Finally! Got a motorized bicycle!

jasonh

jasonh

New Member
Woo!

Bought the bike with the motor already installed for $140. it's a 70cc (though he said 80) that he says he got from Dax. He's had it for quite some time, though I didn't ask how long.

The bike is an older Schwinn Moab. I haven't decided yet if I'll keep this bike, or put the motor on my bike (99 or 98 Nishiki Bravo)and sell the Schwinn. The brakes are kinda scary on the bike...meaning they don't work. I just really don't like cantilever brakes at all. It just doesn't stop well. Has the click shifters instead of the grip shifters though, which is nice. Not to mention it has a kickstand, which I haven't had since I was 14 or so.

The clutch cable needs to be lubed and/or replaced. it's very very stiff. Eventually I think I'd like to get a larger sprocket so I can start out at a slower speed...I want as little pedaling as possible :)

Anyway, I don't have pics of my own yet because I'm at work and I just picked it up and it's in the back of my car, lol. So here are the pics from Craigslist.

1353d1215907369-im-tired-flaky-people-motorbike2.jpg


1354d1215907378-im-tired-flaky-people-motorbike1.jpg


P.S. My wife is going to kill me :)
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Thanks guys.

My first ride (the test ride) was...interesting. Almost crashed, killed the engine when I let go of the clutch accidentally...

The left brake is set up a bit funky right now. Basically you use your fingers for the clutch, and the brake is flipped around on the bar so you use your thumb. I think that's gonna change :)

I need to get the hang of letting off of the throttle when I pull in the clutch...I kept forgetting, lol.
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

They do have double break lever.

The first pic is one you could buy...the second is one you could make
 

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Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Yeah, I know about those :)

Kinda scared to put all my eggs in one basket with those though...
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Since you can't buy a kit for that let alone an assembled and running bike, I would say you got a heck of a deal. Now be careful you don't spent twice as much "fixing" it up /lol/ I sure did with my kit.
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Yo Jasonh!!
I've got a set of Avid side pull brakes and levers in great shape....you can have them for the price of shipping (I'll have to box it up and weigh it to know how much). I was going to put them on my bike to replace the canti's but was so satisfied with performance i never got to it, and then one day, I was riding the bus to save gas, when a pickup plowed into the front of the bus, destroying all the bikes on the front rack. (still no insurance yet after a month!)
P.M. if your interested.
BTW, flip it so the fingers are on the brakes, and thumb on the clutch!
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Ok so a few things.

cityevader, thanks for the offer. It'll be a week or so before I have $ in my paypal account, but I'd be glad to take you up on your offer at that time. You should see if they can fit in a USPS Priority box, that way it's just a flat fee.

As for the placement of the clutch/brake, I think I found a way that I like. I have the clutch level pointed straight down, and the brake in the usual position. Seems to work really well.

The clutch cable had a kink in it because it was too long. I cut the outer and used a spare inner I had off of another bike, and the clutch is super smooth now.

I went out for my first real ride tonight. It was awesome. Everybody I passed did a double take, and some cute but underage girls were like "oh way cool!" as I passed. This thing hauled butt. Till I got close to home :(

So, all of a sudden it won't stay running. If I'm pedaling and the wheels are turning, the motor will run, but if I give it gas it won't go any faster, and if I disengage the clutch, the motor dies. Since the motor runs when the bike is moving, I'm sure I have fuel and spark. So what else could it be?

It won't accelerate and dies with clutch in...

I checked the plug and it was a bit oily/black, so I moved the e clip to the top notch and cleaned the plug. Of course this didn't really help.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

congrats on the new bike. There's nothing like the feeling of that new bike (or the second or third one). Enjoy yourself and have fun!
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Sounds are deceptive. When I lost spark from dead coil AND magento (long pedal home) it sounded like engine was running. Simply turning over and opening/closing intake/exhaust ports gives a sound very much like it's actually running.

I'd recommend the nerdy neighbor kid who adores you, and who thinks motorbikes are the only way possible to escape his world...show him how to pop the clutch while pedalling, and make sure he understands how important it is to hang on to that spark plug wire end to validate test for spark!!!! Make up something half-believable, like a spark is dependent on weight and momentum, so you need someone light to check for "light spark".
:)
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

hmm.

So if it wasn't really running and just sounded like it, would it have made a sound difference with twisting the throttle? It did make a little difference in the sound/speed of the sound, but not much.

I'm gonna see if I can build a little rig out of 2x4's tonight to prop the back wheel up so I can get on it and pedal and see what's going on, instead of having to fiddle with stuff while I'm pedaling down the road.

Thinking something like a U with basically a 2x8 on the base (for heft/stability) and 2 2x4's coming up and the ends of the axle will sit on top of the 2x4's...maybe a little notch there so it doesn't slide out. Think that would work?
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

yes, actually...with the throttle open the intake ports aren't blocked, so even more noise comes out. (you'd be shocked how much intake noise two-strokes produce! Try once sticking your head down low so each ear is equal distance between intake and exhaust and rev it up, you'll see).
Anyway, easiest thing to check is spark present/not present.
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

interesting. I'll see what I can come up with this evening. My wife's grandmother is in town, so I don't have as much bike-time as I would normally...
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

So, fuel is flowing fine. Not getting any spark though. Pulled the cover off the magneto and got about 1/4 cup of water on the ground. Cleaned it up and dried the mag out in the oven for a bit, still no spark.

I'm getting voltage on the white wire while I spin the tire, hard to tell how much since I don't have a bike stand though.

Have a feeling it's the CDI.

This sucks, I get to ride the thing for a total of 20 min, and it's down. Can't purchase new cdi till payday, then I have to wait for shipping anyway. And to top it off I have to listen to "I told you so" from my wife because of it.

I just want to ride my dang bike :(
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Hey jasonh,
I went to box up the brake parts for you, and noticed there is only one lever. I'd recommend it for the front brake as 80% of stopping power is in the front. You can use your old levers from the canti's on the rear. Only difference is a slightly less effective rear brake. No big deal cause it'll still be really easy to lock up a rear brake! I'm sure shipping is only a few bucks, if you PM me your address, I can ship them out and you can re-pay shipping whenever...i'm super easy going. And if money keeps getting harder to come by, I understand that too.
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

Why not check to see if you have power on the blue /black wire combo at the engine.

then check to see if you have spark at the plug.

If you have it going into the cdi and not out then that sounds like your problem. I would check the blue black not just the white. It could be a wire problem there I would do that before I invested in a new cdi.
 
Re: Finally! Got a MB!

I've gone through in another thread and tested everything. Looks like the magneto is my actual problem (didn't think so originally because of stupid test mistake). I'll probably just order a magneto and cdi at the same time. $16 for a magneto + 9 shipping, or $16 + 15 for both with free shipping...might as well just take care of it. Hopefully I can be back on the road by next weekend.
 
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