Motor: Logic

Trying to install the clutch basket into the model motor and hit something of a logic roadblock.

All these things are true:

1. Installed by itself, drive gear fits correctly onto the crank and engages the primary driven gear.
2. The drive gear installs correctly into the clutch basket.
3. The clutch basket installs correctly onto the crankshaft without the drive gear in place.
4. BUT... with the drive gear installed in the clutch basket, the assembly will not mate with the crankshaft.

The only thing I can figure is that with the drive gear in place, it's putting the center of the basket slightly off center so it can't line up correctly to engage splines on the crankshaft.

If that's the case, though, what's the fix?

[2/3 edit]
So, the fix is that you just unpack the basket, repack it, and viola.  I guess the plates were just a little off center.  Still not sure how to guarantee they line up the first time...

Motor: Engine Stand

Decided to mount the Model Engine on the wooden stool I'd been using to mount them into the frames (before realizing they didn't work once the coil was installed).

Drilling the four holes to hold the engine was easy, but then realized the oil plug needed its own hole to get the bottom flat against the stool.  Used the dremel depth attachment for the first time along with the metal cutting bit to shave it out.

Worked a treat.

Motor: Points for the Model

Took a better look at the misc spares from eBay.  Bought it mainly to get the other version of the inner clutch cover, but ended up needing the points plate for the model engine anyway.

Removed the old set of points and tried to clean the plate itself (which didn't really do much).  Then installed the newer set of points (which are actually the original Viola points which I swapped for the new Daiichi ones).

Missing the second 4x7 screw for the points.

Wrapped the wire in green electrical tape.  Whole thing looks pretty good.

Motor: Spark!!!!

Big job to try to get a spark from the properly installed coil and fully mounted engine.  Went in thinking there was maybe a 50/50 chance at best but might as well give it a shot.

Stymied at first when I realized that resting the engine on the wooden stool to mount it only works if there's NO coil installed.  With the coil mounted, you have to angle the motor into the frame making the stool too tall to really work.

I tried sitting the motor on the stool and then adding layers of cardboard underneath to "jack" it up, but that didn't pan out.

Tried just muscling it into place but only ended up bending the tab of the coil when I dropped it.

Finally, went back to the old trick of laying the frame down on its side.  I first laid it down on the right, but then quickly realized that the kickstart spindle sticking out the end was hitting the ground.

So then switched to laying it on its left, and presto, engine was mounted in 5 minutes.

Great trick, but really only works on a dry bike.  It'd be a pain to do it on a running bike where you'd have to drain or remove the tank.  Will need to find a better way to mount/drop the engine with the coil installed.

But after all that work, the reward was an instant big blue spark on the first kick.  Job done!

Motor: Coil Prep

Installed the coil in the kitchen garage just to make sure I knew how everything fit together.