i dont think there is in air leak. there may be but im not so good at this kind of stuff. it rides fine it just seems to go a little fast without me giving it any throttle. but as i understand all things with engines once the engine is engaged have a natural "go" so im probably just not used to it. one of my concerns is the clutch. it needed to be re tightened 3 times already. it just seems to lose its tightness rather quickly and wont let me pedal. i gotta get used to releasing the clutch and giving it throttle more smoothly probably gonna take more practice i sometimes jerk it and im sure that jerking is losening the clutch . im taking it to work today its about a mile or 2 away. hopefully it will be a fun enjoyable ride. wish me luck. if you have any tips for me im all ears
First timer Fresh Blood
- Thread starter RhodeIslandRebel
- Start date
Rebel
Vibration can cause screws to loosen on these bikes, they require constant maintenance, tightening screws. After a while you will find certain things tend to vibrate loose and other things don't. Always inspect and retighten as needed before riding. As for the clutch, make sure the clutch cable is tight before you tighten the set screw and make sure the the set screw is very tight against the clutch cable. Also, keep the clutch arm slot filled with grease so that it is always lubricated.
Also, if you are going pretty fast and you pull in the clutch handle, disengaging the motor, it's good to rev the engine a little bit, increasing RPMs, before you reengage so that when you engage the motor it will keep up with the speed that the sprocket is already turning, otherwise the engine will cause a braking effect, or jerking. It takes some practice to get good at feathering the throttle when engaging the clutch depending on your speed, the faster you are going the higher you will need to rev it.
Vibration can cause screws to loosen on these bikes, they require constant maintenance, tightening screws. After a while you will find certain things tend to vibrate loose and other things don't. Always inspect and retighten as needed before riding. As for the clutch, make sure the clutch cable is tight before you tighten the set screw and make sure the the set screw is very tight against the clutch cable. Also, keep the clutch arm slot filled with grease so that it is always lubricated.
Also, if you are going pretty fast and you pull in the clutch handle, disengaging the motor, it's good to rev the engine a little bit, increasing RPMs, before you reengage so that when you engage the motor it will keep up with the speed that the sprocket is already turning, otherwise the engine will cause a braking effect, or jerking. It takes some practice to get good at feathering the throttle when engaging the clutch depending on your speed, the faster you are going the higher you will need to rev it.
just bought a new comfort seat some headlights and a tail light been riding her to work daily so far have about 35 miles on it still dont know if there really is any real problem. only thing i seem to notice is after i get her going whenever i squeeze the clutch in to stop, the engine revs really high it seems. after a good 10 minutes of riding this seems to go away its usually only the first few stops after i start it.
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I'm a believer in letting it warm up before riding. Also, I often just glide down hills in idle, no need to burn it out. Treat her good and she love you long time.
+1 on the warm-up! Tanglebones has no oomph when cold. I typically start him up and then go smoke a cigarette. After that, he's good for the day, and I don't sweat it.
In fact, if I ride before he warms up, all sorts of strangeness does my motor do... Food for thought.
In fact, if I ride before he warms up, all sorts of strangeness does my motor do... Food for thought.
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Yep same here, and I know I'm running rich as well. At this point, I've used the smallest machinist drill I have, so I have to locate a few even smaller bits.
If your bike is good and warm, you're up to speed, and fourstrokes at full throttle(especially on flat ground or going up hill) you need to jet down.
If your bike is good and warm, you're up to speed, and fourstrokes at full throttle(especially on flat ground or going up hill) you need to jet down.
I'm using the .60 jet in my RT carb (Dellorto Clone). My engine is a Dax F-80 (69cc). Also, I'm running Opti-2 at 100x1 so I'm kinda afraid to jet any lower, but the good thing is, I don't need to, I have no 4 stroking at any throttle level including wide open once it's warmed up. The .60 seems right for this engine. I'm in Southern California at sea level. I was going to put a Fred Head on it but it's running so good I'm afraid to mess it up by changing anything, haha. My stock head is registering a max temp of about 280F-300F when it's at maximum hot. I'm also running a SBP expansion pipe with a pretty long header to give me more low end power. I'm not sure how the expansion pipe affects jetting but I'm sure it does.
