Badger, GGRRrrRRR

[Erok000]

So I popped my chain a few days ago. Fugured well ukno it does need tightened, did that rode great. Today I noticed the chain was clackin like it wanted to pop, and guess what it did. Lotsa slack again. Motor nor J/S moved but I had alot of slack, and I had it pretty tight last night. Got to looking and found the weld on the rear swing arm had crakced. Its a very crappy weld to begin with. So now I have to decide, get ahold of BJs/seringeti and get a refund or new bike? Or just re weld whats there? I got to thinkin and even if they would send me a new one, I would still want to weld there for strength, right? Im sure I would. I love the badger and the way it rides, I really dont want to give it up. I dont think I am even gonna bother trying to return it. I just gotta get ahold my welder and see what he can do.

I just wanted toget this out there cuz I kno a few have the badger and others are looking for critisizm. So here ya go. I am also open to suggestions or advice!

 

[ttsquirrel]

OH NO!!! this is such awful news!!!:crying:

think i can use your pics and try to get a free badger? :deal:

have to keep my eye open so that i can detect defect before it breaks.

TT

 

[Erok000]

OH NO!!! this is such awful news!!!:crying:

think i can use your pics and try to get a free badger? :deal:

have to keep my eye open so that i can detect defect before it breaks.

TT

Ha at least wait till I see what comes about with mine. But iwould weld there to give it more strength man. Altho the tubing might just be to thin to matter. My weld came undone on top and bottom and peeled a lil bit of tubing out with it, maybe 1/8" or so. Cant see it in the pics but you can see thru the cracks! Im unsure still if I want to return it or just fix it?:cursing::censure::cursing:

 

[MikeBear]

Split a piece of pipe lengthwise that's large enough in diameter to span between both parts of the frame, and weld the whole thing solid (like building a sandwich, with the broken part as the "meat", and new split tube as the "bread) , top and bottom, full length. Looks to me like that's real thin tubing, and can't hold up to the weight/stress. Besides, butt-welds like that on high-stress parts are plain stupidity. I'll bet they are all like that, or soon will be.

 

[ttsquirrel]

ok you'll have to be the guinea, kinda like manchester was with the poor shipping. how long have you had your 100? soon as i am done with this post, i am going to inspect my 100.

call up bj and tell them what has happened. ask if they will repair or replace. if they request you to ship it back, no way unless they pay.since the 100 is so inexpensive to begin with, they might just ship out a new one!!!!!:thumbsup:

another scenario is you end up like manchester and get a new used one.:cursing:

dont wait too long. ask your buddy how much to weld price would be including what you have to do to prepare it for welding. like maybe having to remove engine, wheel, paint, weld and assembing it back together. maybe BJ will reimburse you for welding job. not a good scenario though.

hope you have some other mini's to ride in the meanwhile

definitely, before i would commit to fixing it myself, i would find out what Bj would do and how far they would go fix their product or they might just say call Serengeti and completly drop themselves off the radar. the manual specifically says, DO NOT RETURN TO STORE. CALL MANUFACTURER.

good luck

TT

 

[Erok000]

ok you'll have to be the guinea, kinda like manchester was with the poor shipping. how long have you had your 100? soon as i am done with this post, i am going to inspect my 100.

call up bj and tell them what has happened. ask if they will repair or replace. if they request you to ship it back, no way unless they pay.since the 100 is so inexpensive to begin with, they might just ship out a new one!!!!!:thumbsup:

another scenario is you end up like manchester and get a new used one.:cursing:

dont wait too long. ask your buddy how much to weld price would be including what you have to do to prepare it for welding. like maybe having to remove engine, wheel, paint, weld and assembing it back together. maybe BJ will reimburse you for welding job. not a good scenario though.

hope you have some other mini's to ride in the meanwhile

definitely, before i would commit to fixing it myself, i would find out what Bj would do and how far they would go fix their product or they might just say call Serengeti and completly drop themselves off the radar. the manual specifically says, DO NOT RETURN TO STORE. CALL MANUFACTURER.

