Hi all, new member here. About 2 months ago I got a Baja Warrior from a local Tractor Supply Co to have some backyard fun! I loved the riding style/feel of the Warrior and it did very well in the backyard "tracks" I have tried so far.
The stock engine (Honda GX200 clone) almost always started on the first pull and was very easy to turn over with the rope start.
Absolutely no complaints about build quality of the bike at all. However, the top speed was a little slow for me.... (and many others I'm sure). I watched several YT vids and read lots of forum posts to ensure I would use a complete method to remove the governor. I removed both the governor arm and the governor gear inside the case (and associated small parts like their washers, etc). The process involved removing the engine from the frame, removing the flywheel, removing the engine side cover, etc. The two holes in the case where the governor parts went through were plugged with 1/4-20 cap screws (with a little loctite on them). I fashioned a throttle connection using most of the remaining mechanism that came stock with the bike.
Reassembled the engine and went to test fire it up on a stand next to the bike frame.... Boy that thing was hard to turn over!!! I ended up breaking the rope pull start mechanism! I tried quickly google searching for "sources of binding in small engines", but wasn't able to find anything... I then researched how to use a power drill as a starter and was trying that today....I used a method of grinding down a bolt and then force fitting it into a socket that fits the flywheel nut and then securing the other bolt end into the drill.
I almost burned up 2 corded (3-Amp) drills today!!!! There were some points where it seemed like it would spin freely (for maybe 20-30 revolutions) but it never fired up.... And it never seemed to turn as freely as it did when it was stock....
Looking back at the governor removal process, I can't think of what I may have done/damaged that would be causing it to e so hard to turn over and seemingly bound somehow... I made sure to be very careful (even though this is a clone engine and they can be had for $100) because this was the first time I've delved into playing around with engines in such manner... I made sure not o hit the flywheel at all.
The only thing I can think of is that something got tweaked when I was removing the stock flywheel. It was very hard to come off and certainly id not come off with such slight pressure from a large flatblade screwdriver beneath it a slight tap on the flywheel nut threaded onto the shaft... I had to carefully tap the flatblade into the space between the flywheel back and the case and then tap the flywheel nut and do this in a few different places around the wheel b4 it finally popped lose.... Looking at the back of the flywheel after removal it did not seem damaged. I checked it again today for clearance issues with the points and the gap seemed fine - seemed same as before I first removed it....
I am at a loss guys and hope you can help!!
NOTE: I do plan on getting a billet rod and billet flywheel before I started riding the bike with the modded engine installed. I did not install these items yet bc I wanted to see if the engine simply started up again....
The stock engine (Honda GX200 clone) almost always started on the first pull and was very easy to turn over with the rope start.
Absolutely no complaints about build quality of the bike at all. However, the top speed was a little slow for me.... (and many others I'm sure). I watched several YT vids and read lots of forum posts to ensure I would use a complete method to remove the governor. I removed both the governor arm and the governor gear inside the case (and associated small parts like their washers, etc). The process involved removing the engine from the frame, removing the flywheel, removing the engine side cover, etc. The two holes in the case where the governor parts went through were plugged with 1/4-20 cap screws (with a little loctite on them). I fashioned a throttle connection using most of the remaining mechanism that came stock with the bike.
Reassembled the engine and went to test fire it up on a stand next to the bike frame.... Boy that thing was hard to turn over!!! I ended up breaking the rope pull start mechanism! I tried quickly google searching for "sources of binding in small engines", but wasn't able to find anything... I then researched how to use a power drill as a starter and was trying that today....I used a method of grinding down a bolt and then force fitting it into a socket that fits the flywheel nut and then securing the other bolt end into the drill.
I almost burned up 2 corded (3-Amp) drills today!!!! There were some points where it seemed like it would spin freely (for maybe 20-30 revolutions) but it never fired up.... And it never seemed to turn as freely as it did when it was stock....
Looking back at the governor removal process, I can't think of what I may have done/damaged that would be causing it to e so hard to turn over and seemingly bound somehow... I made sure to be very careful (even though this is a clone engine and they can be had for $100) because this was the first time I've delved into playing around with engines in such manner... I made sure not o hit the flywheel at all.
The only thing I can think of is that something got tweaked when I was removing the stock flywheel. It was very hard to come off and certainly id not come off with such slight pressure from a large flatblade screwdriver beneath it a slight tap on the flywheel nut threaded onto the shaft... I had to carefully tap the flatblade into the space between the flywheel back and the case and then tap the flywheel nut and do this in a few different places around the wheel b4 it finally popped lose.... Looking at the back of the flywheel after removal it did not seem damaged. I checked it again today for clearance issues with the points and the gap seemed fine - seemed same as before I first removed it....
I am at a loss guys and hope you can help!!
NOTE: I do plan on getting a billet rod and billet flywheel before I started riding the bike with the modded engine installed. I did not install these items yet bc I wanted to see if the engine simply started up again....
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