I'm new to the MB community and I'm in the middle of my first build. I'm very excited and I've been spending a couple hours every night reading the forums on here and learning from those that have come before me. I've already learned so much that I wish I had taken a different approach, but let this all be my lesson for my second build. (don't tell my wife I said that, she still isn't happy about my first build)
First a little about me:*
I'm a Navy Submarine Veteran (Electronics Technician)
I now teach electronics for a living to high school students in St. Louis. I am one of our schools FIRST Robotics Coaches so I have a LOT of knowledge about chains, sprockets, bearings, gear ratios, fabricating, etc. So I don't consider myself a true newbie, but rather a knowledgable person with a new hobby that is in line with my other hobbies.*
What kind of bicycle?
I bought a Micargi Rover (orange in color, though the spec. says saffron) from www.bikebuyers.com
I got one with a Shimano Nexus Inter 3 with a coaster brake. I really like the smooth curves of the bike and the retro look. I think it will look like an early motorcycle when it's finished.*
What kind of engine?
I bought a 66cc SD Stinger from www.motorizedbikeparts.com
I looked at several different dealers and read a lot of reviews on here before buying. Many good reviews of the SD Stinger and the price was right so I went for it.*
Funny story about the ordering of those two big items. I ordered them about three days apart and yet they both arrived on the same day from two different carriers.*
I also ordered a bigger one gallon tank for it because I didn't like the idea of a bike with a 150 MPG range that could only go 75 on a fill up. Something about that didn't sound right to me. I got the tank from www.thatsdax.com
It is the only reasonably priced one gallon tank that I could find.*
The build so far:
So a buddy of mine (a former robotics student who is now a licensed A&P Mechanic) and I got started at around 12:30 last Saturday. After having read a lot about things that can improve the bike, we didn't start with the engine, but instead we took apart the bike and began replacing some of the hardware.*
We took the fenders completely apart and drilled the rivets out of the "L" bracket. After a trip to the store to get some hardware we put some heat shrink on the fender brackets where they touch the fenders for vibration dampening. We replaced the screws with 10-24's with acorn nuts. After a close inspection of the "L" brackets we decided that they were pretty strong (please tell me if you think I should replace these with something better) and we reinstalled them with more 10-24's and acorn nuts. The acorn nuts really look nice on the fenders (especially when you pay attention to lining them all up straight).*
Then we opened up the SD Stinger and began the installation. We cut up an old bike inner tube to use for a vibration dampener on the mounts. The SD kit was perfectly sized to fit the seat tube and the oversized front tube. (In the future I'd like to replace the kit mounting studs with some grade 8 studs) We had to remove the chain guard to get the engine to fit because the clutch cover is close to the chain.*
Then we got the fun part of figuring out the throttle and clutch levers and cables. The instructions were rather vague-ish and we puzzled it out on our own. I must say that I wasn't please with the quality of the throttle or the clutch lever. The odd three click clutch latch is very poorly designed. I have since ordered a push button locking clutch lever from www.bikeberry.com that we will install on our next build day. I'm still looking for a quality throttle lever that doesn't have a plastic housing that holds the whole thing to the handle bar. I did find a nice metal one, but it was out of stock and I'd much rather buy a whole assembly. The clutch cable wasn't too bad, but I do have one question, there was this brass fitting that seemed unnecessary because the clutch lever on the engine had its own set screw. If anyone would shed some light on this I'd be grateful. But the way we hooked it up it seemed to work fine for engaging/disengaging the clutch.*
Let's talk carburetor... I was instantly unhappy with the style of the mount that holds the carb to the intake. I'm very worried about the dreaded air leak. I've begun reading the forums here looking for an appropriate replacement. Any feedback would be appreciated. The throttle cable seemed to connect to the carb just fine so that doesn't concern me at all.*
We did a couple other minor things like mount the CDI. I intend to use better connectors than what came in the kit and then I will use liquid electrical tape to waterproof those connections. I really interested in checking out the "white wire power" to see what it really is. I've read so many different things on here that I don't know where to start. I intend to decipher it and post my findings. I will likely use an oscilloscope to give a good reading of it.*
We were gonna mount the gas tank, but the oversized frame made that impossible for now. So we stopped playing with it for the night.*
Next build day we will finish mounting the tank, hook up the fuel lines, electrical system, and then....the terrible rag mount. I've been searching for a solution to this and I have yet to find anything that makes me happy. The Shimano Nexus Inter 3 makes it harder. I am thinking of getting a large clamshell and machining it to fit my hub. I am bothered by the fact that no place lists the ID of it (most sites don't list the ID of any of their mounts).*
Lots more to come; including pictures.*
Thanks for reading,
Charlie Blair
First a little about me:*
I'm a Navy Submarine Veteran (Electronics Technician)
I now teach electronics for a living to high school students in St. Louis. I am one of our schools FIRST Robotics Coaches so I have a LOT of knowledge about chains, sprockets, bearings, gear ratios, fabricating, etc. So I don't consider myself a true newbie, but rather a knowledgable person with a new hobby that is in line with my other hobbies.*
What kind of bicycle?
