I'm afraid there isn't too much to say. I started with two pieces of brass rod, 3/8 and 1/2 inch. Turned them on my little old Central Machinery lathe, one female and one male, each with 3/8-24 threads on one end and bored for cable insertion on the other end. The only other piece is a jam nut. The hard part for me was cutting the male threads straight enough for such a long length of threads. I first made a male thread component out of aluminum and the threads were really crooked and ugly! So, I went for brass and had better success, still not perfect, though. I don't know if the material change made a difference, but I do know I love working free machining brass. It cuts like butter!
There ya go. Pretty simple when you explain it. I like it. Get a brass nut in 1/4 or 5/16 thread and bore & tap it for the 3/8 thread. Make a nice neat compact piece that way.
I like it and I just might have to make me one. :thumbsup:
The aluminum may have been twisting as you threaded it. Thus the crooked ugly mess.
Doug
I like it and I just might have to make me one. :thumbsup:
The aluminum may have been twisting as you threaded it. Thus the crooked ugly mess.
Doug
Woo hoo! Started the engine after only one hang-up. My wire from the battery to ground was way too puny and fried when cranking the starter. So, I made up a 10 gage replacement wire and the engine started right up first time. It is time to prep the frame and other parts for paint. Soon I'm going to have Karen make me one of her beautiful seats, something I've been looking forward to for quite awhile.
Thanks for your comments, Tom and Creat. I couldn't find a commercially available shift lever with the clamp and the toe piece on the same side, except one that was about $3 but with a $99 minimum order. So, I made one. Since I couldn't handle cutting the clamp part out of steel I made the clamp out of brass. Of course I couldn't weld the steel lever to the clamp so instead screwed the pieces together, then painted the parts.
I can help with this some. I use Boltdepot.com for orders. If you use automotive epoxy primer first, life will be good. You can buy that in quarts from Summit Racing but you need to do it outside with a respirator. All 2 part paints are hazardous. I understand the rattle can ease but the quality isn't there in most. Eastwood has some good rattle can paint but you may not like the price. It looks to me like you're going to have a really nice bike. Do you want to skimp on paint which will be one of the first things people see? 
I have found a local auto body supply place that will mix, custom colors of PPG and primers and load rattle cans. It's not cheap, but it's still two part paint, and looks amazingly professional if u take ur time and do the prep. Rattle can paining is hit and miss at times. Even if using the high dollar standard spray paint, finish quality may not be what you expected.
With the custom filled cans you pick your custom color, as well as being able to add flake or pearl.
Wonderful build looks great and a hell of a job!
Thanks of your positive comments. Actually I have painted the bike with the best Rustoleum Gloss Preventative Enamel money can buy, $3.98 per can. Weather was 70-75 deg with 60% humidity. I knew it would work fine because I tested on scrap material before committing to the bike. I was amazed that I got away with no runs. Anything in these pictures that might look like an imperfection is actually a reflection. The color differences between the two parts are a product of lighting and my cell phone. The guard picture shows the actual color.
The Lifan 125 I've been thinking about buying has "Rated power" of 6.5 Kw @ 7500 rpm; "Maximum power" of 8.5 Kw @ 9500 rpm (about 11.4 HP); Torque: 8.8 Nm @ 5500 rpm.
Coleman lists CT100U weight as 82 lb; that should be close to the low end of the scale (it's small and simple). A TrailMaster MB200-2 is listed as 167 lb (large bike w/ full suspension).
Coleman lists CT100U weight as 82 lb; that should be close to the low end of the scale (it's small and simple). A TrailMaster MB200-2 is listed as 167 lb (large bike w/ full suspension).
Thanks for the weight figures, very interesting. Wow, 9,500rpm! I have no idea if my Loncin would be safe at that sort of engine speed, or whether it would produce much power at such high revs. Based on what Tony said, I'm OK with just 8.7hp. I bought the Loncin because it was the only 125cc engine available in the U.S. I could find with a manual clutch and electric start. So far, it started right up when I mocked up the bike prior to painting. What sort of bike would you put the Lifan on? What kind of transmission does that Lifan have?