good luck

TT

Well this is whatI have done. I emailed serengeti, told them hat happened and am waiting for a response. I know BJs wont accept the return as it was in their fine wording. But I think I will email them too just because.
The sandwich welding Idea is a great idea, and I might just end up doing that. The tubing looks REALLY thin, a definate downside to the badger.
I will wait for a respons from serengeti, I will not pay for shipping but would like my money back or a new/used replacement. We will see how that goes. I mean if I could just get my money back and go buy a DB or 2 older minis with suspension, or a BAddog kit, I might end up with a better bike. But I love the Badger!!
Im bummin becuase I do have another mini, my orange thing. But the chain tesioner is really bad and popps my chain alot( I have my buddy making me some skate wheel replacements), so its fun to ride but the frustrating when your downhill and and hear a big ol POP!. I have a TS-101, but the comet setup failed on me and I cant get the driven unit back 2gether:doah:, so ima just get a clutch and chain and sprocket and go from there( its cheaper than a new driven). SO im bummin.

 

[jeep2003]

whats wrong with the driven? maby we can walk you through getting back together

 

[Erok000]

Well at higher RPMs it would slip or kinda act like the belt was slippin, altho the belt was not slippin visually. SO I took aprt the driver and cleaned it up all nice and put it on and took off the driven and uknow the c-clip holing it all together? Well I took that off, I kinda bent the crap out of it so I got a new one. But I cant get it any furhter apart. Ive tried prying it and brake cleaning it and everything I can wihtout a vise and without damaging it to get it apart and cant do it. My buddy works at a metal shop making all kindsa stuff, in other words access to an abundance of tools and men with knowledge about them,lol:thumbsup:. So I sent it with him last week to see if they couldnt get it aprt without harming it. But he has been really busy at work and well ukno, my hobbies are 2nd on the list:laugh: So thats about how far ive gotten.

See my TS is what started my hobby at the begining of summer. Then I got the badger and started learning about that, kinda lost sight of the TS I guess. So IM still kinda new altho Ive learned alot over the summer, mainly the basics, its the finer things I need to learn.:wink:

Also why I said I was gonna get a clutch and eliminate the comet is I wanna ride in the snow this winter. The belt drive slips when wet and even muddy, mine is fully exposed so I figured a clutch I could ride wet or dry! Altho I felt like I was destroying a vintage trike by adding a cluthc and not fixing the comet setup!

 

[manchester1]

Hey, another one of my favorite threads. Sorry your badger broke. That jack shaft is too much for the frame I would bet. :doah: BJ's will do nothing for you. You have to go threw serengeti motors. DO NOT LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU HAD SOME MODIFICATIONS. They will definately not honor your warranty. I would just fix what you have. You may never get another badger in that good of condition shipped to you.:doah::doah:

 

[Erok000]

Hey, another one of my favorite threads. Sorry your badger broke. That jack shaft is too much for the frame I would bet. :doah: BJ's will do nothing for you. You have to go threw serengeti motors. DO NOT LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU HAD SOME MODIFICATIONS. They will definately not honor your warranty. I would just fix what you have. You may never get another badger in that good of condition shipped to you.:doah::doah:

Yea I would never tell them I modified it! I want to fix it but then im thinkin is it worth fixing if all the tubing is that thin? And better yet, where my swing arm cracked, it moved that out at an angle maybe an an 1/8" maybe a lil more, is that gonna mess up the whole rear end? Like offset the sprocket and even the trueness of the tire? Im sure I could bend it back and clamp it to weld it but is that even smart? Or worth it?

 

[manchester1]

I would take it to a professiol welder. The idea that somebody told ya with the bigger piece of pipe welded over top the bar sounds great. How much do you weigh??

 

[Erok000]

about 175#. I did have a buddy rde it who is 250#+. Yea I might call around and see what I can figure out. Guess I should wait to talk to serengeti. Bah I hate waiting!

