new bonanza project.
- Thread starter joshua. c.
- Start date
I just got the bonanza back from the welding shop and they mounted the foot pegs, they did a far better job than I could have. Im heading out to Windber tomorro so thats it for this week. I'll finish assembly next week and with any luck get it started. I guss weather the bike will be ready for the Gomas Mini Bike Massacre race will depend on how far off the jetting is. I also only have a stock centrifugal clutch right now so I hope it holds up for the time being.
I just got back from Windber and I found a set of ct70 fenders that may work on this bike as replacements for the missing bonanza fenders. I think they look pritty good. I figured out what to do about the exhaust pipe. I was overcomplicating the solution trying to figure out ways to extend the pipe upward but there is plenty of pipe to work with so the eazyest solution is to cut the pipe most of the way threw near the flange and re weld it pointing slightly upward then do the opposite near the end to level out the muffler (so much simpler).
I don't think this bike will be running by this weekend for gomas but it will be close. Its just to much work to squeese into my freetime after work this week.
I don't think this bike will be running by this weekend for gomas but it will be close. Its just to much work to squeese into my freetime after work this week.
This is a preview of what the bike is going to look like. The cain, clutch, clutch guard and exhaust aren't installed yet. I'm bringing it to the welding shop this week to get the exhaust cut and bent to clear the rear fender.
I need to pick up some key stock to get the jackshaft sprockets mounted and fab up a mount for the clutch guard. The tank is temporary untill I find something better so it's getting hose clamped to the frame.
I picked up the fenders at Windber. Did anyone know honda ct70 fenders make good bonanza replacements?
The front fender mounting holes even line up with the bolt holes made for the bonanza mounting bracket, the rear one needed some adjustments. I was told they were both front fenders but rear ones weren't available and they seem to work quite nicely. (They are both mounted in picture.)
I need to pick up some key stock to get the jackshaft sprockets mounted and fab up a mount for the clutch guard. The tank is temporary untill I find something better so it's getting hose clamped to the frame.
I picked up the fenders at Windber. Did anyone know honda ct70 fenders make good bonanza replacements?
The front fender mounting holes even line up with the bolt holes made for the bonanza mounting bracket, the rear one needed some adjustments. I was told they were both front fenders but rear ones weren't available and they seem to work quite nicely. (They are both mounted in picture.)
yea thise fenders are mounted in the stock locations and the rear one is mounted to a stock bracket. These fenders are permenent now. Im not bothering to find O E M ones.
The exhaust is the last pice needed to get this bike running so the frame end fenders are getting painted soon (the chrome is to rusty to save.) Im going to try to match the red currently on the frame and posibly do white racing stripes on the fenders? I'm not sure about the clutch cover color.
The exhaust is the last pice needed to get this bike running so the frame end fenders are getting painted soon (the chrome is to rusty to save.) Im going to try to match the red currently on the frame and posibly do white racing stripes on the fenders? I'm not sure about the clutch cover color.
The exhaust just came back from the welders and it fits properly now. I have just stripped the bike down and started painting before final assembly. This bike is very close to running now. I was talking with my frend and she recomended either going black on the fenders to better contrast the red frame or keeping the chrome. The fenders are far to rusty to save the chrome and the rear one has a very large weld near the mounting ponts so I went with black.
The black trail hores has a an update. With the current gear ratio this bike is geard way to high for a centrifiugal clutch so I swapped it out for a torque converter with the torque zilla driver that I picked up at windber. I did have to drill out the center hole of the clutch to accept the 3/8-24 bolt that the tecumseh drive shaft needs. Ironicly with the stock sprocket that comes with the backplate this bike became a wheelie machine partly due to the position of the rear wheel nearly directly under the seat. The stock sprocet was 12 tooth and I swapped it for a 14 tooth and that seems to have solved the issue while still providing ample torque. I just found out gomas mini bike massacre has classes and with this current ridgid rear frame this bike fits into the big wheel class while my current blue race bike fits into the open class. The big wheel class is easyer to win a spot in the finals threw so I might just be ditchin the rear swing arm idea for now.
I have 2 semi compeditive bike now with a therd very compeditive one nearly ready. I can now bring some frends with me to events and have good bikes for them to compete with so I'm very happy right now.
I have 2 semi compeditive bike now with a therd very compeditive one nearly ready. I can now bring some frends with me to events and have good bikes for them to compete with so I'm very happy right now.
Paint work has started and is mostly done, I picked a red and painted the frame today. All the accessories (fenders clutch cover ect) got painted black saturday so now for some cairfull reassembly, I dont need to mess up my fresh paint. I also need to scrub the rust off the chrome on the handlebars and front forks and create a clutch guard mounting bracket and exhaust brace. I had a home improvement project that took alot of time today and im wiped so more to come later. I have a fixer upper house so there is always another project on the horizon. I'll be re focussing more on the house once this bike is running and tuned. I will still be working on bikes but at a much slower pace. I have a bunch of bikes that all need work and I may be skipping between projects depending on what I can currently get done. For example: bike number 1 waiting on parts start on bike number 2.
ok paint work and reassembly complete. I just installed the clutch and chains and oild up the motor. Now need to attatch the throttle cable and kill switch, add the fule lines, brace the exhaust, zip tie all the cables. and fab a mount for the clutch guard. I'll get some good pictures of my progress this weekend the paint job came out better than I expected. (this bike looks good!)
hear is a better picture. also everything is now hooked up the last thing I need to do is fabricate the clutch cover mounting bracket.
The tank is also an issue. I failed to check the inside untill today and its full of rust. I'm trying the fill it with rocks and shake method to clean it. I'll be done soon and have it back on the bike.
