what did you do to your motorized bicycle today?

[Davezilla]

This one will be a freebee since this was cut to see how I could set up the machine's cutting speed and how deep I could do each pass etc... I still need to find a way to cut these in batches because the copper work hardens pretty fast so the one on my bike and this other one came out perfect then it started to chatter on the third cut. I'm thinking I need to cut the sheet down and anneal the pieces before I cut them in batches of 2 per cut. I knew copper work hardened but didn't know it got that hard that fast.. I've also considered making some from dead soft aluminum but I'm having a hard time finding sheets of pure aluminum in the thickness and quantities that would be practical.

 

[mapbike]

This one will be a freebee since this was cut to see how I could set up the machine's cutting speed and how deep I could do each pass etc... I still need to find a way to cut these in batches because the copper work hardens pretty fast so the one on my bike and this other one came out perfect then it started to chatter on the third cut. I'm thinking I need to cut the sheet down and anneal the pieces before I cut them in batches of 2 per cut. I knew copper work hardened but didn't know it got that hard that fast.. I've also considered making some from dead soft aluminum but I'm having a hard time finding sheets of pure aluminum in the thickness and quantities that would be practical.

Thanks Dave

 

[Davezilla]

Today was kinda slow again at the shop so I went into the stock room and started messing with that disc brake rim some more, put a tire on it after it was cleaned, bearings cleaned out and re greased, then repainted it semi gloss black.
I got the other bike in the stock room upside down while the wheel was off so I put the wheel back on that bike for now and kinda gave it a spin, then it dawned on me... I wonder if this thing is anywhere close to balanced....
I watched the wheel as it slowed down where it would go half way around slowing down,then speeding back up for the other half way around.. Then I slowed it s it would stop and as it comes to a stop, it starts to roll the other way, then back and forth until the heavy part of the wheel faces down.
With nothing else to do I grabbed a tire crayon and some wheel weights, marked the light spot, that was easy, let the wheel settle then mark it at the top. Next I taped a small weight to the lightest spot then rotated it 90 degrees by hand and let go, the heavy spot just went to the bottom again as if I didn't even add th weight. After adding more weight I finally got that side to become the heavy spot, then I just took off the weight and cut off a little at a time until I could stop the wheel in any position and it stayed put. After I was done I just folded the weight (the lead stick on type with the double sided tape removed) over the spoke it was taped onto and crimped it down with some pliers so it can't slide up and down the spoke.
Re tested it in several positions and noticed the weight was just a hair off once crimped to the spoke instead of taped to the tire so I cut another weight lengthwise this time and squeezed it over the spoke next to the one that already had a weight on it then fine tuned the balance until it would stay put no matter where I positioned it. I also spun the wheel slowly as slowly as I could, but so it would at least go around one full turn or so and it spun and spun and spun but finally slowed down to a stop. When it stopped the weighted spoke was about 45 degrees facing up. I gave it another slow spin and it stopped in a different position, and everytime after this it wouldn't stop at the same place or even close to it. This is how I know it's balanced.

After I was done it took about 2 1/2 ounces to correct the balance, which is a lot if ya think about it, but can only imagine what the wheels on my silver bike are like. I'll be checking them next and doing the same thing because there's gotta be a few more mph being held back from being off balance.

 

[GoreWound]

Tried leaning my fuel mixture by moving the c-clip. couldnt get the bike to start because my clutch is slipping again, froze my fingers trying to get the cover off.
maybe tomorrow...

 

[mapbike]

Bought this clown looking bike a couple years ago at at clearance sale at a small town Walmart store for $49

I figured at some point I could make some changes and turn it into a decent looking motorized bike, the pix below are what I have got done so far yesterday.

Not sure how this engine is gonna turn out, crank doesn't look very true in it and I've had to repair the case where it was busted when I pulled mag cover off and seen an issue that was allowing dirt and muck to be slung into mag area, I got that fixed and done so good porting on the GT5 jug and well as shaving .030" of the deck and with that my squish has been brought down to .025", not a super tight squish but much better than it would have been leaving jug at stock height.

