noobie my name is al

GoldenMotor.com

alvelez61

New Member
Jul 3, 2012
25
0
0
bronx ny
hey guys and gals, with respect, any how been interest in a new hobby and i was on youtube and saw a bike,, ever since i have been planning to get one, just got the engine, i'm mechanical, but when i checked the new engine i noticed that the piston was not installed i was a bit surprised but, i'll just take it as a challenge, any how please to meet you.... more posts to follow
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
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Moosylvania
Howdy Al, welcome.

Ya gotta post pictures after ya make a few more posts. Really, it was separate? So bizzar.

Any way, great to meet ya!
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
"The piston was not installed".
Ah, sorry. I've heard of quality control issues with kits but this one is out of the ball park.

What part are you calling the "piston" ? We're going to need photos of this.

Tom
 

MotorBicycleRacing

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2010
5,844
109
63
SoCal Baby!!!
www.facebook.com
hey guys and gals, with respect, any how been interest in a new hobby and i was on youtube and saw a bike,, ever since i have been planning to get one, just got the engine, i'm mechanical, but when i checked the new engine i noticed that the piston was not installed i was a bit surprised but, i'll just take it as a challenge, any how please to meet you.... more posts to follow
Who / where did you buy a kit with an uninstalled piston????
How much did that cost you?

Do you have a pic of everything that you got in the box?
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
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Moosylvania
LOL Al, that is just ...I am at a loss for words. C.Q....


Missing, broken and even rusted stuff is kinda par for the course but an uninstalled piston? snork

Did the instructions begin with "Step 1, install piston"? Next will be "Cast motor block head in sand"

too funny.

The asking for pics was in no way doubting you. This is just so out there and unprecedented.

Again, welcome to the wonderful and entertaining MB world
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Sounds like a new low for China girl motors. A least the piston was included. Yes, we need to know who the vendor was so others can avoid this seller.SB
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Moosylvania
Al, there have to be real piston rings? Plastic would disintegrate/melt in a few seconds. Just asking here, could the plastic bits be shipping containers for the rings? I dunno, am just guessing.

I am really considering buying one of these. Sounds like the ultimate tinkering kit.

Just noticed your from the Bronx, cool. I used (as a lil kid) live on Bailey ave.
Also, we have rides, picnics and get togethers up here in CT. Will be sure to post.
 
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alvelez61

New Member
Jul 3, 2012
25
0
0
bronx ny
hey dan, the rings were pre installed, and when i ordered the new ones, they were plastic also, so i guess it is what it is, i should of checked further to see if i can get metal ones, but i was kind of upset, opened up ebay, and they were all pretty much plastic for these type of engines, got a pair for 8.00 dollars including shipping..
 

Harold_B

Active Member
May 23, 2012
997
246
43
Grand Rapids, MI
Al, a couple of things come to mind. First is that even though the rings may look like plastic they likely are not. They are blackened so they will not look like the shinny aluminum machined parts (like the piston). Just for kicks I grabbed one and stuck a magnet on it so most likely it is a common steel. Try it for yourself perhaps. Second is that when you install the piston to the cylinder make sure the rings are aligned with the pins in the piston grooves. That is to say the gaps in the rings should meet so that the pin in the groove is between the ends of the ring. Otherwise the rings will hang up on the edge of the cylinder and break. I'm guessing you broke the top ring? You shouldn't need to tap the cylinder to get it on. Now that you have though, look closely at the mating surface on the cylinder where it will seal to the head. Make sure it didn't get dented when you were tapping on it or the head will not seal and you will not have compression no matter how tight you crank down on the nuts.

Hope you saved a few bucks on that motor. I bought mine on CL thinking I would and the problems I listed were the problems I found. Didn't save any money to say the least.
 

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Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
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Moosylvania
Oh bless your soul Harold. Was just finishing dinner and 3rd desert (wut? I'm a growing boy) and was gonna head out to the garage looking for an old motor and a magnet. A google search actually found plastic piston rings. Thought maybe they were using them.

Al, and I was so happy when your piston got sorted out, lol.

No worries though. It will all work out and you'll be zipping around grinning from ear to ear soon!

.flg.
 

alvelez61

New Member
Jul 3, 2012
25
0
0
bronx ny
the magnet theory is great, i tapped it with my fist lightly, the cylinder just did not slide down, i could have shoved it, but i was squeezing the rings with one hand,the rings were positioned with the brass nubs, i just tapped it too hard i guess. but i learned a great deal, i even practice with the one ring, the forum has been great, i havent messed with engines for over 20 years, thanks harold b
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
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Moosylvania
That really is one of my favorite parts of this. Always some thing new to learn. The people are great too. And it's cheaper then golf, lol.
 

Harold_B

Active Member
May 23, 2012
997
246
43
Grand Rapids, MI
I'm with you there Al. I used to be a gear head in my teens and I loved to tweak my '69 Z/28. Then it became a chore and I hated it. It's fun again on these little engines and it's affordable! Good luck on your build.

Three deserts you say. Carbo loading for the prestart pedaling I assume.
 

alvelez61

New Member
Jul 3, 2012
25
0
0
bronx ny
hey harold thanks man, this has turned out to be a good project for me, i still havent even bought the bike yet, will probaly pick one up on saturday, any advice on that
 

Harold_B

Active Member
May 23, 2012
997
246
43
Grand Rapids, MI
You can get plenty of suggestions on the forum by starting a new thread asking that question. There are just as many opinions as people on the forum is my impression. I did a lot of searching on CL and for bike shops that carry Felt looking for a cruiser. Basically I just started close to home and expanded the search until I found a good deal. There are a lot of well made bikes but I had read good things about the Felts and managed to find a 1903 on sale for $349. It had been sold a couple of times or least down payments made but the buyers never came through so I scored. There are more out there that are like new on the used market.
 

Harold_B

Active Member
May 23, 2012
997
246
43
Grand Rapids, MI
Thanks Dan. Like everyone else's MB it's a never ending project. That's the fun part!

Al, might want to look at the Pictures thread for some ideas too. There are a lot great looking bikes posted there.