Two issues cropped up during rides this week. As I was returning home yesterday I noticed my speed was dropping off even though the engine was running fine. At first I thought my centrifugal clutch was slipping, but then I noticed it was my belt was turning slower than the clutch pulley. As soon as I pulled in the driveway I jumped off and saw that my entire belt idler was missing! Major bummer. When I swapped out the bike for my E-bike and retraced my steps I found the idler in the middle of the road a couple of miles from the house. The missing screw was right next to it. What are the odds?
Turns out I had mounted the idler arm { a prized part from an old Sears rototiller} to one of the threaded mounting holes on the base of the engine. Realizing it's not a good idea to be tightening a steel screw into threaded Chinesium, I screwed in a stud so I could mount the arm with a lock washer and nut. That wasn't good enough because the vibration and stress caused the aluminum threads to strip and the entire rig fell off. It's difficult to see from this photo, but I moved the idler to the bottom frame tube (steel on steel) The fabrication took at least 5 hours because the engine, the clutch, the driven pulley, etc. are so close. Finally got it dialed in and it's a much stouter arrangement than before.
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The second issue cropped up during my long ride this morning. I noticed that even though my seat is comfy and absorbs bumps well, it was a wee bit high in the rear causing me to lurch forward slightly on rough pavement. I decided to replace the porch swing springs with springs recovered from a vintage Schwinn seat. They are about the same tension as the porch swing springs, but are half the length. I was able to adjust the rear of the seat up and down using a set of aluminum and neoprene spacers cut to length. It is much more comfortable now and it is even easier to mount and dismount the bike. Below are photos of the change.
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Finally, I am not happy with the look of the chrome mud guards. They just don't fit the grunge vibe of the bike. Am thinking about swapping them out for the original J.C. Hiiggins peaked fenders. They look pretty good for rusty old steel. Might do a trial run on the front and go from there. Does this ever end?
