Things you wish you done the first time.

[Fly_boy_bc]

Proper installation

For chain noise throw away your supplied chain tensioner and replace it with one that's spring loaded....one that never needs adjustment or maintenance.

Yea...I read where someone used a tensioner from a dirt bike. I'll probably try that.
Also replace your Chinese stretch-o-matic chain with a KMC 415H or better still KMC K910 Kool Chain(Extreme Freestyle).

Didn't I read that the 415 caused abnormal wear and scratching in the gearbox?

PS...forgot to mention:
1.O-ring the carby(very important)
Do you know of a link to pictures?
2.Lights(if applicable)
Oh yea I'll have light alright.
3.Stainless steel clutch cable wire insert.
THANK you I had forgotten about that one!!
Link?
4.Seal the air filter.
Link?

 

[gone_fishin]

don't hijack the topic by turning it into a Q & A...your tech-discussions will not do anyone any good in the future if it's "hidden" in the wrong place

flyboy: start a single "my build" topic in "general discussion" and ask questions, post what you've learned, upload pics of progress, etc...simply a post a "reply" to your own topic with new stuff, like a journal

 

[fetor56]

Quite rightly members are actively encouraged to read as much as possible...Read Read Read,and at the end of your reading if u still have unanswered questions THEN is the time to ask.

 

[Fly_boy_bc]

"hidden" in the wrong place?

don't hijack the topic by turning it into a Q & A...your tech-discussions will not do anyone any good in the future if it's "hidden" in the wrong place

flyboy: start a single "my build" topic in "general discussion" and ask questions, post what you've learned, upload pics of progress, etc...simply a post a "reply" to your own topic with new stuff, like a journal

I find this confusing... The information I have gotten people to post most definitely belongs in this thread. It's all about how to do your install without ending up wishing you had done something or having to rip things apart in order to bring it up to standard.

How do you figure I've hijacked the thread?

Gary

 

[gone_fishin]

EDIT: private messaging cleared this up, no biggie

ON-TOPIC to an obsessive level in "the garage"...period. no matter how much content we collect, i swear i'm always gonna do my durn-tootin'est to make sure you can actually find and use it. it's better when a member finally catches on to the community-task at hand here. you're each and every one of you's authors of the most amazingly effective "manual" of it's kind, and should be taking great care with it's stability as a matter of personal & collective pride.

anyhow...i'll pull out of the dive with this sorta on-topic jump start.

"something you wish you'd done first off?"

i can honestly tell any newbies wandering along right now, the chinese 2-stroke happy-time is very well covered in these pages. you're wasting your own time (i'm not being a smartypants about this) if you're posting instead of read-read-reading the forums.

believe this: you gotta do the footwork, but you can pretty much become
a happy-time expert before you even sign for your kit

 

[V 35]

Do the handlebars curve, and prevent brake lever from sliding closer to bar stem ? The best fix for that would be Mountain Bike Bars, they can be had ' drag ' style, or Slight pull back [ western style ] I've got mountain bike bars on my Huffy Cranbrook, they have a gentle rise, and fit me perfect, plenty of bar room for kill button, mirror, and whatver ?

 

[Al.Fisherman]

I've learned quite a bit from experience building my first MB, also some from the forum. My first build was months (March 2009) before finding any forum. My mechanical experience is extensive. Not all of these recommendations I did to my first build, but you can bet I did to everyone after that.

These are the things that I do, I see that others such as the seals (which I've never had one go bad) mentioned. All these mods or replacements are most likely less then $50.00. Choose what works for you, ignore the rest, but here you have them.

1. Unpack engine, familiarize your self with them.
2. Check for any missing parts. Depending who you buy from you maybe out of luck.
Two sellers come to mind. Luckyearlybird and BGF.
3. Remove head
4. Mill head (flat glass and 230 (or finer) grit sand paper. Rub gasket surface to insure
it is flat. Check the cylinder also. This will ensure that you have a good gasket
surface. Eliminates blown head gaskets by a large percentage. At this point inspect
the rings. Some have been broken from the factory. Pay attention, the ring grove (on
the piston) has alignment pins in it.
Ring alignment pin and Alignment pin
5. Tap cylinder stud holes to insure they are taped to the bottom. Some engines aren’t
taped to the bottom. This can be a problem with the studs pulling out..
6. Discard all studs and nuts. Studs the length of the cylinder are hard to find.
Fastener supply has metric all thread. There are a number of vendors that have kits,
including myself. But replace them.
7. Replace studs with Metric 8.8 (US Grade 5) Replace nuts with locking nuts. 8mm
studs are either 1.0 or 1.25 thread, 6mm studs are 1.0 thread. 8mmX1.0 is not
common, but I have 1 engine with them. Do this because the Chinese hardware is
junk and prone to strip or shear off.
8. Replace spark plug with a NGK or any good brand.
9. Replace spark plug wire and boot (check with lawnmower supply) or rob from old
lawnmower. Use wire core lead. The stock is junk and WILL cause problems down
the road.
10. Mount the engine properly, no gaps between the bike tubes and engine mounts.
Engine mounting This will also help to keep the studs from snapping off.
11. Torque 8mm to 120 to 175 INCH POUNDS (max for cast aluminum is 204 inch
pounds).
12. Torque 6mm to 60-70 INCH POUNDS (max on these are 75 inch pounds).
13. I install cylinder studs with lock tite, and let set overnight. Optional, I do it to all
my builds.
14. I coat the head gasket with Copper Kote (I coat each side twice and let dry)
15. May need to bend exhaust pipe for crank or frame clearance. Recommend using
heat. There are other methods, but you won’t hear that from me.
16. Remove or cap magneto white wire off. This is used for low watt lights…it won’t
work with a light you can see with, believe me.
17. Re solder blue wire on magneto. Factory has had bad connections, (cold solder
joints).
18. Wiring. BLACK Coil wire to BLACK CDI wire, BLUE coil wire to BLUE CDI
wire.
19. When hooking the kill switch, don’t be concerned with wire colors. Hook one
wire to the black wires, and the other wire to the blue wires. (See # 21)
20. Make sure all wires have a good connection (solder best) and use tape or better
yet heat shrink.
21. Hook up kill switch wires AFTER you get engine running. This will eliminate a
defective switch should you have trouble starting the engine.
22. Try not to drill holes in the bike frame. Weakens the frame, I did one and the
frame split in two.
23. Do away with the clutch cable routing; there are a number of options.
Modifications
24. On my kit the rag joint had gauge (Metric) 8.8 bolts, If not replace them. I
replaced the nuts with lock nuts.
25. I sealed the wires coming from the magneto out of the engine with RTV.
26. Place a “O” ring in the carburetor throat. NAPA has an assortment. Buy them
each.
27. Some say replace the axle with a better one. Never had an axle bend on me.
28. Use thin wire (I use Stainless safety wire).and wrap around the idle screw and
secure to the carburetor. Secured idle screw

29. For coaster brakes…Some say trim the cap, but I don't like it.
Coaster brake bearing cap modification or a file of sorts can be used.

 

[GTodd]

I used hocky pucks and cut them down to wrapp the frame. cut with with a hole saw and made custom plates on top side of them. works good.

 

[jrowse]

more suspension. After the hour long ride home, i feel like