"The Gray" Board Tracker

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skylar

New Member
May 9, 2012
7
0
0
CO, USA
This is my board track racer. It was originally built by Imperial Cycles in 2010 (I don't think they exist anymore). Honestly, they did a poor job. The bike took several months longer than they quoted, and when I got the bike, it wouldn't run longer than 100ft before the drive chain derailed. And there were/are some other little problems as well. There were even a few links in the drive chain that were so seized up, you couldn't even rotate them under force...what made those guys think that was acceptable? Uggghh.

So I've been rebuilding the whole thing from the ground up. The foundation is really solid (Shorty Fatz frame / Honda GHX50), so it's shaping up to be a very nice bike.

This evening, I fabricated a spring-loaded tensioner for the drive chain, and it made a HUGE difference.

The last remaining item is the exhaust. I think I'm going to have an exhaust custom-made by one of the motorcycle shops in town.

Looking forward to finally being able to ride this beauty. It's just a killer-looking bike.



edit: adding image link URLs because the image thumbnails aren't showing in all browsers...vBulletin is not exactly what I would call "robust" or "standards-compliant."

http://skylargray.com/picture/graybt-02.jpg?pictureId=14553430
http://skylargray.com/picture/graybt-01.jpg?pictureId=14553428
http://skylargray.com/picture/graybt-tensioner01.jpg?pictureId=14553433
Gallery
 
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S

skylar

New Member
May 9, 2012
7
0
0
CO, USA
The last time I actually rode this bike, it would do 40–45mph on flat ground until the chain popped off...not a fun experience. I decided to stop riding until I could get get all the problems worked out.

I believe I have fixed the chain issue by re-aligning the chainstays/seatstays, re-dishing the rear wheel, building the chain tensioner, and experimenting with spacers on the freewheel side and drive side.

I can't drive it again until I get an exhaust built. Right now, the bike is at a custom motorcycle shop, having that done. I should get it back late next week, and I can test it out at that point.
 
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skylar

New Member
May 9, 2012
7
0
0
CO, USA
BAD news.

I got the bike back after having an exhaust installed. Looks great. That's not the bad news.

The pull cord wouldn't pull further than about two inches, so I took off the recoil starter and verified that it worked properly. After all, this Honda engine is practically brand new with less than 10 miles on it...why would the recoil starter be broken? Well, it wasn't of course.

So I did some reading, and the symptoms suggested that the engine could be hydro-locked. This bike recently made a move from OK to CO in a Uhaul, so maybe some gas and/or oil flooded the cylinder with all the bumping around??? Although, I did drain the gas before the move.

So I removed the spark plug, and opened up the carb drain (only a few drops of gas dripped out). The pull cord still wouldn't budge. I also noticed that the crankshaft was locked up as well. This bike has been full of oil since being built and, again, has less than 10 miles on it.

I tried to rotate the flywheel by putting a socket wrench on the bolt at the center of the flywheel. With a lot of force, I was able to turn it, but stopped after about an 1/8 of a turn...I can feel some serious metal-on-metal scraping. It feels seized beyond all hope.

So, is this thing shot or what? How the **** could this have happened? This engine has been sitting in my garage for about a year after being ridden less than 10 miles. And the time that I ran it, the engine was smooth as silk. What's the deal?
 
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skylar

New Member
May 9, 2012
7
0
0
CO, USA
The oil level is at the full mark.

I don't smell any gas in the crankcase. I just drained the oil just to be sure.

I don't see anything that the flywheel could be scraping on.
 
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skylar

New Member
May 9, 2012
7
0
0
CO, USA
Problem solved.

The engine is fine.

It turns out there was a bolt obstructing the flywheel. Thanks, MotorBicycleRacing.

I was looking behind the flywheel for proper clearance, but wasn't looking around its perimeter. Before having the new exhaust installed, I removed the plastic muffler guard (and the stock "lawn mower" muffler). I reinstalled the bracket which holds the kill switch. With the plastic muffler guard between said bracket and engine, there's plenty of clearance for the flywheel. But when that plastic guard is gone, and you screw the bolt down all the way like I did, it runs into the flywheel.

So, no disaster. That's good. Now I just need some silicone gasket material for the valve cover (took it off for inspection...valves look super), and I should be ready to go.
 

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