What A Horrible Misalignment!

[Hal the Elder]

Look at the poor alignment between my engine pulley and my clutch pulley...it's half the belt-width off!

The clutch is angled inward by that amount. Loosening or tightening the belt tension pivot arm bolt has no effect.

Was this bike run over by an Abrams Main Battle Tank before I bought it?

No wonder Oscar can't run in a straight line on the road!

HAL

 

[Kep1a]

Yup all of mine were the same identical amount off but the other way if I'm seeing things correctly in your picture. Yours should be a simple shim fix if your clutch is straight.

Once all the bugs are worked out I'm told they are very reliable and fun. I'm not there yet though. I have 3 of them I'm working on and every one has issues that are similar but somehow different in many instances. One I don't own I just help him upgrade and repair it.

There is a light at the end of that tunnel I've been told by a few who have gotten there already.

Kep1a

 

[KilroyCD]

Hal, I have a similar problem with Baxter, but his clutch pulley is only around 1/8" to 3/16" out of alignment. It's on my winter "to do" list.

 

[Hal the Elder]

This is like walkin' down the street...

...on the side of your shoe!

And here it is with a brand new Goodyear AX-27 belt installed!

(Also have a new Goodyear AX-62 on the rear.)

HAL

 

[KilroyCD]

This is like walkin' down the street...on the side of your shoe!
HAL

Hey now! I walk on the sides of my shoes (because I walk like a duck). I have bad ankles as a result. Get those pulleys aligned before Oscar gets that way too!
:laugh4:

 

[Hal the Elder]

OK...I'm Waitin' For The "How-To" From Quenton Or Mike!

The misalignment is not just a simple parallel offset which can be corrected with a shim......it's an ANGLE offset!

The clutch is pointing INWARD as can be seen by the straightedge!

HAL

 

[mabman]

How about realizing that you bought a chinese replica of an American machine that is based on a 30+ year old design? Sure you paid money for it but that is between you and the person you bought it from, not the experts here that have become experts by fixing the problems that arise with these bikes on their own. They seem to be as generous with their time here as it allows them to be. I would suggest taking the bike in to the dealer you bought it from and see what they have to say.

 

[Hal the Elder]

Hey Mabman:

The first Whizzer offered as a complete motorbike, with engine already installed in a Schwinn frame, was introduced in 1948. It was called the "Pacemaker".

It's a 60 year-old design, Mabman!

The person I bought the bike from is a used car dealer, not a Whizzer dealer.

This is why I confide in my friends on this Forum, who seem only too eager to help me!

HAL

 

[KilroyCD]

Hal, clutch pulley alignment has always been a problem with the modern Whizzers. There are a number of ways to address it. My situation requires actually removing metal from the clutch arm (as my slip-clutch pulley rides too far outboard), yours is likely going to require Quenton or Motorbike Mike's expertise to rectify, but I'll also give it a quick shot.
I can't tell by the photo that your clutch is actually angled inward from front to back. It appears as though the whole shootin' match is about 1/2" too far inboard. But it's your bike, and you obviously have the better view of it all. If it is angled, it sounds to me as though the clutch arm might have had the hole drilled at an angle, instead of square. If that's the case, either take it off and get a new one, or if you're feeling adventurous, drill out the original so it's straight and install a bushing.

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Hi Everyone, In late 1945 Whizzer motorbike company located in MI started production on the "H" motor. The motor was released as the 1946 "H" motor and had a V belt manual clutch. The clutch pulley was mounted on an arm, the arm was attached to the rear of the motor with a trunnion pin. The trunnion pin was PRESSED into the arm, then the trunnion pin was inserted into the rear of the motor and was a tight fit. The pulley was always straight, the arm was always a tight fit, and it worked perfectly. Later the company noticed some wear on high milage motorbikes and fitted an oil lite bushing at the rear of the motor case to make sure of a great fit.
It would be in bad taste to tell you why the new company changed the design. Could it be made cheaper, you betcha. Instead of a quality fit it was discovered a stock bolt inserted into a loose hole in the arm and then pushed through a set of bushings at the rear of the motor would attach the arm. So any reference to a clutch sytem on the vintage Whizzer and the new edition version would be like comparing "apples" to "oranges". The arm on the vintage motor was a really good fit, and the arm on the new edition models are loose fitted and always run at an angle.
For a while I considered having a special pin made to correct this problem, however it was going to cost approx. $20.00 per pin and had to be ordered in quanities of 100, so I decided against it. On all my personal Whizzers I machined a pin that PRESSED into the arm, and the O.D. was a tight fit in the bushings on the rear of the motor [no more play, loose fit, or angled pulley]. As long as a "off the shelf" bolt, and a hole too large in the arm is used it will never work as well as the vintage version does.
Even if the arm, pin, and bushing fit correctly the arm is usually made wrong. The majority of the time some of the arm needs to be ground off the allow the belts to run straight from the flywheel to the clutch pulley.
I will attach several pictures of the correct way to remove the play from the arm and also line the pulleys in a straight line.

BTW Hal you have one of the clutches that the pins will come loose in the hub, the bearing race will be grooved by the needle bearings, and you won't like the results. I suggest you get it modified very soon to avoid major problems.

If anyone wants more pictures of the clutch modifications email me direct at quincy163@yahoo.com