H
HoughMade
Guest
I have come pretty close to completing the mock up of my build so I could get everything working before I blow it apart for paint. You can see a couple of pics in the gallery section under "HoughMade Cycle Works". I just wanted to toss some things out that I learned along the way.
First off- I started with the Grubee Skyhawk II- some refer to as the Whopper Stopper II. I used a Honda GXH50 I sourced from Small Engine Warehouse- there is another topic dedicated to that, but suffice to say- it works well.
A few points-
- Buy quality bolts, screws and nuts. The gold colored, slotted head bolts used to attach the gearbox to the engine are decent, but everything else needs to be replaced. They are soft and strip or break too easily. No surprise there.
- They say you can install in 3 or 4 hours- HA. Maybe if you do not want to be careful, but I worked on this thing for weeks (an hour or two at a time). Not everyone will take that much time, but 3 or 4 hours seems optimistic to insane to me.
- I did several things 3 or more times to get it just the way I wanted it. I replaced the plastic air cleaner with a fabricated metal "can" to look more vintage- that alone went through 4 version and about 5 hours. The throttle linkage took me about 6 to 8 hours (and about 6 versions)- I started with just attaching the cable to the stock lever, but I liked neither the way it worked nor the way it looked. I wanted the throttle to snap closed when you let go- I consider that essential for safety. In the end, I eliminated the stock lever, all of its linkages and the governor (which I had planned anyway). What I have now is very simple and works great (40 mph w/ a 56 tooth sprocket with a hair more left on top- without overevving the engine).
- I am running the gearbox with grease only. I know there has been a lot of discussion about this. Mine was never really noisy as some describe it, but I could hear it when it engaged, but the more I use it, the quieter it gets- I'll stick with grease (I use high temp wheel bearing grease).
- If you want a clean looking build- be prepared to shorten cables. I shortened the throttle cable by almost a foot- I had a screw on end to use- I wish I could tell you where I got it, but all I can say is I think it is a lawn mower throttle cable piece.
- The engine runs quite smooth- no complaints.
More thoughts as time goes on, and if you have any questions about the kit, feel free to ask and I will handle them if I can.
First off- I started with the Grubee Skyhawk II- some refer to as the Whopper Stopper II. I used a Honda GXH50 I sourced from Small Engine Warehouse- there is another topic dedicated to that, but suffice to say- it works well.
A few points-
- Buy quality bolts, screws and nuts. The gold colored, slotted head bolts used to attach the gearbox to the engine are decent, but everything else needs to be replaced. They are soft and strip or break too easily. No surprise there.
- They say you can install in 3 or 4 hours- HA. Maybe if you do not want to be careful, but I worked on this thing for weeks (an hour or two at a time). Not everyone will take that much time, but 3 or 4 hours seems optimistic to insane to me.
- I did several things 3 or more times to get it just the way I wanted it. I replaced the plastic air cleaner with a fabricated metal "can" to look more vintage- that alone went through 4 version and about 5 hours. The throttle linkage took me about 6 to 8 hours (and about 6 versions)- I started with just attaching the cable to the stock lever, but I liked neither the way it worked nor the way it looked. I wanted the throttle to snap closed when you let go- I consider that essential for safety. In the end, I eliminated the stock lever, all of its linkages and the governor (which I had planned anyway). What I have now is very simple and works great (40 mph w/ a 56 tooth sprocket with a hair more left on top- without overevving the engine).
- I am running the gearbox with grease only. I know there has been a lot of discussion about this. Mine was never really noisy as some describe it, but I could hear it when it engaged, but the more I use it, the quieter it gets- I'll stick with grease (I use high temp wheel bearing grease).
- If you want a clean looking build- be prepared to shorten cables. I shortened the throttle cable by almost a foot- I had a screw on end to use- I wish I could tell you where I got it, but all I can say is I think it is a lawn mower throttle cable piece.
- The engine runs quite smooth- no complaints.
More thoughts as time goes on, and if you have any questions about the kit, feel free to ask and I will handle them if I can.