My New Honda Schwinn Build

[HoughMade]

Where are you anticipating the interference? I originally had interference (not a Felt) with the air intake bob and the seat tube/top tube intersection. However, I never planned on using the big plastic box and the interference was taken care of when I fabricated a small metal air filter housing to replace the larger plastic unit.

 

[Irish John]

Where are you anticipating the interference? I originally had interference (not a Felt) with the air intake bob and the seat tube/top tube intersection. However, I never planned on using the big plastic box and the interference was taken care of when I fabricated a small metal air filter housing to replace the larger plastic unit.

I anticipate problems fitting the tray at the bottom cos it needs to go just above the chain guard. also nticipate problems getting choke lever under the tp bar. I can't see enough room at the bottom to allow the tray and also the engine itself. the V at the base looks very narrow. Here is a composite picture of both bikes.

 

[jimraysr]

Honda Choke lever.

John, I thought that the lever would be in the way of my Schwinn Searcher / Honda / GruBee build.

I cut off the top fat lever, handle and pointer as it adds so much height.

I drilled the plastic shaft that holds the choke plate and tapped it for a 4mm flush head screw.

When I finally found the proper chain line, the lever was out from under the top tube, but the on position would have still hit the cables under the top tube.

The 4mm bolt really works well, is easier to reach down and turn and points to the icons on the air cleaner casing.

The choke plate retains the shaft and it can be pulled out to release the plastic shaft.

I think I will do the next build the same way.

After grinding out a lot of aluminum, the tray finally fit down to about 15 - 20 mm above the crank chain sprocket. In order to get it any lower, I would have had to cut away part of the steel tray and have a bare metal problem.

Looks like the kit problems reach 1/2 way around the world.

If the importer / designer firm would hire a real mechanical engineer, we would see much better product. The transmission problems were solved 50 - 75 years ago in the auto industry.

I am concerned with the idle time of the GruBee. As the bell housing bushing is keyed to the engine shaft and it is just metal to metal to the bell, the chance for excessive wear seems to be a given? Time will tell. Need to check the clearance on a new one and then check it later.

I do note that the GruBee bell housing is a machined casting and should stay in one piece. It looks like the one in the Hoot is pressed and that would give a lot of stress in the metal and cause failures as have been shown in some of the guys pictures. If they were heat treated, that might relieve much of the stress. I am not a metallurgist, so am just talking off the top of my head.


Jim

 

[Irish John]

You need to post a picture of that 4mm bolt choke arrangement Jim. Pictures save a lot of words and I can't quite work out what you twist to operate the clutch - the bolt head itself?
The Hoot bell housing was ripped off from the back lots of Universal Studios when they finished filming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Whoever thinks they can get away with that sort of con job needs a good shooting.

 

[Irish John]

Fosscati FG4 'Billinudgel Bullet' breaks down

Today I took the Indian Pacific for a thorough road test. She is so fast and thunders up hills that the HS\Schwinn struggled up. I went into Byron Bay, a seaside resort about 25 kms south, to get my new decals. I couldn't wait to put them on so I put some on there and then. I've decided to rename the bike the Fosscati FG4 Billinudgel Bullet and keep the Indian Pacific as the old Schwinn Alloy 7. I sprayed my tank with black gloss enamel but I notice that when petrol spills on the paint the paint melts even though it's 30 hours old. I'll have to take the tank off, strip it of all paint and respray it with acrylic paint. The black enamel aerosol paint can was Chinese and the night after I first used it I woke up with a huge nose bleed and a headache. I'll bet there's something terrible in it but as usual it doesn't state what's in the paint.
Anyway on my way home I accidentaly engaged the drive at too high revs and something snapped. I've done that before on the HS\Grubee but it's not broken anything. I opened the gearbox and the key in the final drive shaft looked OK so I think it's the main shaft key that sheered. I hadn't got a spanner to remove the bolt on the end of the main shaft. I made the key for the Honda shaft myself from 3\16" engine key but it must be much softer than the one supplied on the HS cos it sheered very easily. The revs were high but nowhere near full blast. I was miles from home and it was dusk in the middle of nowhere and a film crew were filming a TV series where it happened. The film set was so brightly lit I used it to inspect the damage. Even borrowed a screwdriver from the technicians on the set. I've left the bike at a cottage close to where it happened and will go back tomorrow with a truck to take the Billinudgel Bullet home. I hope the engine shaft isn't damaged like the one on that guys Hoot elsewhere on these pages - you know the picture of the HS shaft with a big chip off it.
Everything was going so well but I'm hoping what I've learnt is that the key is sacrificial and is meant to break first and that from here on I'll never pull the clutch in until revs are at idling speed. I think the length of key was Australian but I'll be checking the providence out. I'll post more when I get the bike on the stand and take a good look. This bike is unbelievably fast and I really have to watch out. Today it sat comfortably at 54 km\hr with a good bit of room to spare. Now I'm wondering if it could be somewhere in the crank. Don't think I'll sleep well tonight but my bike is locked up safely in the cottage and I'm sure it's fast asleep.
If I was truthful I'd have to admit that I was showing off a bit because it's not everyday that I pass a film set in the mifddle of nowhere with a few well known actors on the series. My mind was on other things when I pulled in the engager. I'm sure the Billinudgel Bullet thinks I'm a real dork showing her up in front of celebs!

