Ernst from Turllock Ca

[Ernst]

New issue...

First off let me say this RAW has over 1000 miles on it as I type...

Still running strong in my opinion but I am having an issue with something binding.
It is as if the brakes are applied and the engine drags down.
Kicks in at about 27 mph but has started to drag at 24-ish I believe.

I have to consider that it might be a new rear wheel I am using from Pirate 26" CB-110 Wheel and sprocket adapter. (Pick your Sprocket) and I thought it cold be.
I also considered that maybe the idler wheel is "seizing" because it is worn and needs replacement but on closer examination of my ride today I have determined that when there is an event of drag that will bring the engine and bike down in speed like one would apply brakes and I disengage the clutch during that event the engine will die so I believe the trouble is in the engine.
Maybe a bearing is wearing?

I am open to suggestions as to what to look at or for.

My basic option is to swap out this RAW for the spare new RAW and repair what is wrong with this one.

The wheel could be an issue but the "seize" is still killing the engine when the clutch is pulled in.. That points to maybe a bearing?

If that is true then best to replace a bearing before an other wise great engine is damaged.

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[GearNut]

It could be a bearing going bad, or the engine is overheating.
Either condition can have the symptoms that you are describing, and both would require immediate attention before things get catastrophic.

 

[Ernst]

I favor the bearing theory. Heat doesn't seem to be the issue.
The "drag" doesn't happen all the time and it seems to happen more near the 27 mph range.
The plan is to swap out the engine then.

Now to arrange a ride to work and break it down.

I planned for changing the engine by having a spare engine on hand.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[kolbpilot]

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..

I agree it's not about the speed. I doubt I'll ever use mine on any sort of journey but I have a nice little run I do around here for sheer enjoyment, mostly cruising at 15 mph through neighborhoods. I've ridden my fair share of mopeds & motorcycles over the years & I enjoy my little creation just as much as any of 'em.

 

[Ernst]

Update :

Now that I removed the engine I found the root cause; A broken mount.

Now I understand that the drag was really "twisting" on the drive gear and chain.
I had just changed to a new chain so the effect of a broken mount and the engine "twisting" at rpm makes sense now.
I asked why did it tend to drag when I had come to speed of about 27 mph or so.
Why did it sometimes not drag or bind up like something applying a brake when I ran at lower speeds such as 19 or 20 mph..
Now it makes sense to me. With the faster speed and greater pull it was twisting the engine and the drive gear was binding on the chain.
That is why the idler was wearing in a funny way.. That is why the drive bearing stands to be replaced for good measure if nothing else.

Here is a picture of the "Muffler clamp" broken in two, This is the root cause of failure as far as I can tell.. A sneaky failure since it stayed in place and looked essentially "whole." Not untill I removed the motor did it become obvious.

My idea of a beefier fix is a square steel tube rather than a stamped part which that "muffler clamp" is. The bends where the press bends a flat piece of metal into that shape are already stressed so adding the stress of an engine means it's just a mater of time before a hairline crack starts and eventually will break off part of that piece.

Well this adds a delay as I consider what to do to fabricate a replacement. The actual piece is a nice design but I have steel tube to work with. The tube gripping curve area will be smaller however I might get the broken pieces ground down and welded on the tube thus giving it a larger "grip" area..

I have to think about it.. I am still working 7 days a week.. Kinda tired.. I do have a ride for the week but I am ready to get back on and ride...

Addendum : I ride 24 miles a day 7 days a week so if it is going to happen I will see it...
I have another 40 days to go so at 24 miles a day so 960 miles to go means I will have a goodly experience of rough and ready riding.. All the modes and fixes I do now are related to honest, rut running and bump bashing daily grind of country road distances.. Real time and real wear on the components we buy and use every day.

 

[Ernst]

I (literally) picked up a inner-shield (flux core) 115V welder today from Home de Pot and walked two and some miles with it so I could manufacture a $5 part.

It's cool though since I now own a welding machine after all these years.. What is obvious is my flux core skills are lacking.. Bead quality is lacking and I will be happy to run up my electric bill exploring the utility of this Lincoln unit.

