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Jul 28, 2022 12:11:07 GMT
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Did a very long ride out a couple of days ago - around 80 miles in all. Went to visit a ruined castle near Bad Kreuznach. Awesome views, as it's on top of a rock pillar next to a river. It's pretty damn good just riding around in the sticks. Handled some extremely steep hills really well.
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Good progress, and has me searching for the elusive small capacity project that matches my very small budget! My pal has a Peugeot BB project that he'd part with, if that's of any interest. UK registered. Still bits to do to finish it, but it's converted to 26" wheels already which really helps the look, as does the crossbar, which is actually a bit of trampoline frame! It was actually his and my conversations about making the Peugeot look cool that lead me to getting the Motoconfort. But he's bought a Skyteam now. Anyway, the Peugeot also has some great parts (tuning/stock) availability. Where are you based? Also my photoshop suggestion that he stretch the frame out and rake the forks... i like that a lot !!!
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My pal has a Peugeot BB project that he'd part with, if that's of any interest. UK registered. Still bits to do to finish it, but it's converted to 26" wheels already which really helps the look, as does the crossbar, which is actually a bit of trampoline frame! It was actually his and my conversations about making the Peugeot look cool that lead me to getting the Motoconfort. But he's bought a Skyteam now. Anyway, the Peugeot also has some great parts (tuning/stock) availability. Where are you based? Also my photoshop suggestion that he stretch the frame out and rake the forks... i like that a lot !!! You could buy it. PM me and I can put you in touch.
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Sept 7, 2022 19:34:55 GMT
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"Yeah, well, yours may be be bigger, but mine's much slower"´ Had an old couple tell me how much they preferred mine to the Honda. Loudly. Within earshot of the Hondas owners....
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,190
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Sept 8, 2022 10:39:48 GMT
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That really gives a perspective of the size of the thing!
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus
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Sept 29, 2022 16:53:43 GMT
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Well that was a long afternoon to move the motor across by all of about 3mm. I'd had some troubles with the drive belt. The first one hadn't lasted very long before getting quite ropey looking, like it was on the brink of snapping, so I swapped on a new one. This lasted all of a couple of days before shredding itself comprehensively and winding kevlar all round the clutch. Oh joy. These belts are a bit of an odd size at 14.5mm wide and mine isn't a standard Motobecane length either. I've been getting them from some ebay seller in France and they are 17 euros plus postage, which isn't great if you're chewing through them fast. I had a look about and found a place here in Germany with every belt imaginable...except 14.5mm ones. Oh well, 13mm was the next nearest size and I couldn't imagine that it would make a huge difference to anything, so I ordered two, for about the same price as one from France. They arrived with the wrong numbers written on them, but they were actually the right length. Having fitted one, I noticed something that I'd never have spotted with the wider belt, as they fill the groove in the clutch/variateur completely. What i saw was that the belt was riding one side of the clutch. Thinking about it, a dragging clutch and misaligned belt would explain a lot, from the motor trying to turn over when I push the bike, to the lack of an idle, as the belt pulls the motor down. I eyeballed the alignment as best I could when I fitted the motor, but I never thought such a small misalignment would be a problem. Luckily, there was a remedy, as there was just enough meat on the motor pivot for me to grind a few mm off one side and make a thick washer for the other. Also had a careful look at anything that was stopping the motor from tipping back. The fuel line got lengthened and the decompression cable too. I loosened the motor spring off a bit (the harder it is, the less likely it is that the motor will tip back) and it didn't do that motor pogo thing either (yet!) on my test drive. Also fiddled with the exhaust and managed to stop it clanking, which is going to be way less embarrassing when you're sitting at the traffic lights. The clutch still tries to grip a little bit on idle, but I think that's just how they are. Can't get a reliable steady low idle, as presumably the rotating assembly is so light, the slightest thing can make it shut down. Also the clutch drag doesn't help, but all in all it's still way better than it was. It's even easier to start. Win. Edit: Next day. I reduced pressure on the motor spring, just to see how little I could get away with. SLackened it right off and sure enough the motor pogo effect came back. Wound it back up again, though less than previously, where it's nearly all gone. Also did a speed check using strava and it seemed to be down to only 53 km/h over a short distance. (not sure how accurate that is). I will try and play about with the counterweights on the clutch again tomorrow to see if I can get some top speed back. It seems to rev out very quickly now. Should do 60kmh easily.
