what did you do to your motorized bicycle today?

[DRBS]

yea that's what everyone tells me and ive talked to him a few times he really seems to know a lot about these ive tried a few other guys and im not really happy but you live and learn .I have tried at least 9 different sellers and found that there are some really sleazy ppl out there and then you find one that just blows your mind. I found a guy selling the ign boxes and there cheaper than anyone else and they are the same exact thing then you find ppl that just take advantage and when you contact them they want to refund you when you know more than they do LOL im working on a box that attaches to the white wire and will change the 6volt to 12 volt so you can power your lights and even charge your phone/ laptop /car stereo ect im going to be selling them for 49.95 figured that ppl would like to take advantage of that free white wire and make something with it LOL

 

[Davezilla]

Same here.. I know anytime I buy a Dax engine its going to be good, and if by some chance I do get a lemon a replacement is only a phone call away. So far ive only had one issue with a bad mag coil but I keep spares here at home and at the shop so I'm not counting that against him nor did I bother to call him about it, just swapped it out andnit fired right up... I'm sure if I called him on it he would have replaced it no questions asked but since I always keep spares there was no need to. Anyway I wanted a bad one to experiment with rewinding so now I got one in my stash somewhere...

I did take a gamble recently on a super rat bottom end and now I just need the time to set it up. So far it looks great with the good hardware where it needs it, the crank looks good and so does the rod, piston, cdi setup, and clutch. I will put a jug on it this weekend and see how it runs on my silver bike while I'm doing more upgrades to the Dax engine it has in it now... I will give a full report on how well or how not so well this engine works, but from what ive seen so far the build quality is excellent.
this one uses the one piece crank with the ZL rod so I need to look up what length that rod is. It does use the low pin piston so I'm assuming the ZL rod is one of the shorter ones. There is also zero play in the wrist pin bearing and the big end bearing so this should turnnout to be a nice engine when I'm done with it. I've also ordered onenof those billet heads that looks like a rounded off Fred head so I'm going to put that one on the Dax engine and the Fred head on the super rat.

Today both my OCC stingray wheels came in and they're both in excellent condition, the rear wheel may need new bearings but I think I got spares at the shop if it does, I'm also planning to use the manic type hub adapter and the billet mounts from pedalchopper on this one for a really clean looking install and I may use a 3 speed hub as a jack shaft/ transmission but ill look into that more after my frame gets here... I'm also planning on using a c9 seat and a solid layback post and finishing it off with ape hanger bars to get the look I'm after.

 

[DRBS]

yea I like the hub adapters I plan on using them on every build from now on there a lot better than that s&%ty rag washer crap you just bolt it on and your done no tighten this bolt a little more tap it here now tighten this one ect its terrible and ive seen a few with the spokes ripped out of the rim. im going to buy a bottom from Duane and build my top end I just got a new set od burr bits and cant wait to use my new dremel angle head I just bought so I don't scream and yell cause I cant get to that lip in the transfer boy is that ever annoying hoping to sell two more bikes soon so I can get that bottom thinking about selling a few done cylinders when I get them in I ordered 4 of them last week should be here by wed

 

[Davezilla]

That's pretty much the same thing I do by buying Dax lowers and building up my own top ends... yeah if you got a set of those carbide burrs you'll love the way they work and can reach into places not reachable before. I got onenof those angle heads for the dremel and didn't like it too much but I got angled die grinders that work great depending on the task at hand. One of my favorite grinders I got is that micro grinder from harbor freight, these are also known as pencil grinders and it lets me knife edge the top of the transfer port as well as reach all the way up the transfer tunnels. If you got at least a 30 gallon compressor I would highly recommend this one as well. And another tool that reaches those tricky spots with ease is the pneumatic file since you can use the included files in that kit or you can use jewelers files. Its not as air hungry as the pencil grinder so you can get away with a 15 to 20 gallon compressor with that one.

If you don't have a big compressor the dremel and the carbide burr set you got can still do very well. If you got or plan on getting a set of those diamond coated burrs they are really good at finishing or doing precise work where you need a lot ofncontrol instead of raw cutting speed, these work best lubed with a good cutting oil like tap magic or boelube, then use high rpm with a very light touch, these do well for finishing the transfer cleanup and other jobs where precision is needed.

You'll do quite well tho with the dremel and the carbides tho, the other tools I mentioned just make the job easier but the dremel, the angle attachment, and a good set of carbides is really all you should need.
I'll post pics of my latest port Job in the morning after I get to the shop... its tricky and time consuming trying to post pics from my kindle...

