So, I finished my bike right(lord knows I'm lying, but, whatever.) So I wanted to show you, I'm open to suggestions, but I have one problem, belt slip. And yes I have a superman belt tensioner. 
Its bout' Time
- Thread starter jazz2561
- Start date
Now, as usual, let me tell yall a story. I go to my friend Mike house to talk to him because I just came home from college. So I tell him about the bike. So he said let go to stoner (it's a park.) So as we are going to stoner, we get on a stretch of road. On my way leaving, my belt slips off the sheave(yes I don't know how.) So mike pulls over in his truck. I fix the belt and take off in front of mike. I start cruising at half throttle the whole ride. So we make it to the park, and Mike says to me, bruh we was doing 60, I had to do 55 to catch you. I knew the bike was fast, but not that damn fast. So mike and I told my dad about it, and he says, if I would have saw you I would have cursed you out. But the funny thing is that I don't know the true top speed.
I like the lines of your bike, nice!
Looks like your belt tensioner is spring loaded and there’s probabaly just too much torque & centrifugal force for it to handle.
You might consider something solid but still adjustable like a treaded rod, etc.
That is fast, be careful!
-Kirk
Looks like your belt tensioner is spring loaded and there’s probabaly just too much torque & centrifugal force for it to handle.
You might consider something solid but still adjustable like a treaded rod, etc.
That is fast, be careful!
-Kirk
Thank Mr. B, I'm with you, I need a lighter spring. I also thought about a wider belt. I'm going to need it as soon as I get this electric motor.
The belt popping off I'm not sure of as long as it is in line good.
The jack shaft smaller pulley that goes via the belt to the rear wheel sheave looks to be quite small.
The engine is probably more than twice my 3hp Briggs 4 stroke and it in my opinion is best to keep the smallest pulley at 3 inch diameter or larger. They usually say 2 inch, but that leaves very little surface area for gripping.
There are the cogged AX v-belts and they can help some work with small diameter pulleys.
MT
Build to Art Vehicle
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=554269#post554269
Trail Riding
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=557643#post557643
The jack shaft smaller pulley that goes via the belt to the rear wheel sheave looks to be quite small.
The engine is probably more than twice my 3hp Briggs 4 stroke and it in my opinion is best to keep the smallest pulley at 3 inch diameter or larger. They usually say 2 inch, but that leaves very little surface area for gripping.
There are the cogged AX v-belts and they can help some work with small diameter pulleys.
MT
Build to Art Vehicle
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=554269#post554269
Trail Riding
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=557643#post557643
Thanks MEASURE TWICE the current pulley I have on the jackshaft is 4 inches (inner diameter is like 3 1/2.) You think a wider belt will help?
Jazz,
Are the pullys you are using new or old? Also are the pullys matched to the belt size (width)?
Old, worn pullys that do not display a definate 'V' shape to their inside surfaces will slip. Also pullys are made for certain sized belts. A 'A' belt should be used on an 'A' pully. 'B' belts on 'B' pullys, 4L belts with pullys designed for them, etc.
A 'V' belt gets its gripping action as it rolls over the pully and expands at the extreme inside edge. (bend your finger and watch how it gets thicker at the finger joint) fractional horsepower belts react the same way. As they expand they grip the pully surface. This is why pullys wear and show the wear as a loss of that 'V' shape and 'mushroom' out toward the center. Hard to explain unless you've actually seen a worn pully.
Just a couple of suggestions. I hope it helps.
By the way, have fun, but please ride safe. 50 to 60 is darn fast for a bicycle frame, wheels and bearings.
Good looking machine though. Actually, it's BA.
Tom
Are the pullys you are using new or old? Also are the pullys matched to the belt size (width)?
Old, worn pullys that do not display a definate 'V' shape to their inside surfaces will slip. Also pullys are made for certain sized belts. A 'A' belt should be used on an 'A' pully. 'B' belts on 'B' pullys, 4L belts with pullys designed for them, etc.
