33cc of raw power

Right... however the bike runs like a champ. It was the flex shaft of the drop/lift rod that caused all my problems. Now that I have that solved the bike runs soooo much better. I rode it on the short test track, the longer test track, the test track to see if I could go to the home depot, and finally down to the auto parts and grocery store. I pronounce the 33cc bike usable for errands.

Tomorrow I'm going to take the 42cc on the same route and out to the lake as well. The last time I took the 42cc there it was with mixed results lets see how it does this time.

I got it done

I switched out the lever and I got a chance to try it out and that things is all it needed. I can run the whole course wot now. not that I like that much speed but it stays pulling the whole time.

The CS42 bike and me

I have been riding this bike all day. First of all nothing will stick to that drive wheel. At least nothing I have tried so far.

Secondly I am having pulling issues with it but I think I have it figured out. I will fix it later today. I am pretty sure that it is the pull lever for the friction clutch. I think the bar is too flexible for the hand lever to work without lifting the engine slightly off the wheel. That causes it to slip. I will know for sure after I put the better lift bar.

Other than that is has been a rather fun day. I rode the 42cs bike all over the place. I think it needs a new plug and i just might have one laying around out back. I'm going to take a look if not, I'll ride down tomorrow and buy one.

Undo what I undid..

I got the bikes back to where they were on friday. I rode the mall and found the drive wheels came apart while I was riding. I also got a bad feeling about the small chainsaw bike. I pulled the engine tonight and remounted it. I feel better about it now.

Tomorrow I have to reinstall the clutch cable action. I set the bar differently and now the clutch won't work right I may break down tomorrow and install the new clutch rod.

well I did grunt work on the bike today. It cleared just enough for me to get into trouble. I switched tires on the front of the small chainsaw bike because I was bored. Turns out it was a mistake. I'm going to change them back again tomorrow I think. I might let them run a few days before I change the front wheel back to a large one. Im going to have to take a hard look at everything thing tomorrow when I am not so worn out.

rain rain go away

There is a storm off the coast of NC so I have rain. Well at least it stopped everyone from talking about this huge drought we were in for a year. Of course two weeks and they will be talking again. It's called climate change people learn to deal with it. Time to stop watering your damn lawns and let them be what nature intends for them to be whatever that is. If you feel the need to wash your car go to a car wash that reuses the same water over an over.

I expect that I will come up with little things that need doing today. I did that most all day yesterday. No project to fill my time but little ones now and then.

I think John McCain would be a good bike builder. He sees a problem he has the compulsive need to try to fix it. I mean the economy thing that has him in Washington instead of out beating up on Obama. Oh well enough politics.

thursdays test rides

One of the bikes lasted just few minutes with the new covers for the wheel. The other one did better. That one had jb weld original recipe. I let it cure over night.

I got some new directions for applying the jb weld and sand so maybe I'll pick up the stuff to make it tomorrow. It's supposed to rain this weekend so I might just be able to make some up and try it. Frankly I have more faith in the sandpaper and gorilla glue. However if the jb works better I'll use that.

The 42cc skips even with a better cover on the drive wheel. I think it is probably too much engine for friction drive.

One thing I need to turn my mind to is the way the coaster brake lever is secured to the frame. Frankly it is a pain it the butt to change the tires on a coaster brake wheel only because the lever is so much trouble to take off and on. I'm thinking it might be time to change the way that hooks up. Right now I'm thinking take a large pipe clamp cut it in half. Bend the cut ends back and drill a hole in them. then attach one to each side of the coaster brake lever. That way I would have the open ends on top of the brake lever which would be a hundred times easier to work with. When I change out the tires next time I'm going to do that.

Wednesday lunch

I have already ridden my front wheel drive and love it more every time I do. As for the other two bikes, I'm trying to work on the drive wheels today. I am going to get them smooth first with a light dusting of salt. I coated them thinly with jb weld. I'm going to let it cure then ride the bikes first chance I get. If it rubs off thats fine since I mostly want them smooth for the coat of gorilla glue and sandpaper. If they work well enough with just the jb and salt that's fine too.

monday bloody monday..

