Sprite-UK/American Eagle-USA /Alron-AUST

[HuskyPete]

AJ's American Eagle, notice how much extra weight Frank Stanbrough has put in the crank to get the balance factor to 75%, the rest is coming together nicely.





Starting on the gearbox

[vmx42]

Hey Pete,
I have always frozen the crank and heated the bearing to get the crank into the mainbearing. I have seen some 'crank pullers' [if that is the right word] but have never used one, is it a better way to go?

Or are the tolerances on these bearings too tight for freezing/heating to work?

Do you lube the crank before pulling it into the bearing?

Sorry, lots of questions, just really interested in your thoughts.
Thanks
VMX42

[matcho mick]

errr,isn't (hope ) thats what the jar of vaselines doing in the piccie for?,

[vmx42]

errr,isn't (hope ) thats what the jar of vaselines doing in the piccie for?,

I did see that, but I wasn't game to mention it…

[HuskyPete]

Jeff, i did indeed heat the bearing and freeze the crank just added a bit of vaso to the shaft and used the crank tool to pull the crank into the bearing to make sure it was all the way home makes the job easy using the right tools.

[vmx42]

Jeff, i did indeed heat the bearing and freeze the crank just added a bit of vaso to the shaft and used the crank tool to pull the crank into the bearing to make sure it was all the way home makes the job easy using the right tools.

Hi Pete,
Thanks for the update. I only asked because I assumed that it would take a bit of time to assemble the crank tool and line everything up - by which time the temperatures of the bearing and crank would have equalised.

You obviously work faster than I do.

I might have to invest in a crank tool in the future as I agree that the right tools make life easier [even when it is me that is using them  ]. The ones I have seen are really just a steel tube with a threaded insert and an adapter to attach to the crankend. Nothing as elaborate as the one you use.

Lastly, I am assuming that the tool seats against the inner race of the bearing?

Thanks
Jeff

[HuskyPete]

Jonesy A/E all done

[firko]

Beauty.....I can't wait to ride it at CD7.

[HuskyPete]

American Eagle/ Sprite Fallacy
The husky gearbox won't work in a Sprite/AE husky clone motor, at best you would have to change all the internals, crank, clutch, gearbox then maybe

[firko]

The husky gearbox won't work in a Sprite/AE husky clone motor

Now you've gone and thrown a spanner into the works Petey! Perhaps the Dongmeister can enlarge on what's needed as he apparently uses Husky trannys in his American Eagle racers.

[bazza]

 pete the  motor looks good and as Freddy of Kellyville says "its all about style" catch up at C/D

[firko]

No wonder these bikes flopped. They were shite. Jonesys having all sorts of problems putting his AE together...nothing fits properly. Husky Pete had similar dramas with the engine. Now I've sat down and had a really good look at my AE (Sprite) frame, it's a seriously heavy bloody thing. There's no way they're made from Chrome moly, the wall thickness seems like 3mm. I'll try and weigh the frame over the weekend and will compare it to a Hindall, Cheney, Micro Metisse, Maico DT1 Yamaha and TS Suzuki frames. The results will be very interesting. My bets on the Sprite being even heavier than the TS frame.

The more we look into these bikes, the less inviting they become. That's why I like 'em .

[vmxken]

Reminds me of the fun I had taking mine apart.  The lower engine bolt on mine wouldn't come out unless I bent the bolt after it was half way out, so it would clear the frame.  It almost seems like they'd bolted the engine to the brackets and then installed the engine and welded the brackets to the frame.  Not looking forward to putting that bolt back in.

[mx250]

It almost seems like they'd bolted the engine to the brackets and then installed the engine and welded the brackets to the frame. 

  . Don't do that, you are reminding of working on Pommy cars of the period . Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

I think that period of the history of Pommy engineering was a high point in expediency and a low point of engineering excellence.

[JC]

These sorts of things are the same as I observed on the bike in NQ. 

Symptomatic of what killed the pommie auto industry back then.