I temporarily strapped a tecumseh hs50 tank on top and got it started. The jetting is way off I was hopeing this carb came with the correct jets considering it was listed as blueprinted but thats not the case. It would only start with full choke and woulden't idle at all. I also had to ajust the floats to stop the carb from flooding. On the bright side the compression release cam Dyno cams sent me works great! no kickback and easy to crank over. This bike will be far easyer and safer to start than my blue bike despite being more powerfull.
The tank is also an issue. I failed to check the inside untill today and its full of rust. I'm trying the fill it with rocks and shake method to clean it. I'll be done soon and have it back on the bike.
I temporarily strapped a tecumseh hs50 tank on top and got it started. The jetting is way off I was hopeing this carb came with the correct jets considering it was listed as blueprinted but thats not the case. It would only start with full choke and woulden't idle at all. I also had to ajust the floats to stop the carb from flooding. On the bright side the compression release cam Dyno cams sent me works great! no kickback and easy to crank over. This bike will be far easyer and safer to start than my blue bike despite being more powerfull.
ok new jest came in. I think I'm close but Im having issues getting the float right. Its either flooding or starving at the slightst ajustment. This carb may need a fule pump to work right. once the 25 idle jet was installed I could get it running with choke but keeping it running is another story. I'm going to come at this fresh on saturday, when im not exhausted from work.
I did discover an issue: the slowest this carb would allow is almost right at or slightly higher than the engagement of the clutch I have so I'll have to switch to a better higher engagement clutch.
also for some reason the throttle handle won't bight hard enough to the handlebar to stay in place. This is the grip that came with the bike so who knows what has been done to it, I'll just get a new one.
I did discover an issue: the slowest this carb would allow is almost right at or slightly higher than the engagement of the clutch I have so I'll have to switch to a better higher engagement clutch.
also for some reason the throttle handle won't bight hard enough to the handlebar to stay in place. This is the grip that came with the bike so who knows what has been done to it, I'll just get a new one.
As this bike nears completion Ive gotten to thinking about the next project few projects in line. I have a rupp that needs to finish a restoration but im not redooing the chrome I dont have that kind of spare money. I have a vintage coalman that needs a motor mount plate and jackshaft and a paint job and to install and set up everything and I have a speedway that is mostly done and just needs the motor reworked. and I have a scat cat mini bike that needs allot of work. I also have a cat project that im only going to start once I have all the parts. (probably last in line.)
I think the first will be the speedway It needs the least to finish. Ive got an h70 for it that I want to build with a billet rod, reground cam, port work stronger valve springs, a header and a mikuni carb. I have seen thinner billet side covers for these and I would like to look into that and posibly finding ways to reduce the width of this motor from the flywheel side as well. I don't think this motor ever needed to be as wide as it is, there were many ways this motor could have been made skinnyer. for starters there was no benifit to the side cover being so wide, the governor could have been made coming out the carb side more like the hs50 removing the need for the thick cover and the early hs40s had flywheel fins running deeper into the flywheel to allow the same fan blade size on a skinnyer flywheel. I also question why this motor has the longest flywheel fan blades of any motor I have ever seen. some of this may be posible for me to change some may not I'll be looking into it.
I will start a new thread one I start these new projects.
I think the first will be the speedway It needs the least to finish. Ive got an h70 for it that I want to build with a billet rod, reground cam, port work stronger valve springs, a header and a mikuni carb. I have seen thinner billet side covers for these and I would like to look into that and posibly finding ways to reduce the width of this motor from the flywheel side as well. I don't think this motor ever needed to be as wide as it is, there were many ways this motor could have been made skinnyer. for starters there was no benifit to the side cover being so wide, the governor could have been made coming out the carb side more like the hs50 removing the need for the thick cover and the early hs40s had flywheel fins running deeper into the flywheel to allow the same fan blade size on a skinnyer flywheel. I also question why this motor has the longest flywheel fan blades of any motor I have ever seen. some of this may be posible for me to change some may not I'll be looking into it.
I will start a new thread one I start these new projects.
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Higher engagement springs for my clutch are on order and a new throttle handle as well. After that I should be able to slap a fule pump setup back together that actualy came with this motor and maybe even get this bike out on a test ride. The parts haven't arived yet and I'm a little busy this next weekend so it may be a bit before this happens.
I just got the parts I needed so this bike might just be running soon and there is one more event this year coming up in 3 weeks. The rice o rama mini bike throwdoun, this would make a great event to debut this bike, especially since the rear shocks on the Bonanza came from a priviose year of this event.
I got one problem fixed just to run in to another. I added the fule pump and the bike seems to finaly be running right no longer flooding or starving but I when I went to test ride the bike woolden't move. It had thrown all the set screws on the jackshaft, allowing one keyway to slip out, I must have forgoten to tighten them, eazy enough fix I should have this bike running this week.
I also replaced a falty loose trottle grip (would not tighten up) and got the higher engagement clutch springs installed.
The jetting seems to be close because this bike screams when I twist the throttle but I'll check just to be safe. I would have got more done this weekend, like mounting the clutch guard but I caught a cold so my nose has been going for 3 days which makes it hard to concentrate, It got a bit better today hence the progress, another day or two and I should be right as rain.
I also replaced a falty loose trottle grip (would not tighten up) and got the higher engagement clutch springs installed.
The jetting seems to be close because this bike screams when I twist the throttle but I'll check just to be safe. I would have got more done this weekend, like mounting the clutch guard but I caught a cold so my nose has been going for 3 days which makes it hard to concentrate, It got a bit better today hence the progress, another day or two and I should be right as rain.