I rode and adjusted bikes all day today. I even did some testing I should have done before. I compared a smooth tire to a slightly large tread tire and found no real difference. I compare large wheels and smaller wheels and found I think the small wheel climbs better but the larger wheel has more speed and I dont mean drive wheel I mean bike wheels.

I also rode the big chainsaw bike all over the neighborhood. I must have gone at least 15miles today. I have been gone off and on all day on one bike or the other.

I think tomorrow I'll take the big chainsaw bike to the late. At least I will head that way and see how it goes. I can always turn around and come home.

Sunday night

I got the bikes finished. I even got the suicide clutch worked out for the big chainsaw bike. I don't know what else to call it. It has the larges engine of any of my bikes and it is on the big huffy good vibrations frame. I will probably modify the clutch system some.

I have the full suspension bike rigged with the front mount engine but I'm not happy with the clutch system on it either. Tomorrow I'll have to take a look at those things.

I rode both of them and the small chainsaw bike as well. I really do like those bikes better than the china bike. I almost never ride it any more. I might put it on craig's list.

can I get a lift

Today I have to figure out how to lift the engine on the new 42cc chainsaw bike. I think it is going to have to be a cable lift system. The angle on the engine is downward so I have to pick it up from a dropped position. It will be either a cable or a lift lever like the one of the 33cc bike but I don't have any more of that tubing. Most likely it will be cable with my kind of lever not a brake lever.

Then I have to set the controls. Also add a front brake. These bikes aren't like the front brake ones. I have less faith in the ability of the engine drag to stop them. But they all are low enough now to do an emergency foot drag without a problem.

bike musical motors

Today I just got sick of trying to make that suspension bike work. I took the chainsaw motor off it. I hacksawed all the parts that were in the way, then I removed some pieces from the front suspension fork. I drilled a couple of holes in it as well. I'm going to try to mount the 31cc weed whacker motor on it. If I am sucessful, I am going to move the chainsaw motor to the old huffy frame I have. That is after I paint it flat black to match the 33 chainsaw bike.

That full suspension is a nice bike to ride but miserable to try to hang a motor on. Im not sure that even the front wheel drive will work on it. If it doesn't I am really going to be upset.

bored now

I cut the grass and finished the trailer now I'm bored. I have a new sandpaper wrapper trying on my 33cc chainsaw bike. Im going to give it several days to cure this time. Last time it flew right off. That bike needs the increased friction of the sandpaper cover. I think it will be a good ride when that is finished.

I took it to the mall today and it runs really well, it just needs the better friction grip.

Sears gone bikeless

It seems sears has shipped all it's bike accessories to Kmart. If you want to buy anything you can buy it from sears on line and they will ship it to the store for you. At least that is how it is here. Since I can bike over to the sears store I plan to do that.

the trailer is underway I need to cut the grass as well as finish it today.

Plans for thursday.

I plan to ride to sears tomorrow to look for bike stuff. It is not too far away from my house.

Then I plan to work on a trailer. Not exactly a big day.

It's my choice

How I spend my time and money. I had a row on the bike forum a few months ago because one of the dealers and I disagreed. He was of the opinion that everybody should own a whizzer and nothing else. I was of the opinion that one size does not fit all. So in the end the owner asked me to leave him alone and I suppose he asked the dealer to tone down his comments.

I did back off simply because I don't really care what other people do. What I do care about is that they not try to talk down to other people. At that time I didn't have this part of my blog so I made my case on that forum. I suppose I just have to have my say somewhere.

I am trying to keep it civil over there because I generally like most of the people on that forum. Here I don't have to keep it civil. I am allowed to be be a son of a bitch because this is MY space to voice MY opinion.

So here goes.

There have been friction drive bikes for as long as I can remember. Yes they are less efficient than gears and belts. They have some drawback but mostly it has to do with weather and tire wear issues. I can live with those issues because they are a trade off. Riding in the rain, I wouldn't do that anyway. Tire wear is preferable to me to replacing spokes and wheels because of chain damage.

I don't want to buy a 2,000 dollar bike and I don't want to build another kit bike. I am perfectly happy with my home brew bikes. I resent people telling me that they have the right system and everything else is trash lol.

