Yet more Moped Mayhem

[Shaft]

First of all, I'm not sure what strange turn my life has taken to lead me to this point, but I'm not entirely convinced it's for the best; I'm middle aged, my idea of an early morning workout is lifting a fag to my lips (before I open my eyes) and I haven't raced anything with two wheels since my early teens, so it's likely this could all end in tears and/or broken bones.

Anyhoo, I've been thinking about doing some moped mayhem type stuff for a while and these thoughts were crystallised when the opportunity arose to acquire a base vehicle, for the princely sum of nothing at all, which I suspect is substantially more than it's worth!

So, without further ado, here is the glorious beast, in all it's magnificentness............

Lovely colour................

https://img829.imageshack.us/img829/130/frontdsf.jpg

If you squint, it looks just like a Vespa........
https://img535.imageshack.us/img535/8665/sideml.jpg

https://img534.imageshack.us/img534/9926/backih.jpg


It even came with a comprehensive handbook..........
https://img17.imageshack.us/img17/3463/bookqd.jpg

For the benefit of the one person reading this that doesn't know, it's a Jinlun Retro 50, well, that's only partly true; it was actually sold under the banner of Direct Bikes which, if anything, is even worse than you were thinking when you saw the word 'Jinlun', because they were supplied in something approaching CKD form, which stands not for Chronic Kidney Disease (although that's probably easier to get rid of) but Complete Knock Down.

In short, in came in a big box, for the lucky new owner to complete so, not only do I have to contend with the alleged normal vagaries of cheap Chinese scooters, there's the added joy of there being a good chance it was bolted together by someone who doesn't know their swinging arm from their elbow..................

Anyway, it's a generic chinky chicken chaser, featuring the same mechanicals as various ignoble scoots from the land of secret nuclear weapons development (as an aside, why are we only just getting concerned about this, surely they must have been experimenting with atoms for donkey's years, I mean, what size must their mutant prawns be, if they have balls that big??) and the Peugeot V Clic.

First things first then, what's under the gaffer tape and wheely bin plastic?

After much spanner twirling (OK, that's sort of a lie, I'm a lazy bastard, so it was mostly 'pushing the button on a power driver') it looks like this..........

MMMMMM, nice rack!!
https://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6221/rackc.jpg

Would make a good sissy bar though, waddya reckon?
https://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8219/sissye.jpg

Awwww, baby forks
https://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6452/forksu.jpg

Full frontal nudity.........
https://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1312/15449559.jpg

Moody..............
https://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4606/artyl.jpg


A note about quality; I tend to take most things on the net with a pinch of salt, until I've seen it for myself. Well, I've seen it and it's all true!

This is the first time I've looked at one of these close up and everything on this bike is made from the poorest quality parts and materials, every screw and bolt was corroded, all the alloy parts are oxidised, the wiring is shocking and the frame on my 150 quid MTB is welded up better than this.

On top of this, every fixing that wasn't corroded in place was loose, including things like the head bearing collar and the nuts that hold the handlebar risers on, and all this after only 1100 miles.

Frankly, I'm amazed they're allowed to be sold in the UK and it's no surprise that insurance companies don't like them, it looks like it would bend to buggery at the slightest knock.

If anyone reading this has thought about buying something similar for the road, forget it, you might as well set fire to the £650, at least you'll get the benefit of the heat, which is more use than these bikes are!

At this stage, I should point out that this thread is not going to feature big bore kits, bespoke power pipes and tuning parts made of unobtainium; apart from not being in the spirit of the competition, my intention is go on as I started, i.e. the bike cost me nothing and, therefore, the build will be done with a budget as close to zero as possible.

There's also the question of reliability; from what I can gather, and notwithstanding my comments above, they can be half decent mechanically, so I'm not inclined to sacrifice that for outright speed. Storming round for a few laps, then spending a few more in the pits fixing stuff, is not the plan, it will much more a case of the tortoise and the hare.

