Bike is new to me, I have many questions

[SardoNespa]

Let me start by saying I got the bike used, through barter, from a guy who got it from a girl who got it from another guy. Basically what I am saying is I am very far removed from anyone who knew the origin on this bike. Pictures will be posted and hopefully, that will help.

1) First off, Im not even sure how to determine the make and model of the engine. I assume that would become useful in further discussions about carb settings, parts issues, etc. if I knew what this was. Any advice on determining the make and model?

2) Before I get into other issues (overall vibration, chain tension, not idling well, etc.) My biggest current issue is with what I think is called the clutch camshaft. Looking at the attached picture, it is a rod, underneath the cover, in the general area of the red oval. It bolts onto the clutch cable arm via the bolt pointed to by the red arrow. It seems there is nothing that really keeps this shaft inplace and, with all the vibration of the bike, it pops out of place within a minute. It only pops up about an inch or so, but when it is out of position, pulling in the clutch does nothing. Any ideas about how to eliminate this problem?

Thanks,

SARDO

 

[turnofftheradio]

the clutch lever shaft (going through the cover) has a groove carved in it. there should be a roll pin through a hole in the inside of the clutch cover to hold it in there.
I like the green and black. looks cool.

 

[2door]

the clutch lever shaft (going through the cover) has a groove carved in it. there should be a roll pin through a hole in the inside of the clutch cover to hold it in there.
I like the green and black. looks cool.

Exactly. Remove that cover and you'll see an empty hole, about 3/32" in diameter. There is supposed to be a steel pin in the hole that retains the cam in the cover. Some came from the factory with a glob of epoxy over the pin to hold it in place. Some were peened in. The peened pins generally never work loose but the epoxy has been known to fail and allow the pin to fall out resulting in your problem.

Find a small nail, or any similar steel item that will fit in that hole. If it fits tight, all the better. Cut it just long enough that it sits just below the surface then use a small center punch and peen over the top of the hole so the pin can't come back out. You'll be good to go. While you're in there you want to make sure all moving/contacting parts of the clutch actuating system are well lubricated. That is the cam, the pin, called a bucking bar, which protrudes from the center of the sprocket and there is a ball bearing behind that pin. Use bearing grease, not oil.

Your engine is the common Chinese 2 stroke bicycle engine. They are all essentially identical but sold under different brand names. Yours appears to be the 66cc version. Parts are generally all the same with the exception of a couple which have different pistons/connecting rods/stroke. The generic names are China Girl, Happy Time (HT) and some others less flattering depending on your success with it.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[SardoNespa]

Thanks for all your quick and useful advice. Pulling that cover has revealed other, more scary issues, but first - In "inside cover1 with arrows.jpg", is the yellow arrow pointing to the hole that needs the pin as discussed earlier? It looks like the hole might have a little piece missing, but Ill rig up something.

As for the "scarier issues", I also found metal shavings within the cover, and gouged out parts of the cover (see black arrows). Obviously caused by the chain rubbing there.

"chain position under cover.jpg" shows a closeup of where the chain sits and that is completely wrong. Im not grease-monkey, but even I can see that.

"back side of gear.jpg" shows how the 2nd rubbing is getting there. There just isnt enough room for the cover to slide in there with the chain.

"chain with cover off.jpg" Kind of gives a general idea of the angle of the chain from the engine to the back wheel. I was initially thinking maybe mounting the engine a bit higher up the frame would angle the chain so as to eliminate the 1st point of rubbing, but that wouldnt fix the 2nd. Its almost like the chain links themselves are too big...like the chain should be thinner. Does that make any sense?

 

[2door]

Issue #1: Yes, that is the hole that should have the steel pin. It doesn't look damaged enough to keep a new pin from doing its job.

Issue #2, chain contacting engine case ahead of sprocket is covered in this link > http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=465011#post465011

As for the second area of contact that is due to the angle the engine is mounted. I don't know why the original builder mounted the engine like it is. The rear mount of the engine should be attached directly to the seat tube. Yours is mounted with long extensions which move the engine foward of its intended location and at an angle which allows the chain to contact the case where your photo shows. The front of the engine needs to go down to get the chain to clear.

Post another photo showing both front and rear engine mounts. We'll be able to offer more detailed alternatives then. By the way, your pictures are very good. That helps us help you.

Also it appears that the fuel filter is in backwards. I can't be sure about this not being familar with that particular filter but at a glance it looks that way. Fuel should enter to the outside surface of the filter element.

Tom

 

[SardoNespa]

Now that you mention it and I look at photos of other bikes, I completely see what you mean about how this engine is improperly mounted. Maybe he was worried about pedal clearance for the muffler or something like that, or chain length. Who can say about the minds of the insane.

Anyways, I have attached a decent photo of the mounts. Let me know if you need a better angle , especially of the rear as its tough to get a good angle.

SARDO

 

[turnofftheradio]

That is an unusual mounting method. If its anything like are standard schwinn cruiser it can be done with a spacer plate on the front and your choice of clamping device, like a muffler clamp as one option. You may need new studs or bolts to re-do that back one. I'm sure you'll get it together without too much hassle.

 

[SardoNespa]

I believe it is a standard schwinn cruiser. Do you have any pictures shoing the normal mounting places, parts, methods for such a bike?

EDIT - Also, where can I get new studs for the rear mount?

Thanks,

SARDO

 

[2door]

The method of mounting is just backwards from what most folks do. They typically attach the engine directly to the seat tube with the mount parts provided in the kit then either fabricate or purchase a custom front mount for that curved down tube.

I would suggest removing the engine from the frame and starting from scratch. Take a look at some pictures here of engines mounted and it should be self explanatory how that rear mount is supposed to be. After the engine is secure in the rear you'll see what needs to be done to attach it at the front.
I know several vendors offer a front mount that should allow you to adapt the engine to the cruiser frame without much trouble.
If you're handy, have access to a welder and can fabricate metal parts, a welded front mount is more secure than the clamp-on types.

As for new studs you really don't need to use them. Many of us replace the studs with Allen head capscrews. They will be 6mm X 1 thread and the length will need to be determined. One advantage to capscrews over studs and nuts is you'll only have one set of threads to worry about as opposed to two. Metric capscrews should be available at any fastener supplier and even Ace hardware has them.

Tom

 

[crassius]

All the force of the engine is on the back mount, with the front mount acting more as a steadying point. The back mount can go higher or lower as long as care is taken to be sure the studs are exactly perpendicular to the frame post (I also like to put a bit of PVC in there between engine block & frame).

 

[turnofftheradio]

Generally will look like this, its all I had at the moment. Put a spacer where that screwdriver is

 

[maniac57]

Put this or something like it where screwdriver is now:
Some versions have a small bend in the plate to reach farther if your frame requires it, but it looks to me like all you need is a clamp mount like this.

 

[2door]

Here are pages of discussion and photos of how to mount the front of the engine on a cruiser or a bike with an oversized/curved downtube.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=6427

Tom

 

[CTripps]

I think that once you've pulled the motor from the frame, odds are that you will be able to reverse the mounting hardware and remount that motor snug against the seatpost. As said above, that'll correct the engine angle in relation to the chain.

If not, there are a number of creative solutions for the front mount. When I mounted a motor in a cruiser frame, I extended the front like this:

So it fit like this:

 

[SardoNespa]

I am restarting up this conversation as I had given up on getting this bike working, for apparently the last 5 years (my how times flies). I would love to get back to work on this and get it working. Still a newbie in this area so any and all help will be greatly appreciated.