The bikes I build are easy to build, easy to maintain, easy to change out parts on. I have shaken a couple of engines apart because I didn't have them tightened up. That makes me stupid. I have not worn out an engine just because it was friction drive. I hear a lot more stories about damaged china kits than I do about my kind of bike.

We are running thirty dollar used engines here, we can afford to replace them now and then. I really don't like being talked down to by anyone and that is how it seemed to me. Probably the most knowledgeable man I know on small engines never talked to me like that, even when I was starting out and made the most awful mistakes.

Okay I have vented.

Yesterday was tuesday

It rained all day yesterday so I did nothing but vegetate. Today I think I am going to try to find out why my engine bogs down on the WW bike. Seems like as good a thing as any to do today.

I still think it is the fuel filter so I am going to nip it off then run the bike without one for a mile. If that is the problem then I will pick up a new one when I go tto the home depot or auto parts store. If not I'll put it back and try something else. I can not see it being the carb since it does it sporadically.

The end of monday

Well I didn't work on the trailer after all. I reinstalled the engine on the 42 bike. I think I have it now so that I can pedal it without any real pain. the throttle works backwards from the 33 bike. Now that could cause me a problem but I'll work it out Im sure.

I broke my ebay/forum camera today. I suppose I will have to pick up another one. I think becky wants one she can shoot pictures of the kids with. I just want one to shoot ebay and shots for the bike forum with. I will have to see what is what.

monday noon

I rode three of my four bikes today. I had forgotten the problem with the WW bike. It bogs down for no apparent reason. I am going to try a new fuel filter before I ride it again.

The 33cc and the 42cc bikes were great fun to ride. I need a new chain breaker but otherwise everything is working pretty well. It looks like I might be able to put a little time in working on the trailer if I want to. I'm not sure that I do.

Oh I did switch out the handlebar on the 42cc bike. I might just make a picture of that this afternoon.

Monday morning again.

Today the work on the bike should be minimal. Mostly my plan is to ride it. Actually I need to ride all of them today. I did ride the china bike last week down to buy some parts at th store. I haven't cranked the WW or the small chainsaw bike in a week. I think I will ride the big chainsaw bike a few times then take the others out for a couple of miles on the test track.

My test track is screwed up thought.I have never described the short test track so let me do that so you get an idea how it goes. I have one block of flat run in which I can build just a little speed. Then I have a moderately steep hill, I usually have to pedal varying mounts depending on the bike. Also the difficulty depends on the bike.

Then there is a stop sign (which I usually run) and long downhill run. Then there is another moderate incline about the same length as the first hill. I can usually get up it with just a little pedals on the 30ish bikes. the forty eats it up.

Then comes a short slight incline before I turn the bike around in the road and head back.

The reverse run give me a slight decline to build speed, then a short moderate decline to build even more speed before I go into the long moderate incline. The incline lasts for more than a city block. The 30ish bikes run out of steam about 3/4 of the way up and need a little help. Not much just a little. The 42cc eats the hill up and is still accelerating when I reach the end.

For the short track I made a left turn and go one block down a moderate hill, then I turn right and the track is one block to the end. At that point I life the motor and pedal a half block on the sidewalk to my house.

The problem now is that the City has laid a six inch (guess) flex line from the fire hydrant across the road at the end of my first block of the track. They covered it with dirt or some low grade asphalt to keep cars from ruining the flex line. It is temp I know but it has really screwed up my track.

I can go out on a major road in front of my house and avoid that stretch, but I have to really pick my times to ride to stay away from the traffic when I start out on a new bike. So for the next couple of days, it is going to be ride between the traffic I guess.

Even so I need to ride all three of my homebrew bikes.

Sunday night

Well this is the first time in a while that I have gone to bed with nothing on my mind to fix on the chainsaw bike. I think I have it all done and redone. Now it should be just a matter of riding the bike and getting used to the controls.

A couple of days and I will be looking for a new project. I'm thinking trailer to carry groceries. Not that I do any grocery shopping. It would just be cool to have one. I have some old trailers from back in my electro days. I think I can just update one of those.

Almost finished

Well chainsaw2 (the second story) is pretty much done. I just need to test ride it a few times to get used to the controls. It's a pretty cool bike.

Sunday Morning coming down.

