new project - bought a windjammer - pics and problems

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Yesterday i traveled over a hundred miles to buy a windjammer folding bicycle . I had seen and driven 2 last week at someones house and had to have one. I found this one for $150 and just bought it. This bike has a 32 cc 2 stroke and weighs 44 pounds. the other ones I saw had either a honda or suburu 4 stroke.
I loaded this one the trunk of my old corolla. Amazing...
The bike has issues , of course , but I'll get them sorted out.
The most serious one is the freewheel cassette for the motor drive has a bad retainer ring. There is about 50 tiny ball bearings on each side and one slipped into the groove that the retainer wire sets in. It put metal in the groove Now the pawl's will not engage. I ground a new slot with a metabo and a thin blade so the retainer will expand as it should . It worked for about 10 minutes. I spent hours taking it apart again . Hopefully I have it better this time.
The gas line has a hole and so did the primer bulb.Sitting too long with gas. I replaced the primer bulb from one I had lying around from a locked up weed wacker. The motor is still hard to start because of low fuel pressure. Until i get new lines , I just put seal all on them.
I did get it running earlier today so I am on the right track.
Here is a couple pictures for those of you that have never seen one of these cool bikes. If anyone has ideas about this weird dual sprocket setup let me know.I would love to get this bike more reliable.
img0283uc.jpg

By double1trouble1 at 2012-09-09
img0283uc.jpg

By double1trouble1 at 2012-09-09
 
a look at the sprocket assembly

i have taken the sprocket assembly apart twice and I think I got it back right . I ran the bike down the road a few times. It klinks a bit ,but does engage. Has anyone seen a similar sprocket assembly . It is made by long yi in Shenzhen China. More China junk . Windjammer is out of business so parts are not available. I know the repair will not last long. I might have to carry it home one day. I got it up to 30 mph today . These bikes are really fun.I just wish they were available.



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windjammer bike

Hi there,

Im looking for some advice on the windjammer motorized bicycle.

I have aquired 1 thats been damaged, the carb has been broken off. This has shattered the plastic piece that joins carb to the engine.
Where do you go to get a replacement?

Also does the gearbox require oil. If so what kind and how much?

Cheers

Local bike.
 
Windjammer

It depends which engine you have .There are several . I need a few pictures to help you. I can take some of my carb if it helps you too. Windjammers are great bikes . I just rode mine yesterday.
The best solution is to buy a used honda mini tiller and remove the motor from it. It is a direct bolt on. That way you get a reliable 4 stroke for $100-150 and it will run forever.
Let me know if there is anything i can do to help.
 
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. Cant upload a pic for some reason. Ive glued the part and will try it fir now. What about the gearbox/ clutch oil? Thanks.
 
ive got one of those freewheels somewhere, but i have a feeling it will be the wrong thread cus its intended for the other side of the hub. finding another right hand thread shouldnt be too hard, should it? iunno.

otherwise it just looks fairly standard. the hub might have the flange for the spokes in a little bit more, aka a derailleur setup, so the thread can be long enough to take both freewheels. proabably IS the hub used on an old 10 speed or something. i used to have a 3 speed bmx that would have done the job perfect :) even threaded both sides, rh, for a flip flop sprocket setup :)

worst comes to worst, i would find the largest normal freewheel you can find.

get the sprocket bored to suit it, and use a number of bolts that divides into the teeth evenly..say 3 for 21t or 4 for a 24T etc :) just use 5/16 or M8 (one of the only exact matches in af versus metric!) bolts, with the sprocket holes drilled on the same pitch diameter as the freewheel sprocket you use :) the standard roller diameter on 1/2" chain is 5/16 or 8mm ;)

maybe weld or braze it on instead, if bolts cause interference. or use low profile chainring spider bolts/ counter sunks, etc. silver solder would be best as it wont destroy the temper in the freewheel. the teeth can go soft. the internal ratchet teeth cannot!

with a surface area that large, and some good zinc chloride/acid flux, combined with some good surface prep, you could use plain old tin/lead solder ;) it can be surprisingly strong, if youve ever encountered a 70 year old galvanised steel chicken feeder that was soldered together!

you definitely wont ruin the temper at 350C! bring it more in line with a "spring" temper, actually :)


did they come with that rack style swingarm or is that a personal addition?
 
I think I used synthetic grease to hold all the millions of ball bearings back in . When the motor speeds up there are 3 pawl's (for lack of a better word) that move out and engage the hub. Very similar to a recoil mechanism on a mower or outboard but much smaller and internal to the hub.
. I used 3 in 1 30wt oil on them.They should be clean and lightly oiled.
Do not take the hub apart unless you are prepared to spend hours figuring it out and putting it all back together. It is a pain .The ball bearings are tiny and all fall out.
If yours does not engage I have a permanent fix that was taught to me by the original importer of these bikes.
It involves buying a 16 tooth threaded freewheel hub sprocket and replacing the old setup.
Mine is still working since I repaired it so I have not had to install the new one yet.
 
Just bought a pair of wind jammers

Just bought a pair of wind jammers for 400 bucks. They only had 2hrs usage. The guys wife didn't like them so they got put in the corner of garage for 2yrs until he got tired of storing them. Love them! I have a few questions. How long can you run them at a time or how far should you go at a time. How do you get them to fold? I tried but couldn't get them to. Don't want to break it. Was going to sell one until I read on your forum that you can't get parts for them. Any basic info on them would be great. Thanks!
 
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