Riding in the hood.
- Thread starter deacon
- Start date
deacon
minor bike philosopher
somebody just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Today was one of those I shudda stayed in bed days. I fooled around all morning trying to stabilize the sissy schwinn. I figued I wood prototype it. Everything would have worked, if I could weld. Of course I can't and pcv is to flexible to use for a sidecar frame.
So the weather turned off nice this afternoon. Off I go riding the new gas bike. It does pretty well except for all these new noises. I come home and find the new twenty dollar tensioner is frozen. Naturally that gave a rash. If I tighten it down then it freezes if I leave it loose it gets completely loose and i have several inches of slack. I have decided thats enough buying parts that should work. They are never going to work for me like they should. I will just fake it that works best for me.
So I decided to break the chain on the bike side and add a link so I can stretch out the motor chain and throw the tensioner as far as possible... I started this day with two chain breakers. The half working park and the bell from wallymart. I stripped the threads in the wallymart trying to break a chain that refused to budge. The the park came apart and a piece got lost in my shop. Yes I will find it some day but in the meantime I have a bike that is down for lack of a couple of links of chain and I have chain all over the place I cant get a link out of.
The weather is supposed to be pretty good tomorrow and I will probably be stuck here waiting to buy a chain braker. the figure out what I am going to do for a tensioner.
I did ride a bit and had two people ask me what the **** I was riding. Always get stopped. The electric bike is a lot more reliable but not as much fun.
So the weather turned off nice this afternoon. Off I go riding the new gas bike. It does pretty well except for all these new noises. I come home and find the new twenty dollar tensioner is frozen. Naturally that gave a rash. If I tighten it down then it freezes if I leave it loose it gets completely loose and i have several inches of slack. I have decided thats enough buying parts that should work. They are never going to work for me like they should. I will just fake it that works best for me.
So I decided to break the chain on the bike side and add a link so I can stretch out the motor chain and throw the tensioner as far as possible... I started this day with two chain breakers. The half working park and the bell from wallymart. I stripped the threads in the wallymart trying to break a chain that refused to budge. The the park came apart and a piece got lost in my shop. Yes I will find it some day but in the meantime I have a bike that is down for lack of a couple of links of chain and I have chain all over the place I cant get a link out of.
The weather is supposed to be pretty good tomorrow and I will probably be stuck here waiting to buy a chain braker. the figure out what I am going to do for a tensioner.
I did ride a bit and had two people ask me what the **** I was riding. Always get stopped. The electric bike is a lot more reliable but not as much fun.
Bikeguy Joe
Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Sounds like ya' had a rough one.
deacon
minor bike philosopher
Yeah my balance got okay to day to I wanted to work. Hey I did find the missing part of the chain breaker and made it work long enough to get a chain on the pedal side. Looks like I can ride tomorrow after all.
I still have to do something about the length of the chain. I added enough links to tighten the motor side but had to really crank the old tension to use as a chain guide. Take out the two halfs of the link and it is too tight for what I want too loose with them in. I might give that half link idea a shot. I have ordered a new chain breaker maybe this brand will be better.
And Joe I stripped the threads out of that bell breaker on the second 1/8" rivet. Man what junk. Somebody needs to make one that is just a six inch C clamp type thing with a little cup at the end of a pointed rod. The tiny cup to grab the round head of the pin.
I still have to do something about the length of the chain. I added enough links to tighten the motor side but had to really crank the old tension to use as a chain guide. Take out the two halfs of the link and it is too tight for what I want too loose with them in. I might give that half link idea a shot. I have ordered a new chain breaker maybe this brand will be better.
And Joe I stripped the threads out of that bell breaker on the second 1/8" rivet. Man what junk. Somebody needs to make one that is just a six inch C clamp type thing with a little cup at the end of a pointed rod. The tiny cup to grab the round head of the pin.
deacon
minor bike philosopher
It looks as though God my finally be smiling on the fatboy. The weather is going to be nice all next week. Well temperature wise anyway. I might just get out to do some riding other than within walking distance of my home. I still am trying to build up some faith that I will actually come riding the bike home not pushing it.
Bikeguy Joe
Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
I'm telling you, every ride I went on ended in me pulling into the driveway, engine on, without a care in the world except a nearly empty tank.
Once you break in the engine, and check all your nuts and bolts and ect. you are ready to go, fuel capacity being your only limiting factor.
Neither of the two I built, or the one I have now ever left me stranded, the worst time was when I ran out of gas 7 miles from home on my frame mount Western Flyer, and that ride home was nothing.
Once you break in the engine, and check all your nuts and bolts and ect. you are ready to go, fuel capacity being your only limiting factor.
Neither of the two I built, or the one I have now ever left me stranded, the worst time was when I ran out of gas 7 miles from home on my frame mount Western Flyer, and that ride home was nothing.
deacon
minor bike philosopher
I broke my bike chain today. Thank god I had a front hand brake, well not really I was pulling away from stop sign so no big deal. I was also a block from home so it also wasn't much of a biggie.
