Velo Solex Times Two
 

They came home today.:yay:

The yellow one is a 1977 4600. It was originally sold by a bike shop in Aurora, IL.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pskd72oe8w.jpg

It's in pretty good shape, save for some lighting issues. Starts right up and runs really well

The black one isn't a 1964 2200/3300 as advertised but not a deal breaker.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psdpxf5l4q.jpg

Until I locate the serial number, it'll be a 1966 to 1983 3800. It looks like parts are missing but I have them all. This one has a perforated fuel pump diaphragm and lighting issues. A new diaphragm will be here next week. It does have a very strong spark. Guess how I know.:wtf:

Side by side in the driveway.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pslthexwe5.jpg
The 4600 is wearing the air cleaner cover, blower cover, and fuel tank of the 3800. The originals are white. It is also supposed to have an engine guard mounted. I have that, too.

Washed and in the garage.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pslaftqbnq.jpg

I bet I put five miles on the 4600 tonight. It was a hoot.:hi:

:tup:

Does 3800 imply 38cc?

You'd think that, but no. 3800 is the engine model number.:hmm:
The 4600 is an improved upon 3800. I think the difference is how the throttle operates.

Took the yellow one for a ride today.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pssgw5al0a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psajgebrh9.jpg
Went into town for the flea market and grabbed breakfast at the French Cafe'. The panniers are Swiss Army bread bags. They work okay for a Raleigh 3 speed but hang too low for a Velo Solex. Will ponder a solution.

I'll mention that both bikes came with their tool boxes still attached. The yellow ones set is complete, the black is missing the tire tools. The black one does have its' tire pump. Needs a new piston cup but looks like I may be able to use a Coleman stove cup.

Mrs. C will give riding a shot today.

Tell me about the breakfast pizza!

Can't tell ya because I've never had it. I'm a pushover for their Breakfast Panini, though. I get that with scrambled eggs, cheese(of course), bacon, and peppers. It's a wonderful morning that has a pepper belch.:lol:

Update-Found the correct sealed beam headlight for the 4600. $15 plus shipping. Beats the heck out of the Velo Solex parts places. By $50. Now to suss out the wiring.

Researched the year of the 3800 by asking somebody. ;) Engine serial number is dated 1973. Frame number is dated from 1974. Engine number dictates the year, so it's a 1973.

More than just a bad fuel pump with the 3800. I gots no spark anymore, either. Dunno where it went, it was there yesterday. Guess I'll pull the flywheel and find out.

At least the points and condenser should be cheap and available.

Thanks for the pics!

They are and fairly cheap. That said, I found plans for a Velosolex CDI. I ran those past the guy that built the CDI for the CX and got a thumbs up from him. Instead of a pickup or Hall Effect sensor, it uses the points as a trigger. I have all the components on hand but this a 'Just In Case' scenario. I'm guessing the points are dirty or the condenser went south. If the condenser, I can replace it with a film cap for several pennies.

I asked Mrs. C which one she wanted and, to my surprise, she wants the black one. So, slowed down on the yellow one and working on the black one now.

Cx is down now, too, but that isn't getting fixed until it cools down a bit.

So cool that Mrs. C is into it!

I like the idea of triggering the ignition with the points. Can you request a specific advance curve?

I doubt it. It's pretty much a bare bones system.

Engine is off the 3800 along with the handle bars and front wheel. Front hub overhauled and rim trued. Fork and front caliper next.

Still troubleshooting the lighting issues on the 4600. Think it may be a broken wire behind the flywheel(of course). Brake light switches need to come apart for a thorough cleaning.

No more garage time until Friday.:cry:

Please explain the caliper; I don't see one.

look closely on the back side of the engine and fork.... you can clearly see it in one of the pics of the black one...

The front caliper is the biggest bicycle rim brake I've ever seen. Hidden behind the engine but you can see it behind the fork on the 3800 in this pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psdpxf5l4q.jpg
About 3 o'clock from the flywheel is the Adjuster and at 5 o'clock is the left pad against the rim.

