Azusa rear wheel wobble- NEED HELP!!

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stevoman88

New Member
#1
#1
Hey Guys,
First post here. I am in the process of building my first mini bike. It is the 6" Azusa kit. When I put the rear wheel on and tighten it down I noticed the wobble in the wheel. It appears this is a common issue. The sprocket appears to be straight and the bearings are in line. Not sure what could be causing it. Any fixes out there that may help? Your help is greatly appreciated!
 
Outlaw Ace

Outlaw Ace

#3
#3
Mock it up without the tire and tube then see if it wobbles, Azusa stuff is bad about not being trued and I've struggled with them before. I have a one piece stamped sprocket that worked best for me, I'll be using it again soon on some Azusalite wheels which suck to mount tires on. Always some issue with Azusa stuff, too bad when they could have a highly successful business if they just made better products.
 
Raskin

Raskin

#4
#4
I looked at those kits Azusa offers ..after adding up all things you need to make a completed bike,cheaper,better imo to score a Baja db30S or something else off Craig's list and build from there even if you part out and keep frame and forks..unless I'm missing some advantage ..always wondered on the quality too..is it the wheel? take a ruler or anything and line up with rim and spin it..does the rim pass true or deviate? ..if true do same on tire and see
 
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stevoman88

New Member
#5
#5
Thanks for the responses guys. I am going to take the wheel apart tonight and reassemble. Then I will mount the wheel only to see if the wheel is off or if the tire is causing the issues. I will report what I find.
 
creia

creia

#6
#6
I doubt that it has anything to do with how the tire is seated on the wheel. Azusa wheels (especially if they are the "Tr-Star" style) and the combination sprocket/brake drums are ALL CRAP. They ALL wobble, it is just a matter of how much- some are worse than others. You can search previous threads for MANY discussions on this topic! How much does it wobble? After you get it all back together with the sprocket/brake drum on, spin the wheel and take a close look of how much the side-to-side wobble is to the left and right of center (e.g., 1/16", 1/8", etc.) and report back here with your findings. DEPENDING ON HOW BAD IT IS there is a relatively simple fix for it that will produce "acceptable" (however not great) performance. With Azusa, it is what it is...
Michael
Edit: It does not sound like you have had the chance to check out the "quality" of the Azusa drum "brake" yet? These SLOW YOU DOWN better than they STOP you.! LOL That will no doubt be another topic of conversation (and questions) you will have for the forum.
 
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stevoman88

New Member
#7
#7
Update: I removed the rear wheel and broke it down completely. Put the wheel only on and it was the source of the wobble. I put everything back together and the wobble seems to be a little less. I measure less than 1/16th of an inch from left to right. I'm thinking this is an "acceptable" amount of wobble for a tri-star wheel. What are your guys thoughts?
Thanks again!
 
creia

creia

#9
#9
Is that the REAR SPROCKET wobble (at the teeth) of 1/16" to the right and left sides of center? You really need to have the brake drum/sprocket assembly bolted to the wheel and check the wobble at the sprocket teeth- Please clarify what you did.
Michael
 
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stevoman88

New Member
#10
#10
The wobble was measured at the center of the tire. I can check the sprocket this evening and report back. I also got the brake on and I hear little to no rubbing. Seems to stop with no issues. All I have remaining is foot pegs and kill switch. Hoping to have it up and running by tomorrow. Will keep you guys posted.
 
creia

creia

#12
#12
stevoman88 said:
The wobble was measured at the center of the tire. I can check the sprocket this evening and report back. I also got the brake on and I hear little to no rubbing. Seems to stop with no issues. All I have remaining is foot pegs and kill switch. Hoping to have it up and running by tomorrow. Will keep you guys posted.
Click to expand...
Wobble at the SPROCKET TEETH is more of a concern than at the TIRE as the former can cause a chain to derail. Spin the wheel/sprocket assembly and get a measurement and report back.
Michael
 
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stevoman88

New Member
#13
#13
Sprocket is less than 1/16". I got everything put together and got it out for a test drive today. Drives great! I did notice the chain was very lose after a few minutes of driving. So I adjusted the engine position to tighten up the chain some. From what I understand the chain has a "break in period" and will continue to loosen some. How long does this go on for and should I continue to adjust the tension as needed? 1/2" of play is recommended from what I read?
Thanks again for all your help guys! So glad to have it up and running!
 
creia

creia

#14
#14
Less than 1/16" wobble at the sprocket is EXCEPTIONAL for an Azusa Engineering product- You got lucky! Just so you know, if you HAD needed to correct the wobble you place a very thin 5/16" "shim" washer between the brake drum and the wheel where the wheel bolt slides through where needed.
Michael
 
Bumblebee2

Bumblebee2

Member
#16
#16
Yup, I hear you. Minibike stuff isn't motorcycle stuff and I have come to discover that most of it is just barely good enough.
I just rebuilt an Azusa, I had the frame but bought the everything else kit. 10" wheels had a severe case of the wobbles and the rear sprocket was unusable.

A little help from Mr. Hydraulic Press and some careful measuring got it all the way up to mediocre. Works at speeds below 25 MPH but over that nasty sounds and sensations seem to indicate it's still not "good enough". At least the chain doesn't fly off anymore.

- Bee
 
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