Introduction from the Lone Star State

Old Skool

New Member
Local time
2:34 AM
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
22
Location
Longview, Texas
Well, I'm told that I am supposed to introduce myself, so here goes -

I have ridden motorcycles most of my life and decided to try building a motorized bicycle as a new hobby. I am partial to American-made products, but I couldn't seem to find any USA made products that filled the bill, so I decided to try my hand at a Grubee 66cc Skyhawk. I have been reading some of the posts online and can readily see that there are numerous problems with some of these kits.

After starting my own build, I can easily understand some of the frustrations that you other folks have. Most of the instructional material leaves a lot to be desired and I suspect that they were originally written in Chinese and then translated to English. Did I mention that I'm partial to American-made products?

I will probably be reading more than writing here, so I doubt that I will win any awards for being a high poster on this site. Bear with me as I become more familiar with this message board.

Old Skool
 
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good luck with yours I think the hardest part was the sproket getting that thing on there and straight was a task! If you need parts or advice this is the place there are so many aftermarket parts for these the sky is the limit!
 
Thanks Buddy: I was told that the back sprocket was the hardest part, but it went fairly well for me. After that, it was chain rubbing the tire (and fender) issues, then bottom motor mount problems which prevented me from installing the muffler, then after I got that figured out and moved everything around - I didn't have enough room to get the carb back on.
Long story short ... I took everything off and started over again.
I am also installing on a Huffy Cranbrook, so I guess we are kindred spirits.
 
WELCOME TO MBC!!
On the cranbrook, check the rim size....it should be stamped in it. If it reads 1.75 you will need to drop the tire size. Remount the engine as you originally had it, you might need to bend the exhaust to fit.
 
I took everything off and started over again.

Welcome.
Many of us have "started over again" on the MB builds to.
I guess it checks our tolerance and skills, and passing on some simple ideas to.

When bending the exhaust pipe, it is stronlgy reccomended that you take off the pipe, put on a vice, heat and bend on a trial and error basis.
Otherwise it can snap the alloy at the jug/port when trying to if it's fastened. It's rather deceptive, the alloy can snap.

All the Best
BoltsM.
 
Welcome.
Many of us have "started over again" on the MB builds to.
I guess it checks our tolerance and skills, and passing on some simple ideas to.

When bending the exhaust pipe, it is stronlgy reccomended that you take off the pipe, put on a vice, heat and bend on a trial and error basis.
Otherwise it can snap the alloy at the jug/port when trying to if it's fastened. It's rather deceptive, the alloy can snap.

All the Best
BoltsM.

Thanks Bolts,

As it turned out, I decided to alter my lower motor mount, so the exhaust now fits okay. I really did not want to get into a pipe bending situation, if I could avoid it.

I "canted" my back tire a little and after trimming a portion of the fender with a small cutting tool on my Dremel, I now have adequate clearance - I think.

As (my) luck would have it, the gas tank was damaged (along with another part), so I had to contact the dealer to get him to re-send me some more items before I can get that little monster purring.

Because this was my first build on the Skyhawk, I didn't know all of the little tricks that you guys have already learned, so much of my work was simply trial & error and "do it again".

My box had been dropped, prior to delivery, and everything inside was a scrambled mess. My CNS carb was full of tiny pieces of styrofoam, so I had to carefully clean that. The drive sprocket was rough as a corn cob and I had to file it a little to dress up the rough edges. I don't guess those folks believe in "quality control".

It has been a comedy of errors, since the day the kit was delivered, but I have learned by my mistakes. I have another bike (an Excalibur) which is kind of "pricey", and I originally considered putting the kit on that bike - and now I'm glad that I didn't.

I appreciate all of the feedback. Hopefully, I will have it running this weekend, if the new parts ever arrive. Actually, I am about ready to jump on that Harley and "get out of Dodge" for a while.

Old Skool
 
Welcome to the forum. If you want to build American, you are limited to engines like the older Briggs and Tecumseh.
 
Ok, ya on a roll,
next thing to consider is changing the china spark plug.
I have read, not yet experienced it, but the so called ceramic tip on those plugs have been known to literally fall off, sometimes before,during or after the engine had been running.
The plugs to get most have tried varies, I use NGK B6HS, others may reccomend NGK B5HS....gap 0.25, and again, many have tried variations of gap clearances and plug range... Others have said they never had any problems.
Is it worth that sort of risk?


While ya at it getting a NGK plug, may as well get a NGK Plug cap, and a proper copper plug lead. If you look at the china copper plug lead and compare with what us ol skoolies know, you'll see....

So, ya got exhaust pipe bending sorted, spark plug warning sorted.

Inside the fuel tank, when you screw off the pet cock, there is a filter, or supposed to be, remove that filter cos it's been known to restrict fuel flow. Add a external in-line filter.

The rest is learn as ya go type of thing.

All the Best
 
Ok, ya on a roll,
next thing to consider is changing the china spark plug.
I have read, not yet experienced it, but the so called ceramic tip on those plugs have been known to literally fall off, sometimes before,during or after the engine had been running.
The plugs to get most have tried varies, I use NGK B6HS, others may reccomend NGK B5HS....gap 0.25, and again, many have tried variations of gap clearances and plug range... Others have said they never had any problems.
Is it worth that sort of risk?


While ya at it getting a NGK plug, may as well get a NGK Plug cap, and a proper copper plug lead. If you look at the china copper plug lead and compare with what us ol skoolies know, you'll see....

So, ya got exhaust pipe bending sorted, spark plug warning sorted.

Inside the fuel tank, when you screw off the pet cock, there is a filter, or supposed to be, remove that filter cos it's been known to restrict fuel flow. Add a external in-line filter.

The rest is learn as ya go type of thing.

All the Best

Bolts, the spark plug exchange certainly sounds like good advice. I had wondered about what the "proper" replacement plug might be - and now I know. I have not been able to find a good replacement for the spark wire cap, because most of the auto shops sells the spark plug wire & cap as a one piece item, which would mean that I'd have to tear into the module to replace the wire & cap. I certainly don't want to do that!

I'll keep looking for a single replacement cap. Some store around here has to carry that item.

When I received my kit - both of the spark plug caps in the box were broken. One was shattered into bits and the other was chipped. They do look poorly made.

I already have a good quality inline fuel filter in the gas line, so the petcock filter would simply serve as a "first stage" filter. I had originally considered leaving the petcock filter in place, but after you mentioned the "fault" - I may not do that.

Also, I bought some quality #41 roller chain to replace the factory original #410 - when the time comes. I have good chain alignment, and the chain is well lubed, so I am curious as to how long the #410 will last. Maybe it will helpt to "wear-in" and set the teeth on the drive sprocket.

As you stated - it is "learn as you go". I appreciate the experienced advice from you and value it as another learning tool.

Old Skool
 
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