M76's Newb Pit

[M76]

Just a place for a new guy to learn about China Bikes

[reeothec]

wiring was not the hard part for me, everything makes sense. Most wires its simple as fitting the male plug to the corresponding female plug. even the loose wires make sense because they will be bundled accordingly. for example the green and yellow wire that come from the blinker will connect to the only bundle of two wires that are also green and yellow.

[reeothec]

the assembly shouldn't be too different from the hawk.

did you put in that spacer on the front wheel?

plus goes to plus and negative goes to negative. the symbols on the actual battery and wires are what youre concerned with

[M76]

Hey there just a quick update. I got the bikes put together and fired up. I let the engines cycles a few times, and took a couple small laps up and down the street. Now comes all the fun stuff. I figure the next course of action is to check the valve clearances, change the sprockets and chain, change the oil, swap the carb, and install the digital dash. Everything after that seems to be more cosmetic than functional.

Anything else I should take a do while I have the seat and the gas tank off? Living in Richmond my elevation is 170ft. above sea level give or take. So am I correct to assume that I should start with a 110 main jet for my VM26 Carb? Should I expect to have to tune out the other jet as well? I only picked up main jets so far because at the time I wasn't aware that there were two different types of jets in a carburetor.

I got some basic 42mm cone air filters for the Hawk and the company threw in some free fuel filters. I figure they couldn't hurt to install but I don't even know if they would work with my Hawk, and I should ask those with experience before I go cutting my fuel line. How do these look? Would they function in the Hawk? The only markings on them are K4.

Lastly for today, I am looking into a new exhaust for my Magician, I already have the exhaust system that you can pick up from Amazon, and the same one Motocheez recommends,but I'm ultimately not digging it.

I really want the dual inline exhaust that you can find here at this old link.

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/329612...5c6e6c53jIfqov

But I'm having a bear of a time finding a set. Anyone got any leads on where I can buy one or if someone has one they would like to sell or trade I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks folks. Sorry for the chaotic posts.

[M76]

Anyone know if the rear luggage rack for the Brozz 250 will fit on the Hawk? I’m also on the lookout for a TaoTao TBR7 luggage rack.

[M76]

So my hawk is all assembled, swapped out the carb, did the airbox mod, installed the digital cluster, and she's ready to go. But when I changed the oil I noticed there were metal shavings in the strainer. What is the cause of this and is there a fix for it?

Also the tachometer on my digital cluster doesn't work. Is there a better way to connect the tachometer plug rather than the instructions suggestion of just jamming it into the connector and taping it off?

[Skyd]

Originally Posted by M76

So my hawk is all assembled, swapped out the carb, did the airbox mod, installed the digital cluster, and she's ready to go. But when I changed the oil I noticed there were metal shavings in the strainer. What is the cause of this and is there a fix for it?

Also the tachometer on my digital cluster doesn't work. Is there a better way to connect the tachometer plug rather than the instructions suggestion of just jamming it into the connector and taping it off?

I have not yet done my digital dash - I'm planning to do it real soon and may do an installation video on it. So I'm not sure, I'd say check your connections though, double check wiring, it's easy to make a simple mistake.


As for the shavings, my guess is poor manufacturing cleanliness standards. Probably allowed some small shavings into the case during assembly. Have you run it yet? Also, how small is small? You will for sure see some metal filings/shavings as the engine breaks in, big pieces or excessive amounts are cause for concern though.

[M76]

Originally Posted by Skyd

As for the shavings, my guess is poor manufacturing cleanliness standards. Probably allowed some small shavings into the case during assembly. Have you run it yet? Also, how small is small? You will for sure see some metal filings/shavings as the engine breaks in, big pieces or excessive amounts are cause for concern though.

I have run it and put about 5 miles on it in my neighborhood so far. The shavings were roughly around the size of a millimeter, some were a little bigger, and some were smaller. I found about 6-10 pieces in the strainer. I assumed it was mostly a case of "you get what you pay for" and that the tolerances weren't the most precise during manufacturing.

[China Rider 27]

Ideas for Magician exhaust. Search TaoBao a chinese website. Sometimes called yellow river.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...ust#post276800

[M76]

Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

[M76]

What is the general consensus on things like fuel additives? Do you folks think it’s good and valuable stuff, it’s a matter of personal preference, or is it all just modern day snake oil?

I’m talking stuff like octane booster, Cylinder Lubricant, or various injector cleaners.

Any recommendations on what to stay away from, or maybe something I should grab a couple bottles of?

[TxTaoRider]

Originally Posted by M76

What is the general consensus on things like fuel additives? Do you folks think it’s good and valuable stuff, it’s a matter of personal preference, or is it all just modern day snake oil?

I’m talking stuff like octane booster, Cylinder Lubricant, or various injector cleaners.

Any recommendations on what to stay away from, or maybe something I should grab a couple bottles of?

I think some of it has merits, if you need it...but why do you think you need it? Some octane boosters work if you need it for higher compression motors . Some fuel stabilizers work if your going let the bike sit for several weeks. Some carb/injector cleaners can help if theres just a little buildup (never had much luck on completely plugged up carbs).

[China Rider 27]

As far as fuel additives go, I would seek and use non ethanol fuel if I at all possible eliminating issues associated with that additive. There is good objective evidence for this practice. Additives are big money and played upon the psyche of people and me too. I use Marine 360 and recently started with Marvel Mystery Oil. The idea being I want my gas as fresh as possible and providing a little lubrication to the top end might be a good thing for engine efficiency. Will it ever make a difference I could determine as compared one bike with and one without I would bet money no. What it does do is make me "feel" like I have made an improvement and if the feeling is there is a few dollars worth it?

[Megadan]

I too use Marine Stabil or Marvel Mystery Oil. The former more for storage purposes, but in both cases that light oil in the fuel does actually help to lubricate the needle and slide of the carb (or pintle valve in an injector) as well as the valve faces/seat contact points of the valves. The latter being a very very minor thing that realistically won't likely make a difference in the practical life of the engine, but hey, it makes me feel good on the inside lol. It also does a decent job at keeping varnish from building up in the fuel system over time as well, which is a more practical reason.

[M76]

Originally Posted by TxTaoRider

I think some of it has merits, if you need it...but why do you think you need it?

At this point in time I don’t think they are something I would need. It was more of a thought that I had while walking past some at Wally World. I’m just thinking in terms of long term uses and use for preventative treatments.