Build Thread: Dax IV w/Electra Coaster 1-spd

[maniac57]

The bike is built up and looks good. Not great though. Struggling with exhaust.
I torched it up RED and bent it a couple times, still not right.
Then ran out of time. Thought that this would be the easiest part...
I was mistaken! Will be giving it another try today.
Here are a few shots of the muffler.
Once it's all together, I'll post a completed shot of the entire build.

I did not like drilling that hole in the bars to mount the throttle.
Honestly that throttle is cheezy, and not substantial enough.
It's going to get replaced soon, but I did what I had to do.

Soldered up the CDI, Magneto, and Kill switch.
Going to start over though, got some more wire to lengthen it out.
The wires are just too short because of the bike frame size.
I will be able to move the CDI away from the engine.
And at the same time move the wires away from the header.

I have spent a lot more than 2-3 hours building this up.
Maybe I am being a bit too fickle about it coming together?
But the effort put into this build hopefully staves off future issues!

"I have spent a lot more than 2-3 hours building this up.
Maybe I am being a bit too fickle about it coming together?
But the effort put into this build hopefully staves off future issues! "

Not at all rangefinder. Time spent perfecting anything is time well spent. Fixing things BEFORE they break is one of the secrets to trouble free bikes.
NEVER settle for anything you don't like. Because you like it is the best reason for doing anything.
Just my opinion.

 

[rangefinder]

New throttle cable in hand. Thank you for the quick shipping on the replacement part Duane! Dingle-ball, or more accurately Cable Stop is secured to the cable very well. Crossing my fingers for success tonight!

 

[rangefinder]

I got everything all hooked up last night.
It was snowing here in Chicago/Des Plaines, IL.
I strapped on the helmet and goggles and went for my first ride.
Frozen and wet, I had a freaking blast!




Will post some photographs of the completed project ASAP!
I hope new builders were able to find this forum posting helpful.
Thank you to everybody who read this thread.
And I thank the Motorbicycling Forum for all the valuable information.

 

[rangefinder]

Three decent mileage rides under my belt with the bike, and only one issue to really to report. I am pretty sure I have to re-grease the bucking bar and bearing. I did this, but without removing the bearing. It squeals or squaks when de-accelerating, and when first getting going. OR possibly when I was trying to adjust the clutch off bike, pre-install, I did not tighten it down or maybe loosened it too far. I read both "Stickys" and will check that out before the next ride.

My impressions over my last ride back in Oklahoma City many moons ago are good. This motor vibrates much much less. I have to say with the time spent being careful has paid off.

And I am proud to announce my first bonehead move! There was air in the fuel line. So I was trying to chase it out, ya' know... Yeah, I loosened up the gas cap, kinda got the air out, but not that good. Anyway, I took off without really tightening the cap back down. Drrrrrr..., you get it. Found a decent deal on a new one from Lynn at custommotoredbicycles.com She is kinda local and shipped $11, not horrible. Looked at Jake's and Dax, but she was the cheapest shipped.

Photographs of the ride coming up this weekend.

 

[rangefinder]

Photographs of the completed build.

 

[maniac57]

The squawking noise might also be head gasket leakage. Have you re-torqued the head?

 

[rangefinder]

I have not got a torque wrench yet Maniac, and read the warnings of over torquing.
I'll be checking em' out tonight to make sure they are not only finger tight.
The squak started from the get go, and EVERYBODY says it's the grease! (haha)
So I got MP Lithoplex Grease from the shop.
It's not the Red Stuff you guy's talk about, but says High Temp.
Is it better than Phil Wood Grease used for bicycle bearings???
I will report back...

The motor bucks at low speed but smooths out soon after warming up.
Normal for running dino oil 20:1? ...will be changing to 24:1 soon.

I read the bucking is from either too much oil, or loose chain.
The wheel is pretty forward in dropout, so I will wait to shorten the chain unitl it stretches out some.
Maybe I will move the clip on the needle, up or down...? Taking suggestions.

 

[rangefinder]

I put a wrench on the Head Bolts, they did not move at all. So that is not the source of the squawking. I used the Lithoplex grease on the bucking bar & bearing, no difference. The squawk occurs when slowing or going slow. Reading here, 10mph is pretty slow to keep motor going. It may even be normal. I'll keep monitoring the situation. I am going to try to take a link out of the chain and see if it helps the noise.

My longest ride was 15 miles, round trip. I was keeping up with traffic and took the lane like a moped would. Engine makes great speed! No troubles. Runs with power throughout acceleration and at WOT. I felt at WOT sometimes, the revs were "getting away from me", so I backed off the throttle, slowed up, and resumed travel. Everything back to normal. I was careful going down hill to not over-rev and did vary the throttle throughout the ride to work the whole range.

I have gone through the first gallon of 20:1 mix. Seems like it could have done a bit better on mileage. I need to get a bike computer. I don't even know my max speed yet. But it was the first gallon, and there was spillage due to my gas cap snafu. The new cap Lynn is a quality replacement. A proper tank is warranted in the future.

