Ernst from Turllock Ca

[Ernst]

Hello!

I'm new to motorized bikes. I bought everything new and have about 70 miles on the unit at this time.

I just found out about this site reading the forums on Scootdawg.com but I see this is the place to be.

To **** with high gas prices!.

I have things to read so I'll be here.

 

[Ernst]

I take it I spoke incorrectly.

Hello I'm Ernst and new.. Got a build through a local bike dealer and a friend who does bike builds.

I'm sure I'll build a second even better than this in time but it's cool just to ride and learn.

I don't see even a simple hello reply so i worry I came off wrong somehow.

Hello!

 

[moonshiner]

Howdy Ernst , nice bike , welcome to the addiction ...

 

[GearNut]

Welcome to the forum! Glad to have you here.
I highly recommend reading the noob threads. They can get you off to an awesome start on the idiosyncrasies of these very cool modes of transportation.
Enjoy the ride!

 

[Ernst]

Thanks guys.. I knew it wasn't my breath

I will indeed read the noob threads..

 

[Ernst]

I've rode and used a full tank and part of a small water bottle of fuel today in one trip out and back.
Went for Chinese food in another town. Good food!
About 32 + 5 or so miles with some driving around that town. First time. With a mix of 24 to one and still breaking in the motor I estimate that indeed the MPG is really good.
I plan to go back in week so I'll set the trip meter as well. I'll check the MPG against an accurate measure of fuel.

Had my first rear flat with the MB too. No Slime would have helped. It was a wood splinter the size of a nail two inches long. Punctured the HD tube rather well.

Riding this motorbicycle; MB, is fun.
I know I am not travelling much above 25 but still it's like a motorcycle ride to me albeit the landscape is more real at a slower speed. Passing strawberry fields full of ripe strawberries at 25 is very nice on a cool breeze .
Still some more modifications to go but when I am done I'll shoot some pictures and post them..

 

[GearNut]

Cool deal!
The MPG is awesome with these little engines.
I plan on using a HD tube as well as a puncture resistant liner very soon. So far I have been lucky, no flats yet.....yet.
The closest thing I have to a strawberry field around here is a chicken egg ranch. It smells a bit different that strawberries!

 

[Ernst]

Oh there was the "Dairy Air" (pun intended) on that road too but who writes about enjoying that?

I am one who enjoys the long ride. I just committed purchasing a light weight generator.
I am going to go camping with the bike for sure.

Do you ride at night?

 

[GearNut]

Yes. I have a $35 LED spotlight that I use as headlight. Homemade bracket to attach it to my handlebar clamp. Works pretty well, looks funny.
Amazon.com: Stanley SL5W09 5 Watt LED Spotlight: Home Improvement

 

[Ernst]

I love a good light!

 

[F_Rod81]

Nice build.

 

[Ernst]

Well I have the bike down now.

I have done a simple NDI (non-destructive inspection) @ 200 miles.
Nothing bad that I can see. I did have a friend put this together for me since I knew next to nothing about MB engines. I found that the intake and exhaust gaskets are missing. I hope to see an improvement in MPG after the parts get here and I have proper gaskets on.

Lets see, I ordered Sick Bike Parts expansion chamber and I will do the exhaust modification but for the next 100 miles I'll be using the stock muffler. I do plan on welding the expansion unit.
So there is a bolt kit coming, a front light and an air horn unit on the way. I could see delivery today but I figure all will be in by Wednesday and I can put the bike back on the road.
I already installed the twin kick stand so now the back wheel sets off the ground and that will make changing flats on the road nicer to deal with. Also installed are two handle bar extenders. One is for the light unit to get it higher than the handle bar basket and the other is now holding the old off the shelf bike light under the seat and pointing down to the ground creating a spot just behind the rear tire that also lights up the read edge of the bike tire.
I need to replace the chain tensioner bolt from a slotted? ( why a slotted bolt? ) to something else.
When I stopped to change my first flat it should have been as easy as dropping the tire off but since I didn't have a large slotted screwdriver to loosen the chain tensioner getting the MB chain off required bending out the frame to tweek the rim and that scratched the paint.
I don't want to carry a long large flat tip screwdriver for just one need.
My mission today then is a replacement bolt for that chain tensioner. Something with a 14mm head perhaps?

Well, I hope to take a ride to Karaoke Wednesday night to that same town 20 miles a way I had Chinese food. I do like karaoke in new places. I've burned out on the same old crowd-ness for my local joints.

Lets see what happens. As I wrote the slow transit of the country side connects me in a way riding in the car doesn't and with a great light I feel I will enjoy the return trip in the night a little more this time.

: As I was typing Sick Bike Parts and Team Bicycle too. SBP was prompt and Team Cycle seemed to delay in shipping buy three days. I watch the tracking when I am excitingly waiting for packages.

All right.. Now if I get the spark plugs today I can go for a ride tonight. I had to order plugs since no one had them. The clip on top to the china plug lost it's clip so that was useless and because it danced around on the plug it also ruined the spark plug cap and I had to replace that. I see SBP has replacement plug wires so I'll order a colored one.

This is my entry into MB's and I think some update pictures are in order so time to go to work on the bike!

 

[Ernst]

provided clutch cables are not as nice as they should be. Replaced the cable and that put me back on the road.

It's getting better. Now that I have put gaskets on the intake and exhaust and double nutted the motor mounts I put in about 40 enjoyable miles today.
Maybe I will get tired of riding but it won't be tomorrow.
Now that motor is running well I plan some distance runs.

