Motobecane idle and rev up

First look at Marks Motobecane

 So today i thought id better take a look at our friend Marks moped. Its a Motobecane similar to the brown one Sinclairio has but this one has rear suspension.



 

 Before i could work on the engine i had to remove the aweful leg shields which was easy enough and also the engine side covers. Now that i could get access to the engine it was time to check all the usual suspects. First off i checked the spark plug and found that the plug boot had melted so it wasnt clipping onto the top of the spark plug. I replaced the boot with one from and old lawn mower which i had lying about. 

 

 Here you can see the condition of the spark plug from the look of it its been running rich which isnt really a problem but the gap was massive and the arm over the electrode was bent to one side. I replaced the plug with a new one. I checked and it was getting a spark. Next i drained the remains of fuel from the tank and flushed it through with fresh fuel and left a bit in there. Stared the bike but it was still running rough.

 

 The next thing i did was remove the carb which i noticed was mising its plastic cover and covered in crud. I broke it down and cleaned everything with carb cleaner and then reassembled. 



 

 Once i had done this the bike started straight up and with a slight adjustment to the idle screw it was idling perfectly.

 

 Finally i took the bike for a little test ride and remembered how slow these bikes are without a variater. 25mph top speed with a bit of a bog at low end.

So the next thing to do is do some plug chops and establish whether its running rich or lean then i can figure out how to adjust it so it wont bog down at low end.

 

Head light brackets

My headlight brackets arrived today from Treats. I'll get my light mounted ASAP!!

Motobecane with issues...!

Went in to a local Surf store, found out the owner has an motobecane in his back yard. The ped has become boggy over recent months so we went and picked her up. More to come when cookson has had a fiddle with her undercarriage.

Peugeot Vogue radiator mount

This evening I finally got around to making a rad mount for my peugeot. I used some aluminium off cuts I had lying around. It seems to be pretty sturdy but will find out once I install the new kit and hook the hoses up.

Peugeot cylinder head temp gauge

Today I decided to adapt my Tomos temp gauge mount to fit on my Peugeot. I want to check the running temperature of my Vogue cylinder so when I upgrade to the Airsal H2O kit I have some sort of an estimate as to what temperature I should be running at.

1977 Mopeds Gilardoni build video

Just had to post this video its awesome!

Tomos test ride

Yesterday afternoon I went for a quick test ride on the Tomos before my rear axle bolt worked loose and I had to push it home. The new front forks make the ride so much smoother and the disk brake worked perfectly. Next I need to mount the head light and speedo.

 

 

  

Tomos front mudguard

Today I had to make a mount for the old mudguard to fit it on the new front end. I used an offcut of thin steel plate and hammered it round a piece of wood to make it the right shape. Then I drilled holes to attach it to the forks. I decided to trim down the mudguard a bit then mounted it on the bracket id shaped. Next I masked up the sides of the guard and sprayed the centre black. Once it had dried I mounted it on the front forks. Time for a test ride!!

Tomos disc brake 6

This afternoon I finished bolting on the front forks. To accomplish this I needed to uses various parts cannibalised from other bikes. I then installed the clip on bars. Im not totally happy with their height but I can worry about that later. I installed the disc brake lever and the old throttle cable but really I need a new one.
The bike is really coming together now. I still need to install the rear brake lever/cable, bleed the front brake, pump up the tyres and work out how im going to install the front mud guard.
Test ride coming soon!!!