thinking about motorizing the kulana Moon Dog

I've since modified some stuff since the pictures:
Removed the chain guard.
Added the tensioner
Changed the seat to a Schwinn big comfy seat
Changed the tires to Comfort tires (lower profile and a bit thinner, more rounded)
Added an MBc sticker on the gas tank (makes it run better!)
 
Could I join this exclusive club ?


Heck Yeah! - nice to meet you Alan. Your pic's were a big part of my inspiration to go with the Moondog for my first build. (very neat and clean) The gas tank looks great.
In the future, I am going to try something like that, but w/out the rack. I would like to figure out some sort of mounting or strap system to hold it in place behind the seat. I was almost thinking of making it look like some sort of storage / carry pack made out canvass material on the outside. And the actual tank would be inside it. You could use almost any type and shape of approved gas container that way.

Markur - nice to meet you: personally, I like the old style - 1st gen? - Moondog frame better. I believe 3" lower in stance. BUT - I had to go w/ the orange! - it just looked too Cool! - again - some credit to Alan.
I saw a guy on Ebay selling 9 1st gen Moondogs at $59.00 each / $25.00 shipping.

OK - so, other than the infamous fender flaw, what would you say is the one thing that comes to mind that all perspective builders need to be aware of on this specific bike?

exhaust / frame / pedal clearance? - is another issue I read about.
wheel wobble, scraping on the pedal and chain guard, dragging brakes are other things I have read about. Your experience with these?

In respect to the fender issue, I live a in VERY hilly area - (0.7 miles of about a 21-23% grade - thinking I will need the 50 tooth sprocket), so I will need to remedy the fender issue. I was planning on just re-drilling my own holes and adding carriage bolts to solve the problem. But again, I don't have the bike yet, so not sure this is even the problem.

Earlier, "Idatiger" mentioned the sprocket not lining up w/ the tension wheel and the engine drive gear. Did you encounter this issue, or smooth install?
Any idea's on how to help him?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge:

Elcavo: - pic's would be really helpful by the way.

thanks,

Troy Fitz.
 
Great idea turning this into a Moon Dog "club." I will share more detailed photos of my build and hope others will do likewise so we can help each other out with functional, esthetic, and troubleshooting topics, etc.

In response to the frame/fender issues, I did indeed have to cut out a sizeable chunk of rear fender to allow clearance for the drive chain, and yes there is precious little clearance between the chain and the rear tire. That said, the tension pulley keeps it pretty well in line and not touching the tire, but you would do well to inspect this carefully before each run.

Re: the CDI location issue, I strapped mine to the lower left bar.

Idatiger: I am having a similar issue with my build at the moment. I can get my motor to start but it runs very weak and stalls out if I try to let it idle on its own. I'm not sure if that's an electrical or fuel issue. It sound like your problem is more electrical. Here is a troubleshooting guide for engine start issues: http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=9619

I suggest you follow the instructions for testing the magneto, CDI and spark plug.
 
Last edited:
Hi guys....answering a bunch of stuff here...I too really like my Kulana. I liked the orange, but the blue one had tires with relatively no wobble. So blue it was. :)

Fenders I cut away about a 4" section (verticle) to the first crease in the fender (about 1/4"). I used a Dremel cutoff wheel to do it, and I did it while mounted to the bike! It came out clean, and you definitely don't notice it. Finally my bike is QUIET! (Except for the motor, of course).

I had a horrible time with flats for a while. 4 flats in a week, and it was so upsetting that I put the bike on eBay. Search for "Another Flat" to read the story...but I "think" I'm good now!

I changed the seat and seat post to a shock-absorbing post and big seat...big improvement, along with running a lower rear tire pressure (<35).

I want to get some nice front forks, trying to decide Springers or Mtn. bike style?

Just installed Dax tensioner pulley with bearings - it moves now. Nice.
Just installed Dax clutch lever - very nice, but harder to pull.