What you're more likely to see is some grand bodgery and a number of bits bought on the cheap from e bay, which might be less exciting, but could turn into an interesting demonstration of the quality of said parts, good or bad

Meanwhile, back at the ranch............ now I can get at everything, it would be a good time to find out if what I was told is true, that's it's a good runner................












Which can wait until the next exciting episode of “One mad man and his pig”

'Til next time kiddies
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Nexus Icon]

That is truly nasty.

I'm slightly jealous.
____________________
Greetings from Shitsville!

[LongJohn22]

That thing is so truly awful, it makes a rebuild thread unmissable. When I first spotted the Direct Bikes logo on the side panel I thought you had been scammed even at zero cost. People normally have to pay for someone to take one of those off their hands. Be very careful what you say about these Chinese creations, though, there are some who will insist you are making it all up 'cause there's nothing wrong with these machines

[binge]

[Shaft]

Only slightly Nex?

Funny you should mention that LJ, I believe the previous owner did pay to have it taken away, as part of a garage clearance.

I could tell how poor this was going to be when I tried to force the seat lock; at the first tickle with the hammer, the whole barrel disappeared behind the side panel, the bloody lock was stronger than the bracket that holds it!!!

And yes Ben, racing is the plan, but not up to your standards, more like the organised chaos that Gaz and Billing are building bikes for.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[kfc v lot]

This looks like it could be a very interesting thread.



Like you say though you have to wonder how they are actually road legal.
____________________
"you've proper quadraspazzed a bunch of schoolkids by throwing your bike into them at 60 mph"

[Teflon-Mike]

You HAVE to put the bodywork back on when you race it.
Or lightweight pink painted replica's....
You have to spray your leathers pink, put on a girdle, and possibly a padded bra... (I dont know how much you have to fill one already!)
Pink open face helmet, and ling blond wig....
You have to have a pink Suzuki Jeep as your race transport, and a pink horsebox. A pink roll top tool chest, pink paddock stand, pink tools, and matching hand bag.... remember Barbie HAS to have all the matching accessories!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Gazdaman]

You fuckers had better not build a better bike than mine!

(The bit about prawn balls actually made me lol too).

That bike looks awesome and like it has real good potential. My chassis is off to the powder coaters tomorrow.

Gaz

[Tim..]

[Shaft]

I'm slightly ahead of you Mike, there is an intention to get some of the bodywork back on and there will be a pink theme, but I'm gonna pass on the bra and blonde wig if you don't mind, I prefer another sort of drag racing

I think you're safe Gaz, certainly from a performance point of view, for a start, mine's a 4T, so I'm only planning on derestricting it, as far as I can; if I can get 35mph out of it, I'll be over the moon.

Actually Gaz, how do you reckon that frame brace is going to work out?

I've been considering something similar (and something tying together the rear frame ends around the tank) but I'm wondering if making the frame too stiff might put more stress into other areas, like the rear shock mounts.

Or maybe I'm overthinking things.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Gazdaman]

I think the frame brace is mostly unnecessary. I suspect the frame is plenty strong enough without it. I wanted it partly for tart value, partly because it should help add some strength when the bike's crashing over bumps that it wasn't designed to do.

Gaz

[UnspeedySam]

Cool thread. Can't believe you got a running ped for free...pile of crap or not
____________________
Riding: BMW R1150RT `02 bought mildly crashed
Fixing: Also the BMW as I get less broken bits
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01, Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[Shaft]

I'm really in two minds now Gaz, I think the same as you, a bit more strength wouldn't go amiss, I'm just a tad concerned that if I take all the flex out of the frame and, for example, the triple clamp is made with the same lack of attention as the rest of the bike, that will become the stress point for the front end and snap.

If there was anything with any strength on the centre line, I would make up a bolt on brace and fit it, if it became evident there was too much frame flex; more thought needed...................

