Old Guys Simplex moto-peddle bike

[indian22]

Ooops! I mounted the battery pack & hopped on board for a victory lap, tried to turn the ignition switch and nothing....My battery mount interferes with the battery anti theft slide lock which doubles as an ignition switch, so that victory lap has to wait on the fix!

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

"Well that was fun" easy job made hard by not knowing how a device is supposed to function. Lock smith I'm not but gained a little the slow and hard way. In the end I learned something else about how devices work and the switch operates well for my purpose. Two hours for a fifteen minute job, Old guy speed, at least this Old guy.

Three mile victory lap completed and nothing fell off the bike or stopped working, including me. Sweet taste of success, but saw a couple of things that would make using the electric more enjoyable. All in all hybrid setup works as I anticipated and pedal free startups going uphill are now easy. Twenty five mile morning adventure planned for early tomorrow and that's my idea of a operational test.

Handling and speed seem about the same as before though the weight is about 30 lbs. more and actually pedaling is noticeably more difficult. I'll weigh the bike on commercial scales, but guess about 90 lbs. Photos later. looking at 100 + degrees over the next two days and high humidity, but it's been cool all Spring and abnormally wet so summer is on us at last.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

So Rick, is your key a reed switch or some kind of Hall Effect device?
Tom

 

[indian22]

? These quadruple posts are strange. I must have done it, but how?

I like the ride of the hybrid as the front end seems more in control and solid really attached to the road both on curves and straight line running. The solid girder forks also seem more forgiving of road surface irregularities and that results in a smoother ride.

Rick C

 

[indian22]

I've over 700 hrs on this 66cc motor and Grubee frame. It was my first attempt at a board track stance motorized bike and later became a test bed for new stuff and my daily rider for sure. It bears witness to frame strength and the dependability of the China two stroke design when attention to poor manufacturing quality control issues are addressed "before" mounting the engine to frame. When these problems are sorted out mounting to the frame correctly & with all components correctly aligned and adjusted is critical to completion of a build that works well.

The many frustrations of "assemblers" are most typically self inflicted, been there and done that myself. The"simple 2 hr. assembly at home using 4 simple hand tools" is an advertising gimmick printed to sell product. Good bikes and motors are developed with patience and caution, build/assemble then test over and over while being very observant along the way. If something feels wrong or looks strange it always bears checking out.

Being broke down and stranded should be the rare exception rather than accepted reality. It does happen with the best of bikes that are reasonably maintained and thoughtfully ridden, but not often!

Electrifying my CG 66cc test mule is a fun project that will be ongoing as I ride and test...changes will be made I'm certain.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

66cc Grubee 500 watt hybrid electric.

 

[indian22]

Hybrid test run25 miles in just under an hour with no issues!.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Six days of rain in the forecast so got to get all the chores completed in front of this ongoing weather event...just too strange here in arid territory that's looking quite lush at the moment.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

You are doing good Rick, I have had three barley pops and started on chardonnay and you are right as rain to me. My query was motivated by a recent thread about theft proofing your ride. For what ever reason Wisconsin and South of us has been enduring Vancouver weather.
Tom

 

[indian22]

Tom the switch is a mechanical rotary type. the problem wasn't electrical but a mechanical locking rod which was combined with the switch got jammed & I ended up eliminating that locking rod and it's associated parts. The battery is mounted on a slide rail for easy removal & it works fine on my other bikes but not this one. The steel rod (bolt) is elevated by a small cam in the switch mechanism and goes through a hole in the slide to prevent easy theft, the way I have the battery mounted on this bike it would be far easier to steal the entire bike than remove the battery pack and that bolting rod had to be eliminated to use the mount I made. Mounting space was at a premium for this large battery pack.

All the above is probably about as clear as mud the way I described it.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Double post times what...?

 

[MotoMagz]

Yep those victory laps are great! Congratulations..she looks great .Can I ask the inlet size on that fine muffler?

 

[indian22]

Thanks Mags and that "fine muffler" is a 7/8" od & a stock kit China girl part just re-purposed. & clamped over the stub of the expansion pipe stinger (which I shortened by several inches) and fastened with a 3 piece Harley tube clamp and also serves as the rear exhaust support. The pipe performed well with no muffler but was extremely loud. The bike runs nice low thru mid range with muffler attached, but I'm sure something was lost with the attachment besides the noise! The battery location dictated the high pipe configuration & it keeps the engine heat away from the battery plus the battery is first to get cool air as is the controller without blocking air flow to the motor.

I'd noticed on my two other front electric hub bikes that have rear rack mounted battery packs that weight balance front to rear with my weight mounted is light in front. Front wheel spin can easily occur in gravel or slick spots, not a desirable trait for steering control. The high mount also elevates the bikes center of gravity which really isn't as big a deal but it's still there. With the battery low & up front balance seems even better than before the hub was installed.

This motor has reed, piston window and third port modifications and runs well, but with 48 t town and hill gearing top speed obviously isn't my objective, but it scoots pretty good for an old guy.

Going for the longer test ride.....

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Yeah the test rides are confirming the bikes balance is greatly improved with the extra weight forward provided by battery and front hub motor, night and day improvement. It helps offset the extreme rear saddle position which has the riders weight almost centered over the rear axle. This accounts for the smoother feel of the ride as the front tire and fork are now carrying more of the load and displacing energy. My butt was feeling what my brain should have known long ago. Much smoother ride and the bike really carves the turns now. The extra weight of hub and battery is kept low and that is a positive also. Extra weight? Well I've been thinking 10 pounds off my belly would be a nice trade off and also lower the center of gravity on all my bikes, lol.

Twenty five miles with the bars set as low as they are would have been extremely tiring before the conversion even with a stop or three to stretch on the one hour ride but I completed it without getting off the non suspension bike and that's not too bad for a man my age...72 Sunday.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

You are doing good Rick, I have had three barley pops and started on chardonnay and you are right as rain to me. My query was motivated by a recent thread about theft proofing your ride. For what ever reason Wisconsin and South of us has been enduring Vancouver weather.
Tom

Normal Vancouver weather Tom. It's 80F and it's been drier than a popcorn fart for a month. Rivers are drying up though we are supposed to get some rain in a couple of days. We rarely see these temperatures in August let alone June.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Steve we've had your rain and more on the way and cool, only 2 or 3 days over 90, until 110 degrees yester day with heat index off the charts; that said back to mid '80's today and 6 days of the same with rain every day forecast...unprecedented weather patterns! Upside is everything is beautiful and green as Ireland in spring.

I'm on my way for a morning ride on the hybrid, no 25 mile jaunt, 10 or 15 will be plenty after yesterdays test. Basic check for loosening bolts and tire pressure and top off fuel and I'm riding!

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Glad I checked bolts before the ride as the hub sprocket adapter had loosened considerably, so blue thread locked it and in the process saw the rear wheel was a little misaligned as well & I had just a bit of drive chain to tire rub. Trust your work but verify along the way.

I took the Pug Ugly fat tire bike for my ride and ride and will correct the tire alignment before lunch.

Rick C.

 

[MotoMagz]

Good for you! Happy bday....72 yr old Board tracker. Yep even with Loctie you still need to check bike over..good catch.

 

[indian22]

Thanks Moto, yeah I'm vintage and fortunate as well. I checked the fasteners before the 25 mile run and all was secure. Happened fast but no spoke damage resulted and that amazes me cause the bolts really backed off..

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more about your excellent X!!

Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

Happy Birthday Rick! Ever try star lock washers on any of them parts, used in aircraft. Made in internal and external,just a thought.............Curt