Wyvern
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the nightmare fuel, I was running low.
The craziness continues
- Thread starter wrenchin 4 fun
- Start date
Thanks for the nightmare fuel, I was running low.
Wyvern
Well-Known Member
And yeah, my Phatmoto isn't really a bike anymore.
It's in a weird place treading a moped, motorcycle and minibike.
I'd remove the pedals but I would go from illegal to REALLY illegal.
I have had to pedal home after snapping links, it works, but thats a lot to pedal up an incline.
It's in a weird place treading a moped, motorcycle and minibike.
I'd remove the pedals but I would go from illegal to REALLY illegal.
I have had to pedal home after snapping links, it works, but thats a lot to pedal up an incline.
robe
Well-Known Member
Don't let these minor details stop you. My solution is to peddle all the time in public. After all it is a motor assisted bicycle just meant to help the old guys get up the hill.
Chainlube
Well-Known Member
I like to ghost pedal too, looks like you got some crazy gearing.
wrenchin 4 fun
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Not much progress today, but did get taxes worked up and mailed off. Whew! Changed the seat mount to be more professional looking and did a voltage check to make sure rectifier and battery were working properly. The control box gives off a nice blue hue. Will devote tomorrow to getting my buddies Ruckus going. A brand new battery, carb, air filter, and other enhancements. First time breathing fire since she was submerged during Hurricane Isabel.
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wrenchin 4 fun
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Clean up day on the project. Ground and sanded welds to make them presentable. Primer/filler will do the rest. Now it's time for my least favorite task----painting all the fabricated parts. Believe it or not, there are at least a dozen individual components that have to be painted. Today I eliminated two parts of the springer front end to make it lighter and more efficient. I constructed a mount for the speedo so it doesn't look like an "add-on" and I fabbed a more suitable mount for the headlight. No photos cause everything's in a box waiting for paint. Hope everyone had a great Easter. Remember, it's not about the eggs, it's about the resurrection.
wrenchin 4 fun
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After helping my wife eradicate some pesky fire ants from her garden, I was able to finish painting the integral parts of my springer front end and other fabricated parts. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad even though I used three different brands of flat black enamel. First, I lightly sanded each piece to ensure an adhesive surface. Second, I prepped each piece by washing it in gasoline to ensure an oil free surface. Third, I coated each piece with automotive primer and filler made by Dupli-Color. This stuff fills scratches and welding pin holes not removed by sanding. The brands were Krylon ColorMax, American Accents, an upscale craft paint made by Rustoleum, and a budget paint from Lowe's made by ROC Sales out of Vernon Hills, Illinois.
Wearing a respirator and goggles, I was able to concentrate on maintaining optimum distance and applying an even, consistent flow. There was slight breeze on my patio, another challenge for this not-so-hot painter. All of the paints performed exceedingly well with good coverage and only a couple of runs where I got too close trying to fill welding pits. I have the parts hanging together from my garage door rails to dry and I can't detect any difference in color or consistency. The larger pieces like the springer forks almost look like they were powder coated. The DupliColor primer/filler made a huge difference by filling/covering blemishes.
Although I admit a strong bias for Krylon based on past experience, all of the paints look good. Here are some lessons I learned from comparing the different brands. The actual contents of each brand seems to be comparable though the budget paint did seem to be a tad thinner than the name brands. That was not necessarily bad because I was careful to sweep the spray consistently while allowing a second or two for drying before the net sweep. The differences appeared to be in the quality of the nozzle with the Krylon being much smoother to operate than the others. And even though the fluid content was the same in each can, the budget brand did not go as far because it is slightly thinner. I actually preferred the way it went on because it forced a slower more deliberate motion. Whether they will hold up the same over time is anyone's guess.
Will provide photos when the paint cures in a day or two and I can assemble everything.
Wearing a respirator and goggles, I was able to concentrate on maintaining optimum distance and applying an even, consistent flow. There was slight breeze on my patio, another challenge for this not-so-hot painter. All of the paints performed exceedingly well with good coverage and only a couple of runs where I got too close trying to fill welding pits. I have the parts hanging together from my garage door rails to dry and I can't detect any difference in color or consistency. The larger pieces like the springer forks almost look like they were powder coated. The DupliColor primer/filler made a huge difference by filling/covering blemishes.