I have to admit a good light makes the night runs fun.

I'll check the odometer in the daylight but after tomorrow night's karaoke run to the next town I'm guessing it will be close to 300 miles now.
Perhaps after 300 I can modify the exhaust with SBP's expansion kit.

I should take some pictures.

 

[Ernst]

Update.

Had my first ride with other motor-bikers today. Not a bad thing if you can do it. There is a map on site if you (reader) are interested in finding folks in your area.

My bike is over 300 miles now and still breaking in with me on board. A lighter person can ride at 30 mph but with and cargo the engine needs to be in a good mood.
I do get 30 mph but I wait until I feel like the engine is in the mood. Sounds funny but I'm trying to do a reasonable breaking.

Had a break down today towards the last part of the ride and after we reasonable excluded possible causes the failure points to the coil.4 New NGK plug, lots of vibration and a burst of about 60 miles on the bike in a couple of days may have reviled a weak link.

I''l be checking the suppliers listed for a new coil.

On the Magneto it ohmed at about 386 ohms I think.. Another parts box magneto ohmed at 345 I think.
No wire damaged. Disconnected the kill switch still no fire.

Any advice on coils of if this sounds familiar well I welcome the input.

Best to find these bugs sooner rather than later IMO.

 

[Ernst]

Such are the experiences of a new MB owner.
Thankfully I have this Site and a friend with experience to help get through the rough parts of new ownership.

I ordered a CDI (coil unit) through Gasbike.com Good price and fast shipping.

This is the first time a coil has failed for my friend ( we assume that is the problem ) so if you have a story to share about stock coils or can suggest the upgrade Magneto + better CDI I'm all for that upgrade.
I need to search for what folks do with 6V electric as well.

 

[socialdistortionkid]

Welcome, Ernst and thats a cool bike.

My 1st CDI was a failure as well because i fried it by using a car spark plug wire (too much voltage)

I have no visible spark when i use it and it checks out fine with a multimeter so i threw it in the trash, runs fine with my other CDI.


I made the mistake of buying my motor kit from kingsmotorbikes (same as gasbike.net) and they never answer there phone calls and have terrible customer service. I wouldnt recommend buying from them.... so many members on here have problems with gasbike.net

They say that they will replace my CDI because i told them its defective and have yet to see if they will send me a new one.

 

[GearNut]

My 1st CDI was a failure as well because i fried it by using a car spark plug wire (too much voltage)

With all due respect sir, using an automotive spark plug wire will not cause a CDI unit to burn out.
That said, a cheap Chinese CDI unit can burn out at any given time, even if left bone stock.

 

[socialdistortionkid]

car spark plug wires/carbon core wires have resistors in them for surpression, copper core wires (stock wires) dont have anything but wire inside. It ran a few times with the chrysler spark plug wire then killed the CDI so i know it was the car spark plug wire which will F*** up your CDI and i dont recommend using one.

I do have to admit the CDI for these is pretty crappy quality and should have a better voltage cap, the only thing holding the spark plug on is a staple...

 

[GearNut]

Believe what you wish, but there is no way that using the Chrysler spark plug wire could have damaged your CDI unit unless the wire was used before you installed it and it then failed internally due to age; it was just plain ol' worn out.

I am done here.
__________________________________________
Now back to our regularly scheduled thread:
High performance ignition for HT engines:
http://www.dragonfly75.com/motorbike/CDI2.html
At the very bottom of the article, he sells the ignition systems through JNMotors.
There is a link to them there.

 

[Ernst]

Welcome, Ernst and thats a cool bike.

My 1st CDI was a failure as well because i fried it by using a car spark plug wire (too much voltage)

I have no visible spark when i use it and it checks out fine with a multimeter so i threw it in the trash, runs fine with my other CDI.


I made the mistake of buying my motor kit from kingsmotorbikes (same as gasbike.net) and they never answer there phone calls and have terrible customer service. I wouldnt recommend buying from them.... so many members on here have problems with gasbike.net

They say that they will replace my CDI because i told them its defective and have yet to see if they will send me a new one.

Hey!
I have to default to learning new things so in hind sight it seems that the Magneto had a failure.
The CDI seems okay. The reason CDI was suspected is it seemed to be something that could have vibrated to death and there was no spark.
What seems to be true, I didn't see the actual magneto damage but I trust it is true, is that the magneto had a broken wire or connection.
It would be fair to say that quality workmanship is the reason for failure at all but: I had to tighten the 4 nuts on the head to get compression today and I remember that sharp ping I now know as a compression leak due to nuts/bolts vibrating loose.

I am experiencing these things first hand and doing what I can to share and learn.

::
Update.

Got those nuts tightened and changed out the CDI because the new one has a nice plug wire attached... VERY VERY attached... Glued even.

So to change out that wire which I want to when the colored ones come I have to get solvent and dissolve super glue I assume.

The new CDI and the "borrowed" magneto seem to work well together and I have a blast night riding from one end of town to the other checking out the night club action on the cheep.

I'd like to have some fellow travellers in time but it's enjoyable to use a great light and the other safety devices like the spoke lights.

So at the moment all is working.. I will make better on the wiring and such when I am sure what I will do on the electrical connections from magneto to CDI.

already this bike is respected as a nice bike by the majority.

Funny: I came out to several Harley's and folks.. I felt fine with this build. The clutch sounds so motor cycle like that , that alone generates respect.
Bike wheel lights are something cool that motorcycles don't do.

It's fun.