Velosolex Build

[GW's Motorized]

I was thinking of a box lined with a trash bag. My 5Star has a couple slightly rust stays, I could probably polish them 0000 steel wool and Autosol.

I would just stop by the store and spend the money for a container to do it in.

 

[Cannonball3]

Probably a plastic tray of some sort. It will have to be deep enough to have enough fluid for the anode and cathode
to be submerged in. You realize you have to make the nickel solution by transferring nickel into the salt/vinegar solution right? Takes a few hours, I just let mine run over night. Had nice plating fluid then.

 

[Cannonball3]

Here the VS motor I rebuilt 12 years ago. Its an interesting design. Basically the engine is on the left. Has a very long one sided crank that passes thru the roller to a clutch and dynamo on the right side. The roller has a clutch drum that is driven once the clutch is engaged. The clutch has fingers that engage so as to allow pedal starting that retract centrifugally to allow idling below clutch engagement. The carb is equally unusual, its fed by a pulse pump that feeds a well holding fuel that then over flows via a line back to the tank. Constant recirculation. The fuel tank and fan cover are not installed.

The big lever is the throttle, mid size the choke, and small is the compression release. The valve cover looking thing
is the air filter. The carb can be set up two ways with the throttle. Return to idle like normal, throttle up, or run wide open constantly, with throttle lever extended and pulled in for idle. I have run it both ways and WOT with pull in for idle makes more sense. There are really only two controls, compression release, and throttle.

The bike in the pic is my 24” Micargi with the Chinese Hongdu clone. Thats a whole nother story! Gives and idea of the assembled engine.

 

[Cannonball3]

Continuing with the madness, the last few days have been spent tediously stripping the parts to bare metal.
Finally the priming/painting can begin. Some of the rustiest were treated with ospho.

Here are the frame parts laid out. I still dont see the logic when brazed/welded bike frames were around forever.
Anyway I guess it is what make one of these unique.
The black kick stand assembly is the key component. The entire frame builds off of it. The parts in it are nickel plated.
I was amazed the rusty spring cleaned and plated so well.

 

[Cannonball3]

Was sorting thru parts to put in storage and was looking at a spare engine in parts. Its well designed, makes up for the frame. It has a 40mm stroke and a 38mm bore. The engine can be fully rebuilt with out the case being removed from the frame. The crank runs in 2ball bearings one on the engine side, the other on the other side of the wheel in the magneto. The crank has a replaceable wear sleeve on its journal. I really like interesting old engines.
These were noted for longevity and reliability give proper care.

 

[JunkyardDog]

I have a Solex I built out of a lot of different parts, including a lot of new/reproduction parts. It took me a couple of years to build it. I had help from a guy named Brian Colter, also known as Briansolex. He is the foremost Solex expert in the U.S. I have had a lot of pedal mopeds (like Puch, Tomos, Peugeot, Motobecane, etc.) and met him about 20 years ago on the Moped Army forum. He has a site where he sells a lot of Solex parts.

The front brakes are indeed a nightmare. I had to make a panic stop shortly after finishing the bike, and it turned the front caliper into a pretzel. It's a ridiculous design, but I haven't figured out how to install a proper bicycle brake on it yet. I just replaced the whole assembly, and am very careful with it. Using the decompression lever and dragging your feet on the ground will stop you faster.

 

[DAMIEN1307]

dragging your feet on the ground will stop you faster.

Yep...lol...Fred Flinstone style of braking...lol.




This guy below was trying to copy Freds way of stopping...Didn't work out so well for him though...lol.

 

[GW's Motorized]

I have a Solex I built out of a lot of different parts, including a lot of new/reproduction parts. It took me a couple of years to build it. I had help from a guy named Brian Colter, also known as Briansolex. He is the foremost Solex expert in the U.S. I have had a lot of pedal mopeds (like Puch, Tomos, Peugeot, Motobecane, etc.) and met him about 20 years ago on the Moped Army forum. He has a site where he sells a lot of Solex parts.

The front brakes are indeed a nightmare. I had to make a panic stop shortly after finishing the bike, and it turned the front caliper into a pretzel. It's a ridiculous design, but I haven't figured out how to install a proper bicycle brake on it yet. I just replaced the whole assembly, and am very careful with it. Using the decompression lever and dragging your feet on the ground will stop you faster.

I'd assume one could re lace the front wheel with a drum brake hub.

 

[Cannonball3]

Thats a beautiful build! I hope mine will be there one day soon. I bought stuff from Brian right after I got my project.
I just contacted a place in Holland that have the last remaining parts I need and a few I dont but want. They will ship to the US.
I live in the flats so brakes are not as much of an issue as in a hilly area. The coaster brake on the Hongdu Solex has been sufficient. Im hoping the rear drum will do. The Velo has pretty good engine braking also.

I was looking at the brace behind the fork that holds the fenderI believe, thinking it might be used to hold a set of side pull brakes? I havent gotten that far yet so it may not be possible. Ive yet to ride a Velo but the little 24” Micargi/ Hongdu bike has been a hoot.

 

[GW's Motorized]

Thats a beautiful build! I hope mine will be there one day soon. I bought stuff from Brian right after I got my project.
I just contacted a place in Holland that have the last remaining parts I need and a few I dont but want. They will ship to the US.
I live in the flats so brakes are not as much of an issue as in a hilly area. The coaster brake on the Hongdu Solex has been sufficient. Im hoping the rear drum will do. The Velo has pretty good engine braking also.

I was looking at the brace behind the fork that holds the fenderI believe, thinking it might be used to hold a set of side pull brakes? I havent gotten that far yet so it may not be possible. Ive yet to ride a Velo but the little 24” Micargi/ Hongdu bike has been a hoot.

The rim walls look too short to rig up a rim brake