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Last Edit: Sept 30, 2022 20:36:06 GMT by horrido
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Oct 10, 2022 16:06:59 GMT
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I was at the massive Veterama swap meet in Mannheim at the weekend, looking for a new seat cover and anything else I could find. This place is vast, which sounds great, until you realise it's truly too big to get around in a day, unless you do it at a dead run. Plenty of mopeds there for sure, from projects up to some really top flight bikes. By some sort of miracle, I did manage to find a seat cover that's a perfect fit. It's a funny size. I didn't see many covers and got it from a corner of the show that I nearly didn't bother to walk to, from a stand I nearly didn't ask at, at the last aisle i walked down, just before I had to leave to meet my pal. I needed the seat cover, since the second 'new' seat had managed to crack its frame and since I wasn't going back to using the caoutchouc torture device, I was back to trying to salvage the original one that came on the bike. This used bungee cords as springs, but they were all rotted to bits, so i robbed the springs off the other seat and managed to make it work (using bent nails as hooks!). Also had another clutch/pulley/chain cover turn up from France. This is in much nicer condition that the other one I had, that got shortened previously, so I hope I can make something suitable out of it, or combine the two of them somehow. It needs to stick out more than it does, to cover my variateur. I've been getting nervous about having my leg up next to this spinney wheel of death. Nice to see original paint and pinstriping on stuff, though I am going to have to sand it off.
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Last Edit: Oct 10, 2022 16:07:30 GMT by horrido
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Oct 18, 2022 13:44:25 GMT
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Couple more jobs ticked off in the last few days. I actually got my lights working! This was reasonably easy and just involved adding a decent earth to the headlight (which snowballed into drilling and tapping a little brass peg into the frame). I enjoyed riding around with my lights on for a whole couple of days until they went out again. So that's now back on the list. Meh. I have an LED rear bulb coming, which might help. I also got my chain cover fitted and painted. Spent quite some time thinking about how best to fit it. Originally it sits closer to the frame and one end bolted to the motor, but thanks to my variateur being so wide, my motor moving about and the large belt pulley, that wasn't going to work. I had to space it out, which unfortunately meant cutting the end off it as it wanted to pass through the frame now. And anyway, that part was meant to cover the chain and was now nowhere near it. I reused the original bolt hole at the back and at the front I fabbed up a small vertical bracket, with a slot for some adjustment and welded it to the foot peg bracket. I added a metal plate to the inside of the cover and it all seems pretty robust. Now I was no longer in danger of losing a foot to the variateur, I shortened the foot peg bracket and added some chromed footrests that I bought to replace the shoddy rubber ones I'd been using, since the ends were falling off them. Quick bit of paint on the cover (see ya original paint) and fitted it up.
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Oct 20, 2022 12:30:10 GMT
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Oct 20, 2022 21:34:33 GMT
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That'd be fun! That "bends in the middle" frame design looks a little strange.
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kalum
Part of things
Posts: 30
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Oct 25, 2022 19:30:55 GMT
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Really enjoyed reading this build! Great to see you ironing out the teething problems. Must feel great riding something so simple that you've put together yourself!
Keep up the good work!
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Oct 26, 2022 18:51:53 GMT
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Really enjoyed reading this build! Great to see you ironing out the teething problems. Must feel great riding something so simple that you've put together yourself! Keep up the good work! Thanks! I have to say, it's been really satisfying to work on something like this. Working through all the problems and finding solutions one by one gave me a real lift. Each time you tick one off, it's a little win. To end up with something that not only is really useful (mostly for riding to my workshop) and that actually does get used as Motoconfort intended all those years ago is great. And riding about on it always makes me smile. The only reason I haven't started on another one was that I need to get my Beetle sorted out and soon. Still once that's out the way, I could see me doing something with a Minarelli AM6 motor.
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