Wll it's Sunday again and I still don't have the chainsaw two ready to go. The hold up is that bike frame. Well that and the clutch configuration. Today's trick is to try to use all that conduit I have laying about now. I'm going to try it as the clutch rod.

another step backward day.

I have to redo that clutch again. I did rebuild the engine frame again. I can't get the throttle adjusted till I get the clutch set. It's a nightmare lol. When it ends I will be bored though so I will enjoy the nightmare.

things to buy

I need three or four feet of small chain for the clutch cable. I think it will stay in adjustment better than the cable and look cool. I need a new turnbuckle or two. The ones I have are too small and I lost my big one. I don't think I had any tension on it so it just popped off taking the spring with it.

Oh yeah I need a small slight tension spring as well, and some 1/4 bolts.

I also need to file the head of my friction lock bolt a bit to make it easier to slide the lever over. If I get that done today I will be thrilled. Most likely I wont.

Friday night

As is usually the case after the initial test ride I rethink bits and pieces. I need to reinstall the engine mount. Not a major reinstall just a minor one. Should take mo more than fifteen minutes. That being the case it will take me two hours.

I also should put a spring return on the throttle cable. I don't have to but it would make life a little easier. That improvement I can do anytime in a few minutes. Those to thing along with tightening the spokes on both wheels and it will be good to go.

Oh yes I also want to do a start lockup. Something that won't lock it up so high. If it isn't up so high the throttle cable with work I think. I do need to do a clutch lockup but not to start it.

the best laid plans ect

Well I decided that I could not wait any longer for the weather. I tried to pedal the bike just to see how that went and found the I scraped both my ankles. the motor mount was too close.

So I moved the motor mount. Still did it. I added a 1" piece of wood to raise the mount. Still did it. I changed the crankset for a smaller one and it barely misses now.

I readjusted the clutch and throttle then on a whim I started the engine and took off. I didn't even wear my helmet or fill the tank, I just took off on a one mile test track ride. The controls are different so I'm a little uncoordinated on them right now, but the bike is a winner.

The 42cc engine climbs every hill on the test track with ease. No people power needed at all. It actually runs out strong on the hills not a single whine from it. This is from an engine that is pretty much worn out.

Will Mother Nature Cooperate

The bike is finished and I'm ready to ride, now the rain will hold off and the road dry up, I'm gonna give it a shot.

Thursday afternoon

I got the bike's clutch lock done. I actually worked pretty much like I thought it would. That doesn't happen often.

I remembered something from one of my old junior high classes. If you place the fulcrum on a lever in different places it will make the lift easier. Ie atlas and give me a lever and a place to stand and I'll lift the world. I move the pivot point of mey clutch and it works so much better that the friction lock works really well.

Thursday bloody Thursday.

Still raining so I'm going to work on the clutch lock today. I have a half assed idea.

I'm going to drill a hole in the frame. A small one going through only one side of the pipe. I'm going to put in a screw through that one side. I think I will even mix up a little epoxy for the head so that it won't get loose. That should work as a clutch lock. I can put enough washers on the clutch leaver to make it line up so that it will either slide over or lock on the head of the screw depending on how much force I put on it. I have to be able to lock it up for stop lights and release it after I get the bike moving.

Starting a friction drive from a dead stop has to be really bard on tires, even if you could make it work. My balance is bad enough that I can't start it with less than two hands on the handle bars. Three would be better but the monkey refuses to ride with me.

rainy days and wednesdays

]

WEll believe it or not I got something done on the chainsaw sequel bike. I switched from the lever suicide clutch to a cable and big assed lever clutch. Now I need to work out a way to lock it down. It will come I'm sure.

I also took time to change the mount a some. It was too close to the bike and too shaky. I think I fixed that. I can't test ride it till the weekend it seems. Too much rain.

For the next two days I'm going to try to work out the lock for the clutch. If you have any ideals let me know.

wednesday morning

I am going to try again to make that clutch work. The problem is the full suspension bike. But alas I own it and am really wanting to try it as a ride. So it's make the clutch and the throttle work somehow.

wasted days and wasted nights

I worked on the 42cc chainsaw bike today. Again nothing went right with the clutch. i finally gave up and went to the home depot and bought a ten foot piece of conduit to make the lever. When I got back I spent at least an hour adjusting the brake lever cable that I planned to use to work the clutch. Finally after at least and hour I had it close enough to try riding it without the engine.