 

[DRBS]

ok so for you guys that have or thinking about buying a Jake's head you will need a NGK B8ES plug it has the longer reach but the same heat as the B8HS

 

[DRBS]

yea I know all about the air files I use to build custom hot rods with my buddy for the autorama here in Detroit ive been messing with internal combustion engines since I was 12 with my first garbage bring home rototiller motor that took me a whopping 2 hours to get it running then went to my grandpa that was a welder for Wyandotte chemicals and we made a go cart and that was where I got hooked on driving and building bikes and carts. my uncle had a triumph trident motor and we were going to put that on a bigger cart and drive that buy grandpa said he wanted nothing to do with that now I look back and think that was a good thing that he didn't make that I just might not be here today LOL IM just saying LOL oh by the way im 51years young

 

[Davezilla]

Your story sounds very similar to mine... but you know what tools will work if you got that kind of experience... my first engine was an old riding lawnmower that had a 4 Hp Briggs engine... I was 9 years old and my dad bought me my own toolbox because he got tired of me always taking his out of the truck to work that engine... lol... one time I took his toolbox out of his truck and forgot to put it back, he didn't check to see if it was there either and showed up to work without it. He went to go get it and thought somebody stole it. I thought so too until I went out to our tool shed and it was still in there next to that engine.... oops...
anyway I got that thing running when everyone thought it would never run again and after that I was everyones go mart and minibike mechanic while I was young.
I did the same thing when i got my first car and made it into a hot rod... as well as just about every car I've ever owned.
I spent most my career as an aircraft mechanic and also learned and begun doing structure and sheet metal work while inwas working at Boeing. I stayed there for 15 years before getting laid off last year and then I used my severance pay and 401k money to open up my own auto shop. I didn't see a profit for the first few months then about broke even back in February and started turning some good profit about mid February and early march. The shop is doing very well now but most everything I make goes back into the shop to get more and better tooling and equipment etc.
I'm also working it 6 days a week and sometimes going in on Sundays to keep up with all the work coming in. I had to hire a mechanic last month but I'm looking to hire another one real soon so we can keep up and just work 5 days a week.
I'm only 46 years old now and the only difference between when I was younger and now is the type of toys I got...

 

[DRBS]

I know what you mean I use to do mobile auto and truck repair and the money was GREAT I was in Jackson TN and making a killing then they changed the law on mechanics and there I went no more work cept for a few ppl that liked my work they had to say it wasn't money for working on there car it was paying a debt they owed me believe it or not the police would stop you working on a car and if it wasn't your or a family members you would get a 500 fine but yea its fairly easy work to get these running like a raped ape LOL ive got tons of parts and quite a few cylinders I bought them from china and there really nice the ports are cleaned up better than most for 20 each there pretty fair priced im going to buy a lot more and start porting them for sale on e-bay LOL im also working on a box to turn the white wires 6 volts to 12 volts to run led lights cell phones laptop ect ill post them when I get them done thinking they will be around 49.95

 

[mapbike]

Dave, the Z-L rod is 110mm and is the type that doesnt use a caged needle bear on lower journal but rather just loose pin bearings, I had an engine with that set up fail on me one time because they didnt put enough roller pins in and one of them got in a bind and broke at high rpms, sent a piece up through the transfer and I bet you can guess what happened next....lol

as long as it has enough pins and the crank is true it should be a good running engine, that one experience kinda scared me of the Z-L rod engines but I know there are a lot of them out there running good for a long time.

I hope yours does great for you.

 

[Davezilla]

I hope so too... Looks like I'm gonna need to send a dental mirror in there and see if I can make sure it has all it's pin bearings... The only other way to do this is to replace the crank assembly or press off the crank pin and measure the journals then find a bearing with the same measurements... it's a lot easier to just replace the crank with one of the other ones, but I'll check that all the pins are in there and run it if they are since they really can't fall out unless there's one or 2 missing.

Anyway... let's hope for the best there...

 

[mapbike]

I hope so too... Looks like I'm gonna need to send a dental mirror in there and see if I can make sure it has all it's pin bearings... The only other way to do this is to replace the crank assembly or press off the crank pin and measure the journals then find a bearing with the same measurements... it's a lot easier to just replace the crank with one of the other ones, but I'll check that all the pins are in there and run it if they are since they really can't fall out unless there's one or 2 missing.

Anyway... let's hope for the best there...

I bet it will be OK Dave, the 9ne that failed on me back in 2010 had several pins missing, after the failure I could actually see that there was so much space between the pins that some would litterally turn at an angle between rod and journal, if I had of known that ahead of time I wouldn't have ever even run that engine and would have sent it back to BGF for a exchange but I was a noob to this hobbie and I just bolted that engine on and ran it, that lasted about 6-8 miles before it gave it up.

MZMiami is selling so.e of these loose pin bearing cranks, Ive thought about getting one just so I could true i5 up good and use it to buildanoth3r 40mm stroke engine, seems we have no good sources for the good 40mm stroke cranks like that came in the older GenIV dax engines, I sure wish someone was selling those, thats really what I want in all my engines, but I screwed up and didnt order several back when Duane still had them, 8 only had one of them and its in my Taffy bike engine.

