thinking about motorizing the kulana Moon Dog

[Marktur]

Carrot - I agree about freeing up intake and exhaust gases...HOWEVER....I don't think that either bikes or the HT motors will withstand increasing the performance. Why would you need to make the motor do 40-50mph? Your bike may handle it a few times, but at some point, things are going to structurally fall apart from the vibration. The motor is only aluminum as well, and will not stand up to performance hopups for very long, I think. My motor sounds like it will self-destruct at 30mph...

My opinion, keep your cheap engine a "cheap engine". Feed it lots of oil, adjust your mixture accordingly, and then just ride it until it dies. I just ordered a $10 K&N type air filter, and that's about all I'm doing, other than adding a real fuel filter.

I've come to the conclusion that if I want to go faster, I should get a scooter or motorcycle. They come with lights, shocks, and made to handle the torque of a motor.

 

[Zev0]

Very good statement Mark. All I see from the new builders is "How fast will it go?". Agreed, this comes mainly from our younger members. But they seem to forget that this is a motor-ASSISTED-bicycle. Not a motorcycle. These IMHO are the type of mbers who will ruin the movement.

 

[Marktur]

It's funny Zev...my flat tire problem has had me raise the same question over and over: how fast do you ride your bike? How high do you rev the motor (rpms)?

Answers for whatever reason are VAGUE. I'm going to start a new thread...see what we can learn.

 

[Idatiger]

Darnation!

Ok, so it's about day 3 of using my bike, and... the pedals-side chain keeps derailing itself!

It's not a big deal til i run into a stoplight or something, cuz then i can't pedal to get it going again.

It's something to do with the fact that at motor-speed, the pedal-sprocket is essentially going in reverse. Like on a normal bike when you coast down a hill. I don't know the terminology, but the wheel is going and the pedals aren't. Whatever that is, mine wore out or the bearing went bad or something?

Has anyone run into this problem before??

 

[elcalvo]

I agree, Mark and Zev. In fact I have had this conversation with my 20-year-old son, who wants to know if we can push it faster and faster once it's broken in. Well I've shown him all the "weak spots" we've encountered so far -- a flat after 35 miles, spongy rear brake (could use some advice on that BTW), pedal assembly loosening up considerably (take note, Idatiger, and make sure your pedal assembly is snug), fender hardware rattling loose before I locked it in place with silicon windshield sealer. All this at a max speed of 20 mph, with the usual speed being held to around 15 mph.

It isn't a motorcycle, nor is it intended to be -- at least not in the modern sense. If you know motorcycles, you know how different a motor-assisted bike feels and operates.

 

[CARROT-The DESTROYER]

ALERT***slight miscommunication taking place -

OK - let's back it on down here for a moment. Not once did I mention wanting to go "faster" in my post. If my bike cruises at 25-30 mph, I'm good. I care about "TORQUE" - if you recall my previous posts - 0.7 mile 21-23% hills? I am planning on running the 50 - 55 tooth sprocket - if need be to get where I need to go. Since I have zero experience to date, this is all conjecture until I actually build it. If I can get more air into the engine to make increased HP torque by a simple pipe fab on the carb, maybe I can keep the 44 tooth sprocket, and the extra HP would be there if needed, but it's not my intention. I can't imagine even going 20 mph on this thing yet.
I mean, you saw my car, if I need a speed fix, I think I'm covered in that department.
However, I can see how my post could have been mis-leading. I knew what I was thinking, but I didn't convey it very well in print. Having the power to get up the nasty hills, mountain I live on is my primary concern - not speed.

So let's just drop the whole subject, and move on to how to help out Idatiger.

Is it the pedal assembly or the freewheel rear sprocket that is locking up to cause the problem?

Troy Fitz.

By the way, I'm 46, but very young at heart!

 

[Idatiger]

el calvo,
if that were the problem, what would the symptoms/fix be?

 

[elcalvo]

Understood Troy. Sorry about the mix-up. I would think if hills are your issue then you would probably want to move to a 55-tooth sprocket rather than trying to hop-up your motor to increase torque. Just my opinion, havign put all of 35 miles on mine so far.

If your pedal sprocket is the issue Idatiger, I think you need to check the whole pedal assembly. Mine was vibrating itself apart yesterday. I had to crank it back together.

 

[crabdance]

I'm lucky 'cause I don't have many hills where I live. Everything is mostly flat. I'm not interested in going too fast on a bicycle... the thought kinda scares me. I'm just an old f@rt and the thought of going 40 mph on a bike strikes fear in my heart, . I can understand the kids wanting to go faster though... If I were still young (and immortal) I would probably be the same way. A kid is a kid. Can't blame them. They have to learn things the hard way. I'm just looking for a nice cruising speed to glide down the road. Nothing too exciting. Just fun~!

 

[elcalvo]

Looking forward to seeing it! To be honest I like speed as much as the next "kid," but this ****ed sense of responsibility I developed when I started having my own kids keeps getting in the way of me doing crazy things.

Anybody have any siggestions for altering or replacing a spongy rear Moon Dog brake? Despite being new and adjusted very snug, mine feels like mush. I'm wondering if I'm developing an oil film on my back rim from the exhaust.