So anyway this used to be fixe bike is what I did yesterday, it has 26" wheels now, the frame has been spread to accept the multi speed wheel and I put a 24T single speed freewheel sprocket on the wheel, the forks are off of an old USA made Murray cruiser bike and the front wheel is ans older USA made wald wheel that is in excellent shape with 14ga spokes, the rear wheel is a new wheel master with 12ga spokes, pay no mind to the tensioner bracket, i plan to try to get this set up without a tensioner on the drive and possibly only use one on the pedal chain if need be, trying to decide what sprocket size I want on this bike, debating between 36T and 41T this will likely be a bike I will put up for sale if this engine works out to be a smooth runner at 25-30MPH, still multiple things up in the air on this one, but just thought I'd share what I have done to it so far.

 

[Davezilla]

Looks better already... Can't wait to see what you end up with on this one...

 

[mapbike]

Had to repair the case between mag and drive sprocket, looks like chain must have come off on previous owner and jammed between sprocket and case, the chunk that is missing now was still in place when I removed the covers but it was pushed in toward mag so I tried to easily force it back some and when I did it broke off as I had expected it probably would, no problems though, I have a couple sheets of .020' aluminum so i just cut a piece to cover the hole, drilled a couple holes through and pop riveted into place, had to grind a couple indentions in the clutch arm cover to allow it to mess back up since the rivets stand out a bit.

All fixed up now to keep dust and grime out of mag.

 

[mapbike]

Looks better already... Can't wait to see what you end up with on this one...

Thanks Dave, still debating on what i'll do in a couple areas, trying to keep it looking clean as possible.

Trying not to use to much Texas Redneck Engine-Nudity on it.....LOL!!

It rides very smooth and comfortable as a pedal bike now since turning it into a 26er, I may have a hard time putting a for sale sign on it when I'm done..

One of my other bikes may get cleaned up real nice, a couple things changed for looks and reliabilty and it may be the one with the for sale sign on it, this bike just keep hollering at me and saying keep me, keep me....LOL!

 

[GoreWound]

mapbike, you should have left it green and blue then seen how many clowns fit on it.

I just had Tweeter run out of gas for the second time, feels good!

 

[mapbike]

mapbike, you should have left it green and blue then seen how many clowns fit on it.

I just had Tweeter run out of gas for the second time, feels good!

I like the Green and I like the Blue but i didn't like the both on this bike at the same time....LOL

I'm thinking the Blue forks will likely end up on a bike with a 700 x 41mm tire on front and a 24" on the rear.

Might do this set up on my other Moon Dog bike in the future just for the fun of it.

 

[Rudz]

Broke my rear mount again. Bike Bobber made me one that won't break.

Found out pretty anodized fuel filters don't work.

Put some 60 mm riser bars on my bike, omfg how much more comfortable. Ripped foam handlebar grip , ordered more.

I soldered one of the contacts back on my cree headlight and secured it with hot glue. So far, so good.

Always check torque of head bolts, I have to check mine every 50 miles or so.

I found my front wheel loose, skewer loosened up on me.

I need to fix my Rutoung carburetor, the stupid pin that holds the choke lock thingy in is lost, going to have to shove something in there so I don't spend five minutes fiddling with it to make it choke

 

[fatdaddy]

Yer build is coming along great bro. I know how it feels when ya find "THE" bike. But dont worry, It'll break yer heart too. I always put some kind of riser bars on my bikes, just makes it more comfortable to ride. And I almost NEVER use a bike that has the quick release axles. If someones gonna steal my wheels they better bring some tools.LOL
Great job bro,
Ride safe.
fatdaddy

 

[Rudz]

Take one look at my bike, it would take a moron to even think of messing with it.

Plus I lock the front wheel up when I park it anywhere but work and home.