For now, this part (below) was not measured and worked .. Just hacked together, drilled and fit to eye.
It turned out exact and it's utility will serve well. Well enough for me to take time to craft a part I am proud of. Until then I can defend my 1 hour hack as "does the job" and fits right without wasting time because I have little and the sun was setting as I worked.
It was interesting on the welding as I had to open the kit, assemble the welder and the parts and "cold turkey" strike an arc and make the best of what the highest setting offered.
My goal was penetration and weld that will not break..
As ugly as it is, and I do say the work is ugly, I have no fear it will break in the near future.

Now that I can weld at will, that I do not have to negotiate with friends that have a welder, I can now take the time to fab a nice looking part and take time to get used to this new flux core machine.

Buy a Lincoln Electric Weld Pack HD Feed Welder (599595) from The Home Depot

The brush and hand held hood suck but the wire unit is decent and they provide a big spool.. Big spool is cool ...

Well now I have reason to jack up the electric bill..

The unit works off any 20 amp plug but it did okay on a 15 amp GFI plug that is wired to a 20 amp line and on an extension cord.

Okay then.. I have a work mate taking me to and from work and I can now tell him that I am on schedule to "un-ass" his ride as I said I would now that this UGLY part is made.

I look forward to time enough to fab and weld something pretty.


Tomorrow hopefully I will re-assemble once I get a ball bearing for the clutch pin..

 

[GearNut]

Just looking at it you did have the voltage set too high.
I really like this site:WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum for pros and enthusiasts - Powered by vBulletin as I also am a novice welder and have learned alot from the folks there.

 

[Ernst]

Yes it was set high. Impressive! I sorta worried that the unit would be lame but it isn't.

I will be taking time to learn the machine and to fabricate a nice part welded with a lower setting.

The obvious thing is that it will not break and that I got penetration. Basically, I plugged the Lincoln in and turned it up and started to do what I did.. No, fore thought or test welds to set things.

When I get some time I have some angle iron here to make a bike stand. I'd like to be able to have the bike on a rack where I can take the wheels off or run the engine and spin the wheel.
Now that I know that little Lincoln can penetrate I know I can get a sweet stand made.

For those reading about using inner-shield (flux core) I recommend this Lincoln. I am impressed that it has the power to melt the metal as you see above.
The other side of that I successfully filled a gap to allow the other "prong" to angle down slightly. So I have good things to say about this Lincoln.

Oh; btw I tossed that part out. It doesn't work out like I assumed. I will use a new muffler clamp until I get a nicer unit made.

 

[Ernst]

I have a question on the Clutch pin and ball bearing.

I picked up some 5/16 ball bearings but it seems that clutch pin sticks out too far with a bearing in the hole.

Am I being dumb? Is the ball bearing in there all ready?

When I try to put it together it's obvious that it will be pushing the pin.

I think I am not understanding this ball bearing issue..

 

[oldtimer54]

Sounds like the bearing might still be in there?

 

[Ernst]

All is well. I take it that bearing is still in there too.

From this round of hubbub I have my own welder, a new RAW installed and running with the older RAW more than likely just fine but will change that drive bearing out anyway.

So all in all I advance in ability.. Now to see about aluminium flux core.. I read in a post that there is such a thing.

The new "plastic idler" wheels are here and there was failure with the old idler after all.

On the horizon is a modification to my mount to protect against engine rotation. I have some ideas and a suggestion from a fellow MaB friend.

So all is well and the 7 day a week job continues.
There will be little time for short rides so fingers are crossed that this engine will break in well doing 12 mile runs.
I did the 5, 10 and 15 minute run and cools. I did the 1/4 mile tour and a 1/2 mile ride after that and the clutch is a different animal than the previous clutch.
I'll know a bit more after the first ride to and from work.

I'll be ready to tackle most problems short of an engine change or major structural damage tomorrow.

I enjoy sharing my experiences with the members and I know it can seem that a poster can be dumb but behind all this is a real man struggling in the post-bailout America for a full time job.

The MaB is more than a toy from my point of view..

Again my thanks to the first responders and all.

My fingers are crossed that it will be a good first ride to work.

 

[oldtimer54]

My fingers are crossed for you and me both.

