Friction drive question..Motor keeps bogging

corey123

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Jul 3, 2017
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Hey...Went out for a rip earlier everything was good...then my motor started bogging like crazy...wouldent start after that had to push the bike home...could it be that my tire is to big on the rear? and messing with the roller...i switched my tire from a 1.75 to 1.9 and there is a big different the wheel wheel will barley spin witch i guess is putting more pressure on the engine witch is making it bog
 
Before doing any carb adjustments, readjust your friction roller settings.
Since you have a taller tire, the roller is putting more pressure upon it.

Now if that doesn't cure the bog, you might want to adjust your carburetor.....or not.:)

Which engine do you have?
The cheapest, easiest thing to do is install a new spark plug, properly gapped.

Then check the carburetor.

The carb might be running too rich.
Does it have any adjustable screws?
If it doesn't, start the engine and hope it runs right.
If it does have adjustment screws, jack up the bike, so the rear tire off the ground.
It'd be nice if you could do your adjustments next to a steep hill.
That way, you can do a test ride after each adjustment.

This is a slow, tedious procedure.
Ask me how I know this.:(

With engine off, turn the adjustment screw(s) GENTLY, clockwise until they bottom out.
Be sure to count the number of turns it takes the screw(s) to bottom out.
You need this bit of information, in case you forget where you started .
Now turn the carb's adjustment screws back to its original setting.
Turn the engine on and warm it up a few minutes.
Rev the engine occasionally, so the plug doesn't foul up.
1)Turn the low speed screw clockwise in 1/8" .
2)Rev the engine, to see if it sounds crispier.
3)Drop the rear tire onto the ground.
4)Jump on your bike and ride up the steep hill.
5)You'll know in less than four seconds, if your engine still bogs.

If there's no low-end bog, you're done.

If the engine's still bogging, get back to your work area.

Repeat steps 1-5, until the bog disappears.

Then move on to adjust your high-speed adjustment.

Repeat steps 1-3.

6)Instead of a steep hill, find a long stretch of road,
maybe with a slight incline.

7)Run your bike with full throttle for 30 seconds or longer.

8)IMMEDIATELY turn off the engine without allowing it to idle.
9)Now pedal back to your work area.
10)Do NOT run the engine.

11)Take a lunch break or take the day off.

12)You'll need to remove the spark plug on a COLD engine to check its color at the electrode gap.

A well-known member had advised others to remove the sparkplug IMMEDIATELY after you turn off the engine.
That is ABSOLUTELY the worst thing you can do.
You can ruin the cylinder head's sparkplug threads if you remove a hot sparkplug.

13)Inspect the COLD sparkplug after removal.
This will show how your engine is running at high speed.
If it's chocolate brown and no bogging, your work is done.
If it's sooty black, you're running rich.
If it's white, you're running lean.
A black or white indication means
you need to adjust your high-speed adjustment screw.
14)If it's black, turn your screw 1/4" clockwise.
Make another high-speed run.
IMMEDIATELY kill the engine without allowing it to idle.

Repeat steps 6-13.

If it's chocolate brown, you're done.
If it's still sooty black, repeat steps 6-13.
Repeat until color is brown.

If spark plug color is white,
repeat steps 6-13.
Turn adjustment screw 1/4" counter clockwise.
Repeat step 13.
Keep repeating the steps until the sparkplug color turns brown.

When the plug reads brown, you're done.

FWIW, it's harder to "read" the spark plug's color, if the plug is new.

BTW, you can find other ways of carb adjustments on Youtube and Google.
 
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Thanks! i will have to try that...cant find a spark plug locally so i have to order 1 online..i'm also thinking maybe the gas mixture has something to do with it bogging but i could be wrong.....
 
I'm also still trying to find out how to adjust the friction roller cant find any videos of that online
 
Thanks! i will have to try that...cant find a spark plug locally so i have to order 1 online..i'm also thinking maybe the gas mixture has something to do with it bogging but i could be wrong.....

What's your mix now?

Did you change the gas when you swapped the rear tire?

What kind of engine do you have?

I've bought my spark plugs at O'/Reilley's.

You could try a small engine repair shop.
 
I'm also still trying to find out how to adjust the friction roller cant find any videos of that online

Basically, it's DIY experimenting.

I spent years running friction drive bikes.

Be sure that your tire is properly inflated.

1)Release the friction roller's tension off the tire.
2)With one hand(or a helper's hand), press the roller into the tire.
3)Using a ruler or preferably a digital caliper,
measure the distance that the roller dents into the tire.
4)Start with light contact, maybe 1/8" indentation.
5)Lock the roller in.
6)Recheck caliper measurements.
7)Take notes how deep into the tire that the roller is in.
(The adjustment might have increased or decreased.)
8)Take the bike for a ride.
9)Use the same route that you normally ride.

10)Note how the bike feels. The bog might have disappeared.
11)Observe by hearing, if the roller is slipping off the tire.

If all is well, you're done.

If the roller is slipping, find a safe place to work.
Repeat steps 1-11.

Keep repeating until all is well.
 
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Running a 40 to 1 i think mixture? not sure but it's the same mixture i used when the bike was running good....but yea i switched the tire from bigger to smaller..befor that it wasn't bogging at all and was running flawlesy..would go across town and back numeours time without any bog...i'm thinking it has to be the tire..was just out now and it was working for a bit but it started bogging again...i also had a problem with the bubble thing that puts fuel into the engine haha sorrry dont know what's it called..but basically that thing was sucked dry with air and it was no longer a bubble..so i couldent even push gas into in the engine..and it wouldent start no matter..hard to explain on here lol but yea i'm going to repeat some of those steps...the spark plug looks pretty dark also so i'm thinking i should buy a new 1
 
Yea i will try that....sorry if i dont make sense trying to explain as much as i can as i'm new to this lol.....but befor when i first got the bike i could move the roller up and down no problem...1 day the cable snaped that controls the roller like the lever thing you push down...tryed numerous times to put a new cable in where the spring is in the back and it just hasn't been the same since....like befor it would move comlpletely up and down..but now it's not moving at all but it does just a tad so that i can use it...tryed finding places online to see if there is any videos on how to install a new cable into the spring but found nothing...i guess all friction drives are different
 
No worries. What you say makes sense.

What engine and size do you have?

What brand friction drive kit do you have?

Someone on the forums might have your kit and know how to replace the cable.

You have to identify which one you have.

Take pictures of the cable setup, and post it here.

It's almost guaranteed that someone here can figure out how to fix this.
 
Yeah i posted a add...buddy sent me a link kind of made sense but still cant figure it out...

Brand is dimension edge..with mitsubishi tle engine

But yea i sort of got some help befor but still cant figure it out haha....but yea i'll try to figure it ..havent gave up on it yet but i'm getting close lol..just not very good with mechanics but some stuff i can do......i got gas bike being s**t to me right now that's not a friction drive but just a regular 1 with skyhawk engine kit on it....
 
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