almost got it put together, many (safety related) questions

J

Jimbo

Guest
My bike is almost put together (its the same model as whats listed in the Motor-Bicycles.com banner) I just have some questions before its finished. All I have left to do is: attached the chain, attach the chain guard, attach the muffler (it wont fit without being bent).

1. After connecting the throttle to the carburator, it can now twist 360
degrees in both directions. However, it does seem to have a "lock pick" feel where you can tell it has extended all the way in a direction (although I'm not sure which). Does this mean I set it up wrong?

2. The muffler doesn't fit correctly on my bike. Before I spend the 40 or so dollars it takes to bend it to fit, I must ask, is it required (i.e. is it dangerous if I dont have it, or will it just not run if I dont have it)?

3. I took my setup to a welder to get it to fit on my frame. He did a fine
job welding a mounting plate to the frame so that the motor would fit, and then welded an extension to the air intake so that it would fit without
having to turn the carburator sideways. Is this perfectly ok (i.e. safe)? The only difference is that its slightly longer and is turned so that it is
no longer centered underneath the bike frame. From what I can tell it is
safe.

4. The kill switch is supposed to be "tied to the blue wire", but I'm not
sure how this is done. It doesnt seem to normally fit on its own. Is the white wire for, say a light I wanted to connect to the bike?

5. I dont understand how the clutch works. It seems to be just a brake for the drive sprocket / gear (and not a very good one since the little gold thing will snap off if squeezed too hard). Based on my understanding, pedalling while its engaged would probably ruin something, so it would be nice if I could get some reassurance that wont happen.

6. Is it possible I could get a clearer picture of how the chain guard is set up? Does the front connect to the right side of the engine (somehow...) while the rear connects to inside of the frame (with a zip tie?)

7. How hot does the motor get? I can guess your not supposed to touch it but if a piece of clothing just touches it a little will it catch on fire?

8. What are some warning signs of a improperly set up rig? Is it possible
for it to catch on fire or explode? Is there a way to test the motor without actually mounting it? What if I smell smoke of some sort?

9. The black cap that goes over the spark plug seems to have some wiggle room, is this correct?

10. I mixed the gas with 10w-30 synthetic, does that sound good?

Thanks to anyone who can answer these :)
 
10. No! Don't use motor oil-at least I have never heard of anyone doing this. Use synthetic 2-stroke oil and gas mix.

I'm in a hurry or I would answer the other questions.
 
General safety questions

Plenty of questions... better to ask than find out the hard way.....

I cannot answer all your questions but some info from me is a start....

* I have found that the engine does not get hot enough to catch fire or damage clothing if you run on the correct fuel mixture...... The silencer should be used as the exhaust port noise will be loud without it.......The exhaust pipe does get hot near the bend, but you woud expect this......
Make sure the carby is pushed all the way onto the tube as there is the potential for an air leak in this area which will make the engine run lean, hot and can cause it to lock up....... (I used a small 19mm "o" ring in the carby connection that will butt up against the end of the manifold pipe to give good sealing)

* Ignition wiring.... Unless your wiring is different to mine here is how mine is set up..... there are three wires coming out of the engine white,blue and black...... there are two small wires coming from the CDI box black and blue.... connect the black and blue wired from the engine to the black and blue wires to the CDI unit and the white wire will go to the kill switch...... ( this is how mine is working but in the back of my mind I question if that is correct ?)

* I think that you have a problem with the twist grip throttle...... If set up correctly there is only abt 3/4" of twist motion to get full throttle....I had to file and sand the internal part of the white plastic tube so it would turn smoothly on the handle bar....... this will then allow the throttle to return to idle by spring action...... you should not have to twist it back..... Get it right as I consider this to be a safety issue....

* The clutch works well when set up.... I can lock it out and push/ride the bike as normal (slight drag) It is not a brake, its principal of operation is similar to what was used on older style motor bikes....

* The chain guard mounts..... at the engine end the screw above the 10 tooth drive sprocket that holds the cover on is longer and protudes through the casting by 1/2" ...the guard will be bolted on to this screw with a washer and a 10 mm nut... the other end of the guard may have to be cut to fit your bike but it is connected to the down tube from the seat post to the rear axel with the strap and bolts that came in the kit....

Enough from me at the moment
Regards Al
 
Oil Mix

10. Stihl brand is good, and available at power equipment stores. GEBE is 50:1, so I don't know your mix levels, but think there is a 28:1 chart on the bottle.

Only 3 things affect engines, improper "breaking in period" (I let a new engine run a full tank out at idle speed before ever riding it)

Forgetting to put oil in gas.

Really bad ethanol mix, I avoid ethanol and use 93 octane (major brand) if available.
 
1. The throttle that came with my kit was real cheap. It eventually broke and I got a lever for the throttle. it was just an old brake lever. see if the rubber grip is spinning around the plastic...

2. You should really have the muffler.

3. I dunno... I think so...

4. There should be a single wire coming out of the kill switch. Connect it to the wire specified. Mounting the button grounds it usually.

5. That is beyond my knowledge.

6. no idea, i dont even have mine on.

7. pretty hot, but i dont think it would catch fire.

8. It shouldnt catch fire unless you are leaking gas all over the place.

9. mine has some wiggle room too. I hope its fine..

10. I dont know

Hope that helps!
 
TWalker said:
10. No! Don't use motor oil-at least I have never heard of anyone doing this. Use synthetic 2-stroke oil and gas mix.

I'm in a hurry or I would answer the other questions.

wow good thing you spotted that. I didn't realize there was a difference. So now I got a gas can full of gas I cant use then?
 
2 cycle oil is a whole different solution

Jimbo,
In a car, oil lubes the cylinder, is thick, a seperate system from gas.

In a 2 cycle (1 cylinder up/down) the oil has octane principle, where it burns AND lubricates at the same time.

Motor oil would muckup that single cylinder and crap out the spark plug pretty quick.

Got any bonfires need ignition?
 
throw the gas away and start over with two-cycle oil. motor oil is not the same thing. failure to use the proper oil will cause the cylinder to not be lubricated properly. unlike your car, there is no oil in the engine- only what is in the fuel. throw it away!!!
 
actually to be more accurate, I didnt know 2 stroke oil existed (thus when I went to the store to buy oil, I didnt even think of looking for it) :(

I'm going to donate it to a machine shop.

thanks for the help, that really prevented a disaster
 
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