BGF Hongdu/Solex

[cannonball2]

This is the current(I believe, if the site is up to date) distributor in the US. Velocruz is where I purchased parts from, nice folks. The parts I received were Hungarian and good quality. There is some confusion back in the thread as to the origin of the current model. Steves would neither confirm or deny Chinese origins. The European site indicated world sourced parts assembled in France. If the machine was of the same quality as the originals I would consider a purchase, even at the 21st century price, but I have my doubts. Guess one day I will finish my 1974s restoration. http://www.stevesmoped.com/

 

[silverbear]

The Tanaka engine is 26cc and was sold in the US under different names Tas Spittz, bikebug, Free Spirit... all the same engine. I had several of these when I first started fooling with motorized bicycles. Finding parts is a pain and some are no longer made... including the drive wheels. Replacement drive wheels can be made using the original core and a skateboard wheel pressed on to it. I also made my own with epoxy and experimented with smooth, slightly abarsive and course abrasive for differing wet conditions.
They are well made and OK for something like an old 3 speed bike where you want to do some of the pedaling. This is a motor assist engine. Pretty quiet and smooth, but all in all more trouble than they are worth in my opinion and fussy to keep in running condition.
SB

 

[Otero]

I'd think 26cc would be more like it, but the Ebay
ad sez 22cc and they have the original box?
As for the parts thing, I'd feel better about European
parts than Chinese. Given the number of factories
in China there's bound to be inconsistancies due to
tool wear.

 

[cannonball2]

I'd think 26cc would be more like it, but the Ebay
ad sez 22cc and they have the original box?
As for the parts thing, I'd feel better about European
parts than Chinese. Given the number of factories
in China there's bound to be inconsistancies due to
tool wear.

Depending on how old the kit is it could be a Koirtz engine which would be 22cc. This would be the same as the early Echo engines that showed up under multiple brands. Wonderful little engine would run forever with casual care.

 

[silverbear]

I have the owner's manual and it is 26cc. The Tanaka engine would go well and reliably so long as you used it regularly. The fuel pump diaphragms tended to dry up when not in use and finding replacements is no fun. There is a forum member who does repairs, has some replacement parts. If you google tanaka bikebug pretty quickly you'll find him as he has his own website. Amigomike I think his name is here, something like that. The original engine dates all the way back to before WWII and got used a lot after the war when Japan was in ruins. It was very poplular in the U.S. in the late 60's and into the 70's.
SB

 

[Ludwig II]

There are substances that will repair damaged rubber or can be moulded as a replacement, some are fluorosilicones that are fuel resistant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoroelastomer , some are Viton, see this Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viton

Others are liquid or paste grade aircraft sealants, which can be obtained cheaply when freshly out of shelf life at an aviation supplier. Some are even cheap enough to buy.

http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/menus/cs/fueltanksealants.html

 

[cannonball2]

I have the owner's manual and it is 26cc. The Tanaka engine would go well and reliably so long as you used it regularly. The fuel pump diaphragms tended to dry up when not in use and finding replacements is no fun. There is a forum member who does repairs, has some replacement parts. If you google tanaka bikebug pretty quickly you'll find him as he has his own website. Amigomike I think his name is here, something like that. The original engine dates all the way back to before WWII and got used a lot after the war when Japan was in ruins. It was very poplular in the U.S. in the late 60's and into the 70's.
SB

Here ya go SB, a cool read.

http://bikerodnkustom3.homestead.com/tanaka.html

 

[Otero]

Golly,
I had a set of those cheesy blue & white vinyl saddle bags.
Back then I could have bought a used Whizzer for $75, but
my ma put the kibosh on that. Funny I never saw any Sears
or Bikebugs. Where I lived they were all into Honda cubs or
Cushmans. The laws have changed now, but back then if you
were 14 you could ride anything 6 hp. or less, no license, no test,
no insurance, no helmet.

 

[Ludwig II]

A brief timeline of Tanaka, translated, sort of, by Google:


1918 - Tanaka industrial establishment
Reorganized Co., Ltd. - April 1963
1957 - Start of production Tasumopetto
Moped Lifecycle domestic - 1960
1975 - and closed the factory tsudanuma, unified albino plant the production of engine
Renamed Tanaka Industrial Co., Ltd. - 1986
To apply for a civil rehabilitation and bankruptcy - 2006
2007 - it becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Koki, Nikko Tanaka Engineering it is.