 

[Ernst]

My fingers are crossed for you and me both.

LOL I'll get on it..

I will share all I can..

Lmao !!!!

 

[Ernst]

Today I ride.

I have been hitching a ride with a co-worker but nothing beats the feeling of independence of my MaB.

I am riding on the second RAW and I now feel there is nothing wrong with the first RAW.
So forget about needing to R and R ( remove and replace ) the drive bearing. Not necessary.

So a slow ride this morning as I burn the first gallon of break in mix. 100 miles means 4 days of travel so by Thursday the 100 miles will be done.
I am starting this engine at 1869 (Frame Miles) and the first RAW drove 1144 of those miles. The first "kit" motor made it to 725 miles before it failed.

So it is off to work.. Again, and all I can say is I seem to have gotten better with the fatigue of 7 day a week work.

 

[Ernst]

Okay, I will have 100 miles on the second RAW tomorrow.

It seems to be a good engine.

I have to confess something and I am not ashamed to admit when I have been fooled.
Indeed the engine mount "muffler clamp" part had broken. Indeed that allowed the mount to loosen and the engine could move some.
However, the main reason for the loss of power at about 27 mph was blockage of fuel flow.
There was a small object down in the opening of the fuel valve.

I know it's 20/20 in hind sight and if I ever have the issue of loss of power at higher rpm I will check the fuel flow first but it didn't happen all the time and I had just changed that back wheel so i was looking aft.

The truth is that I wouldn't have seen the broken part on the mount nor would I have seen the nearly severed woodruff key from wear if I had not taken the motor off and transferred the fat drive sprocket to the new RAW.
What had been used for key stock on the gear was an undersized woodruff key and it had taken some wear.
Now this new "key" is a hybrid of a woodruff and a square key that I hand cut and it fits exact and snug since it is the exact size and a hybrid of woodruff and square. The fat sprocket expects a square key stock and the shaft expects a woodruff key from what I can tell.
Now I have also upgraded the fuel lines from clear tube to the black hose type.

So I was fooled but in the end I found the cause and I repaired two things I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't done the remove and replace (R&R) with the woodruff key being something that could have failed on the way to work and caused me to miss a day during my probation period on the new job. That would have had the sprocket spinning on the shaft and me going no place with possible miles to peddle back home.. Bummer avoided.

It's good to see the bright side of things and to see how events fit together.
In this case I spent time with a co-worker which helped develop a friendship and I also took time to repair my ride satisfactory.

I still do not use the coaster brake but I can if need be. I do practice some when I think about it so if I do need to have extreme braking action I will have some reference as to how it handles.

Now since the sun is rising much later than it used to I must find the parts to the rear light for safety. I also wish to finish the bicygnals modification since it is now dark enough for them to be useful as well as change the battery in one of my wheel lights..

Okay this brings me to one last thing.

In upgrading the fuel lines I took off the stem the tube attached to on the carb. It has a needle in the hole so I assume that is the flat and needle valve.
My question is this; is there some "adjustment" aspect to that? I saw for the first time this morning fuel overflowing from the carb after the engine flooded so I assume I have some adjusting to do.

 

[GearNut]

There should be a small metal tang on the float. The tang pushes upwards on the needle when the float rises. This tang is made to be bendable to allow adjustment of the fuel level inside the float bowl.

 

[Ernst]

I apologize for yet another "boy cries wolf" post.

The carb was loose and turned to spill gas and flood.
I would have moved it as I started off after a stop sign this morning.

I'm guessing my nick name is "often-wrong."

But thank you.. Nonetheless.

I just worked on lock tight-ing the T-Bar extenders so they don't fall apart on the road like the last ones did. At $15 dollars they add up fast when they lose a nut and bolt. They are machined just for the unit.

I now swear by blue lock-tight.

I now have the in wheel red lights, the rear facing bell bike "headlight" it is set on blink and aims down to the road. and the twin beam head light.
It is dark when I set out now.
I need my bicygnals so if I am not doing MaB maintenance tomorrow I must get on that.


I feel like I am making progress towards breaking even on things.. Fingers crossed no more major mechanical issues arise for a week or more at least.
Needless to say the MaB needs a good wipe and a clean as well.

