wheel wont spin

[2door]

Yeah, that dang water bottle mount, I set up a grinding wheel on my drill just for that. But really bro, The engine mounts GOTTA be flat and firm on the frame, front and rear. If you can get yer fingernail beyween it and the frame at all, It aint right yet.
fatdaddy.

Ditto: Zig Zag speaks the truth. The saddles should fit flush against the frame tube. Grind off the threaded insert where the bottle holder went and get that mount to fit as close as possible. The problem with an engine that isn't mounted firm against the frame is excessive vibration. These little engine vibrate enough. You don't want to make the problem worse with and engine that isn't mounted firmly.

Another suggestion is to try to get your carburetor as level as possible. The angle you have yours is going to cause you some problems with the float and needle valve. Also I doubt that fuel is going to flow through your fuel line. As fatdaddy said, it is a gravity flow system. Liquids won't flow uphill. There is no fuel pump so the fuel must be able to flow from a high point, the outlet of the fuel tank, to a low point, the inlet of the carburetor. Lower and level the carb.

Everything else looks pretty decent so you should be in good shape. At some point in the near future you'll want to replace that kit supplied spark plug boot with a good automotive quality item. That kit boot is trouble waiting to happen.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

Tom

 

[captain zeldacoon]

it almost worked this morning. the motor made sounds like it was starting to come to life but then the chain tensioner went and betrayed me and threw the chain off the rear sprocket and now the chain is stuck between the sprocket and the spokes.

 

[fatdaddy]

Yuuup, SUUUCKS, Dont it. Thats just another thing thats GOTTA be tight. I've probably done every trick in the book to get that M.F'n Thing tight enough, including welding it in place. Theres a lot of torque on it when starting and letting off the throttle. if ya THINK ya got it tight enough, try to push it one way or the other. If it moves too easy by hand, it wont stand a chance under real usage. If the lower rail is too small, you mighy try a metal shim, DO NOT rubber mount, it wont work. like I said, I tried it. Just be glad you weren't doing 40mph when it happend. I've lost an entire rear wheel that way. chain in the spokes at 40 takes out a lot of spokes. AND locks up the wheel. A 40 mph skid also destroys a tire pretty quick. Been there, done that, (got the t-shirt to prove it LOL) Just dont give up bro, Once ya got her dialed in, You'll have somthin to be proud of.
Zig Zag huh Tom, I gotta admit, I've looked a little like that guy since the 80's. I found a pic of him, put some shades on him and it's been my avatar since.
fatdaddy.

 

[captain zeldacoon]

ive got that "so close yet so far" feeling. im gunna go make some yummy bacon for breakfast and then try to un-stuck the chain

 

[fatdaddy]

MMMMM, Bacon, I'll be right over if yer cookin breakfast.
fatdaddy.

 

[captain zeldacoon]

so this happened as well.

is this also from the tensioner not being tight enough or is thin another problem?

 

[2door]

Chain is too loose. Once you get the tensioner problem fixed you want 1/2" to 3/4" of slack. No more, no less.

To measure the slack leave the clutch engaged (handlebar lever unsqueezed) slowly roll the bike forward. When the piston comes into a compression stroke the top of the chain will go slack, the bottom will tighten. About the center of the chain, between the drive and driven sprockets is where you want to see that 1/2" to 3/4" of free play, or deflection of the chain.

There is a lot of information here on the chain tensioner and ways to fix the problem. Just type in 'chain tesnioner' in the search box and you'll have a day's worth of reading.

Whatever you do make sure that tensioner bracket can't move again. Like Fatdaddy said, it can do some damage and could seriously hurt you if the wheel locks up at speed. Ask me how I know.

Tom

 

[captain zeldacoon]

i see that some people have tried going without a chain tensioner. would you say this is a good or bad idea?

 

[captain zeldacoon]

i just tried starting it again. i put more lock washer on the tensioner to try to keep it tight and it seemed to wrk this time. the motor starting to work and i could smell some gas burning but it died after a couple seconds and the throttle didnt rev it up any. i dont know what im doing wrong but im going to keep trying

 

[captain zeldacoon]

I GOT IT TO WORK!!!! i just wasnt dropping the choke fast enough! it was real slow when it started off but it was starting to warm up. when i pulled the clutch lever it started revving really high which i think means i need to adjust the idle screw i just dont know which way. it idled so high that the pin that keeps the clutch lever down poped out. i recovered most of the pieces but the spring is in the street in front of my house somewhere.

