I need some help......I have an azusa mini bike that was put together from a kit.....Its the one with 5" aluminum tri star wheels AZ 1144 and I am using the AZ 2218 ID 72 tooth sprocket and brake drum.......I cannot get the sprocket to spin even close to true.....the sprocket wobbles and even causes the chain to tighten and loosen severely I tried to disassemble the wheel and check to make sure the parts are all fitting together correctly and they seem to be correct I also tried to clock the sprocket in a different position on the 3 mounting bolts, the aluminum rim itself seems to have a decent wobble to it? are these azusa wheels just very poor quality? am I not using the proper sprocket 4 1/2" brake drum with the wheel? any suggestions? is there a better 5" wheel brake setup that fits in the AZUSA kit frame?
Problem with AZUSA 5" wheel/brake hub sprocket
- Thread starter Anthen27
- Start date
I had a feeling that the azusa parts are very crude at best......I can take some pics of it and put my dial indicator on it to measure but beating it with a mallet to get the runout better on the sprocket? Ill give it a try..........I raced go karts for many years and some parts are made better than others......does anyone make a 5" wheel assembly preferably aluminum with a disc brake setup or a better drum brake setup? maybe a machined wheel and hub with aluminum sprocket with centering hole? I messed with the wheel/sprocket a few times to get it this good and the brake drags in one small spot and the chain goes from too tight to 2" slop between the sprockets with a half revolution of the wheel. I realize this is a minibike not the space shuttle but I have to get the sprocket runout better.....I do appreciate any input very much
You can get a 4-1/2” drum brake with a flange to accept split sprockets I use them as often and I can and they work very well and are drilled for most wheel patterns
https://www.OldMiniBikes.com/4_5-brake-drum-with-flange-drilled-for-astro-wheel.html
https://www.OldMiniBikes.com/4_5-brake-drum-with-flange-drilled-for-astro-wheel.html
I will take a look at the F&B racing stuff but for now I found the exact wheel setup new at the long island minibike madness show it was on a manco frame with no front wheel and I spun it to check and it's almost perfectly true.....I offered the seller $40 for it and we met at $45 but I'm happy with the outcome.....maybe the other rear wheel that I take off I'll remove the sprocket hub and use the 5" azusa tri star as a front
I'll add my $.02 here. I am yet to order an azusa sprocket that runs true. If you are lucky, the wheel itself will be straight though. There are better parts available, but are the prices reasonable? Azusa has the most affordable parts, they just need some tweaking. I always drill out the mounting holes in the drum sprocket just a bit and enlarge the bearing hole in the center. I also keep a good selection of arbor shims on hand. With the dial indicator, I will spend a good hour and shim and adjust as necessary. The enlarged mounting holes and center holes along with the arbor shims give me adjustability both in run out and concetricity. (I think I explained that right)
I should also add that this can be a little tricky. You will be trying to get the sprocket teeth to run true as well concentric but also keeping in mind the the inner surface of the drum needs to run well so the brakes function as well as possible. You won't get all of these perfect, just trying to get it as close as possible kind of a happy medium between the 3. I am usually able to get within .005-.010". The chain will do a little tightening and loosening as it turns, so consider that when adjusting the chain. Adjust it based on the tighter spot. A good quality chain will help here. I use RLV gold. You can also consider a roller tensioner as well.