To be fair beechbone, I don't know if it runs yet, I was just told it does, although it's got some compression and it turns over easily, so there's no reason why it shouldn't; I should find out in the next couple of days though.

There's a couple of mechanical things that are bothering me, maybe someone here knows the answers.

All the info I've managed to find out about these things deals with models made up to 2007; this was registered late 2008, so I'm wondering if some stuff has been changed, because some of it doesn't look like the pictures I've seen, like this:

https://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6320/copyka.jpg

That's not the same valve cover as I've seen before and what's that pipe running across it; extra oil feed or maybe the most basic oil cooler in the world?

Also, what's this doodah?

https://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3286/artycopy.jpg

The armoured hose connects that box to the air box, so is that some sort of emissions contraption, or something else?

Sorry if this seems a bit nooby, but I am when it comes to these things.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Shaft]

It lives, it breathes! (sort of)

Been having a bad karma day.

I was late starting out this morning, off to collect some equipment for a radio project I've got coming up; after taking 45 minutes to find a suitable parking space, I discover that they haven't put by the gear as agreed and it's going to have to be reordered, taking two weeks to arrive and the project starts in a week!

Finally get to the workshop much later than planned, then have to move a couple of cars out to make some room, whereupon the roller shutter decides to disintegrate, leaving me in the one place I hate to be, up a ladder (I have a major problem with heights).

After an hour of cursing and sweating, the shutter works again, so wheel out the pig and connect up a boost box to the power leads; tried the ignition in every position (I've already ditched all the idiot lights, so no idea when it's switched on) but no joy, won't kick and no starter.

By this time, I can't be arsed poking around with a multimeter, so I decide I'm not going to waste the trip entirely and I will continue my quest to remove everything that isn't strictly necessary, so begin to strip out all the superfluous wiring.

About three quarters of the way through, I notice a broken wire on one of the connector blocks coming from the right hand switch gear; finish stripping the wiring and, more out of idle curiosity than any thought that it might be a problem, I Scotchlok a length of wire (I've got lots of spare now!) across the break, plug in the booster again and away the starter goes....................hoorah!!!!!

It wouldn't fire, but it turns over a treat, with no untoward noises and plenty of compression, but I ran out of time to investigate further; my guess is either stale fuel (it's got some in it, but it smelt weak) or a knackered plug, so I'm going to try again on Monday.

The other good news is, further research suggests that the only power restriction on this model is the main jet, so with a bigger jet and some lighter rollers, I might get some half sensible performance from it.

Sorry Billing, I might not be as slow as I thought..............
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Shaft]

OK, back to the workshop this arvo, for another go at firing up the pig.

First things first, whip out the plug and see if we've got electrickery; what we definitely did have, was a plug soaked in petrol, so cleaned that off, shoved it back in the cap and touched it against various bits of engine and frame, while spinning the starter.

Result, bugger all!

So, screw the plug back in and go and find the multimeter to check out all the connections and coil, except I didn't. What I did do, again for no particular reason, was disconnect the kick stand switch and it fired instantly

Runs like a Swiss watch, doesn't even need the tappets adjusting and I was, needless to say, as happy as, well..................

https://img863.imageshack.us/img863/8328/pigin.jpg


Now I know it runs properly, back to stripping bits off and the EGR valve was first to go, but then I had a hole to plug up:

https://img855.imageshack.us/img855/4051/holesl.jpg


Because we're a bodyshop, there's normally odd bits of scrap sheet laying around, but not today, so I was forced to rummage through the bins to find something suitable.

Take one beer can, cut a strip round the circumference and fold the resulting rectangle over itself, to give some strength; finesse with hammer to get it flat, make two bolt holes with a centre punch and you get this:

https://img832.imageshack.us/img832/694/plateg.jpg

Cover the mating faces with a liberal application of Fire Gum, bolt it on, leave the engine running to make the paste go off, then trim off the excess.