Oh, I also got in one of the 76 Led lights from eBay. VERY GOOD! Bright. Used like a strobe during the day ought to extend the life of the batteries, too.

I also installed the dual-kickstand from Spooky - nice and stable!

I'm looking for a rear rack still, but I have a Bell front handlebar bag for now.
 
Heck Yeah! - nice to meet you Alan. Your pic's were a big part of my inspiration to go with the Moondog for my first build. (very neat and clean) The gas tank looks great.
In the future, I am going to try something like that, but w/out the rack. I would like to figure out some sort of mounting or strap system to hold it in place behind the seat. I was almost thinking of making it look like some sort of storage / carry pack made out canvass material on the outside. And the actual tank would be inside it. You could use almost any type and shape of approved gas container that way.

Markur - nice to meet you: personally, I like the old style - 1st gen? - Moondog frame better. I believe 3" lower in stance. BUT - I had to go w/ the orange! - it just looked too Cool! - again - some credit to Alan.
I saw a guy on Ebay selling 9 1st gen Moondogs at $59.00 each / $25.00 shipping.

OK - so, other than the infamous fender flaw, what would you say is the one thing that comes to mind that all perspective builders need to be aware of on this specific bike?

exhaust / frame / pedal clearance? - is another issue I read about.
wheel wobble, scraping on the pedal and chain guard, dragging brakes are other things I have read about. Your experience with these?

In respect to the fender issue, I live a in VERY hilly area - (0.7 miles of about a 21-23% grade - thinking I will need the 50 tooth sprocket), so I will need to remedy the fender issue. I was planning on just re-drilling my own holes and adding carriage bolts to solve the problem. But again, I don't have the bike yet, so not sure this is even the problem.

Earlier, "Idatiger" mentioned the sprocket not lining up w/ the tension wheel and the engine drive gear. Did you encounter this issue, or smooth install?
Any idea's on how to help him?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge:

Elcavo: - pic's would be really helpful by the way.

thanks,

Troy Fitz.


Thank you.
My Rack is a New Schwinn Phantom Replica rack 20.00. I found that the easiest way to mount the round tank.
I also had to cut out some rear fender. The chain is very close to the tire, but no rubbing so far. My fenders brackets haven't snapped yet. Upon decel, I do hear some dinging like the chain hitting the guard or something. I also had to grind the back of my left crank to miss the muffler. Easier than removing and bending.
I upgraded the seat to a vintage spring seat. and vintage Schwinn pedals (Germany)

And enshrouding a gas tank inside a canvas bag is an easy task. Good idea, depending what state you live in.

We should all meet up in Maryland for a rally. MB'S are as legal as milk there. So as long as you are old enough to drive and have a regular D/L, you can ride all day, while waving at the police. We should do a weekend there, like Ocean City, MD., perhaps during bike week in September. Think of the blast it would be. Carefree, no looking over the shoulder, like I do here in PA. :cool:
 
At Troy's request, here are some detail photos of my Moon Dog. This being my first custom build, it isn't perfect by any means, but as I am an old hand with bikes and have been riding motorcycles since I was a kid, it wasn't too hard to figure out for the most part.

In order, the pics are:

details of tail light and brake sensor;
sprocket (black marks are from using a sharpie to true up the alignment);
handlebar left side (brake lever and turn signal -- clutch lever is hidden behind grip);
handlebar right side (showing twist shifter, brake lever and throttle arrangement);
rear fender (showing modification to allow room for chain and guard).

The last pic is of me hamming it up for the neighbors on my first "official" post-shop ride. One neighbor who was just getting on his Harley had a big sh*t eatin' grin on his face as I rode by. You can't help but smile at this thing. LOL!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2522506767_121743eb8d_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/2522506509_8801889e6d_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2522506129_6829152a67_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2416/2523328966_8787b366aa_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2403/2522505679_15c9fe8d80_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2522507205_f8c27eebbe_b.jpg

Hope these are good for refernce or at least a laugh!
 