 

[manchester1]

That swing arm is so short. only 8 inches.........I just don't see it supporting a lot of weight. It should be longer. Now there is a thoughtut:ut:

 

[Toycartony]

Just fix the thing. Dont waste your time with them!! Replace the tubing that is torn with some thicker tubing after you weld it back together weld a plate across the two tubings on top and bottom that should fix it for good!!!! It is a easy fix, dont it let you get you down.

I recommend all of you the weld the plates on yours before yours break too????

 

[jeep2003]

thats a common problem with the driver. they always get munged up around the c clip area just file down all the burrs around it wherever it looks mushroomed and youll be able to slide it off. just be very carefull to pay attention to how the spring is and which way thhe halves are tentioned as that can be very confusing to put back together if you dont. Its best to mark the position of all the pieces before you pull it apart. Also puting a clutch on it will suck. theres a reason all the trikes come with a tc. Just build a good cover for it so itll stay dry. It wont go anywhere in snow with a normal clutch

 

[Erok000]

Thanks toycartony, that does sound like a good idea as well, and settles my feelings about it being offset from the crack.

jeep2003, Thanks for the advice, I will try that after I get it back tomorow. I was wondering about the clutch on the trike. I mean I really dont want to but I cant stand not riding it and figured an chain in snow would be better til spring at least. I mean how bad could it be?:laugh::doah:. I will try my best to fix the one I got.:thumbsup:

But now im thinkin about the badger again. I dont hink I am gonna bother returning it or dealing with themas I hate ppl in general anyways. So I think I am gonna take the rear swing arm off. Im wondering, those shocks onthere, when I go to unbolt them I they gonna expand on me? I have never messed with shocks before? Dont want any surprises.

ALso I appreciate everyone comenting me on here. alot of what I know I have learned by either reading something one of you guys have posted or sent someone somewhere to read. There is so much knowledge in the forum about minis and the sort. Its a great haven for a hobbyist!

 

[ttsquirrel]

Just fix the thing. Dont waste your time with them!! Replace the tubing that is torn with some thicker tubing after you weld it back together weld a plate across the two tubings on top and bottom that should fix it for good!!!! It is a easy fix, dont it let you get you down.

I recommend all of you the weld the plates on yours before yours break too????

this is probably what you should do. however, you should try to get some compensation for your trouble.

one more thing when you contact serengiti, besides no modifications, the only people who rode your mini were under the weight limit of 150

I just bought a new HF welder. i am not an experienced welder. i am afraid that trying to weld a plate on top and bottom , i might end up ruining the thin pipe. :doah:not much confidence in my welding.

now i am wonder if putting in a clone engine is a good idea. definitely have to weld B4 putting on clone.

TT

 

[leathernun666]

Dude you paid for a new bike. Not that it is gonna be vintage anytime soon but , I would get my coin back or a new bike. You shouldn't have to reweld anything, cause you know when its time to resell if you ever do, People will give you all kinds of crap over it. Its inferior workmanship, and it needs to be brought to anyones attention that will listen to you. What if some little kid is riding one and it beaks in half and hurts him :shrug:

Fight the good fight :hammer::hammer::hammer:

 

[ttsquirrel]

But now im thinkin about the badger again. I dont hink I am gonna bother returning it or dealing with themas I hate ppl in general anyways. So I think I am gonna take the rear swing arm off. Im wondering, those shocks onthere, when I go to unbolt them I they gonna expand on me? I have never messed with shocks before? Dont want any surprises.

ok then... i'll use your pics and contact serengiti, demand to have a new badger delivered to my door and live happily ever after

ut:

TT

 

[Toycartony]

TT, Practice on some scrap metal abit you will get the hang of it in no time. When you get ready to weld the bike just make sure the metal where you are going to weld is clean, remove all paint and dirt and oil. Have fun Bud, Mig welding is pertty easy. If you screw it up grind it off and do it again.