ProMod Engine Plate & Clutch Cover - HotRodMinkBike

#1
There have probably been threads about the ProMod Adjustable Motor Mount and the PMR Clutch Cover before, but I'd like to add a little mini review of my own.

Both of these products are available individually or together in a kit with a clutch, along with other mini bike modification products, like jackshafts, etc. from HotRodMiniBikes.com

I'll get the only negative out of the way first. The rest is all positive!

In my opinion, the website content could use some improvement. The pictures are not very large and the descriptions are not as thorough as they could be. For example, few dimensions are given. OK, the negatives are done.

On the positives, let me first comment on the company itself. We all find companies here and there that have very good customer service. It is rare that I find companies which I would consider with truly OUTSTANDING customer service. In my mind, I have found only a handful. This is one of them. Rest assured that Brad will take care of you if there is any issue.

Add to that, they ship Priority Mail so Saturdays are ok for delivery and a box coming all the way from WA state to me in NC gets there in the normal 3-day priority mail time. And Brad ships immediately, none of this sitting on an order for an extra day or two.

Let's talk about the two products in the title.

I recently changed out the old 2.5hp clone engine in my Sensation MB-6A for the Predator 212. (What an incredible difference, but that's going in another thread.) I could see from the existing engine mounting (using steel C-brackets), and from the far-right offset of the engine plate on the frame, that I was going to have a devil of a time, aligning the new engine clutch sprocket with the rear sprocket. And tightening the chain would probably mess that up every time.

I did some searching and came upon this adjustable motor mount plate.

This plate is the cat's meow (or "epic" or "random" as my kids would say). Since the website description says this is for a Doodlebug, I was at first concerned that it might not fit on the Sensation, but TomH gave me the dimensions in this thread and I could see it was going to fit fine.

The plate comes with everything you need to install it (8 square-head bolts, 8 locking nuts), besides a little bit of brain. The square head bolts fit in the recessed channels on the plate so you only need to turn the nut. The bolt is held in place. I started by following the instructions for the DB30 (included) and immediately saw a little problem:

View attachment 44041

One set of the slots in the plate was smack on top of one of the frame tubes. The Sensation frame tubes are much closer together than on the Doodlebug.

Fortunately, that had an easy solution: turn it around 180 degrees (and I have to give some of the "brain" part of that to my wife-ha!):

View attachment 44042

I wish I had taken measurements of the slots. I thought I did, but can't find them, and I'm not going to remove the engine now. But I have a few pictures of the installed plate:

View attachment 44043

View attachment 44044

On the Sensation MB-6A frame, there is no need to drill new holes in the fram plate. The ProMod plate's slots are already the correct distance apart.

The instructions for the DB30 say to remove the fuel tank and air filter box before attempting to install the engine over the bolts on the mount. Well, the Sensation frame has enough clearance for the 212 Predator engine that that was not necessary. I did need a second pair of hands to help get the bolts to go through the holes on the bottom of the engine while I was holding the heavy engine, but one of my boys did that in about 20 seconds.

So now, the engine is in place. One set of four bolts gets used to move the engine right/left to align the clutch. The other set of bolts gets used to adjust the chain tension. This contraption makes a really nasty job (engine alignment) just a dream. Absolutely worth the price.

I'm going to upload this before some computer gremlin makes off with it. Will continue next post.
 
#2
Yes sir, Brad is terrific and so are his products. And his customer service and shipping speed ranks up there with OldMiniBikes Warehouse! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
#3
Continuing with the ProMod mount and cover review

I mentioned in the previous post that I changed from the 2.5hp engine to the 212cc (6.5hp). Anyway, the shaft size changed with it, from 5/8" to 3/4" so I knew I was going to need to buy a new clutch as well, and then a new cover for the clutch, because the Predator 212 shaft is very long.

As I was browsing through the HotRodMiniBikes site, I came across exactly what I needed: an engine installation kit which included the adjustable motor mount, the clutch, and the clutch cover, all in one nice kit package, called the DB30 engine Install kit.

If you are installing a Predator engine, be sure to buy the Predator Bolt and Clutch Spacer Kit as well. You -will- need these for the Predator engine, and it's going to cost you more than that at the hardware store, plus gas to get there.

The kit also comes with the HRM Quick Throttle Hookup kit. I used some parts of that kit, but ended up routing my throttle cable differently than in the instructions, so only used a couple parts (but didn't need to -add- any parts, either). I posted about the throttle hookup in another thread.

Again one of the concerns I had was would the clutch and chain cover properly fit on the Sensation frame? Brad quickly answered that question in a private message on this site, and I was on my way.

One note about the clutch cover kit: in the photos, you'll see that my cover does not have the "PMR" laser cut-out. This was a special request that Brad was able to fill for me. Not sure if he can always accommodate that request, but you can ask.

A note for those installing clutches on the Predator--it could be a tight fit. DO NOT FORCE THE CLUTCH ONTO THE SHAFT. YOU WILL NEVER GET IT OFF AGAIN. I saw there was going to be a fit issue with the clutch, so I started the engine, and held some 400-grit sandpaper against the shaft for a minute or so, until the clutch could fit perfectly with no binding.

The engine comes with a shaft key which is WAY too long. You are supposed to use a key no longer that 1/2" with the clutch. The engine installation kit includes the smaller key.

Let me say it again: the kit includes everything you need, and maybe even more. I had several parts left over, e.g. two bolts with what look to be very thin, 3/4" shaft spacers. Those extra spacers might be for extra fine tuning, not sure. But since I had the Predator bolt kit as well, it made sense there were a few parts unused. The directions could be a little bit better on this part, but it's a clutch and cover, and there just aren't too many ways to do that.

The cover itself is mighty pretty. The welding is beautiful. I know it is not original to this bike but neither is the engine, and it's just SO, SO nice.

Here's the installed cover; I had to lighten the picture some since I took it in poor light:

View attachment 44047

The cover attaches to the engine with this plate, which lines up just perfectly with the Predator's power-take-off screw pattern on the shaft (and which is a pretty standard pattern). You can see one slotted hole so that you can adjust the level of the cover for clearance with the chain. I don't know what the two large holes are for, but they do help with visibility and with installation of the plate on the PTO:

View attachment 44048

Take note of the special fasteners. These are another WAY COOL feature of this cover. They are 1/4 turn Dzus fasteners. No messing with trying to hang onto nuts or washers to install this baby. Once the mounting plate is on the PTO, the cover is easy-on-easy-off. Slick!

So you can tell I'm very impressed with the products from HotRodMiniBikes. I'm already thinking about their 4-6.5hp jackshaft kit!

That's all...
 
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