New Build and hitting speedbumbs.

[Bean Oil]

mickey

My clutch arm is slotted. I just push the arm in, slip the cable off, and move the retaining collar about how much I think it needs to go and tighten. Then I push the lever back in and reslot the cable. Rinse and repeat.

This is an excellent tip; one that is similar but simpler than what's outlined in augidog's above-posted link... with one exception... I went and purchased another cable (since I had cut my original clutch cable too short) and that new cable was a slightly larger diameter...

...however, although I drilled the inside edge of the clutch arm slot so that the newer, slightly larger (and smoother!) cable would pass through, I suppose I could go back an attempt to make the entire slot larger...

I have in my tool collection a nifty device called a "third hand" which allowed me to nail the adjustment on the first try (on the second cable, lol).


~

 

[fetor56]

I've heard of this "third hand" but didn't take much notice of it....from memory it's used more in electronics but i'm not sure where talking about the same tool.
You reckon it's pretty good?

PS....can u post a pic of it cos i looked it up on the internet and their an number of tools called "third hand"
BTW...Good post subject....Handy Tools.

 

[gone_fishin]

similar but simpler than what's outlined in augidog's above-posted link

heck yeah...but let's be clear to the 1st-time builder...both posts mention the slot in the clutch-arm...my post describes an initial basic (clutch cable) install, mickey adds that the same moves can be used for subsequent adjustments.

the link is only handy if you're willing to modify the adjustor-post (on the engine) prior to initial install.

 

[mickey]

I should have noted that you must release all the adjustment out of the adjusters before moving the cable end. That gives you up to, what, 3/4 inch of adjustment, just at the engine end, plus whatever you have at the handle end.

Edit: I like to have about an 1/8 inch slop with the clutch released, just a bit of free wiggle so that the clutch arm pin (?) is not even pressing on the clutch actuator rod (would you call that a throwout bearing?) with any pressure at all. Does that seem about right to everyone? Maybe its only about a 1/16. A little wiggle anyway.

Ha, I see Augi was all over the unadjusting before setting, I should read more carefully

 

[Karamil]

Hmmm ...

Say your motoring along and you get to right about almost where the engine rev is at a nice comfortable vibe then it seems to rev quick then bog down rev quck then bog down .. almost as if there is stopping it from revving higher ... This is at speeds not quite at 15ish MPH with a 80(70)cc kit...

What would you think is the culprit...

 

[SirJakesus]

I had the same problem and swapped out carbs... But of course having a good spare carb around would be helpful. Rich/lean condition maybe? Is it smoking out the tailpipe or not at all? Mine didn't smoke when it did that so I figured it was lean.

 

[gone_fishin]

now that you're running, you'll have to start looking to the carburetor for (limited) fine-tuning: http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=4894&highlight=mixture

with practice, you can test all 4 settings in about half an hour

 

[fetor56]

"half an hour"....Either your much better than me Augi(which isn't difficult)or your the eternal optomist.It took me a tad more than that(road testing between settings) but it is important...very important.

 

[gone_fishin]

needle nose, regular pliers, reading glasses (some of that stuff is pretty tiny), patience, & practice

you can recognize the "bad" settings at start-up, don't bother riding for a mile to see if it gets better...you'll pare it down to 2 choices quickly, then you want to take longer test-runs.

 

[Karamil]

Ok ... I think the problem is in my exhaust somewhere..

When i first built it i had to bend the exaust a bit to fit around the frame ... Well i bent the big part with the bafflers and it fit. As i was running it though i noticed the bogging down when hitting higher rpms so i fiddled with the mixture in the carb as suggested here... No real difference except that i know for a fact the bottom and the top notches do not work for me.. I currently have it in the 3rd notch simply because i saw no difference between the change from the 2nd notch.

So as i was looking over the bike i thought that i might be getting a problem due to the odd angle the exaust is hitting the baffles inside the muffler. I took the baffles out and there was a kink in the tube halfway down so i just cut it off and tossed the endcap back on ... Figured it would just be a bit louder now.

Well it starts ... and it will run until i hit the higher rpms .. then it dies ... almost as if you just cut the spark or gas from the motor.... and it takes a little coaxing to get started back .. then it will start .. and as long as you avoid the higher rpms it will stay running ..but once i hit the "dead zone" it dies and takes a good bit of coaxing to restart..

Max speed sofar might be around 15ish mph before the "dead zone"...

Gunna see if i can take it to a muffler place tomorrow and get something done with that.... Just seems sofar i havent had a chance to see what the engine can do... Fastest i've got might be around 20ish before that bogging would start before ... now it just dies at around 15 ..


On a quirky note the engine seems to love pulling up hills but hates downhills ..and runs better cold then warm ...