LeUnicornRider
New Member
- Local time
- 7:59 PM
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 5
Hey everybody, long time lurker, second time poster (signed up just to give a guy some advice)
First off, My Name is Wil, I'm based in Yukon, OK just west of OKC, if you see me buzzin around, say Hi.
I've got a HT that has ALL THE ISSUES on a Schwinn Legacy, debadged.
I'm just gonna break this down into my experience of problems and fixes:
Fuel tank; my largest problem, my constant struggle, my bane. My stock fuel tank had a slight leak, that after a conference with a telephone pole turned into a large leak, put some epoxy putty and RTV black on it and it only got worse. found out late there was a tear in the metal by one of the studs, so it got removed and replaced with a 1gal gas can (old style with a vent) a few zipties and a slightly longer fuel line later, Its probably a permanent fix on this bike
Sproket; kept throwing the chain, found out I had the sprocket on backwards and the rag joint wasn't tight
Magneto; caused my second longest down period, mostly because I thought it was EVERYTHING else. Should've known it was the issue when a puddle ran out of the case. I started my build with a pull start, BAD IDEA with the vibration. long story short, screw backed out and ate some stuff up
Exhaust; falls off all the time, so does the tip. this is where I'm so glad this bike came with a seized engine, spare parts galore, just found out what the exhaust bracket was last night so I'm looking forward to the possibility of these issues being at an end. The studs have stripped engine side on my head so it got rethreaded at 7mm, and I use screws not bolts or studs so I can replace on the fly.
Spark Plug; not firing. got the NGK B7HS. No more problems there
Wheels; My bike is second hand and the coaster brake is trashed, the back wheels bearings are on the way out, just a matter of time til it gets parked and I get to rob a chinese kitchen (take a wok) and pedaling backwards will only make the bike no longer roll til I can take the back wheel off and fix it (happens a lot more than I'd like to admit) but eh, I digress
Brakes: My bike came with just the trashed coaster brake, which I worked around with wood soled shoes on the front wheel. After an incident I decided I needed and upgrade, I now have rim brakes on the front and nothing on the back.
Lights: Headlight wont stand the vibration, release clutch, run it to WOT, ride on. Idk why that fixes my light, but it works for now, currently looking into a headmounted light on my helmet. (use my spine as a shock absorber ) Tail light keeps falling off, decided to put a high vis vest on my backpack.
Telephone Poles; Ran into a guywire riding on the sidewalk, no brakes, no helmet. I woke up in the ER with my clavicle in 3 pieces. That was my longest downtime with the bike. Fixed that issue with a titanium plate, 7 screws a helmet, some brakes and a policy to NEVER EVER RIDE ON UNFAMILIAR SIDEWALKS. EVER. BAD STUFF HAPPENS. also brakes are pretty important I guess....
I'm seriously considering another build, this time I'd do it right, swap all the hardware, get a bike thats back wheel isnt worn out, and just generally do all the things suggested in the beginner threads, though at this point I'm no beginner.
Hey...it beats the heck out of pedaling....
First off, My Name is Wil, I'm based in Yukon, OK just west of OKC, if you see me buzzin around, say Hi.
I've got a HT that has ALL THE ISSUES on a Schwinn Legacy, debadged.
I'm just gonna break this down into my experience of problems and fixes:
Fuel tank; my largest problem, my constant struggle, my bane. My stock fuel tank had a slight leak, that after a conference with a telephone pole turned into a large leak, put some epoxy putty and RTV black on it and it only got worse. found out late there was a tear in the metal by one of the studs, so it got removed and replaced with a 1gal gas can (old style with a vent) a few zipties and a slightly longer fuel line later, Its probably a permanent fix on this bike
Sproket; kept throwing the chain, found out I had the sprocket on backwards and the rag joint wasn't tight
Magneto; caused my second longest down period, mostly because I thought it was EVERYTHING else. Should've known it was the issue when a puddle ran out of the case. I started my build with a pull start, BAD IDEA with the vibration. long story short, screw backed out and ate some stuff up
Exhaust; falls off all the time, so does the tip. this is where I'm so glad this bike came with a seized engine, spare parts galore, just found out what the exhaust bracket was last night so I'm looking forward to the possibility of these issues being at an end. The studs have stripped engine side on my head so it got rethreaded at 7mm, and I use screws not bolts or studs so I can replace on the fly.
Spark Plug; not firing. got the NGK B7HS. No more problems there
Wheels; My bike is second hand and the coaster brake is trashed, the back wheels bearings are on the way out, just a matter of time til it gets parked and I get to rob a chinese kitchen (take a wok) and pedaling backwards will only make the bike no longer roll til I can take the back wheel off and fix it (happens a lot more than I'd like to admit) but eh, I digress
Brakes: My bike came with just the trashed coaster brake, which I worked around with wood soled shoes on the front wheel. After an incident I decided I needed and upgrade, I now have rim brakes on the front and nothing on the back.
Lights: Headlight wont stand the vibration, release clutch, run it to WOT, ride on. Idk why that fixes my light, but it works for now, currently looking into a headmounted light on my helmet. (use my spine as a shock absorber ) Tail light keeps falling off, decided to put a high vis vest on my backpack.
Telephone Poles; Ran into a guywire riding on the sidewalk, no brakes, no helmet. I woke up in the ER with my clavicle in 3 pieces. That was my longest downtime with the bike. Fixed that issue with a titanium plate, 7 screws a helmet, some brakes and a policy to NEVER EVER RIDE ON UNFAMILIAR SIDEWALKS. EVER. BAD STUFF HAPPENS. also brakes are pretty important I guess....
I'm seriously considering another build, this time I'd do it right, swap all the hardware, get a bike thats back wheel isnt worn out, and just generally do all the things suggested in the beginner threads, though at this point I'm no beginner.
Hey...it beats the heck out of pedaling....