 

[captain zeldacoon]

one of the bolts that hold the tensioner is like totally stripped. that might explain why i was having trouble with it. i should get some new bolts

 

[2door]

The idle speed screw is turned in, clockwise, to increase idle speed and out, counter clockwise to decrease it. A fast idle can also be a symptom of an air (vacuum) leak at the intake manifold or where the carburetor attaches to the intake. Those are the most common areas of air entering downstream of the carburetor. The kit supplied intake gasket is not the best material.

Use the choke only if you have to. Put the lever up, or half way down, pedal up to about 10 MPH then release the clutch. When the engine starts disengege the clutch and give it a few moments then lower the choke lever to full open. It should stay open from then on.

The engine will run better as it warms up and will continue to run better as you accrue miles.

What fuel to oil ratio are you using. The kit instructions will tell you 16:1. That is too much oil. Drop your ratio to 24:1 and your engine will be happier and perform better for you. It will start easier and produce more power.

Tom

 

[captain zeldacoon]

i was told only to lower the oil ratio after the break in period. thanks for the tip on that

 

[maniac57]

The easiest fix for your cahin tensioner is to get everything lined up and bolted tight. Ride it around for a few minutes PEDALING to make SURE it's right, including pushing it backwards to check for any binding (be careful not to pop off the masterlink clip on the tensioner roller!). If it rolls free and quiet in both directions, it's usually going to run reliably under engine power IF everything stays put....
Then once everything is PERFECT, take it to a muffler shop and have them tack-weld the tensioner bracket to the frame. Anyone with a welder can do this and most muffler shops will do it for a few bucks, or even free if they like your bike. BE SURE you allow for future adjustment by mounting the tensioner with the roller at the BOTTOM of the slot before welding.
And if you ever do have to move it, it's simple to grind off the tacks without frame damage
And you might consider simply removing your air cleaner for clearance to use the stock manifold. You can make a thinner filter from some foam or whatever and it would clear up your carb issues a bit.

 

[fatdaddy]

so this happened as well.

is this also from the tensioner not being tight enough or is thin another problem?

Probably its just yer tensioner moved and the chain went slack. Slack in the chain will let it bunch up in yer case.
fatdaddy.

 

[captain zeldacoon]

well i thought i was in the clear yesterday cause i was having lots of fun riding around town. this morning the motor went for only a little bit though, and i cant seem to get it started bak up. it makes sounds as if it's trying to start, but they sound really muffled and it dies quickly.

 

[2door]

You need fuel, air and ignition. Start checking those things.

Check fuel flow from the tank to the carburetor. Could be a clogged fuel filter in the tank or petcock.

Check to make sure the choke is open. They sometime vibrate closed.

Check your wiring connections. Especially that spark plug boot. Those kit push-together connectors on the blue and black wire are notorious for bad electrical connections . Make sure, if your engine has one, that the white wire isn't touching anything metal.

Tom

 

[fatdaddy]

The only real problem with too much oil is fouling plugs. BUT, Tom is right, IT'll prolly run a little better if ya lighten up on the oil (but only a little bit) If it's all of a sudden hard to start, check yer head nuts. a loose head will make it VERY hard to start. I had that problem coming home from my 4th of july ride, AND NO 14mm socket to fix it. I got a cresent wrench on it BARELY and got it home, after stopping 4 or 5 times to tighten it up the best I could with that STUPID wrench. I'd be riding along fine, start loosing power till it died, restart was almost impossible untill I put THAT STUPID WRENCH on it to get just barely enough compression to restart it, ride a few miles, then do it all over again. A new engine will almost always need retightening on the head after ya get a few miles on it.
fatdaddy.

 

[2door]

If you absolutely have to use a Crescent wrench on your China Girl, make sure it's metric.

Tom

 

[fatdaddy]

If you absolutely have to use a Crescent wrench on your China Girl, make sure it's metric.

Tom

Yer a funny guy Tom, And I call my vice grips my ITALIAN socket set.
fatdaddy.