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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #100 on: August 26, 2007, 02:02:31 am » |
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I just need to figure out which one I like best. I prefer the color of copper, but brass would be more wear-friendly. Also, if I did copper, it might look like I plundered someone's pots and pans or plumbing.
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Dedicated to the destruction and repair of objects in the name of curiosity.
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oskila
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« Reply #101 on: August 26, 2007, 02:17:41 am » |
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I doubt that it will look like pots and pans even if highly polished. The plumbing bit is true though. Gots to keep it shiny  |
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Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco", which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars. (Emperor Norton I of the US, 1872)
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #102 on: August 30, 2007, 07:23:26 am » |
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YAY!
I got my license plate and tabs yesterday, which makes it street legal. I did a test run and got it up a steep hill with only minor pedaling.
Took it for a nice ride today, got the "worlds biggest chain and lock," and mounted an ammo can on the rear platform for cargo space. Tomorrow, I'll try to change the front tire and do final brake adjustments. I borescoped the original gas tank and it is in surprisingly good condition.
Now I just need lots of practice riding. And time to do all the modifications (probably during the rainy season).
Whew!
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Commander Obadiah
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« Reply #103 on: August 30, 2007, 07:32:53 am » |
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Welcome! Welcome to the religion of two wheels! Take it slow at first, but soon enough you'll be gunning for the ton. I can't wait to see you on the streets, madam!
Commander C. Obadiah
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The Steampunk code: 'To delicately dismantle the system from within, if it's not too much trouble'
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #104 on: August 30, 2007, 07:54:40 am » |
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I'll have to post a video for that, since you're on the opposite side of the planet! But I can make that happen.
Cheers!
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Commander Obadiah
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« Reply #105 on: August 30, 2007, 08:14:44 am » |
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Well a pictogram, cinematograph, wood cut, etc would do wonderfully. It is merely wonderful news that a new person has given up the evils of four-wheeled transportation in favour of the unbelievably superior two wheeled version. Kudos!
Commander C. Obadiah
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Outa_Spaceman
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« Reply #107 on: August 30, 2007, 04:56:57 pm » |
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Yeah... where's the pictures...?  |
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Dr. Zedock Addle
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« Reply #108 on: August 30, 2007, 10:27:02 pm » |
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Wow, looks like you,ve made a lot of progress!This project is pretty cool I must say!
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #109 on: August 31, 2007, 01:04:33 am » |
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Patience, you! I hope to post pix this weekend, though nothing exciting has happened appearance-wise. Maybe I'll shoot a little youtube video as well.
Also, thanks for the most excellent yahoo groups link, Mr. Bizzaro!
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #110 on: September 02, 2007, 10:03:40 am » |
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You know, mopeds run better when they have gasoline in them. As an aside, you can get the last of the gas out of the tank by switching over to reserve and blowing on the fill hole. Lots of crud comes out of the tank when you do this, but you get about a mile's worth of gas out of the tank and into the fuel line. Somewhere along the way home, your gas cap pops off, and rolls into the ditch. It is then found by a kind stranger. Then you have to pedal your ass the last four blocks home. It's exciting!
Today, I got gasoline, new oil, found some beat-up old vinyl paniers, a fantastic tractor seat, and a longer speedometer cable FREE! (pix pending) and went on a short ride. Lots of crud (one chunk about the size of a tadpole) in the gas line makes for slow riding. Tomorrow, I'll change my fuel filter out, and that should improve. I should be able to get some photos up also.
PTHTHT!
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Commander Obadiah
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« Reply #111 on: September 02, 2007, 11:28:27 am » |
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Here's a handy hint, one bi-wheeled velocipede pilot to another. If you've completely run out of fuel, even the reserve is gone, and there is nary a skerrick of gasoline in the engine, when you refuel let it sit a while with the pipes open to allow gas through, then turn on the choke and start it up until it's running smoothly. That's how I had to restart my dear old Rocketship, back in the day....
Commander C. Obadiah
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #112 on: September 02, 2007, 04:56:59 pm » |
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Yes! That works, plus lots of fast pedaling. Unfortunately, I'm a bit out of shape and have trouble getting up to proper speed. Also, because the bike has such an odd configuration of seat and pedals, my leverage is pathetic. The decompression cable doesn't seem to help much, and I'm always fighting the weight of the back end so that I don't drop the spinning rear wheel and go wheelying off into the street.
I'm used to my big three speed, on which I can generate a surprising amount of pedaling leverage. Sigh.
