Shift Kit + Nuvinci = (Grin)

GoldenMotor.com

i-paint

New Member
May 24, 2008
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Clotho, Did you weld the gas tank filler tube in place? Beautiful bike by the way!
 

Clotho

Member
May 25, 2008
304
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I like the other Felt bikes too! I wish they made one with a suspension front fork other than a springer. Trying to find a cruiser with a good front suspension is difficult. I-Paint found one though.

Egor, You always say such nice things. You have it pretty close. It was a very nice out when I took that picture. What better day to ride?

I-Paint, The bung for the filler is JB welded in place. People seem to have an aversion to epoxy but if done correctly it can be an incredibly strong bond. I have seen JB Weld used to repair engine blocks and the repair never failed. I promise you that the only way to remove that bung without damaging the tank is to heat it to over 600 degrees F. I really like your latest build btw. You did a great job and it is a beautiful bike.

There is a trick to making very strong bonds with JB Weld on aluminum. Aluminum oxidizes immediately upon contact with air. If you put a coating of JB Weld on the part and then work it with a steel brush the epoxy will prevent contact with the air and the steel brush will break through the oxidized surface and expose new aluminum to the epoxy. This also gives it some tooth. Do this on the 2 properly cleaned and prepped aluminum parts that you wish to join and you will have the best bond possible.

Thank you for all the compliments. It means a lot as there are so many gifted builders here.
 
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Clotho

Member
May 25, 2008
304
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Beautiful machine, but would really like to know the speed ranges and capabilities.(c)
This isn't such an easy question to answer but I will do my best.

The speed range is basically 0 - 55km/h on a flat road with no wind and me riding the bike according to my speedometer. I have had a car behind me and he stopped and told me I was doing 70 so I'm not sure about the accuracy of that. It didn't feel like 70 but It did seem faster than 55. One thing I have noticed is that even though you can keep up with traffic, the car drivers will still want to pass you because all they see is a bike.

All this really doesn't mean much because it is dependent upon the rider. I am 6ft tall and weigh about 245lbs. Put a smaller person on the bike and it will perform very very different. Its all about hp/mass and drag. When you are working with such a small motor every lb. counts!

Essentially I am very pleased with the way this bike performs. It climbs like a mountain goat and it goes fast enough to scare me. It has nimble handling and stops on a dime. Of the 4 bikes I own it is also the most trouble free.
 

Clotho

Member
May 25, 2008
304
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Good to see you again Captain!

I hope your health has improved and continues to improve.

The Nuvinci has been flawless. 1143 km's on it now and not a single problem. In fact the whole bike is working pretty good. I seem to have worked out all the bugs.
 

DasKapitan

New Member
Jul 27, 2008
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Birchwood, WI
www.cetaceanmarine.com
Thanks Clotho - I'm glad your happy with the hub. Means that I'll be with mine.
After fitting my new rear wheel, due to its width, it appears I may have chain contact issues on the front chain rings. Did you have any problems setting yours up?
 

Clotho

Member
May 25, 2008
304
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Are you using a Shift-Kit? I had some problems at first but I had installed the freewheel incorrectly. Pablo straightened me out and all was well.

Have you posted new pics? I am going to check out the thread for your build.
 

Clotho

Member
May 25, 2008
304
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That's a class act you have there !!

A bike like that would deserve a Morini I think
I'm glad you like my bike! I think the Morini engines are top quality but I think for this bike this is a better choice. The best choice would be Jim's engine of course and I look forward to when he has them ready. I will be certain to provide updated photos if that should come to pass

The Morini is wider and there is no jackshaft kit for it. Negating the benefit of the Nuvinci hub. It would have to be mounted higher and the motor mounts would be completely different. Due to its width it would probably require a special wide pedal kit as well. It would be a completely different bike and probably wouldn't look as nice since the placement and proportion of the components wouldn't have the same flow or balance. Undoubtedly the increased horsepower would add some challenges and the aluminum frame would probably require reinforcing in key spots. (not necessarily a bad problem :)

The motor that is on this bike is no longer the $200 Chinese special it once was. It has been worked on for many hours. It has been ported, polished, tuned and adjusted and now it is a powerful, reliable thing of joy. At their core the Chinese motors are really quite remarkable both for their simplicity and for how much you actually get for your money. Everything you need to know can be found on this forum but if you spend some time tweaking them you actually end up with a pretty decent power-plant.
 
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john_the_great

New Member
Oct 24, 2009
191
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California
I bought a shimano nexus 3 speed hub and bent its axle within 3 miles... It was a load of fun until I broke it, i think it would be fine if used on a lower performance bicycle that doesn't see a lot of off-road time.