Huffy Nel Lusso #THUMBSDOWN

Lunatuck

Lunatuck

New Member
I just received this frame from Walmart. I knew it was going to be crappy, but having some experience and extra bike parts; I figured I could strengthen it up. Nope.

Even without a motor, this thing is dangerous. Both wheels were out of true and too far out to fix. The crank sprocket was bent. All the fenders flop around and hit the tire. The drivetrain binds on the frame, the chainguard and the fender.

I’d hate to see someone get hurt on this, but if they do, they should sue the **** out of Huffy and Walmart.

Worst of all, I love the look of the frame. Need to find a reasonably priced substitute.
 
I build these every day for Walmarts. It's just a Cranbrook with a basket and rear rack.

They never tension the spokes properly, then jam the front wheel through the crank and ziptie it to the frame for shipping.

Almost all the wheels are out of true, and I lose money fixing them.

The rear hub is usually the first to fail. They get returned by pedaling customers because the make crunching noises.

The frame is just a knockoff of the Schwinn cantilever design, so you can find an America built 80's or ealier one all day on Craigslist.
 
Last night was a trip! So, after spending about 4 hours just trying to get the bike ready to install the motor kit, I gave up. It was the coaster brake that finally made me throw in the towel. At first, it was too loose, then it was too tight, then the axle didn't spin. I returned it to walmart and I got a surprise. I was looking at a completed Nel Lusso a few weeks back on Facebook Marketplace. For $300, I got a Nel Lusso with a premium engine kit and upgraded carb and air filter. It was also just serviced by our local bike guy. I couldn't pass it up. A little tinkering and some parts still have to go. The tires are too wide. The chain hits them. I needed to fashion a bracket for the coaster brake. The arm itself is shredded, but I ordered handbrakes. Gonna ignore the coaster brake for now.

I did bring it to my workshop this morning, and got it all running. Still learning the ins and outs, but it seems really fun. That said, I'm not confident in the overall quality of the bike. I have a few mountain bikes and a new DIY kit. I need to find something that'll be a bit more sturdy.
 
I believe that the only original part of my Cranbrook is the frame itself and the pedal crank. Everything else has been upgraded. Some more than once. That being said, it's still been a very fun and inexpensive hobby!
 
ive got a cranbrook, my rear tire/rim has a 1/2inch bend/kink in the rim in just 1/4 of the total round,
so ive replaced both front and rear,
ive taken both tin-foil fenders off,
replaced the front forks with a springer setup--there was no grease anywhere in my bike,

shoulda just got me a Workmans from the get go
 
Lunatuck said:
Last night was a trip! So, after spending about 4 hours just trying to get the bike ready to install the motor kit, I gave up. It was the coaster brake that finally made me throw in the towel. At first, it was too loose, then it was too tight, then the axle didn't spin. I returned it to walmart and I got a surprise. I was looking at a completed Nel Lusso a few weeks back on Facebook Marketplace. For $300, I got a Nel Lusso with a premium engine kit and upgraded carb and air filter. It was also just serviced by our local bike guy. I couldn't pass it up. A little tinkering and some parts still have to go. The tires are too wide. The chain hits them. I needed to fashion a bracket for the coaster brake. The arm itself is shredded, but I ordered handbrakes. Gonna ignore the coaster brake for now.

I did bring it to my workshop this morning, and got it all running. Still learning the ins and outs, but it seems really fun. That said, I'm not confident in the overall quality of the bike. I have a few mountain bikes and a new DIY kit. I need to find something that'll be a bit more sturdy.
Click to expand...
If you ignore the coaster brake, you could be in for a severe crash. If the arm isn't secured to the frame, the wheel can lock up, or it can jam and pedal forward like a fixie. Not something you want at 30+mph.
 
bairdco said:
If you ignore the coaster brake, you could be in for a severe crash. If the arm isn't secured to the frame, the wheel can lock up, or it can jam and pedal forward like a fixie. Not something you want at 30+mph.
Click to expand...
I did secure the arm to the frame. I have front and rear brakes showing up today.

The arm was already shredded when I got it, so I’m basically looking for a new cheap wheel. Wouldnt mind getting rid of the coaster brake if the handbrakes are effective enough.
 
bairdco said:
I build these every day for Walmarts. It's just a Cranbrook with a basket and rear rack.

They never tension the spokes properly, then jam the front wheel through the crank and ziptie it to the frame for shipping.

Almost all the wheels are out of true, and I lose money fixing them.

The rear hub is usually the first to fail. They get returned by pedaling customers because the make crunching noises.

The frame is just a knockoff of the Schwinn cantilever design, so you can find an America built 80's or ealier one all day on Craigslist.
Click to expand...
bairdco said:
I build these every day for Walmarts. It's just a Cranbrook with a basket and rear rack.

They never tension the spokes properly, then jam the front wheel through the crank and ziptie it to the frame for shipping.

Almost all the wheels are out of true, and I lose money fixing them.

The rear hub is usually the first to fail. They get returned by pedaling customers because the make crunching noises.

The frame is just a knockoff of the Schwinn cantilever design, so you can find an America built 80's or ealier one all day on Craigslist.
Click to expand...
bairdco said:
If you ignore the coaster brake, you could be in for a severe crash. If the arm isn't secured to the frame, the wheel can lock up, or it can jam and pedal forward like a fixie. Not something you want at 30+mph.
Click to expand...
Hi, New to the group and motorized bikes. I just found a Huffy Nel Lusso. The chains are rusty and having a friend work on it. He can find the numbers on the engine but we can't find any info on the engine itself
 
Rose maybe this will help, all 48cc engines have 6mm head studs which use a 10mm socket. If the head nuts are larger it's a 66-69cc engine. To find which of the larger engines you have remove the spark plug and move the piston to TDC, use a soft object like a straw and touch the top of the piston, now mark the straw with a sharpie at the head surface, rotate the engine to get the piston to BDC and insert the straw and Mark it. Now measure the distance between the marks, 38mm will be a 66cc and 40mm will be a 69cc.
 
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