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skeletonrobot
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« Reply #113 on: September 02, 2007, 08:37:34 pm » |
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how hard is it to completely replace the headlight assembly? would it simply be re-wiring at the front end, or would i need to change things significantly from mageneto onward?
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #114 on: September 03, 2007, 06:15:49 pm » |
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I just made the light can you see a the beginning of this thread and wired it in. The ears that hold it on were after-market cheapo things that I had to modify to make them work. If you have the same number of wires on your original light as you do on your new light, just swap out the light. In the case of my moped, I have a lot of wiring, and most of the terminals reside in the light can. I just crammed all that stuff in there with the spedometer and it seems to work okay.
The problem for me was that the original light was a sealed beam lens with three terminals for high and low settings for the light. The new light is made of a VW blinker/running light socket, which could fit a two beam bulb, but there are no 2 beam 6V bulbs out there that fit the socket. So I wired it to be a one beam light. I need to see if I have it wired on the highest power output circuit one of these days.
Lights at night are critical out here. I'm a little scared about potholes (Seattle has bad streets) and have yet to ride this thing in the dark. Maybe later tonight I'll try it. I hope I can see where I'm going.
Good luck!
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oskila
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« Reply #115 on: September 03, 2007, 11:20:08 pm » |
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Lights at night are critical out here. I'm a little scared about potholes (Seattle has bad streets) and have yet to ride this thing in the dark. Maybe later tonight I'll try it. I hope I can see where I'm going.
Good luck!
Get the Moped Army to organize a community service day and buzz around in an area of reasonable size and fill all the potholes with sand or gravel or concrete or whatever it is one fills potholes with (pot?  ). No crashed mopeds, better roads, everyone happy |
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #116 on: September 04, 2007, 03:45:43 am » |
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Actually, this may sound silly, but potholes are like free speed bumps in our neighborhood. So it's a love/hate thing.
We don't have stop signs in non-arterial Ballard backstreet areas. Sometimes there are traffic circles, but large trucks can't get through those without driving onto the corner lawns, drunk people drive right over them, and no one understands right of way out here.
People drive too fast and there are lots of accidents near my house. I suggested putting down steel plates in the intersections instead of any other alternative, since people in Seattle (especially those driving SUVs) seem to be terrified of them.
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #117 on: September 04, 2007, 07:05:42 am » |
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BAGH! Crud in the carburetor. On to the next project. Might as well put in larger ports while I'm at it.
PTHTHT!
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Commander Obadiah
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« Reply #118 on: September 04, 2007, 09:55:14 am » |
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Have you thought about porting it out and grabbing a new carb?
Commander C. Obadiah
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #119 on: September 04, 2007, 03:41:48 pm » |
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Porting this bad boy out is most assuredly an option. I thought I had the faster PA50II model, but I'm not so sure. It will definitely run better once I clean out the carb. Then I'll have someone clock my speed. A better exhaust system would help also.
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Commander Obadiah
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« Reply #120 on: September 05, 2007, 03:02:22 am » |
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I would suggest getting your hands on an old Honda C50 step through exhaust and carb. They're great little bikes, with the coolest exhaust you can think of. I named my Frankestein-esque thing The Rocketship. Twin chrome rocketship exhausts, ported to 80cc, Dellorto carbs from an old Datsun (Don't ask me HOW I fitted them on, because the time in the shop was mind-boggling), custom one into two manifolds, at one point I had a Burt Munro special lined up, the full streamliner with only one hole to put your leg through to support the machine, I forget what else. It looked hideous, sounded disgusting and had more power than the bike could handle (I learnt to slow down when the frame started juddering and I felt like I would slip off, because I nearly did). Pity the front brakes were useless and the back had a tendency to lock up under any sort of pressure.
Commander C. Obadiah
Post Script: The bike was completely illegal, and I would definitely not recommend doing anything like what I did.
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #121 on: September 06, 2007, 02:52:01 am » |
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Sounds crazy. I'm sold. On the C50 carb, and exhaust at least. I'll have to do some research.  |
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #122 on: September 06, 2007, 02:55:23 am » |
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dantes_torment
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« Reply #123 on: September 06, 2007, 03:48:11 am » |
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What kind of preparation would go into outfitting, say, a sedan with a steam engine. Let's just throw out a model and say a 1989 Chrysler New Yorker?
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Mad Maxine
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« Reply #124 on: September 06, 2007, 03:54:56 am » |
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Oh dear. I think that might need its own post! There is a steam-powered moped link quite a ways back in this post you might look at for starters.
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