I bought a Micargi Rover (orange in color, though the spec. says saffron) from www.bikebuyers.com
I got one with a Shimano Nexus Inter 3 with a coaster brake. I really like the smooth curves of the bike and the retro look. I think it will look like an early motorcycle when it's finished.*
What kind of engine?
I bought a 66cc SD Stinger from www.motorizedbikeparts.com
I looked at several different dealers and read a lot of reviews on here before buying. Many good reviews of the SD Stinger and the price was right so I went for it.*
Funny story about the ordering of those two big items. I ordered them about three days apart and yet they both arrived on the same day from two different carriers.*
I also ordered a bigger one gallon tank for it because I didn't like the idea of a bike with a 150 MPG range that could only go 75 on a fill up. Something about that didn't sound right to me. I got the tank from www.thatsdax.com
It is the only reasonably priced one gallon tank that I could find.*
The build so far:
So a buddy of mine (a former robotics student who is now a licensed A&P Mechanic) and I got started at around 12:30 last Saturday. After having read a lot about things that can improve the bike, we didn't start with the engine, but instead we took apart the bike and began replacing some of the hardware.*
We took the fenders completely apart and drilled the rivets out of the "L" bracket. After a trip to the store to get some hardware we put some heat shrink on the fender brackets where they touch the fenders for vibration dampening. We replaced the screws with 10-24's with acorn nuts. After a close inspection of the "L" brackets we decided that they were pretty strong (please tell me if you think I should replace these with something better) and we reinstalled them with more 10-24's and acorn nuts. The acorn nuts really look nice on the fenders (especially when you pay attention to lining them all up straight).*
Then we opened up the SD Stinger and began the installation. We cut up an old bike inner tube to use for a vibration dampener on the mounts. The SD kit was perfectly sized to fit the seat tube and the oversized front tube. (In the future I'd like to replace the kit mounting studs with some grade 8 studs) We had to remove the chain guard to get the engine to fit because the clutch cover is close to the chain.*
Then we got the fun part of figuring out the throttle and clutch levers and cables. The instructions were rather vague-ish and we puzzled it out on our own. I must say that I wasn't please with the quality of the throttle or the clutch lever. The odd three click clutch latch is very poorly designed. I have since ordered a push button locking clutch lever from www.bikeberry.com that we will install on our next build day. I'm still looking for a quality throttle lever that doesn't have a plastic housing that holds the whole thing to the handle bar. I did find a nice metal one, but it was out of stock and I'd much rather buy a whole assembly. The clutch cable wasn't too bad, but I do have one question, there was this brass fitting that seemed unnecessary because the clutch lever on the engine had its own set screw. If anyone would shed some light on this I'd be grateful. But the way we hooked it up it seemed to work fine for engaging/disengaging the clutch.*
Let's talk carburetor... I was instantly unhappy with the style of the mount that holds the carb to the intake. I'm very worried about the dreaded air leak. I've begun reading the forums here looking for an appropriate replacement. Any feedback would be appreciated. The throttle cable seemed to connect to the carb just fine so that doesn't concern me at all.*
We did a couple other minor things like mount the CDI. I intend to use better connectors than what came in the kit and then I will use liquid electrical tape to waterproof those connections. I really interested in checking out the "white wire power" to see what it really is. I've read so many different things on here that I don't know where to start. I intend to decipher it and post my findings. I will likely use an oscilloscope to give a good reading of it.*
We were gonna mount the gas tank, but the oversized frame made that impossible for now. So we stopped playing with it for the night.*
Next build day we will finish mounting the tank, hook up the fuel lines, electrical system, and then....the terrible rag mount. I've been searching for a solution to this and I have yet to find anything that makes me happy. The Shimano Nexus Inter 3 makes it harder. I am thinking of getting a large clamshell and machining it to fit my hub. I am bothered by the fact that no place lists the ID of it (most sites don't list the ID of any of their mounts).*
Lots more to come; including pictures.*
Thanks for reading,
Charlie Blair