A 'V' belt gets its gripping action as it rolls over the pully and expands at the extreme inside edge. (bend your finger and watch how it gets thicker at the finger joint) fractional horsepower belts react the same way. As they expand they grip the pully surface. This is why pullys wear and show the wear as a loss of that 'V' shape and 'mushroom' out toward the center. Hard to explain unless you've actually seen a worn pully.
Just a couple of suggestions. I hope it helps.
By the way, have fun, but please ride safe. 50 to 60 is darn fast for a bicycle frame, wheels and bearings.
Good looking machine though. Actually, it's BA.
Tom
I occasionally clean the pulley with acetone and clean cloth. Gotta keep grease off the pulley. The belt of course has to be out of the way as acetone is not good for the belt.
The wider belt is what is used on most torque converters, but for your use, and as my bike too, both pulleys would have to be changed. The one on the rear wheel I've not seen in larger width. The frames rear stays would have to be able to clear the pulley and the line up of the belt still be good.
It would seem with what ever that fast speed is, you have a lower ratio than my bike. If I got 19 mph as GPS at 20:1 ratio, I know I was over reving to may 5000 rpm where it should be 3500 max at I guess about 12 mph. I have the 20:1 as I ride dirt trails exclusively since I got a DMV OHV Reg.
I can remember when it was at 8:1 ratio and it slipped not the belt, but the centrifugal belt clutch. Not the belt on the clutch, but probably the shoes on the bell.
It was insanely too high a ratio. 17:1 ratio did get the 26 inch wheel to get a bit more speed, but it required run up to climb hills. Then at 20:1 ratio slipping started with a belt I do not have currently enough adjustment to get a cogged belt to fit.
I will probably see about a chain for my first reduction which I think I can still have the same ratio by reconfiguring other sprocket that connect two jack shaft I am running.
MT
See Picture with Gates Tripower Belt (cogged) shown in 4th of 5 pictures in post 167 on page 17 of my thread "Art Fish Mobile Motor Bike prior Motor Bike DIY'er build to add side car maybe?"
The first picture shows the Gates Powerated regular belt which I swapped out.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=554269&highlight=gates#post554269
The wider belt is what is used on most torque converters, but for your use, and as my bike too, both pulleys would have to be changed. The one on the rear wheel I've not seen in larger width. The frames rear stays would have to be able to clear the pulley and the line up of the belt still be good.
It would seem with what ever that fast speed is, you have a lower ratio than my bike. If I got 19 mph as GPS at 20:1 ratio, I know I was over reving to may 5000 rpm where it should be 3500 max at I guess about 12 mph. I have the 20:1 as I ride dirt trails exclusively since I got a DMV OHV Reg.
I can remember when it was at 8:1 ratio and it slipped not the belt, but the centrifugal belt clutch. Not the belt on the clutch, but probably the shoes on the bell.
It was insanely too high a ratio. 17:1 ratio did get the 26 inch wheel to get a bit more speed, but it required run up to climb hills. Then at 20:1 ratio slipping started with a belt I do not have currently enough adjustment to get a cogged belt to fit.
I will probably see about a chain for my first reduction which I think I can still have the same ratio by reconfiguring other sprocket that connect two jack shaft I am running.
MT
See Picture with Gates Tripower Belt (cogged) shown in 4th of 5 pictures in post 167 on page 17 of my thread "Art Fish Mobile Motor Bike prior Motor Bike DIY'er build to add side car maybe?"
The first picture shows the Gates Powerated regular belt which I swapped out.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=554269&highlight=gates#post554269
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If its a rat bike anything goes. Till I knew I could buy a sort of motorcycle style tank I put a lawn mower gas tank mounted on the upper frame. The looks ehh, but one thing is plastic tank as it is won't rust. That's a plus!
Also, when I get the time and place to finish building the art fish cover, it will get a coat of paint after surface rust is sanded off. The under 5mph with a high ratio and a fire proofed cloth cover will enable it to look like a California Sheepshead fish for parade events.