Hoping you get the SR going soon, Im sure curious about how it turns out.

 

[mapbike]

Im peddling this green piece of grasshopper junk right now, made a several mile trip, and once again on this very same bike I had some sort of an ignition failure, secong Mag on this one and second CDI, this thing is really getting on my nerves about now.......lol

only engine Ive had to replace any ignition parts on out of all my bikes since 2009.... dont know what the dang deal is with this one.....

well got several mile of up hill peddling to do so gotta go for now......

 

[DRBS]

I know there all not being made to a higher standard these mag coils are junk there changing them have you seen the new motors no more seprate coil and cdi its all in one now what are we going to do to change the ign timing????

 

[mapbike]

Wow what a freaking ride..... Im pooped....!!!

Got hime cjanged out cdi...nothing, changed out mag and it fired up, decided I would try another cdi I had to see if it was good, nothing..... hooked original di back up and still nothing....

I guess maybe I hooked up that cdi that I now know is bad and when I did I fried the new mag coil.....

I really think this engine is cursed or something.....

In five years Ive never once had issue with stock cdi or mag coils until I built this engine and now I cant seem to make them run 100 miles before the give it up, this is the third mag in this engine and the second di.


very frustrating for sure....

 

[Panhead]

Today I replaced the stock 'spoke sandwich' sprocket with an adapter & 44t sprocket from King's - VERY NICE! Those folks stamp their company name on their parts, which are a joy to behold compared to the stuff that comes with the kit. Fit perfectly, and if your hub measures .988" the one inch adapter is just what you want - no shims necessary.
Along with the angled manifold & NT carburetor I added a couple of days ago, my 4 stroke Micargi is beginning to feel less like a project and more like a ride.

 

[FFV8]

Today I replaced the stock 'spoke sandwich' sprocket with an adapter & 44t sprocket from King's - VERY NICE! Those folks stamp their company name on their parts, which are a joy to behold compared to the stuff that comes with the kit. Fit perfectly, and if your hub measures .988" the one inch adapter is just what you want - no shims necessary.
Along with the angled manifold & NT carburetor I added a couple of days ago, my 4 stroke Micargi is beginning to feel less like a project and more like a ride.

Post some pics!

 

[mapbike]

Today I replaced the stock 'spoke sandwich' sprocket with an adapter & 44t sprocket from King's - VERY NICE! Those folks stamp their company name on their parts, which are a joy to behold compared to the stuff that comes with the kit. Fit perfectly, and if your hub measures .988" the one inch adapter is just what you want - no shims necessary.
Along with the angled manifold & NT carburetor I added a couple of days ago, my 4 stroke Micargi is beginning to feel less like a project and more like a ride.

Thanks for the info on the adapter, I have a 24" mutispeed rear wheel I been wanting an adapter for and it measures around .990 so its good to know that the 1" adapter will work with these wheels, just ordered myself one also.

 

[BOYGOFAST]

Take a guess, where can you find these already installed yeah likely nowhere these days..

 

[mapbike]

Take a guess, where can you find these already installed yeah likely nowhere these days..

What are you talking about?

If you mean the clutch pucks, they all come with them installed unless you get one of those build from scratch kits from gasbike.net

 

[Davezilla]

I agree on the adapter as mine is also measuring 1" or just under... I also need to get one that's 1.25" for my newest build but no hurry on either of them right now...

Today was seriously slow at the shop since it's been raining a LOT so I spent most the day working my customer's bike to perfection. I got the engine mounted nice and secure, got all the cables set up so they don't look like a rat's nest, swapped out his giant cruiser bars for a set of mountainbike bars, set up his fuel line and took his tank off for a serious cleaning... The chinese left a lot of gifts of paint chips, teflon tape, and metal shavings in there and the filter screen was completely blocked off. I even had to flush out his fuel valve as well as take it apart to get the rest of the junk out.
Clutch adjusted and chain set up with just the right tension and soldered the mag wires to the CDI then covered everything with heat shrink.
This bike came to me as a total mess with wires all over the place, cables wrapped around the frame and all over the place, an exhaust pipe that was beat to death with a sledge hammer, and a number of other problems, but now it rolls nice and free, the cables are routed nice, there's only one set of wires from the mag to the CDI and they're heat shrinked together so the install is nice and clean.

I wanted to fire it up today but ran into problems getting fuel out of the tank so that set me back, but I did get the bike finished so tomorrow when I come over here to the shop I'll take it out and fire it up to make sure everything is working as it should then I'll call the customer to come see the bike and let me know if that's how he envisioned it to be. He'll most likely want a layback seat post and an expansion chamber pipe as well as a Fred head but I'll see if he wants to take it as is and put some miles on it first or if he wants to give me some money to order the parts etc...