I completed a bike trip without breaking down

"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
08/22/2018 at 09:30 • Filed to: tooty scooty

I am as surprised as you are. Trust me. Actually I am downright shocked, but also so very happy.

Last night (Tuesday) I started with adjusting the motor drive chain. When I first installed it on the bike , we were about 2mm from being able to take the next link out, so I started with a ton of slop in the chain. I was running two chain tensioners, so this wasn’t a big deal, however the rear tensioner kept getting out of adjustment, because it is garbage, and the front, spring loaded, tensioner kept interfering with the pedals and fenders. Sigh. ANYWAY, after 25 miles I figure the chain had stretched enough to take a like out and BOY HAD IT. In fact I took two out with room to spare.

The upshot of this is I was able to delete the rear tensioner and just run the spring loaded one! Hooray!

Next I adjusted the carburetor. I had long suspected it was running super rich, mostly because the choke didn’t seem to do anything (it starts fine without the choke) and occasionally makes noise that sounds like “four stroking” at random throttle levels. To adjust the mix on the NT carb, you remove the throttle cable and adjust a c-clip which, apparently, makes it run leaner for reasons I don’t fully understand.

I took it out for a spin and the thing drove so much quieter for lack of the rear tensioner, though the front tensioner is still stuck between a rock and a hard place, and the choke was actually like... useful. So... success?

I’d mentioned in a previous post that I’d been persuaded by a concerned Oppo to drop $100+ on a new front wheel with machined sidewalls that were actually meant to be used with brakes. Having done so, the new wheel was in so I swapped the tire and tube over. I am happy to say...

...it is quite a bit worse. I mean the wobble from the terrible factory wheel is gone, but the brakes aren’t biting on the new wheel nearly as well as they were on the old. I still recognize the new one is superior, so I am going to guess either it needs cleaned, needs broken in, or the pads on contaminated. New pads are en route and I’ll give the rim a good cleaning (heyo) before I swap the new ones in.

After that I was going to take the angle grinder to the fender to better accommodate the tensioner and chain... but I couldn’t find it. It is probably hanging out with my 10mm socket.

Instead I took the Scoot out for a short ride to test the new wheel. And by “short” I mean “the weather was divine and it turned into a 5 mile jaunt where I never wanted to come home”. Say what you will about this thing, but it can eat the miles up... when it isn’t breaking down...

... which it...

DIDN’T!

It was AMAZING! I can see why (real) motorcyclists dig this. I wanted to scoot and keep scooting until I ran out of road or gas... and then keep going!

So yeah... I’m hooked. I’m very excited for George to get his going and this being a new thing for getting from A to B (because clearly when you have six cars to choose from adding bikes to the mix seems reasonable).

Sidenote: I was digging through all the crap the came with George’s bike and discovered that his rear light came with...

...FRICKIN LASER BEAMS.

So jelly.

Dog B not sure why daddy is taking pictures of him, for your time.

DISCUSSION (12)

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 09:46

me finks youll be wanting somekinda chainguard before that things eats your shoelaces

bad enuff when regular non powered bikes do that

(im just looking out for meself here... dont wanna see a post about how tooty scooty ate your footy)

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
08/22/2018 at 09:49

Luckily it came with one, I just need to saw it up with the angle grinder to make it fit the frame. But you’re right, I should go ahead and fit it.

Sovande > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 09:53

How much for the dog?

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 09:54

whew thats a relief

seen what happens when clothes get caught in powered chains..... not pretty

(thankfully the safety nannys running rampant in workplaces made that stuff a lot less common)

Censored > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 10:01

What brake pads did you go with? Koolstop makes some great pads for all kinds of bikes and they make a specific line for motorized bikes. You can find them on amazon and they aren’t terribly expensive. I switched my road bike over from just shimano pads recently and the braking performance is significantly greater.

http://www.koolstop.com/english/compounds.html

TheRealBicycleBuck > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 10:18

Chains don’t stretch. They wear. Yeah, everyone calls it stretch, but that’s not what’s happening. The pins and bushings wear out and there’s usually corresponding wear on the chainring teeth. If there was enough wear in 25 miles to get 2mm wear, then you could have a serious problem. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chain-wear.html

I would start with a good cleaning. There are lots of ways to do this, but the general idea is to get grit out of the chain and fill the spaces between the pins and bushings with lube. Some people swear by the wax-based lubes, others depend on oil. Just don’t mix the two lubes. That creates and unbelievable mess.

I like to take the chain off the bike and put it in a plastic coke bottle with some simple green. Then shake it around for a while, pour out the simple green, and repeat until the cleaner stays clean after shaking the bottle. Take it out and let it drip dry. Then re-lube it. Again, I like to let the chain soak in a bottle of lube so that the lube penetrates all the way inside the moving parts. Take it out, let it drip, then wipe it down with some rags to get the excess off. After that, you can apply lube as needed.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

Takuro Spirit > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 10:28

Do not mind my personal rant, but when did this sort of ‘English’ enter current vernacular? I first started seeing it on Craigslist (engine needs rebuilt , a/c needs recharged) and noted the lack of ‘to be’ starting to become a fad of sorts.

Then I saw it here while reading through your otherwise well written and informative interesting post:

it needs cleaned, needs broken in

Its incorrect and it bothers me.

Don’t take it personally, I have been following this build and find it really neat.

I just wanted to ask about the ‘to be’ thing missing.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Sovande
08/22/2018 at 12:12

You haven’t seen how much he eats. I might pay you.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Takuro Spirit
08/22/2018 at 12:13

Haha I understand. I’m not sure where dropping the “to be” came from, but it is going to bug me from now on and I have you to “thank” for that. I blame the British?

Takuro Spirit > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/22/2018 at 12:14

When in doubt, ALWAYS blame the British.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Censored
08/22/2018 at 12:26

I went with both haha. I bought some Kool Stops off Amazon but they were shockingly expensive ($20/ pair) so I also picked,up 3 pairs of convention at $3/pair.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/22/2018 at 16:53

Well crap. I’d heard the chain that comes with the kit I purchased was... less than ideal. I guess I’ll get a replacement on order. If 2mm of “stretch” over 25 miles seems like a lot, I can’t imagine having to remove two full links seems reasonable.