I was wondering the rear wheel sheave, is it a pulley like a Whizzer or a clone of the Whizzer new company make. I used to use a washing machine pulley back 40 years ago on a bike that was pressed steel. Recently not available unless you pay custom manufacturer to make, I ended up using aluminum washing machine pulley and it split it after I raised my ratio to get better torque for trail and hill climbing.
I bought a Whizzer clone steel pulley and have it working OK on my rear wheel now. It stuck out further and my knobby tires then required I mod the rear stays which worked out OK too.
The pulley on your rear wheel if it is as maybe I saw in another thread link to a picture seems that it is maybe a smaller rim mounted to the wheel your using. If so maybe it is slipping there. I do not know. If the one on the jackshaft is for A section and does not slip, but it is the rear pulley slipping, then maybe the belt edges are not grabbing.
If I am right, not about what's slipping or not, but that the A section belt is not supposed to grab by the bottom of the belt in the pulley, but on the walls of the pulley on up to the top edge.
Others on this site have used rims to get large pulley effectively attached to the rear wheel, but I have not done it myself. If this is the case that you are using a smaller rim for a pulley, check how others dealt with the issue of slipping.
If you get a chain and use on of those marketed ragjoint mounts for a rear wheel chain drive, maybe there are other issues to deal with.
I being one that liked to make as much from scratch found that my washing machine pulley part could not be replaced with a steel part anymore a resonable cost, so I went with a Whizzer clone part.
MT
Also, when I get the time and place to finish building the art fish cover, it will get a coat of paint after surface rust is sanded off. The under 5mph with a high ratio and a fire proofed cloth cover will enable it to look like a California Sheepshead fish for parade events.
I was wondering the rear wheel sheave, is it a pulley like a Whizzer or a clone of the Whizzer new company make. I used to use a washing machine pulley back 40 years ago on a bike that was pressed steel. Recently not available unless you pay custom manufacturer to make, I ended up using aluminum washing machine pulley and it split it after I raised my ratio to get better torque for trail and hill climbing.
I bought a Whizzer clone steel pulley and have it working OK on my rear wheel now. It stuck out further and my knobby tires then required I mod the rear stays which worked out OK too.
The pulley on your rear wheel if it is as maybe I saw in another thread link to a picture seems that it is maybe a smaller rim mounted to the wheel your using. If so maybe it is slipping there. I do not know. If the one on the jackshaft is for A section and does not slip, but it is the rear pulley slipping, then maybe the belt edges are not grabbing.
If I am right, not about what's slipping or not, but that the A section belt is not supposed to grab by the bottom of the belt in the pulley, but on the walls of the pulley on up to the top edge.
Others on this site have used rims to get large pulley effectively attached to the rear wheel, but I have not done it myself. If this is the case that you are using a smaller rim for a pulley, check how others dealt with the issue of slipping.
If you get a chain and use on of those marketed ragjoint mounts for a rear wheel chain drive, maybe there are other issues to deal with.
I being one that liked to make as much from scratch found that my washing machine pulley part could not be replaced with a steel part anymore a resonable cost, so I went with a Whizzer clone part.
MT
Thanks everyone for the comments, but yea, the belt slip is driving me insane. I might need a new belt, or pulley. I'm thinking about going to a 6 in pulley up front. I still don't know the true top speed, but I'm sure if I floor it, it's near or in the 100 mph range. I've been thinking about the tank too. I'm thinking about adding a fuel cell in front of the current and tank and welding and shaping it to look like one piece.
Man, if I had enough time and money right now, I'd offer to build a sweet in-frame tank for it too. That is an awesome ride. Be careful with her. She's got moxie.
I'm thinking that an old brass fire extinguisher would make a fine gas tank... yesterday I was looking at my torch and was thinking that a couple of propane bottle's secured side by side hanging from the top bar would be cool. Don't paint her... she is beautiful the way she is.
What size motor do you have on it? You need to put a smaller pulley up front to slow it down.about 2" or 2 1/2" and maybe a bigger sprocket on there also.........".......Curt