NAVIGATION ICONS AND WHAT THEY MEAN!

1. June 22nd 2008 - Replacement of bent swingarm

This weekend I had to do some minor repairs on my 501. Replaced the brake

cables and shorten the springs. I’m using pats brakes and due to heavy usage

I needed to shorten the springs to allow for more brake grab. Replaced the

brake cables too since they are basically worn down to nothing. You can just

shorten your springs to increase the braking, eventually needing new ones.

Second, the swing arm is bent so it needed to be replaced and this only took a

few minutes, lubed the chain and made sure all the bearings are clean and damage

free. The bend in the swing arm is very minor, but enough to offset tire tracking and

does effects performance , which causes the tire to wear incorrectly. Make sure

the chain does not rub against the tire, this is often overlooked.

2. August 13th 2008 - Just burning fuel, until I ran out of Fuel!

Went to burn some fuel today and busted a few parts. First thing that

happened was the steel rod which holds the shock to the swing arm popped

out (506); spent a few minutes searching the parking lot for it. Then, my right

front bearing on my 506 started to grab, which prevents cornering so I used an

older bearing from my R/C box as a temporary fix. Clutch lock nut came loose,

fixed that. Ran out of fuel. (Go figure) Even though I had more problems than

actual run time, it was fun. Not all days run smooth…

I haven’t been able to run the bikes in a few weeks and last time I ran them, I

didn’t run the engine dry. This is not a good thing because the fuel in the block turns

into gunk and will bind the piston. It can be really tricky to get the piston free again

so I have learned. Make metal note to run the engine dry before leaving the bike idle

for several days. You will thank me In the long run. I’m pretty sure I have mentioned

this before but I just wanted to mention it again.

3. August 17th 2008 - Busted piston rod

I managed to break the piston rod on my 501 so I spent the afternoon overhauling the bike.

I’m not positive how the rod snapped, but due to hard usage, it just gave out? Anyways,

first had a heck of a time removing the piston sleeve, which is why I added another tip to

the website. Due to my random parts that I have collected over the years I was able to

build a new engine, still out of fuel so it has not been tested yet, but it turns over ok.

The other reason I wasn’t able to test the engine is the gas tank fuel cap was busted. Just

finishing up on the bike and suddenly noticed the caps plastic arm snapped off. Go figure!

Anyways, spent several hours working on the bikes and listening to some music so it was

a very relaxing afternoon.

4. September 5th 2008 - Night Lights!

Since it is a very warm Friday night, figured why not try something a little different.

I have had several of these 6.0v light strings for awhile and they are plug‘N Pray.

Most R/C shops that carry model helicopters should stock them, but I don’t remember

the brand name off the top of my head. This is work in progress and I still have several

lights to be routed. Just wanted to post a few pictures! Night driving.. Cannot wait!

Any questions that you need answered, ask away! Lorenzo