I've only had my 4 stroke HS engine for a few weeks and really like just about everything about it... except for that orange/red plastic shroud. Man, that is uuuuglyyy. I see that some have painted them black and have been told others have painted them silver. Much better, the painted ones I've seen, but still. That's where the 2 strokes have it all over the HS, the Honda it was cloned from and the HF engines. The Happy Time engines just look good. Like a little motorcycle engine... all business, all engine and fits right in the frame because that's what it was designed for, a bicycle. The 4 strokes mentioned were designed for other uses, as industrial type motors for stationary applications. So they don't tuck down low into the frame and with the plastic shrouds they look kinda clunky to my eye. Don't get me wrong, I love the way my engine runs and it is a big improvement, a step up from my experience with 2 strokes. I just wish they looked better.
So, my question is what is that plastic shroud for? And all the heat shields, what's that all about? I have seen a couple of folks here have removed the shrouds or at least talked about it. Several days ago I removed mine and ran a few days with it like that, no great distance, but to my eye it looked a whole lot better. I did get a wee bit nervous about the flywheel being exposed in that something could get caught in it. Talk about getting your pants in a bundle, well that would do it if they somehow got caught, or a skirt on a lady, a coattail maybe. So, I did some thinking, the light bulb in my b.b. brain lit up and I got an idea. The end result of my fabrication is pictured below. Whether this turns out to be a good idea or a wrong turn in the road I'll detail how I made in the ezmotor build competition which I have entered. When I get to that part I'll show detailed photos of how it was made. But that's later. Here's the question. Is it a bad idea, removing the shroud? I had thought that it was there mostly for protecting an owner from the flywheel. But a friend whose opinion I value highly has advised me to put the shroud back on as it is necessary for the proper cooling of the engine. The flywheel has fins which direct the air flow upwards against the fins in the head. That made some sense to me and I thought about all the work that went into my spiffy custom flywheel shroud,apparently a wrong turn in my Motorbike build. Back to the drawing board.
But is it? The HS motor was designed for stationary running. On a bike it is outdoors and is moving through the air, so it seems to me that is a very different situation from a stationary motor that might be sitting in a hot environment with little air exchange. And if it is so important to cool those fins above then what's the deal with all those heat shrouds? Doesn't that keep the heat in? Are they there to keep you from burning you fingers or something? Most of the time I will ride my bike it will be in the cool to cold of northern Minnesota, and never in the desert of Arizona in July. It seems to me that if the heat shrouds were also removed (making it look better, too,) it would improve the cooling.
All that being said, I know next to nothing about these motors. I'm just guessing and surely do not want to wreck my motor. So, who has an opinion on this? I'd appreciate knowing more than I do and of course hope I can keep my custom flywheel shroud because I want my bike to look as good as it sounds and runs. Three photos show my bike with the shroud, with no shroud, and with my little flywheel shroud. Many thanks,
SB
So, my question is what is that plastic shroud for? And all the heat shields, what's that all about? I have seen a couple of folks here have removed the shrouds or at least talked about it. Several days ago I removed mine and ran a few days with it like that, no great distance, but to my eye it looked a whole lot better. I did get a wee bit nervous about the flywheel being exposed in that something could get caught in it. Talk about getting your pants in a bundle, well that would do it if they somehow got caught, or a skirt on a lady, a coattail maybe. So, I did some thinking, the light bulb in my b.b. brain lit up and I got an idea. The end result of my fabrication is pictured below. Whether this turns out to be a good idea or a wrong turn in the road I'll detail how I made in the ezmotor build competition which I have entered. When I get to that part I'll show detailed photos of how it was made. But that's later. Here's the question. Is it a bad idea, removing the shroud? I had thought that it was there mostly for protecting an owner from the flywheel. But a friend whose opinion I value highly has advised me to put the shroud back on as it is necessary for the proper cooling of the engine. The flywheel has fins which direct the air flow upwards against the fins in the head. That made some sense to me and I thought about all the work that went into my spiffy custom flywheel shroud,apparently a wrong turn in my Motorbike build. Back to the drawing board.
But is it? The HS motor was designed for stationary running. On a bike it is outdoors and is moving through the air, so it seems to me that is a very different situation from a stationary motor that might be sitting in a hot environment with little air exchange. And if it is so important to cool those fins above then what's the deal with all those heat shrouds? Doesn't that keep the heat in? Are they there to keep you from burning you fingers or something? Most of the time I will ride my bike it will be in the cool to cold of northern Minnesota, and never in the desert of Arizona in July. It seems to me that if the heat shrouds were also removed (making it look better, too,) it would improve the cooling.
All that being said, I know next to nothing about these motors. I'm just guessing and surely do not want to wreck my motor. So, who has an opinion on this? I'd appreciate knowing more than I do and of course hope I can keep my custom flywheel shroud because I want my bike to look as good as it sounds and runs. Three photos show my bike with the shroud, with no shroud, and with my little flywheel shroud. Many thanks,
SB