Okay tomorrow is the 100 miles on the new RAW and it runs nice. Seems quieter clutch noise wise but in truth it's simply different from the first RAW.

Oh and I need to say there is nothing wrong with the first RAW now that I understand the power loss issue so I have about 1000 miles on it and it is standing by when needed.

That is the news.. I write in this thread for those who may gain from my experiences.
As time goes on I believe I will gain skills that make problem solving easier and faster but these are the dues I am sure.

 

[Ernst]

Update 2000+ Frame miles.

Opened up the throttle on the way home and it hit 35 mph. I was curious as to how the carb was working mostly but I did tuck down out of the wind because I ride tall and it accelerated to 35.

The personal news is that I may only work till October first when I had hoped to work past the 15th. Bummer.. I know many are struggling and I am too so any work is good work in the trickle down economy.
Nothing bad to report.

Actually since I replaced the clear small diameter fuel line with large black fuel line the engine idles right.. It's odd now to have to kill the engine at a long stop light but hey it was shameful for it to die at small stops especially in the cool mornings.

Well on to the Bicygnals and their modification.

I have decided how to proceed with wiring up the LED output and input!

 

[Ernst]

Update:

I have ordered battery cases from China.. You can pay much more at Radio shack for the same thing.

Now my brake light is a modified unit where I gutted the electronics and power the LEDs direct with 3V @ 2xAA

I soldered that battery case (3V) to my line and I have learned that the battery case is okay and the wires are just gauge enough but when I take a look at how the on / off switch is installed then i found the failure point.
Sure a battery case needs wires from the positive and negative for a circuit and a switch is a good idea so that we can switch the power off but on a MaB it has to be heavy-er duty than Chinese electronic standard.

So forget the switch.. A few hundred miles on a MaB and it will start to fail so solder the positive to the battery terminal.. It's easy enough.. Just break off the plastic casing and access the wire.

Okay.. My brake light is essential safety equipment for the dark of the morning.
I believe once cars see a brake light they assign greater respect for my mode of transit.

Now how do I deal with those that pass at high speed really really close to a stopping point at a stop sign.. So much that they are changing lanes back to my side and making it half way at the stop sign..
Oh enough to get there first but exactly the kind of thing to place a crash point in front of me doing 30 mph.. Arse-wipes to be blunt.

Oh and BTW hitting ruts @ 30 mph on a hard tail bicycle is not for sissies,

So I have a bright brake light again.. One I can count on and when it comes to safe transit with my pride and skin intact. I go for what is dependable.

I believe this soldering is dependable.

 

[Ernst]

As some of you may have read the stinger on my Sick Bike Parts expansion chamber has failed and the end cap has broke off and is on the highway somewhere.

The Silver end is the Stinger

This had me looking for a replacement component since the result of the loss of the stinger has been an increase in miles per hour but also the engine has heated up significantly. Heat is a bad thing.

I have taken advice from SteamPunk and purchased a muffler from Tractor Supply. It is a relatively inexpensive item considering the cost of MaB parts ( about $4 ) and I welded it to the SBP expansion after cutting off the nipple that extended into the "stinger" which is a very cheap and temporary end to a nice and expensive unit. That Stinger fails to be quality.

I expect when it comes time to replace this muffler that i will take time to find a mounting hardware to weld on for it's replacement to screw into and weld that on so I can screw in the muffler rather than weld it to the expansion unit.. But, at this point it was the simple solution.

Google search term " muffler briggs stratton 89966 -444080" is the google search term I used and as we see the price varies from $4 to $14 depending on the retailer.

At this time with less than 5 miles on this muffler I like it very much. In fact it seems to aid my engine with not only quieter operation but more low end power. I have been expecting to have power when I was at about 8 mph with the stinger and without anything but, I found tonight that at 6 mph the engine has power like at 8 mph before adding this muffler.. Interesting thing..
Perhaps this will change as the muffler gets oily.. Who knows..

I can post pictures but it will be of a simple hack.. I will start to plan for a permanent "screw in" mount for this muffler.. So that I can replace as needed.. At $4 I think it can be replaced as often as I see fit..

So another "upgrade" has happened... And it continues.