Removing the engine is a breeze. Disconnect the throttle cable, remove the bolt at each fender stay and off it comes. All 7lbs of it.

The PO claims he had the 3800 for 30 years and with all the jerryrigging and stove bolts with square nuts used for repairs, I believe it.

I may not be a restoration when it's done, but it will be right.

Funny, my mind automatically went to a disc brake and caliper. Duh.

Tell me: do you swap brake cables on your bicycles to match the front brake orientation of a motorcycle?

No, I don't. And I had to check to see. I guess I've been doing both for so long that it's instinctive.

Now, hopping on a coaster braked bike after riding with hand brakes for a few months becomes interesting at the first stop sign.:ohno:

That said, the VS brakes are set up like a motorcycle.

Not surprised by the VS brake orientation.

Forum member AtomicWedgie is a CX fan and an avid cyclist also; he always switches the bicycle cables around to match a motorcycle.

Back from the road trip and spent a bit more time with the 3800.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps2gm6cxwx.jpg

Get the fork yanked and start to pull the caliper when I see this.:wtf:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psurcierta.jpg
One arm of the caliper had broken off and the PO had done this. No wonder it didn't stop. A redneck repair if I've ever seen one. On the bright side, I can use a section of the 'repair' and weld it to the caliper arm the correct way.:)

It looks cobbled together to me, but I'm not exactly sure how it should look.

Well, I just found out that I can get the caliper arm from France for 0.75 euro.:shrug: Not even worth breaking out the welder for that.

http://www.solex-motobecane.com/3-fr...lex-149-80.htm

I'm interested in the replacement of the caliper arm. I can't visualize how the item you linked to will replace the redneck repair.

The caliper is made up a boat load of stamped steel parts. Included are two right arms and two left arms. Each pair of arms holds a brake pad. What I have is one broken left arm.


My friend and coworker in France is picking me up two pairs of arms(among other small parts) and bringing them stateside for me next month.

That's a terrific connection! I hope you also asked for something from the Bordeaux region.

If it wasn't for Tony(and Christian, Neil, Mirko, Luc, Xavier, Alfredo, Jesus, and any of my other international co-workers)there probably would be no liquor in the house. I believe I got a bottle from the Alsace region and one from the Piedmont region earlier this year. The guys from Mexico brought me locally distilled mescal and tequila. The Brit brought me a bottle of Balveinie last year. I'm still waiting for the Canucks to pick up a bar tab, though.:hehe: They're from Ontario, whatchagonnado?

I'm bringing Tony bottles from Illinois and Maine next month. Maybe he will still like me.

Bit more done on the 3800 today. New chain and freewheel installed, over hauled the bottom bracket plus drilled and tapped the same for a grease zerk so I don't need to take half the frame down to do it next time. Fork and wheels on. Plastic welded the cracked throttle tube. I have a new one on order but I want to see if this works.

Other than that, plodding right along.

Have you checked out Moped Army? That might be another source for used parts.

Yup, got my new headlight from them. Which, by the way, works. Still no tail or brake light but I'm narrowing it down. Finished up the bicycle part on the 3800 this morning and also tried my hand at plastic welding the cracked throttle tube. Man, I could have saved thirty bucks if it holds.

Did you use the HF plastic welder?

No, I got a cheap one from Menards'.

Got the 3800 back together tonight but that's as far as I got. Went to pull the flywheel, but my tool doesn't fit. I think I have one that will fit at the shop.

Just a tip for future plastic welding...a soldering iron works quite well for this as well!

It can, but the flat shoe of a plastic welding iron is much easier. I have a cheap one from HF that does a decent job. They also have an assorted bag of filler rods, with PP, PVC and ABS. Also cheap.