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In that case then disregard my last post. Don't fix what ain't broke! My granddad used to tell me all the time, "Kiddo, if you keep dinkin round with that thing, you'll screw it up." The old man was right far more often than not.
Yeah, your grandad was a wise man, and besides, even if the Fred Head increased my compression and made the bike even better. I'm already maxing out at 32 mph at full throttle on level ground and this is an old school late 80s Peugeot Mountain bike. It has a steel frame but I'm not using any real special rims or anything, I've got a pretty standard 26 inch, 36 spoke configuration with 14 gauge spokes, and a sprocket adapter with a 40 tooth sprocket. I don't even have a front shock fork. As far as I'm concerned it flys for the bicycle that it is. I really don't want to go any faster on it but a Fred Head might make it run cooler or cool faster and that's something to consider.
update......im saddened and frustrated to say that all was well until i popped the rear tire riding over a thumbnail. pulled out this tiny little ***** and got it retubed and it was fixed. well today i ****ing got another flat. on the way to work again of course....this time i see nothing in the tire that would have punctured it. dont know if this is just bad luck or if theres something more to it. going to the bike shop tomorrow....anyone have any suggestions? was advised to get a slimey tube? or foam tube....jesus christ it seems like i get one problem solved and on to another....guess this is what noobs go through
I carry a spare tube and patch kit..flats happen, or sometimes I get a slow leak, but not that often, sounds like just bad luck.
Kevlar belted tires bud, it's the only way to go. Next time you're at the bike shop, pick up a couple tube protectors, those cheap little plastic strips really do help, also save your old tubes, slit the inside seam, remove the valve stem, and use them as a tube saver too.
Slime in your tires will throw off the balance, sometimes enough to make it feel like a bent rim. Ever see a road grader doing 25mph, hopping down the road? That's because they put water in the tires for ballast, when they get to spinning, centrifugal force causes it to gather in one place inside the tire. I threw away a set of slime filled tubes because they made my bike hop, with the distances I ride, that's not acceptable.
Slime in your tires will throw off the balance, sometimes enough to make it feel like a bent rim. Ever see a road grader doing 25mph, hopping down the road? That's because they put water in the tires for ballast, when they get to spinning, centrifugal force causes it to gather in one place inside the tire. I threw away a set of slime filled tubes because they made my bike hop, with the distances I ride, that's not acceptable.
Not only that,but slime eats the metal. Pulled some lawn tractor tires off one that had slime and was all rusted and pitted............Curt
Not only that but slime eats the metal. pulled some lawn tractor tires off and the rims were all rusted and pitted........Curt
Update! got a kevlar tire and tube protector. atleast for the rear tire, ill probably get a kevlar tire for the front soon enough. also my dual cable brake lever came in so i hooked that up alot better braking. had to take everything off the handle bars and reattach everything. noticed my throttle cable was scraping the inner white plastic piece in the throttle handle. so i wd-40ed the whole piece and realigned the cable and pin and oh my god. the throttle is so much more springy and smooth. guess it wasnt on properly or the cable popped out and wasnt in the groove right. took it for a few test rides shes riding pretty smooth. one thing ive noticed is on intitial take off the engine sounds very scrapy. dont know how to explain the sound but it kinda sounds like when a car's trying to start up but the battery is drained so it makes that high pitch scrapey engine sound. i have no problem starting up and going but it just makes that sound for the first 5-10 seconds then kinda stops. is that normal?
i have no problem starting up and going but it just makes that sound for the first 5-10 seconds then kinda stops. is that normal?
I would put some miles on it. They can be very temperamental before fully broken in. As a matter of fact they can be temperamental even after broken in!
None the less; put some miles on it and watch all the nuts and bolts.
I would put some miles on it. They can be very temperamental before fully broken in. As a matter of fact they can be temperamental even after broken in!
None the less; put some miles on it and watch all the nuts and bolts.
I use those tires Exclusive. I get about 2500mi from them - a 6 mo. riding Season. And yes the rear wears faster than the front. I carry over from season to season buy at least 1 a year. I really like the grip. Started with the 2.25 now use 1.95 to reduce drive chain scuff on the sidewall.