I learned that on a full suspension bike when you plot your butt down the relationship between the engine and the handlebars change. All the cable were out of whack. I decided to go with the pure suicide clutch. At least that is my thinking at the moment.

Not sure about the throttle cable but I expect it will need adjusting as well.

I also discovered had a lot of pulls on the recoil starter with no luck that the rope on the drive wheel works a hundred times better. One pull and it fired right up. Tomorrow the recoil starter goes in the trash.

Tuesday

Today I want to finish the clutch and the hinges. I would like to ride it today as well but it's supposed to rain off and on. Probably enough to keep the road wet. That is death on friction drive.

a different start

I usually start my day by writing in this blog and posting a bit of a novel in my other blog. Today I slept late and went right to work. I ran around in circles and ended up no farther along on my bike than I was last night really. Well tomorrow is another day. The big problem now is to find a way to make the gravity clutch work.

Sunday night

Well i rode the bike several times. I also rode the chainsaw bike. I think the mtb bike might just need to be run to clean up the gar lines or open up the tank I don't know It might be something wrong in the gas tank. Just have to stay at it till i figure it out. The bike runs good enough so that I want to fix it.

tomorrow I'm going to start on the 42cc chainsaw bike again. I'm almost finished with it. Well I'm never really finished with one. I will be able to ride it tomorrow or the next day.

I also have to cut the grass tomorrow a project a lot less fun than working on bikes.

sunday morning 2

Well I had a couple of problems today. The mtb leaks gas at the fuel lines. I think I managed to fix the problem for now it wont last though. Then there is the bog down problem. I have no idea what is causing that it just seems to bog down for no reason. oh well i'm going to ride it again in a few minutes.

The sandpaper drive covering seems to actually work pretty darn well. It will take at least a few weeks to make a final decision but it seems to be doing well for now.

Sunday morning

No building today. I'm going to test ride the mtb today. The neighbor gave me an industrial sanding belt so I used some gorilla glue to attach it to the drive wheel. I wanted to test it so today is as good a day as any.

It's also be nice to the kids day. Ie grandparent's day.

Oh yeah I rolled out of bed this morning. NO no I mean I litterally rolled off the bed in my sleep. Spacial memory is shot it's why I don't drive a car any more than is absolutely necessary. In the last three months I drove two miles to pick up a couple of tires. I would have taken the bike if I trusted the trailers. I need to test those as well. I need at least one trailer I trust to do that kind of chore.

Saturday afternoon

Well i got a lot done on the bike. I am at the point now that I can't go any further without the drive wheel. If I did, i would have to undo it later I expect. without the wheel I won't know the exact position of the motor. Without that the throttle cable will be adjusted wrong. I have it installed and will adjust it when the motor is set. Clutch rod is installed but I will need to adjust it and add a bit to the end to get the cable angle correct.

Come saturday morning.

Well the morning shopping is done. I will be starting on the chainsaw sequel bike this morning again. I have to change the tire first to get ride of that knobby. Then It's get the engine on the bike and hook up the controls. If I can do all that, it's just a matter of waiting for my neighbor to finish welding the drive wheel.

friday afternoon

Friday is a short day in the shop. I need to shower and change. This is the night I take my wife to dinner. Afterwards we go to wallymart for the coke and dog food run.

Just to give you an idea of how much I got done today.

I finished the moving of the engine from the bikester to the mtb bike yesterday but the bike wouldn't run. I tried to adjust the carb on the bike but I had other things I wanted to do, so I swithed it out for the carb from the new bolens I ruined. It took off and ran like a dream. So that is now a working bike.

I cut down the case on the chainsaw 42cc engine. Took the clutch off with a sledge hammer and pry bar. Finished the motor mount and got it installed onto the motor. I think that is enough for a short day in the shop.

Well off to the shower for me.

Friday morning

I have two bikes underway. Well one is wrapping up and one mostly in the thought stage at the moment.