 

[pocdragon]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...90856369560&item=190856369560&vectorid=229466

thanks for the links LUDWIG

ive searched a while and havent found much on the engine


CB: it is not related to bumble bike, its 35cc and not hand actuated to the wheel

thanks for the ebay pics you all!

 

[Otero]

It's Alive. Have resurrected the belt drive rickimbili.
nearly gave up and bought a GEBE kit, but my stays
are too narrow for the kit among other issues.
Sooo... I hand tooled a new shaft and reconfigured
most everything which, to my delight, performs better
than i could have hoped. The stealth tour bike rolls
once more.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Nice setup Otero. As you say it's a perfect stealth touring bike. Spot the engine? - no you can't

 

[rustycase]

That is indeed a very stealthy motor assisted bicycle !
The duffle and assortment of flagons contribute a lot.
A fiberglass pole with orange pennant would help blend in hereabouts.

rc

 

[Otero]

Even with the gray waterproof engine cover removed, the tank
faces rearward and has been painted to mimic a pannier.
as a matter of fact I 'do have the fiberglass pole it's just not shown
The green rubberized bag in front contains a suplus marine bivy
which contains a $15 walmart fleece bag.
I don't use a tent, too time consuming. If I need more I just rig
up a poncho. I don't cook,(attracts bears & vermin). These are
things I learned prospecting alone in the wilderness. I can make
& break camp in five minutes. The timing saving is important above
timberline. the season there is very short and there are almost
every afternoon violent thunder storms. On Mount Elbert at 12,000
feet I got stuck in one that lasted 3 days. It kept me pinned down
in a clump of dwarf willow under what sounded like an artillery
barrage lightening popping all around me. It'll give one religion.

P.S. Rusty, re. your pvt message, the type of Belleville washer
I use is very hard to find these days. I'll try to post pics this site.

 

[Otero]

This should show what I was talking about. Actually
I use an !/8" spacer with a 3V belt. as shown is for
a 3L.

 

[Otero]

Well Ludwig,
If your interested in friction kits, here's another DIY Cuban
rikimbili, also with a 2 litre soda bottle for a tank. I'm
pretty sure the engine is that of a 65cc Kawasaki leaf
blower. The VW emblem is a nice after thought. It
appears to be some sort of friction drive. I can't imagine
what it could do to a tyre.

 

[Ludwig II]

I've seen that pic before, it's rather a well presented bike, especially when you compare it to some Cuban death traps.

 

[Otero]

Looks comfy, doesn't it. I bet it'll climb like a goat with
that 65cc Kawasaki. they're capable of 11,000 rpm.
I'd want one if it had a better tank arrangement. That's
the next best thing to a '49 Cadillac Sedanette in Cuba.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

It's Alive. Have resurrected the belt drive rickimbili.
nearly gave up and bought a GEBE kit, but my stays
are too narrow for the kit among other issues.
Sooo... I hand tooled a new shaft and reconfigured
most everything which, to my delight, performs better
than i could have hoped. The stealth tour bike rolls
once more.

Looking at the picture of the Whizzer or Whizzer Clone type sheave on the rear wheel, I was wondering if I see where you cut and rewelded to widen the rear stays.

I have my home made pulley split as it was just a cast aluminum washing machine pulley and forgot that 40 years ago the same part was of pressed steel.

I ended up getting a Whizzer sheave clone part as it is made of steel, but the thing sticks out side ways so much it needed the stays widened.

The kind of smaller pulley that the way I mounted it much closer to the spokes and has more clearance to the stays, I looked and could not find in steel any more.

Cast iron is strong, but my method of cutting the bore out and bending the arms just slightly to match the cone shape of the spokes only works with metal that keeps at least some of its strength when bent and does not crack.

Cast iron is brittle and would crack unlike steel.

I found that people can cold bend or just spread the stays each time and use a longer axle. Just there are limits to how that would work. It was OK with my old setup as it only needed about an extra inch.

Now I think I have to cut and re-weld to spread the stays properly. Other way I thought was just to make a rounded notch where needed and leave the axle the same length. Then the sheave , belt, and the tire will clear the stays.

Any thoughts, also maybe such as that I could modify the clone sheave to be closer to the spokes.

MT

 

[Otero]

I didn't widen stays. I notched a 20" rim to match the
spokes just deep enuff so that i could screw the tabs
snugly between the spoke & the 'inside' of the rim. It's
a very precise, labor intensive operation. If it's not done
just right, you're screwed.