Work is under surveillance and armed security 24-7 so it's safer there than anywhere. I've left my bike there for days.

My sister in law was removing the headlight battery for me so the sun wouldn't bake it and security almost had her arrested because they knew it wasn't her bike. Lmfao.

Every cop in the city knows my bike.

 

[mapbike]

I got a few more thing done on the Green bike build, Got it started upp for the first time late this evening but i've got some bugs to works out, seems the float level in the carb is to high and I've got an air leak somewhere thats intermittent sorta, I have a couple of ideas what it may be but until I get into it tomorrow I wont know for sure.

Before the first start up, I had to get ignition all wired up nice and tidy, cleanest wiring and cable set up of any of my bikes so far.

I pulled the rear wheel off bike and installed a 41T sprocket, sized chain so that I dont need a idler/tensioner for the drive chain, and used a little bit of my huge supply of redneck engine-nudity to fab up a very functional spring loaded idler/tensioner for the pedal chain since I couldn't get both adjusted without a device to take up some slack.

I also installed chain tensioning adjusters on the rear dropouts that sure make it easier to get things adjusted and held in place while axle nuts are tightened.

I also removed rear wheel bearing and axle while it was off and doped up the bearings real good with a very tacky high pressure moly grease that wont wash out.

I took one of my stock exhaust and did a purdy good port match job on it and put it on the engine for now, it's so nice and quiet, I'm not used to that at all... not sure how its gonna run, but if this bike will hit 30's with the current set up I'll be happy, just hoping this engine works out.. got my fingers crossed since it was a used lower to begin with, the little bit it ran even though carb was flooding and the air leak started right straight, the balance seemed like it might be fairly good, kinda hard to tell for sure though since it didn't rev up to high.

 

[mapbike]

Built a tensioner for the pedal chain for the newest build, let me know what ya'll think of it.

below are some pix of the pedal side chain tensioner I made up from some stuff I had laying around, the main L-shaped piece of steel that everything else is attached to is one of the big mount plates that comes in the kits, I just took my 4 1/2" grinder with a 1/16" cut-off wheel and cut it into the L-shape since all of it wasn't needed, The wheel is one of the wheels I make up for the chain tensioner wheels, no one has ever seemed to be interested in buying one of the yellow ones so I just used one myself on this bike since it has some small yellow decals on it and I thought it looked ok against the green.

The tensioner works really good, took me a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to do, but I know I wanted it spring loaded and I wanted it as compact as possible and this is what I came up with and it's something that can be made up with simple tools, a drill, hacksaw, pliers and some wrenches could get this made if thats all someone had, simple and effective is what I like and thats what I ended up with.

 

[fatdaddy]

Take one look at my bike, it would take a moron to even think of messing with it.

Plus I lock the front wheel up when I park it anywhere but work and home.

Work is under surveillance and armed security 24-7 so it's safer there than anywhere. I've left my bike there for days.

My sister in law was removing the headlight battery for me so the sun wouldn't bake it and security almost had her arrested because they knew it wasn't her bike. Lmfao.

Every cop in the city knows my bike.

Hey RUDZ, I wuz talkin more like when ya park it at 7-11 or Wallyworld. I've also got a little security, Alarms and CCTV on my shop, motion sensers,ect.
but all that dont help a bit when I'm in the store with my bike parked out in front of Wallyworld. The cops know my bike pretty well also, But if someone snags a wheel off my bike, The cops wont care enough to investigate. Not a real high priority crime. So like I sad, a thief is gonna hafta at least bring his tools. Do ya lock up the rear wheel too? I've got a cable thats long enough to go through both wheels and the frame. I didn't know you were locking up the front wheel. A lot of people dont.
fatdaddy.

 

[Rudz]

My wheels aren't cheap, I keep em locked up. I don't lock up the rear, because they probably aren't bright enough to get the master link off anyways.

 

[fatdaddy]

"I don't lock up the rear, because they probably aren't bright enough to get the master link off anyways."