Today I want to adjust or change out the carb on the ryobi mtb. I want to give it a good try to make it run right today. If not I'm going to put it aside anyway to work on the 42cc chainsaw.

The 42cc is the one I'm most curious about. WE are expecting rain from a hurricane off the coast. I'm far enough inland that it will just be an inch or so they say. Just enough to keep me indoors. I like to work on the bikes just outside the back door. Sunlight makes my eyes work a lot better.

By the way I have been surprised how many of the how to direction sets I have sold. Not a huge amount but more than I thought. In the first week I have averaged one a day. I'll never make the new york times best seller list, but it's a few more bikers I hope.

feast or famine

Well I'm still happily trouble shooting the mtb with the 31cc ryobi on it. It appears the carb needs adjusting. It runs great at half choke but not at all on no choke. I'm going to give adjusting it a shot, but I have the almost new bolens with the exact setup that runs great. I might just switch out the carbs if It doesn't just adjust easily.

Also the 42cc chainsaw arrived. It started up but when I spun it after I let it cool down, it really spins easily. I expect the compression is down. Since I'm running friction with it, the compression might be enough. I have to mount it and put it on a bike. I decided to take the afternoon off. I'm not riding or building this afternoon. I am goofing off.

the mtb almost runs again.

I got the engine switched over of course it runs like crap. I am going to have to do a lot more work on it but what the heck it is on the bike that was a big part of it. Im going to go ride the chain saw lol.

by the way if you are like me you may find the battery in your car dead. I haven't driven my car in so long the battery was dead yesterday. I'm charging it now. I guess I really have gone totally bike.

I built it

the smaller bike and test rode it twice. I really am sorry to say for me it is a failure. Oh it runs and it does everything it should do, but it is too small for me. I bang my knees on the handlebars. There are some small problems I could work out but why bother, since it is just too small for me to ride.

I'm going to switch everything over to the mtb tomorrow.

Look out behind me

I made a sudden right turn today. Not not on a bike but about one.

I decided to build a new style rather than rebuild the mtb... I have it in the shop but I went out and bought a 20" kids bike. I am going to turn it into a small motorized bike but with a good sized engine. It is almost finished. I am calling it a bikester. It seems to fit since it isn't a full sized motor bike. It is less threatening I think.

If there is a God

Please let one of my engines show up today. I am bored out of my mind. I did figure out some cost saving material yesterday. I am going to be using fence tension bars as my braces from now on. It is much less expensive and should be easy enough to work with.

I switched out the throttle cable last night so I finally got around to trying the chainsaw bike. It had a full throttle now and I could get up the big hills pretty easily. I'm looking forward to the two new engines coming. They should be interesting to compare to the chainsaw bike. I'm really anxious to work on them.

whose the better man

I have been hearing a lot about the elections. People are unhappy with the way the country is headed. The war is winding down, but that doesn't seem to calm them. The housing market went all to hell but it will come back with some tinkering. I know if you are one of those poor devils who got talked into buying more house than you could afford, it may come too late. I am truly sorry someone didn't give you better advice, but in the final analysis it on you man.

So now we have Obama and McCain on the ticket I ask myself who is the better man. In the end when all the chips are down that's what it comes down to. I think the answer is clear.

On one side you have a great speech writer/wimp and a slick politician. A politician who has to even twist the circumstances of his family's death for political gain. On the other you have a great American hero and a governor who knew in advance her child was going to have Down's syndrome and had the child anyway. I'm not that pro life myself, but you have to respect her for what she did.

As Hilary Clinton asked, "Who would you want on the phone at three A.M.?

No it has nothing to do with Motorbikes, except that it takes balls or the equivalent in women, whatever that is, to ride these bikes. I can't believe that any self respecting biker (even motor bicycler) would vote for a wimp anytime. Hell people the Governor of Alaska is a better man than Obama. As the Saturday Night Live skit said he needs to 'MAN UP'.

Oh, I will still be a proud American (unlike his wife) even if he wins. What will be equally bad is that we are headed for a congressional super majority and a democratic president. Together they can do the country a lot of damage. This country will weather it. We always have, but undoing the damage may take my grandson's lifetime.

That is the downside, the upside is I, most likely, won't be around to pay the tab.