new guy with new bike

[ROACH]

Hi,

My name really is Roach. I recently added a BoyGoFast motor from ebay to my bike. Typical cheap 2 stroke chinese motor.

My son and I built it. Originally we tried an old cruiser type bike but had major difficulties making the motor fit. Hub was too thick for the gofast kit's system. Curved frame instead of straight triangular frame, no hand brakes... It's a cool looking old bike but had lots of negatives for our first motor bike.

So I rummaged up an old Schwinn Collegiate. It must have been in someone's garage for 30 years. Like new with shiny chrome, basket, generator lights, all the extras. Weighs about 40 pounds. The engine bolted on like it was made for it. Kinda hairy on the gravel but zips right along on pavement.

Only concerns I have right now is the clutch. It seems to be slipping maybe. The bike feels a little jerky. Not sure if it's the clutch or engine but it is not a smooth ride. And it makes a rather loud whistling type noise, possibly from the right side. Again I think it might be the clutch. Is this normal for this engine?

So can anyone give me some ideas on adjusting the clutch and how a well adjusted one is supposed to behave? Thanks


oh by the way... some really cool bikes on here. nice job guys!

 

[GearNut]

Welcome to the forum!
The jerkeyness will smooth out as the transmission gears break in.
Also, do not run the engine too slow or it will cause jerking too.
The whistling noise is from the transmission gears also, it's called gear whine.
That too will get quieter.
Some folks will glue a computer mouse pad to the outside of the gear case cover, trimmed to shape, to help deaden the noise as the cover acts like a drum head and amplifies the gear whine.
Other folks will cut a piece of cardboard from a soda can box to fit neatly inside the gear case cover and glue it in place. That's what I did. I used black RTV silicone as a glue and let it dry for a few days.

Adjusting the clutch:
1. Adjust clutch cable so there is a little bit of slack in the inner wire when the hand lever is released all the way out.
2. Remove gear case cover from right side of engine.
3. Remove lock screw from clutch outer plate. It's the little screw that fits into the notches on the edge of the center nut (called a flower nut).
4. Squeeze in clutch hand lever until it touches the hand grip. Hold it there with some tape or a piece of wire.
5. While pushing in on the outer clutch plate with one hand, tighten the flower nut until snug, just using your fingertips. Do not use pliers, ect.
6. Unscrew flower nut 1 1/2 turns out, aligning a notch on the flower nut with the hole in the outer clutch plate that the lock screw goes into.
7. Install lock screw but don't tighten it just yet.
8. Remove tape or wire from hand lever and let it release all the way out.
9. Tighten lock screw for flower nut.
10. Adjust clutch cable if necessary to give just a little free play to the inner cable when the hand lever is all the way out. You should be able to wiggle the clutch release arm a little.
11. Install gear case cover and test ride. Every clutch is a little different.
You may have to fine tune the adjustment of the flower nut by a few notches.

 

[ROACH]

ALLRIGHT!!!

Thanks GearNut, That was very helpful. That is definitely not covered in the manual.

I did notice the jerkiness at slow speeds. It's like the engine is running slower than the bike.

I'm trying to get it up to speed and then gradually slowing down to let it run as slow as possible. I think matching the engine speed to the bike's speed is part of the learning process. especially at slow speeds.

This is my break-in process, seeing how slow I can travel. Later on I'll see how fast I can go.

EDIT: just read the break-in stuff on this thread. more good info, thanks
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=28774