffler to fit onto your Xpipe? Have the best of both worlds, Xpipe boost for power gains with the long pipe spitting the fumes & noise behind you, and quieter operation so as not to tick off the neighbors.
 

boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Not sure how that'd work out Dave. It may be something I try later.
Right now I'm going to jet the carb to the pipe , rap the pipe with heat tape , do some testing and see how it pans out.
Speed is not my main concern on this bike.
I live in a very hilly part of the country.
If the bike will do 25 - 30 mph and clime while maintaining a low running temp , low DB , and clean burn in the cylinder , I will be happy.
So far the long torque pipe I built fits that bill.
 

boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Well the weather has prevented me from a bunch of riding .
I have managed a few more miles though. 16 to be exact.
Had to re-torque the head.
Added a bolt kit from Sick Bike Parts. ( nice guys)....
No problems or issues so far.
I will be adjusting the clutch before my morning ride today. (SUNS COMING UP AND I CAN SE THE SKY.....) Perfect riding weather.......
Have a good day boys and girls .
 

boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Well the " Wonderful Creations Super Dynamo Mini Charger " Was returned to me today .
He did pay the freight, well kind of.
After sending the unit back for testing I discovered that the fault could have been mine for testing the unit without a load on it....( wired directly to the lights / no switch / no battery.) From the White wire....
To remedy this possible problem and because of all of the negative feed back from users of the " white wire" .
I added the " Wonderful Creations Mini 6v Generator " to the parts list . $29 with freight . ( He added the " Wonderful Creations Super Dynamo Mini Charger " to the package without charging additional freight charge.
The installation was pretty simple as the instructions were fairly clear.
If it all works as advertised I should have a 3-5 amp DC charging system fed directly from the engine.....







 
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boxcar

New Member
Dec 18, 2014
358
4
0
Astoria OR
Well , the test drive went well .
The engine actually cold starts a bit better with the charging system on board.
Fired off instantly .
And according to the LED indicator light is happily charging the battery.




Other than converting the headlights to LED ( now that I have a good dc power source ) and adding the turn signals , this bike is done.





Hope you like it as much as I do.
Now on to the wife's build...........