Sunday, September 30, 2012

A Donation, and Some Progress on the Mini-Bike!

So today, I picked up a donation from a customer of my Dad's landscaping business. She sold these Chinese scooters for a short period of time, and had these 2 scooters as parts donors. She didn't need them anymore, so she graciously gave them to me. The first thing I realized about these scooters is that the motors are centrally located within the wheel. Thus far, I have noted that I can most likely use the 12 volt batteries, throttle potentiometer, charger, and key start. The controller is configured for a dual motor system, so it's unusable. I also tried starting the mini-bike today. The bowl in the carb was leaking, turned out that the O-ring was put on backwards. I reassembled the carb, no more leaks, the spark plug was sparking and fuel seemed to get to the cylinder, but it still wouldn't start. My Dad and I will probably head down to the local lawn-mower shop tomorrow to ask for advice to get the engine running. I will update tomorrow if I make any progress.


The Batteries. They are those green boxes and they are very small, which will make it easy to mount on the mini-bike. 
The throttle potentiometer. It also has a built in switch, which I might use instead of the key system if it doesn't work out. 
Keys would be so cool and secure to use on my mini-bike. Also adds to the realisticness of the whole idea of electric transportation.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

The search for the mini bike is over!

Here's the bike! The seller couldn't get it running when we got to his house, so I was able to run the price down to $160, which is a great deal for its condition. The frame was repainted, with minor scratches showing the old paint. Tires, brakes, and the seat are all pretty much new. After getting home and trying again to start the engine, I concluded that a gasket had blew in the carb, and fuel was leaking and not getting to the engine. The fuel was leaking on the frame, and in my garage. That's why I don't like combustion engines, you can't just flip a switch to get going like an electric system can. Anyways, I finally got my frame!


 It actually feels a lot bigger when you're riding it. The seat is very long, so you can really sit all the way back on it to be comfortable.


This is the disease. The only cure? A transplant.