Changing the fuel mix to 24:1 - 32:1, for the next gallon. The oil is forming/soaking a ring around bottom of the muffler cap. And I am seeing some oil/fuel residue near the head bolts and spark plug.

I was reading today on Gasbike Dude's page about plug chops. But I am not sure exactly how to make the change once I identified the Rich/Lean condition. Do I just Jet, or is my fuel mix part of the equation? Looks like I still have some learning to do.

 

[maniac57]

Just because the headbolts are tight does NOT mean the head is not leaking. The castings can be warped or otherwise damaged.
You might consider removing the head and lapping the gasket surface....
I have seen this before.

 

[thatsdax]

Hi.. Have not been in the room for some time. .Came across this thread. The reason your motor bucks is because of your front mount is weak allowing for flex. This could result in disaster. If you have any close ups of this front mount, Please post or email them to me. Squealing during clutch operation may be just that.. The Clutch. Try using the clutch as little as possible. By that I mean.. Pedal when starting out getting up to a matched speed of engine to road and then let the clutch out. See if the squealing subsides. With proper free travel and use, the clutch will far out live the motor. Also.. Always use a quality grease on the clutch pin and bearing and be liberal. Also rotate and remove the clutch control arm from cover and grease. Enjoy the ride..

 

[rangefinder]

Just sent PM to you...
either post here or PM back.

Thank you!

 

[rangefinder]

Motor mount in posts #31 and #45.

 

[thatsdax]

thanks for that.. I see that mount now.. It looks solid.. Being that there are only two mounting points and the motor wants to pull down with force towards the bike crank, this may be causing a pinch or a push against both mounting points or a wedge, forcing the two mounting points out ever so slightly apart causing the bike frame to flex or bounce which will bounce the motor. This is what I think is going on.. I have a friend that also has 2 bikes with a stretched frames such as your Frame. One is using a triangular 2 point front mount, the other only a single point front mount. The single does the bouncing, the triangular version does not bounce. He did mention he would triangulate his other to see if this bouncing is corrected.. Not sure when he will get around to fab it up since he has such a nice Custom paint job on it.. It will be interesting to know once it is finished if the problem is corrected or not.. I am eager to know if this corrects the problem or not..

 

[rangefinder]

Took the bike to work today for the first time. 36 miles, and it took 2 hours.
There are many stop lights, and I did not run WOT for long shots at a time.
This ride was from Des Plaines, IL to Alsip, IL.

Looked for distracted drivers and wore a yellow safety jacket.
I think I can get the time down, that average seems pretty slow.
But I know the city, avoiding the bad neighborhoods and roads.
Though some stretches are very scenic through historic neighborhoods.
Room for improvement, this route is not set in stone.

The squawking has died down, and it's smoother too when slowing up. woot!
The idle has not settled in as good as I like, it dies at stops a lot.
Sometimes not. I messed with the idle screw some and the throttle tension.
And oddly sometimes it races, so I undo what I did and it dies.
I'd rather it just die than go beserker style and blow up!
But nothing really made for a permanent fix.

Going to torque the head bolts with our shop torque wrench at lunch, 15 ft/lbs.
I will check the rest over too, to make sure my wife won't have to pick me up, hahaha.

What a way to start the day, what a blast!!! So happy this is happening!

 

[rangefinder]

Oh yeah, the bike fired up at lunch. I am pretty relieved.
Head bolts were a tad loose, got about 1/8" - 1/4" turn on each.
15 ft/lbs, was what I read and seemed right when using the tool.

 

[maniac57]

That "squawk" is a leaking head gasket. Do not leave it.
When the head is sealed properly, it will stop.

 

[rangefinder]

Here are some photographs of the head.
I am going clean it up and keep a fresh eye on it.
Friday I am picking up a torque wrench for the home garage.
Then I will be able to sand down the head some.
Hopefully that will kill the squawking.
My exhaust gasket is blown a bit, so I need to make a new one. easy.

 

[rangefinder]

I might have a float issue...
Read about bending the fangs/prongs/whatevers down a little.
And going to check the needle too.

 

[rangefinder]

Here is the exhaust, just for completeness.
And a shot of the base gasket.

 

[rangefinder]

Few things...

Fuel leaking out of Air Filter. Researched and found it's normal.
And I need to check the Float.

Blown Exhaust Gasket. Not a biggie, but needs fixing.

Leaking Head Bolts...? I dunno, I'll lap the head, clean it up,
and torque it down. I would like this to disappear completely.

The main issue has been this squawking and jerking when slowing down.
It's gotten less pronounced after the miles. Still a bother, and not correct.
Maniac has offered thoughtful advise, and I will be getting on that Friday.

Made my own O-ring from a too big O-ring to fit in between the carb and intake.
But, the idle has not settled down as described before.
In fact, the engine would begin to race wildly out of control.
I panicked and quickly and killed it with my kill switch as quickly as it begun.
It seriously is frighteningly racing away. That is why I pulled the O-ring.
I am going to order the ones from SBP when I get paid Friday too.
I might have created my own problem.

Currently running 32:1 (4oz. per Gallon)