And there you have it, probably the best blanking plate in the World....

https://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5491/blanki.jpg


While it was ticking over, I noticed a small wisp of smoke from the vicinity of the CDI unit, just as it cut out; yep, another piss poor connector had failed, the wiring on these things really is dreadful.

All solved after 30 seconds with a crimp on bullet, but if it was going back on the road, I wouldn't trust it until it had been totally rewired.

Looks like I'm almost there now, time to make a decision on the frame bracing, whether or not to keep the battery and sort out the cosmetics.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Gazdaman]

At Wittering you have a Le Mans style start, with VERY little space between bikes, so an electric start is useful for that.

I personally intend to ditch it just to keep it simpler and reduce weight.

Frame bracing is mainly tart factor. I give you permission to laugh when my braced frame fails and I fall in a heap.

Gaz

[Shaft]

I would never laugh, not in plain sight anyway

Your brace might be for tartiness, but my problem is, I doubt there's a weld run longer than 3 or 4cms on the whole frame and it's all pigeon shit quality, so I'm not convinced it would stand up to a couple of decent sized speed humps, let alone 6 hours round a dirt track.

My difficulty is, I've got a lot of experience of building race cars with various strengthening braces and I know that taking the stress from one place, just puts it somewhere else, so I have to make sure I don't load up a crap quality component I can't do anything about.

As for the battery, I think I'll take your advice about the starter; there's plenty of space in the seat bin to mount it and it only weighs about the same as a bag of sugar.

The bike's going to struggle to pull me along anyway, I'm sure an extra couple of pounds isn't going to make much difference.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Teflon-Mike]

Was looking for a gasket set...
And I saw this...
NEW 60cc Cylinder kit Direct Bikes 50cc 4-T Scooters
https://i.ebayimg.com/07/!B0NJTsw!mk~$(KGrHqR,!hgEw5kBW09)BMZVYuqk2w~~_12.JPG
And thought of YOU!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Shaft]

Why thank you, kind sir.

What do you reckon the extra 10cc would give me, maybe 0.1 of a horse power?
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Teflon-Mike]

[Shaft]

I'm intending to put in lighter rollers, so I'll probably change the belt at the same time and check out everything else in there; the optimist in me says it's only done 1100 miles, so what could be wrong?

I'm starting to build up a little portfolio of suppliers of all things chinky, so it's always useful to have another one on the list, especially if you can talk to them and not be treated like a moron.

As for the big bore kits, if it makes it through the first race, I might be tempted to try and put it back on the road as a winter hack, so then I'll go for some more serious performance.

70 kits are a dime a dozen and I'm pretty sure I've seen an 80 kit somewhere, then I would go for a stronger crank, upgraded cam and a bigger carb; with a decent pipe on there and some transmission work, it should end up as an OK town tool.

Oh, and I'll let you into a secret; we seem to have become 'Team Cochon'; I don't know how you are on foreign languages, but it's French for pig and also a slang term for dirty old man, which we quite like

So far, team members are Pinky, Perky and Porky; I'll let you guess which one I am, but I'm on the lookout for some very cheap leathers, size XXL................
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Gazdaman]

Keep in mind that bore kit would take you outside of the rules (although you'd be far from the only one!)

Definitely worth a top end rebuild though if its an unknown quantity.

Gaz

[Shaft]

I thought I could go up to 90cc (don't forget mine is a 4T)?
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Gazdaman]

Ah yes, I missed that little detail. Surely it's worth looking out for a 90cc kit then? Although a fresh 60cc would definitely be better than an old 50cc. Especially at that price.

(I hopefully collect my chassis in a couple of days)

Gaz

[Shaft]

It is a good price for that much kit (although you have to wonder about the quality) but I'm trying to avoid as much expenditure and effort as possible.

If I'm going to the trouble of even a partial teardown, I'd rather go all the way and do everything.

I know it's a risk, but it sounds good, starts first or second kick and it's only got 1100 miles on the clock, which could even be kms, so that's less than 700 miles.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035