I pulled the engine off of the
bike. The seal is leaking while under "splash" pressure. I'll fix it up for a smaller
bike.
I dug out my new Greyhound *196cc engine and cobbled it onto the
bike. I had to raise the engine 1 1/8" to clear the jack shaft and the engines
carb bowel from striking the jack shaft support bracket.
All of the wiring screwed right on with only the engine kill lug having to be replaced.
The throttle went right into the factory engine lay out with only two screws needed to anchor it into place.
What a differance! The internet says the engine is *6.5 HP. I believe it. This engine has so much torque being 10:1 through the drive that it bent the 1/8" thick steel chain adjuster on the driven wheel! Spinning that huge rear tire on the dirt road from a dead stop and nailing the throttle is all it takes.
I will have to redo the rear axle with an internal steel tube in the AM and brace the bikes rear end to take the torque.
A ride of a few miles over my dirt road and one on the mountain shows that this
bike will really climb! It will accelerate UP my steep driveway hill.
Top speed is still only about 25 MPH and that is what the Heathkit brochure says it will do.
My Primary drive sprocket is 20 tooth going to an 11 tooth as as out put to the 60 tooth rear wheel sprocket. I could drop the primary down to 15 or even 12 tooth but I need to take it up my mountain first to see if the
bike will really climb a steeper grade. I do not want to bog the engine down.
The muffler has to go. It is close to and is so hot on my left calf that you can only ride it for a few minutes before your pant leg is so hot you have to stop and pull it away from your skin. No shorts for sure!
The chain drive is working well so far. I probably will put a TAV onto it in the future.
I know pulling the old Tecumseh engine off the
bike was a shame, but the engine really does not have enough oomph to pull me and the 175 pound
bike around well.
I have an 3 Amp alternator for this engine in a box in the garage.
I need to play with tire pressure now. How the
bike rides over the rough dirt roads with the "Ape Hanger" handle bars is interesting to say the least.You must stay alert for any tire tracks that are deeper than a few inches.
I don't know at this time if the tire pressure should be lower,or higher. I have no data on the recommended tire pressure from Heathkit.
I'll do a short video once I get the small bugs worked out.
* corrected CC and HP ratings
Here's a couple of photos. She is dusty for sure, but she earned it....