Last edited:
It runs!

I finally got my bike working today, it's awesome, I'll upload pics soon. As it currently stands, my rear sprocket is reversed, and the tensioner/bottom chain are only .5 cm out of line with the top chain. The chain has still rubbed a dozen or so black scratch/smears on the white-wall of my tire, but for the most part it doesn't rub. (I took my fenders off). I figured out the idle-screw today too.

Questions still.
1. Anybody know anything about the carbeurator leaking gas/oil out of the down facing air intake holes? Leads to possible answer for 2.
2. Is it usual to get VERY low gas mileage on your first tank? I think i got somewhere around.. 5-8 miles??
3. What's the lever thing on the air-intake? Goes up-down, has chinese writing, and my engine won't go if the lever is up. Maybe the choke? Am i supposed to do anything with it?

It was def. worth the wait though. I got it working and just rode around town for about 4 hours enjoying it.
 
Sounds like you may be loosing more fuel than your burning. Is it leaking while engine is not running ? Has your gas mileage normalized with the second or third tank ? On my mountain bike, fuel leaks if I forget to close the fuel valve while not running the engine.

That lever is the choke. Up position(full choke) to start engine, then slowly slide it down as engine warms.

I'll assume things are improving for you if you rode it for four hours.

You could also replace the whitewalls with black, and just forget the rubbing. Or a narrower tire.
In my case, I purchased a 36t sprocket from Andy in Chville, and the thickness and design locates the teeth perfectly, so they just won't touch the sidewalls of the tire.
His sprockets are beautiful. His ad is on the left side of this page (King's S +S, not to be confused with King's motorbikes)
I had the toothgrinding too. I found that like every other tooth on the engine sprocket were too big to accommadate the chain. I grinded each tooth, and after they fitted, but tightly, I rode the sucker for about ten miles, and no more problem. Very smooth now, except for the master link that does seem to rub the side of the idler slightly. In time, wear will correct that too. I have a ball-bearing idler "in wait".

Either way, it sounds like you are figuring it out, and having a great time already.

- Al
 
Last edited:
I just put on the bb idler...at least it turns now! (I'm sure I just added back some of the power being robbed from a big bushing!)

That gas mileage sounds like a problem - some kind of leak for sure.

I'm getting more like 50-60 during break in (on my 4th tank, and I weigh 220lbs) - riding on flat roads avg. 20mph.

Alan - with the 36t sprocket, doesn't it bog down hard at low rpm's? How fast do you normally ride with this sprocket?

Thanks,
Mark
 
I know that this thread has been quiet for a while but I wanted to put my 2 cents worth in. I have decided to get me a moon dog bike too! I was going to get a point beach cruiser but that's an extra $30 and I'm trying to cut every corner I can 'cause I'm saving up my pennies to get me a ride.

I love the Kulana. I love the orange and black look. I think it's kewl! Can't wait until I get everything (will take a few months) and start working on my bike. So far, the best price I can find on a Happy Time is from Dax. I can get a 70cc shipped for $218. That's about the best I have seen and I have heard good things about him. I would appreciate any other (or extra) thoughts about it.

Thanks for having this thread. I have been reading and re-reading it trying to learn the ups and and downs of installing a engine kit on the moon dog. Seems like there are lots of little things to take into consideration. This all helps me a lot 'cause I'm new at this and not very mechanical. This will be a sink or swim method :). Luckily my next door neighbor is willing to help and he's good at working on stuff. He's a welder by trade.

Anyway, glad to see so many people using the moon dog as their bike to motorize. I love all the pictures. Thanks for those everyone. They all look great. That's one bike where the black gas tank really looks good.

Have a great one everybody. Thanks for all the great posts about the moon dog. Post some more! I would love it :).

-cd-
 
Last edited:
Back
Top