BGF Hongdu/Solex

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.
 
Otero said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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
 
silverbear said:
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
Click to expand...
Here ya go SB, a cool read.

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

Attachments

  • 7th config. 007.jpg
    7th config. 007.jpg
    404.2 KB · Views: 373
  • 7th config. 005.jpg
    7th config. 005.jpg
    417.3 KB · Views: 342
  • 7th config. 009.jpg
    7th config. 009.jpg
    404.8 KB · Views: 395
  • 7th config. 002.jpg
    7th config. 002.jpg
    415.1 KB · Views: 315
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
 
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.
 
Last edited:
This should show what I was talking about. Actually
I use an !/8" spacer with a 3V belt. as shown is for
a 3L.
 

Attachments

  • Picture 020.jpg
    Picture 020.jpg
    418.4 KB · Views: 306
Last edited:
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.
 

Attachments

  • rikimbili-riquimbili-8.jpg
    rikimbili-riquimbili-8.jpg
    72.9 KB · Views: 350
I've seen that pic before, it's rather a well presented bike, especially when you compare it to some Cuban death traps.
 
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.
 
Otero said:
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.
Click to expand...

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
 

Attachments

  • MT's compare both pulleys my own and the whizzer clone.JPG
    MT's compare both pulleys my own and the whizzer clone.JPG
    657.9 KB · Views: 315
Last edited:
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.
 
After 3 years of being dead reliable mine suddenly wouldn't run right. I thought it would be something simple that I could fix. Well, I couldn't, and then I couldn't keep it running. I don't think I have given up on it quite yet but I am frustrated with it and as of right now it refuses to start even though it has fuel, spark and compression.

I noticed these kits are no longer so easy to come by as they were a few years ago which is rather unfortunate.
 
cannonball2 said:
Finished the build on the H-Solex. Was a perfect match for the Macargi 24. Once I tweeked the hardware a bit it was a 30min. bolt on. Its a really cool bike, very smooth and runs great. Its a leisurely ride, top speed around 20. It is also very quiet. I really like it. I have three other bikes with top speeds from 30- 50mph, so figured this one rounds out the collection. This little thing is just plain fun to ease around on!
Click to expand...

I am going with your idea where do I get these clamps from.... That's clean without junk piled on, how fast can my 25cc take me at stock build? Bolens Bl110, btw my wife may still be getting me a moped so moped to work and show bike for around the town.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top