3 shoe clutch issues

[16v4nrbrgr]

I actually have a pocket bike pipe handy, and unfortunately they tune them for the 3 hp motors so the stingers are too small. The long poo is actually perfectly sized, just needed it less packed, if noise becomes a real problem I'll make some baffles for it, I took the stock baffle out because it is restrictive. I was thinking I might use a black catalyst element if the stainless swarf doesn't trap and burn off soot well enough. The idea for this bike is to be able to use it often, and having something to reduce the smell is important. 316L actually has some catalytic properties, especially when very hot so using it as packing helps the emissions, there was just too much in there before and the trapped soot couldn't burn off quickly enough.

I wish there was a scooter store by my house with tons of parts! The closest one here is prolly in San Jose.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

WOW I unlocked the top end by using only 1.5 scrubbers in the muffler. This thing is great now very crisp and revs right up to the powerband, the clutch works better too, I think the smoother the rpm build the better the clutch holds on. I'm very happy, took a couple top speed pulls and its mind scrambling!

It's not much noisier at cruising speed because the motor is making more power down low so I'm not megaphoning it all the time. Its one of those things that got progressively worse so it was hard to catch, the buildup of waxy soot in the swarf. It should be hot enough now that the oil will burn off properly.

 

[headtrama]

Did you GPS it yet.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

No, because I don't have a GPS, lol.

What I did do, was take a 25 mile trip and it will cruise with the clutch beginning engagement at what I surmise from my surroundings and having driven a car and used bikes and scooters and my motard with calibrated speedometers for the last decade to be about 30-35 mph, if I wood it and max it out zinging it will do about 50-55? It will do it more than willingly but it needs a ton of gas to be sustained, and gets like 5 mpg doing it lol. I much prefer using it as the legal def of a motor bicycle around 30 because combined zinging and cruising today I only got 33 mpg. If I got pulled over going really fast it defeats the purpose of this to me, I'd rather have it accelerate really well and have a top end for quick blasts. It needs this gearing to sustain speed on all types of hills on its own, so that's not changing. I think doing 50-55 on a hardtail bicycle regularly is crazy, so I'll save that for my suspension bike with gears and overdrive coming up later.

 

[headtrama]

Acceleration and top end don't really go together. You normally give up one for the other . Gas mileage is another thing you give up. Two strokes are notorious for poor gas mileage as it is. With your low gearing I can see your gas mileage being on the poor side.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

Yeah, I know, but with one gear whatcha gonna do?

Going legal motor bicycle speeds at the engine cruise speed was one of my goals. If you gear this thing too tall it defeats the purpose, it's a blaster, and if you stretch it out too far then it will never develop peak power. Before it wouldn't get out of its own way without burning up clutch, now it takes off very easily. If you slip the clutch too much it won't last very long, and this is the equivalent to the stock ktm50 gearing.

I can go fast but don't want to spend an extended amount of time there, which is probably wise on a bicycle. The acceleration experience and sound is quite incredible up top with the chain going a mile a minute!

By the way, the 3 shoe clutch works. LOL

I'm gonna open it up today and see how much it wore down, and change the oil. I put wax on the outer case before siliconing the whole shabang together so it should come apart nice and leave a gasket of silicone on the engine case.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

I drained the oil today, tipping the bike I got out 150 mL of purple stuff looking like good useable oil with no clutch sand suspended in it at all there was some thin black soot in the bottom of the oil, a tiny bit.

Put that oil back in the bike and added 50 mL more, obviously its working out better than expected if the oil looks this good.

I'm going to wait on checking the clutch it seems to be on the upswing at the moment as it breaks in.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

I opened up the clutch case today. Everything looked good, there was a thin coating of grey sediment at the bottom but nothing like the clutch sand from when it was new from the factory. The oil looked runnable but I'll put 250 mL of new Redline D4 in. I have been working the bike pretty hard so I'm impressed with the cleanliness of everything inside. The oiling holes I drilled in the pucks show no signs of sediment buildup. The clutch puck clearances are still about 15 thou like when I set it up.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

I forgot to note that was at 10 hours running time and 200 miles or so, the KTM recommended service interval is every 5 hours.