I had put a link in my bike chain and knew it wasn't exactly right. Well guess what almost won't work on bike chains probably not on the motor side either. I came home and respliced the chain. A lot more carefully this time.
Tomorrow it will be warmer and I'll give it a long test ride.
I had put a link in my bike chain and knew it wasn't exactly right. Well guess what almost won't work on bike chains probably not on the motor side either. I came home and respliced the chain. A lot more carefully this time.
Tomorrow it will be warmer and I'll give it a long test ride.
Autocycler
New Member
Sweet name, Deacon. MY bike has cost me some blood too....mostly cash though.
paul
Well-Known Member
great name. i named my motor bicycle kathy rose after my wife. got to get them points every oportunity we get lol told her i like to ride her
deacon
minor bike philosopher
I have finally, finally I say, made a bike that is perfect for me. The pedals are about two inches off the ground. Easy for me to reach on the top stroke and with enough torque to start the bike without weaving. It gets up to speed in a reasonable amount of time. I rode the bike for about ten miles today. I took it out to the lake which was one of my goals.
The only problem was the kickstand came off. Now that is a pain since I have no idea where along that ten miles it might be. I am as thrilled as a girl after her first prom. Too bad we both lost something. Oh well.
The only problem was the kickstand came off. Now that is a pain since I have no idea where along that ten miles it might be. I am as thrilled as a girl after her first prom. Too bad we both lost something. Oh well.
deacon
minor bike philosopher
Thanks it only took bits of ten bikes to make it work...
For a temporary kick stand, I went with 2 broom sticks one for each side, a hose clamp to hold on a flat bar with a hole in the end. The hose clamp is so that the bar is adjustable. The bar bolts to the outside of the rear axle. One broom stick on each side with a slight outward angle. The broom sticks hold the bike upright and very steady. I can take off the broom sticks quite easily and then toss them in the basket till I need them again. I intend to lock the bike to a pole and lean it on same, but now and then I probably will need the brookstick kicker. I need it in my shop for sure. I can rotate them on the axle to move it around then set them to hold the bike. It seems to work pretty well. I feel better with the bike not leaned over but sitting upright.
For a temporary kick stand, I went with 2 broom sticks one for each side, a hose clamp to hold on a flat bar with a hole in the end. The hose clamp is so that the bar is adjustable. The bar bolts to the outside of the rear axle. One broom stick on each side with a slight outward angle. The broom sticks hold the bike upright and very steady. I can take off the broom sticks quite easily and then toss them in the basket till I need them again. I intend to lock the bike to a pole and lean it on same, but now and then I probably will need the brookstick kicker. I need it in my shop for sure. I can rotate them on the axle to move it around then set them to hold the bike. It seems to work pretty well. I feel better with the bike not leaned over but sitting upright.
deacon
minor bike philosopher
The thing about having so many er er custom features on the bike, is you really do need a fill tool kit just to go to the store. I took off to the lake again today and got home without incident so I decided to do a full tour of the neighborhood. Off I went pushing the toy chopper up and down the large hills of high point. Yes it is called that for a reason.
The custom thumb throttle screwed up close to home so I rode it home using my fingers to help out the controller. when I got home I did a couple of things that seemed to work, so off I went again. I got about two miles and out it goes again. I did a couple of things with my tool kit and it seemed to work.
When I got home and took it apart so that I could really find the culprit. The big problem lol was that I had moved the control too close to another control so that it wasn't able to seat itself correctly. No big thing but being home made the adjustment so much easier.
I would also like to report that the Transylvainia Chopper is ideal for a fat old man. Now that I have it pretty well set and running or walking in it's case, I suppose this thread my be replaced by riding in the country. One thing is the vibrations are soooo fierce I may have to go with some very old cameras since all this new stuff couldn't stand the strain.
Spring is on the way.
The custom thumb throttle screwed up close to home so I rode it home using my fingers to help out the controller. when I got home I did a couple of things that seemed to work, so off I went again. I got about two miles and out it goes again. I did a couple of things with my tool kit and it seemed to work.
When I got home and took it apart so that I could really find the culprit. The big problem lol was that I had moved the control too close to another control so that it wasn't able to seat itself correctly. No big thing but being home made the adjustment so much easier.
I would also like to report that the Transylvainia Chopper is ideal for a fat old man. Now that I have it pretty well set and running or walking in it's case, I suppose this thread my be replaced by riding in the country. One thing is the vibrations are soooo fierce I may have to go with some very old cameras since all this new stuff couldn't stand the strain.
Spring is on the way.
deacon
minor bike philosopher
Since the weather is really nice, 60 degrees I decided to take another ride this time to the city park about twice as far as the lake. At the first stop light I pulled up along side two of those huge honda bikes with the travel box on the rear, traveling together. I was in a different lane so I pulled right up beside them. The driver of the lead one looked over and I think a little down his nose at me. I said, "Hi." He forced himself to answer. I just smiled because I knew, unlike him, that he couldn't possibly be having more fun than me.
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