new member - first install - questions? of course

[zeppelinboy]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member in Boulder Colorado. I have been readingthe forum for awhile, but this is my first post.

I have just finished installing a DAX F80 and SBP shift kit on an old trek and just took it out for an initial shakedown.

I got the motor running and powering the bike, but I am having trouble with pedal stiffness.

That is, when I have the clutch actuated (lever pulled, not connected to the motor), the pedals are very difficult to pedal. There seems to be quite alot of drag in the clutch assembly. I know that the drag is coming from the clutch assembly because I can remove the engine chain and pedal normally and spin the jackshaft.

So, my question is, what amount of drag from the clutch assembly is considered normal?

Does the stiffness loosen up over time?

Other information:

My clutch actuator only swings about 15°. If actuated by hand,instead of the cable, it can swing almost 90°. Does the flywheel sprocket have less drag the more the clutch actuator swings? Even at 90° I cannot turn the flywheel sprocket by hand.

I am fairly confident that my clutch is fully disengaging because if I lift the back wheel when the clutch is actuated, it does not spin at all.

Thanks in advance for your help!


-Justin

[marts1]

Sounds like your clutch is not setup correctly. Do a search for clutch problems.

[2door]

If the rear whel does not spin with the clutch disengaged your clutch is working fine. Maybe someone who uses the SBP shift kit will chime in here but even with the freewheel I believe you're still rotating the engine cross shaft when you pedal. That will add a lot of drag to the pedals even though you are not turning the engine crankshaft. Be patient. Someone will respond here shortly. Hopefully someone from Sick Bike Parts will help out.
Tom

[Venice Motor Bikes]

The clutches in these engines usually have some drag at first, but it goes away as the engine breaks in.
You could also check that there isn't any additional drag in the shift kit chains from being too tight, or maybe drag in the jackshaft bearings???

[marts1]

I still think your clutch is not disengaging all the way. Not a hard fix.

[bandito]

Zepp havnt you heard? Boulder has officially changed its address to Boulder, Ca!

[zeppelinboy]

I had a really long reply but it would not let me post it because it had links in it.
I am trying to get my post # up so that I can post links.

[zeppelinboy]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies.

I guess it would help if I knew how much drag is considered normal.

If I lift the back wheel off the ground with the clutch actuated, I can spin the crank by hand if it is oriented so that I am pushing down, but once the crank becomes vertical, it is too difficult to spin the crank by hand.

So, how much drag is normal? Should it still be relatively easy to pedal the bike when the clutch is depressed. That is can one expect to be able to travel on the bike without the motor,or should we consider the pedals to be an emergency only option?

Today I removed the left side clutch cover and noticed some interference marks from the chain as in this thread:

http://motorbicycling.com/f4/chain-noise-6682.html

I clearanced the cover, but noticed to real difference in the pedal stiffness.

I also removed the right side cover and totally removed the flowernut and pressure plate and again, the pedal stiffness did not change.

As stated in my first post, the pedals spin freely when the chain from the jackshaft to the motor is removed, so the stiffness must either be from the clutch pucks dragging on the backside clutch plate as shown in the 2nd post in this thread:

http://motorbicycling.com/f30/animat...haft-8939.html

Or the stiffness is from the cross shaft itself.

I believe that if I remove the entire large gear/hub/clutch assembly, then I will be able to determine if the stiffness is from the clutch dragging on the back plate, or if it is from the cross shaft itself. If the stiffness is from the back plate, then the cross shaft will spin freely with the large gear removed.

Can anyone confirm that this is true?


Thanks!!

Justin

[bairdco]

the bike should ride almost normal with the clutch pulled. if it's not rolling free at all, something's wrong.without the clutch working, you wouldn't be able to stop without it stalling, and it'd be a real problem trying to start it.

can you post a picture of the clutch arm and cable on your motor? sounds to me like it's just not adjusted properly. here's how mine looks...

[zeppelinboy]

Here are some pictures of my clutch lever.

Clutch released:




Clutch actuated:




Also, here is a short video showing the clutch being actuated and released:


YouTube - Dax 2stroke clutch actuator