Famous last words.LOL They walk around with bolt cutters now days. But, whatcha gonna do? Ya lock it up the best ya can and pray.LOL

 

[mapbike]

"I don't lock up the rear, because they probably aren't bright enough to get the master link off anyways."

Famous last words.LOL They walk around with bolt cutters now days. But, whatcha gonna do? Ya lock it up the best ya can and pray.LOL

This might help but then agian.....?

This can easily happen even when all available options have been used

 

[mapbike]

Worked on the Green machine bike build yesterday, still have a couple things to work out on it to get it where it needs to be, but its coming along good so far.

Had a strange thing happen to me on it yesterday though, first I found out the a standard NGK B6HS spark plug will not work with this type cylinder head when the cylinder deck has been shaved down to allow piston to reach optimal TDC.

Luckily I had a good Champion J8C laying around which worked out to be the perfect reach plug for my set up.

second thing that went sour was that the CDI and the mag coil went out after the second short ride, first time since 2009 I have had either of these two parts go bad on me, First I thought maybe it was just the CDI, I had an extra so I replaced it and still no fire, so I hooked the other CDi back up and pulled a mag off of one of my old broke down BGF engines, cleaned it up good and installed it, still no spark.... so I got the other new CDI and hooked it up again and bingo she busted right off and is running great.

I had kill switch hooked up Red wire to blue and Black wire to Black right where mag and CDi hook together, this was done with good sealed type crimp on spade connectors, engine was running fine, I pulled up out front of house hit kill switch, went in house for a few minutes to let it cool down some, then took off for another ride and she wouldn't hit a lick, so it seems that the last time I hit kill switch to shut it off is when they both fried.

Normally I always hook one wire from the kill switch to the Blue wire from CDI and the other to enginess rear mounting bolt as ground, never had an issue with it hooked up that way but the one and first time I hooked both kill switch wires to both of the CDI/Mag wires it knocked both of them out the second or third time I ran the bike..??????

Didn't imagine that would have caused an issue, but I wont do that again..LOL!

So, the engine is running great, best running engine I have had yet with a stock exhaust pipe on it, it does lack a little grunt power down low, but on the flat this engine really scoots even pulling the 41T rear sprocket I went with on this build, I'll have to check to know for sure with my GPS later but i think I'm getting upper 30's with this GT5 wtha stock exhaust that has been match ported to head as good as possible, a standard NT carb with jet drilled with #71 bit, the pedal Chopper type head, jug deck shaved to give .025" squish clearance between piston and heads small squish band and the 41T sprocket, it also has a "Fred Piston" that has small ramps machined in at the transfers and the skirt has been trimmed on the intake port side to allow the port to be open at TDC.

low vibes all the way through revs and the higher it revs the smoother it gets, this is the first GT5 long rod 38mm stroke engine I have had and I have to say that so far I'm really liking the way it runs, I think this engine will really come alive with a good free flowing exhaust taht will let it breathe like it needs to.

I'm thinking I will either keep this bike now or put a different engine on it and keep this GT5 for one of my other bikes, I was trying to set this bike up to be a good runner at 25-30mph and that is why I put the 41T sprocket on the rear and installed the stock kit type exhaust, yeah i did some other mods to help it out and hopefully make it a bit more reliable, but I didn't expect that it would possibly be a 40mph bike even with the stock muffler and a 41T sprocket...lol!

I'm not gonna sell a 40mph china girl build to someone, if they wont to mod it up for that they can, but I'm not gonna sell one that way.

I'm thinking my old Huffy may end up being the bike for sale since it runs great in the 32-34mph range as max speed and is a very comfortably cruiser at 28-30mph.

in the 20's &30's F here today and I have to work the next two days so my bike work is on hold until warmer weather allows.

Happy safe riding all and those of you who may be a bit on the fence about the GT% geometry engines, I can tell you based on this one that I have just got going that it has real potential and is way smoother than I had expected it to be, I pleasantly pleased so far with how its acting.

Map