Mini & Pit Bike Thread

[Wingnut]

Nice shot, wrench in hand... it's good for young men to learn how to wrench on stuff, I started early on with skateboards & BMX bikes, plus my old Schwinn paperbike which I used to deliver the San Diego Union & the San Diego Tribune before they merged into the San Diego Union-Tribune. Rode that paperbike for three years, lol... but my brothers & I learned to fix bikes a long time ago, there was nobody there to do it for us, and we damned sure weren't gonna PAY somebody to do it, lol. My brothers delivered papers too, we had separate routes but occasionally covered for one another if somebody was sick or injured.

 

[Wingnut]

After reading the paint-huffing thread posted by Magus, and replying to it as well, it's time to resurrect this thread, lol... somewhere on the first page, there are videos of riding on Rim Road 300 outside Show Low, a veritable PARADISE for off-roaders and dirt bikers in the White Mountains of Arizona. When I ride in the Sacramento Mountains here near my home in NM, I'm actually HIGHER in elevation than I was in Show Low and environs, but the wildlife is abundant in both locations. After finishing the bathroom renovation project this week, I believe I'll take a much-needed ride in the local mountains, I put off all riding till the bathroom project is finished, aye? Losing my cat didn't help... but a ride will sort out the thoughts in my head and get me back on track to paint the kitchen, I have a self-imposed deadline for completion of THAT project by the end of this month (my birthday). That leaves me 26 days... might be cuttin' it close!

 

[Peanut]

I have a Baja motorsports mini. It's a lot of fun to ride but I had a need for it. About half of my 100acres is wooded. Cows like to hide when giving birth or hide their newborn calves. They are really good at hiding calves. I've walked within 10ft of calves and not seen them...

The minibike was perfect for the woods. Much more maneuverable than a 4wheeler in thick timber or brush. And the mini was faster than a cow. Perfect for moving cattle from pasture to pasture or going after a wayward stray.

The back tire is flat, has been for a year. I couldn't find a tube to fit it. Looks like I need a plug or a new tire/wheel. I miss riding it, handy little scooter.

The headlight is worse than worthless though, voltage from a generator. The voltage changes with rpm, idle and the light goes out. At full throttle the light is just bright enough to rob my night vision. The headlamp on my boony hat is brighter. I thought I should mount a led spot light and battery. Never got around to it. I wanted to convert it to a better clutch, never got around to that either.

View attachment 94105

@Wingnut I'd like to get my scooter running again. I know nothing about the minibike world. Couple items, the most important and simplest to solve.

1) The rear tire is flat. The rear sprocket is on the opposite side and mounted to the rim. I've no clue or manual to get the situation corrected. A few months ago I found a new rear wheel, w/tube/tire/sprocket on line. Had other pressing concerns but the bookmark is now bad...

Any suggestions? Places to buy? Good websites?

2) this bike has a clutch. Is a torque converter better? This bike can't be changed easily. Doesn't have a threaded hole in the end of the crank shaft. Found a video once of someone changing one over. Thought I'd do the swap when the clutch wore out, it's time.

This isn't a pressing matter. I bought this bike for hunting new born calves. Worked great for that. In thick timber it's far more maneuverable than a 4wheeler. Don't have cattle now but I'd like to get it running again. Some kid might want it.

 

[Wingnut]

Peanut, you should be able to find a manual already posted online... try this link!

Coleman

There are other links to PDF manuals, find one that's free and just download it to your computer.

Some of the guys at lilhonda.com can also tell you where to find a free Coleman manual, even though that's a Honda site those guys also ride a bunch of other bikes.

 

[Aerindel]

@Wingnut I'd like to get my scooter running again. I know nothing about the minibike world. Couple items, the most important and simplest to solve.

1) The rear tire is flat. The rear sprocket is on the opposite side and mounted to the rim. I've no clue or manual to get the situation corrected. A few months ago I found a new rear wheel, w/tube/tire/sprocket on line. Had other pressing concerns but the bookmark is now bad...

Any suggestions? Places to buy? Good websites?

2) this bike has a clutch. Is a torque converter better? This bike can't be changed easily. Doesn't have a threaded hole in the end of the crank shaft. Found a video once of someone changing one over. Thought I'd do the swap when the clutch wore out, it's time.

This isn't a pressing matter. I bought this bike for hunting new born calves. Worked great for that. In thick timber it's far more maneuverable than a 4wheeler. Don't have cattle now but I'd like to get it running again. Some kid might want it.

If your talking about a colemand bike....fixing the rear tire is no big deal. You just remove it, pry off the tire with some tire irons (about $20 on amazon) or a couple of dull screwdrivers. I've done it a few times on mine. It's about a ten minute job. The tires that come stock on these bikes are really low ply and easily go flat from wooden sticks, etc, but you can get higher ply tires pretty cheaply.

As for the topic in general....its timely as my last patient came to me as the result of trying to make a 60 mile grocery run on his Coleman BT200. He made it halfway. One thing I found out the hard way (but not as hard as him) is that if you get too much weight, too high up on them, they get really unstable.

 

[Wingnut]

Peanut, I didn't read your last post that closely, but now that have more time, I see you had a couple of questions. I've swapped tires on my Z50 before, it had 8" rims and those rims actually came apart, making the swap fairly easy, just time consuming. I'm not sure what you mean by saying the sprocket is on the opposite side? Looks to be on the left side in that manual cover shot. Maybe some pics would help. I've always found pics to be helpful when addressing any bike problem in a forum on the Internet. There may be video tutorials available on the web too, those are helpful.

Some of those vendors at lilhonda.com might offer Coleman parts, or something better in the way of aftermarket parts. I bought a bunch of really cool aftermarket parts when I modded out my Z50... better tires, primo shocks, aluminum swingarm, extended fork legs and burlier fork springs, gold chain, mini-thumper desert tank, Piranha 140cc motor, superior exhaust system with carbon fiber can, etc. But as an old school BMX and MX rider, I like tinkering with stuff and making it better, as in lighter, stronger and faster, lol. We used to install alloy aircraft parts on our bikes years ago...

The mini & pit bike market has grown over the decades, there are many more aftermarket parts available now than there used to be in bygone years. Dunno if the clutch/converter swap is worth doing on a Coleman bike, I never had to do anything myself except swap clutch cables on different makes. I'll say this: those boys like OLD CT at lilhonda.com know a lot about minis & pit bikes, you can join that site for free and ask 'em whatever you wish. That's basically a spam-free site, it has a few ads but you can get rid of them pronto. Good people there, mostly... few libtards, lol.

Edit: Oh, hell, now that I read your post again, I see you have a Baja mini bike... separate make from Coleman? Maybe someone else had the Coleman. Meh, same advice applies, just find a free PDF manual for it online, and check for available parts too. Some of those vendors at the site I mentioned offer parts for a wide variety of bikes. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier, I've had a lot on my mind lately. Good news is I'm basically done with the bathrooms for now, floors get done later, so I'm gonna take a ride on my thumper this week... been away from it too long.

Further edit: Looks like Aerindel has the Coleman, I missed that earlier... these minis aren't that hard to work on though, no matter what the make. Finding parts for some bikes can be a challenge, but vendors have made it easier nowadays and you can usually find stuff online.

 

[Wingnut]

Well, after rambling on for a bit, I went and found a Baja manual online at manualslib.com... Peanut, just punch in your make and find your model, there are a number of Baja minis & cycles there.