I just bought a Panama Jack Huffy Cruiser, and i have a pull starter that blocks the pedals, and with coaster breaks that is a problem. Would the spokes be ok on a cruiser like this when starting the engine the normal way (take off, reach a certain speed, then release the clutch)?
pullstarter or no on my cruiser
- Thread starter Crysisfreak7
- Start date
Popping the clutch to start these is the normal way and harmless to your spokes, Yeah, the pull starts usually interfear with the pedals and you either need to use the wider cranks or you can bend the crank just enough to clear the pull start, the only thing about bending the crank to clear is that you'll feel it being slightly off when you're pedaling unless you do a double bend. Mine just needed about 1/4 inch to clear it but I can definitely feel it when I need to pedal, but I don't pedal much at all because I got a bad ankle so it's not a big deal for me, it would be if I did more pedaling tho.
I also want to add to what Dave said here, yes cranks can be bent to clear the pull starter/recoil starter as I grew up calling it..LOL
I ran one for a while on one of my engines and the way I avoided needing to modify or change cranks was that I just mounted the engine higher in the frame, I mounted engine in frame with rear mount only after raising it just above the crank, then I built my front mount so that it extended to front down tube, this can be done with a piece of flat strap steel that has holes drilled so it will attach to engine and then bent so that it extends down to frame tube, then another bend so that a U-clamp/muffler clamp can be used to secure the mount to the frame.
Some frames wont allow the engine to be raised enough and I'm not sure if yours will or not, but if you really want the pull starter on the engine that may be an option that will get it done for you, but if it wont work and you decide to go without it, bump starting the engine like most of us do wont hurt a thing as long as the bike is set up right and all things are nice and secure.
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I ran one for a while on one of my engines and the way I avoided needing to modify or change cranks was that I just mounted the engine higher in the frame, I mounted engine in frame with rear mount only after raising it just above the crank, then I built my front mount so that it extended to front down tube, this can be done with a piece of flat strap steel that has holes drilled so it will attach to engine and then bent so that it extends down to frame tube, then another bend so that a U-clamp/muffler clamp can be used to secure the mount to the frame.
Some frames wont allow the engine to be raised enough and I'm not sure if yours will or not, but if you really want the pull starter on the engine that may be an option that will get it done for you, but if it wont work and you decide to go without it, bump starting the engine like most of us do wont hurt a thing as long as the bike is set up right and all things are nice and secure.
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Yup... mine is a perfect example of one that the engine can't be raised any higher in, I only needed to mount the engine up another 1/8" or so for the pedal crank to clear but there just wasn't enough room up top. After looking at all my options I rode it without the pull start for about a week or so but one day my ankle wasn't gonna let me do any pedaling and I wanted to ride so I took the left pedal off, slipped a 3 foot long cheater pipe over the crank and gently bumped it until it just barely cleared. I only had to bend it about 1/4" but that was enough to make a noticeable difference to where I could feel the crank not perfect while pedaling. I could have put a second bend right before the pedal mount so it would feel normal again, but since I don't pedal any more than I have to I just left it that way, the most pedaling I can do even on a good day is maybe about 100 feet then my ankle starts to give out on me so the pull start is a huge help.
There are several places that sell the wider cranks which totally eliminates this problem as well and they're also needed if you run a shifter kit, but with a single piece crank, it's not too hard to bend it just a little, to do a double bend tho it would probably require some heat applied (and a junk pedal installed to prevent thread distortion if the bend is close to the top) to help bend it more precicely
There are several places that sell the wider cranks which totally eliminates this problem as well and they're also needed if you run a shifter kit, but with a single piece crank, it's not too hard to bend it just a little, to do a double bend tho it would probably require some heat applied (and a junk pedal installed to prevent thread distortion if the bend is close to the top) to help bend it more precicely
but you are absolutly sure that the spokes wont snap, my racing bike spokes snapped, just while i was riding normally.
I have been riding my bikes since the first one I built back in 2009 and I have only had one spoke break on an old wheel, I never even knew it had broken and probably road with it that way for a long time since it was sandwiched between the rubber pads of the rag joint that held the sprocket in place, I have a combined several thousand mile between four motorized bikes I now have going and never any major spoke issues, the best insurance is to use a wheel that has the larger 12ga spokes, but I have run both the 12ga spokes and the smaller 14ga spoked wheels since I started building and riding these bikes and I've had good service form both.
Main thing is to get sprocket centered and aligned right, then get the bolts that attach everything good and tight, then you will be fine if the wheel you're using is in good shape to begin with.
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On the higher compression engines like mine dumping the clutch is the only way they can be started or clutch will just slip. Ill agree though that if the clutch can be released easy to start the engine that is gonna take some shock off of the spokes and entire drive train for that matter.
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