How-To's: When you first get your Cag
First thing to do, is to read over the manual. It may not be great (9 times out of 10, it’s the same manual they copied from Blata), but it will give some useful information on what the bike is about.
Look over the bike and take notice of the parts that you will either be upgrading or fixing in the future. Air filter (black box), carb (connected to the black box), exhaust (muffler and expansion chamber), front and rear brakes, etc.
Keep in mind, that these bikes are poorly made from the factory, which means every new bike will have some flaws. Here are some steps that you should take before even attempting to start the bike.
1. Clean out the gas tank. Almost all cagllari
pocketbikes have plastic debris inside the gas tank. If fuel is added to the tank without prior cleaning, the plastic shavings will get caught in the carb, and will clog up the holes (jet, pet*censored* holes, float bowl, etc). If this happens, performance will be greatly affected. Multiple problems such as bogging at WOT, low/high/rough idle, no power at any given throttle, etc. If you are experiencing any of these problems, most likely you have a clogged up carb and will need to take apart the carb and clean every single little hole and make sure its free from debris.
To clean out the gas tank, take out the top fairing (seat area). Since I have a FF Cag, I will include steps on how to take out the fairing for the FF cag. Its pretty much the same for the half fairing versions as well. The top fairing has 5 hex bolts, 4 on the seat, one located just ahead of the gas cap. Take them off and place them somewhere safe so you know where its at. Take off the gas cap as well. Once you have the fairing off, you will see the tank. Take off the fuel line that connects from the tank to the carb.
Once you have the tank in hand, shake it. You probably can hear the plastic shavings hitting against the inside of the tank. Rinse it out. I used water, but remember, water and fuel do not mix, therefore if you use water, make sure its completely dried before reinstalling. Use an air compressor or can of air to dry up everything inside. You can also use rubbing alcohol (dries up pretty fast), or even gas (to be safe) to rinse out the tank.
Install a fuel filter. Go to an auto parts store (i.e Napa, Autozone, etc.) and get a fuel filter. From Napa, the part number is #3011. It’s a paper element fuel filter, and small enough to install on the pocketbike. There are numerous fuel filters out in the market that are made for small engines. I chose to use a fuel filter with a micron mesh (stainless steel mesh). I bought mine from a motorcycle shop. If you do go to a motorcycle shop, just ask the sales personnel for a fuel filter that fits two stroke engines. Let them know you have a pocketbike and they’ll get you a fuel filter that’s small enough to fit in the pocketbike. Cost for the fuel filter ranges from $2.00 to $5.00. While you’re at the auto parts store or motorcycle shop, get some steel clamps that will fit a ¼ inch fuel line. You’ll need four of them to clamp on each end (one at the nozzle of the gas tank, two for each end of the fuel filter, and one at the fuel line that connects to the carb).
Cut out one end of the fuel line and connect the fuel filter (for the Napa fuel filter, make sure the arrow is pointed down). Take note on how much fuel line you’re cutting. Cutting too much will leave you without enough fuel line, and you’ll have to go buy a new one. If you do end up cutting too much fuel line, go to your auto parts store and find some high quality fuel line that has an Inside Diameter (I.D) of ¼ inch. They usually sell the steel braided reinforced fuel line. Those work great because the rubber they use is fuel resistant, which means the fuel will not eat up the inside and outside of the rubber.
At the other end of the fuel filter, connect the fuel line to the carb. Make sure you use the steel clamps to clamp down on the fuel line so the fuel won’t leak.
Install the fuel line and filter to the gas tank, make sure the fuel line isn’t kinked to where it will prevent fuel from going into the carb, bolt up the fairing, and you’re finished.
The reason for installing the fuel filter, is to prevent any accidental debris from getting into the carb. Also, this will make sure the fuel/oil mixture going into the carb, is clean at all times.
3. Loctite all the bolts you can. These bikes create a lot of vibration (the crank isn’t balanced, frame is not strong, etc.), and bolts will start to come loose at some point. The most important bolts to loctite will be the engine bolts. There are three underneath the engine, and also the top engine bolt that connects to the frame. Take those bolts off and put some loctite on them. This will help the bolts stay in tight. You can buy loctite (I use the blue loctite) at any auto parts store.
4. Adjust the handlebars and brakes to your liking. For the handlebars, there is usually just one nut to loosen and from there you will be able to adjust them accordingly. For the brakes, also, there is one nut where you can adjust the brake line to either increase or decrease tension. Check to make sure the wheels spin freely (both front and rear). For the rear, the wheel will spin at least 1.5 – 2 times before the clutch will start to grab and prevent the wheel from spinning freely.
5. Check the tire pressures for both tires and make sure they’re within the limits specified on the tire itself.
6. You’re ready to start the bike! Make sure to pull out about 2-3 inches of slack from the starter rope. This will make sure the claws are grabbing the flywheel good. Give a quick continuous pull. It should start within 3-4 pulls. If you’re good, one pull should be sufficed. Good luck and I hope this tutorial helped you out.