Although I admit a strong bias for Krylon based on past experience, all of the paints look good. Here are some lessons I learned from comparing the different brands. The actual contents of each brand seems to be comparable though the budget paint did seem to be a tad thinner than the name brands. That was not necessarily bad because I was careful to sweep the spray consistently while allowing a second or two for drying before the net sweep. The differences appeared to be in the quality of the nozzle with the Krylon being much smoother to operate than the others. And even though the fluid content was the same in each can, the budget brand did not go as far because it is slightly thinner. I actually preferred the way it went on because it forced a slower more deliberate motion. Whether they will hold up the same over time is anyone's guess.
Will provide photos when the paint cures in a day or two and I can assemble everything.
wrenchin 4 fun
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Now that the paint is curing, a difference in sheen is detectable, but not enough to detract from its overall appearance.
wrenchin 4 fun
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A good day in the skunk works converting my derailleur system to a Shimano three-speed internally geared hub. The Shimano derailleur worked fine, but I don’t care for a gear train exposed to the elements and susceptible to obstacles like rocks, logs, and potholes. I took a ride through the pasture some time ago and came back with a bundle of weeds wound around my gears. Maybe 7 gears are needed on an exotic adventure bike, but it seems like overkill on a small motorbike. On most of my rides I found myself skipping through many of the close ratio gears. If you like shifting, it’s the way to go. I’d rather putter along with minimal effort.
It’s been a while since I laced or trued a wheel so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it correctly. With a bit of alchemy and a lot of elbow grease I was able to restore a Rhino Light double-walled aluminum rim from my first build that was flooded out in Hurricane Isabelle. People who’ve never been through a flood think the damage comes from things getting wet. In reality, hurricane related floods involve salt or brackish water which is extremely corrosive. I had rinsed off the bike right after the flood, so the salt was washed off the rim, but some seeped into the hub toasting the bearings and pawls. The rim restored nicely, as did the 12 gauge SS spokes with brass, chrome-plated nipples.
After dressing out the rim, I retaught myself how to lace a wheel, then built a wooden truiing stand to adjust the spokes. After re-teaching myself the dynamics of truing and a bit of trial and error, I got it spot on. All-in-all it took me two or three hours to salvage the rim and another hour and a half to lace the wheel and get it true. The process isn’t that complicated once you figure out how it works and it helped having a picture of an existing 32-hole wheel to use as a template in duplicating the spoke pattern.
What really makes this conversion worthwhile (as in fun factor) is the three-speed suicide shifter that will control the hub. More on that later.
It’s been a while since I laced or trued a wheel so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it correctly. With a bit of alchemy and a lot of elbow grease I was able to restore a Rhino Light double-walled aluminum rim from my first build that was flooded out in Hurricane Isabelle. People who’ve never been through a flood think the damage comes from things getting wet. In reality, hurricane related floods involve salt or brackish water which is extremely corrosive. I had rinsed off the bike right after the flood, so the salt was washed off the rim, but some seeped into the hub toasting the bearings and pawls. The rim restored nicely, as did the 12 gauge SS spokes with brass, chrome-plated nipples.
After dressing out the rim, I retaught myself how to lace a wheel, then built a wooden truiing stand to adjust the spokes. After re-teaching myself the dynamics of truing and a bit of trial and error, I got it spot on. All-in-all it took me two or three hours to salvage the rim and another hour and a half to lace the wheel and get it true. The process isn’t that complicated once you figure out how it works and it helped having a picture of an existing 32-hole wheel to use as a template in duplicating the spoke pattern.
What really makes this conversion worthwhile (as in fun factor) is the three-speed suicide shifter that will control the hub. More on that later.
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robe
Well-Known Member
That's great. I always wanted to lace a wheel from scratch but just didn't need to. I find it intimidating but as you say, not too hard once you get started.