 

[HoughMade]

Sorry to hear about the trouble- one more reason I never use the engager.

Your speed sounds more like what I am getting. 54 km is about 33 mph and I can cruise at that regularly with some left on top as well.

Good luck getting it fixed- I really doubt the shaft itself would be damaged.

 

[Irish John]

Thanks HoughMade, I thought of your idea just after it happened cos I know your engager s permanently engaged. I think it's a good idea and avoids the possibility of making the fatal mistake I made.

 

[Irish John]

Fosscati FG4 Billinudgel Bullet on the mend

Today I went in a truck to collect the Billinudgel Bullet from her breakdown cottage and took her home to the workshop. Wasn't sure what was up at first so I posted a thread about it.
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=14600
But I've figured out that the key that sheered was the little 1/8" key in the drive sprocket itself outside of the gearbox. Suppose it's the smallest key so it went first. Good to know that eh?
I'm well off for key steel since I stopped expecting precision from those kits. I've made a key for the keyway and it fits nice and tight so hopefully I can reassemble the bike and it will all work like clockwork.
Now I have to strip the joke chinese enamel paint that dries hard and glossy but turns to treacle when you spill any fuel on it off the tank. All that previous work for nothing. Anyway it will be a horribly messy job to clean the tank back to something I can paint with proper Aussie acrylic paint that can stand up to fuel spillages. I'm glad that I sorted out the shaft and am quite chuffed given that a year ago I didn't know about anything other than HTs and that wasn't much either. All thanks to MBc.

 

[HoughMade]

Excellent news. Supposedly, the Valspar tractor and implement paint I used is, once cured, is supposed to stand up to gasoline. That being said, I am using the enamel with hardener anyplace likely to touch gas, just in case. All my paint was on last weekend and i will not start reassembly until at least Monday, so that should be enough.

 

[Irish John]

You're a legend HoughMade and I'll get the tank perfected tomorrow but I am pleased to have solved the sheered key problem and I learnt heaps about how that little key works. Haven't tried the bike out yet but I expect it to be OK. I'd cry if it sheered again cos it's a long days work disassembling the GB and cleaning the grease out to mend it all.
My decals are lovely but I won't photograph them until the sun come out and I can take the bike down the beach to get a good background. Also the tank looks like it has a bad dose of leprosy until I fix the paint.
I can't wait to see the pictures of your reassembled bike. Another bike I'm waiting to see is Kanes Kustoms' 2 stroke which was progressing well some months back and then suddenly stopped. Anyway I'm still waiting for the critical measurements on that Felt Heritage but the guy doesn't speak English and there are some communication problems about his 'no worries, engine fit easily - you love this bike- I send you 4 now' attitude and my caution about shelling out megabucks on something I may have no use for until I know the exact distance between A & B in millimetres. Rome wasn't built in a day but I wasn't the foreman on that job!