Front end clacking

[Skripo]

I have a real pain in the ass clacking sound in the front wheels that I traced to the drum brakes. The sound persists no matter how tight I make the wheels.

Everytime I start off it makes a loud clack sound that makes my ATA-250 sound like the low quality quad that it is. Anyone have any similar experience and potential fixes?

[TurboT]

Skripo,

I know my other 50cc gio used to make noises out of the front if I tightened the wheels too much. I think it was pushing the wheel too far into the brake assembly. It wasn't a 'clack' sound but more of an annoying rubbing noise.

I'm not sure how your assembly looks, but can you loosen the wheel off some? I know that sounds like a bad idea, but if you have a cotter pin keeping the nut in place perhaps you need less tension. No torque specs for these makes it a bit of a guessing game.

[Skripo]

Actually they were loose and I tightened one, no go.

[TurboT]

Are you able to post some pictures of your assemblies the members can look at?

One clack and then it's gone sounds like something is binding and then slapping back into place as you start rollling, like perhaps the levers that extend the drums etc.

Pictures might be helpful.

[TurboT]

Just to expand on my musing here:

If you have cables extending to both wheels, pulling levers back to extend the drum into the hub of the wheel, you could have one side with a stick cable or broken spring.

Your lever on the bar will pop back because the other side is pulling it still, but the broken or stuck side is keeping the tension lever by the wheel in position.

As you start rolling, the tire rotation pushes the tension lever back into place which is causing the clack noise as it releases it.

If this is your setup I would check you have nothing binding your cable or the spring is no broken by the wheel, and try spraying WD-40 down the plastic cable protector.

If you have another set up this is all for naught but just throwing ideas into the breeze.

[TheRealWorld]

Just thought I would mention that I have a 2 wheel drive Loncin (Run Master) that has lots of clunking from the front ball joints. It is noisy and clunky. It has about 1 hour on it.. It is a 300 cc Shaft drive.