Woohoo, spark and fire on the 3800 this evening.:clap:
Cleaned and reset the points, got spark. Shot some two stroke into the carb, flipped the flywheel a couple times and away it went. Ran about 10 seconds on what was in the carb and just purred. A stinky two stroke purr, but a purr nonetheless.:tup:

I can almost smell it from here. Lovely.

We need video!

Will see what I can do this evening for a video.

No soap on the video tonight. Last night I got fire by dumping some 2 stroke down the carb. Tonight, I tried to run fuel from the tank, through the fuel pump, to the carb. Even after replacing the fuel pump diaphragm.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pssw4qpreb.jpg
So, I have a blockage somewhere after the fuel pump.

Try again on Friday.

I'll wait here.

Aw, crap. >: Looks like you are waiting a bit longer for a video. At least a week.

I got the fuel pump issue squared away, one of the check balls 'checked out' as it were and left the building. It just so happened that the fuel pump had been upgraded in the past with 1/8" steel balls instead of glass balls. I have about a zillion of those. So, replace the missing ball and reinstall the pump. Turn the flywheel over a couple times to prime the pump. Reattach the fuel line and flip the flywheel once. AAAAANNNDDD it starts and idles. And revs.:tup:

So, like an idiot, I decide to take it for a quick ride up and down the street. It runs great. For about two minutes. Starts to bog and backfire. Then quits. :wtf: I wheel it into the garage and check to see what I did.

Spin the flywheel and no compression. Zip, nada, nothing. :ohno: Crap. I did something bad. I stick the bore scope down the cylinder and see no hole in the top of the piston. Whew. So, I've either blown a head gasket or a shaft seal. Let's hope for a head gasket.

Pull the head and looky what I find.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psjekj2rzr.jpg

Two, count 'em, two complete gasket sets are on their way here from San Fran. Along with a second air filter because it turns out neither bike had one.

So, next week some time for the video.:hi:

Good news on the head gasket.

What is that interesting contraption in the left side of the pic? It's on casters, and it resembles a bike lift.

Ding ding ding ding. I expect the CX to be on it in a couple more weeks.

I promised a video, so here it is starring the yellow 4600.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/214992...posted-public/

Velosolex-wise, it was a good day. I got everything sorted on the 4600. All the lights now work and I swapped out the broken Aprilia kill switch with a Honda one. I also got the correct rotor cover, air cleaner, and fuel tank on each bike.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pskjlagf1b.jpg

I was on a roll, so I made a head gasket for the 3800. A good look at the top of cylinder showed that the original gasket had been leaking for a while. You can see on the lower right where the gasket blew.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psn4wdxmzw.jpg

I rode the black one almost five miles after installing the head gasket, just to see what was what. Runs pretty good but doesn't seem to have the same amount of power as the yellow one. Then again, it hasn't been run for fifteen years. Also, my plastic welding job didn't hold on the the throttle tube. I remain undaunted, though, and will try another approach.

Now comes the onerous task of getting them titled and registered. :cry: That should be interesting.

Thanks for the vid! :D Perhaps an LED 1157 is in order.

Your pic of the piston top reminded me to bring up a topic: what do you think about polishing the piston top? I would think that it would resist carbon build-up.

May we see the muffler?

Never thought about polishing the piston top. Worth a try.

Mufflers. See the round black things next to the front wheels?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psexrfie12.jpg
Them's mufflers. Believe or not but the exhaust pipe is 6mm. Header pipe is 13mm. My understanding is that the Hungarian Impex muffler is prized for it's 16mm header pipe and 8mm exhaust. All I know is that purchasing and importing an Impex would cost more than I spent on the bikes.

Re:the led taillight. Plans were already afoot. I'll be snagging the 6v1157 from Super Bright LEDs for the 4600 and probably something else for the 3800. Only real issue after that is the install of a bridge rectifier somewhere in the lighting circuit to convert from AC to DC. Come to think of it, it may take three rectifiers for the 4600 because head, tail, and brake light are all on separate circuits. The 3800 don't care, it's got head and tail light on a single circuit. And no brake light.