2/4/00
I've borrowed again from one of my "Back Pages" here. If you're new to the world of Go-Peds this may help you save some bucks on pre-mature drive tire and spindle wear and replacement. The thing to remember is too much pressure will cause crank shaft and crank bearing damage, too little pressure will cause drive slippage. Slippage will cause the drive spindle and tire to wear too quickly.
The number one problem is with rear tire wear. Due to the nature of the drive system, not all of this wear can be eliminated but most can be by keeping the rear tire adjusted correctly. Just remember this, motorized toys are a form of "motor sports" and this means maintenance at a higher and more frequent level than your lawn mower. If you aren't UP to the task, find a deck of cards to play with.
The pictures on this page are mine. I took them of a Go~Ped I was repairing. If you should want to snatch them for your own personal reference, just do it, no need to ask. Same goes for the written guidance, if printing this whole page out for you or your kids to reference will help you get more out of your Ped, by all means do it.
First loosen the quick release lever. Check so when the lever is tightened that it takes a fair amount of force to move all the way. If not, tighten the wing nut on the opposite side until it's a bit difficult but not impossible to swing the quick release lever to the lock position. Move the purple detent plate away from the lower rear fuel tank post. With the Go-Ped on the ground, jack stand up, place one knee to the rear of the board on the center line. A little practice and maybe testing with the bathroom scales is useful here. You want to place 70 to 75 pounds of weight on the board to create the proper tension on the tire against the drive spindle.
While applying the correct weight on the board, rotate the purple detent plate to contact the lower rear fuel tank post. If the detent plate is not in contact with the post, bumps encountered while riding will force the tire tighter against the drive spindle. The drive spindle is a bolted on extension of the engine crankshaft. Too much force on the crankshaft will cause a broken shaft or damaged crank bearings. This is a proven engine with very few failures and a damaged crank or crank bearing is almost always due to user failure to properly adjust the tire and set the detent. User failure to properly adjust is not warrantable.
After applying the proper weight and rotating the purple detent lever to contact the fuel tank post, swing the quick release lever to the lock position. It's really about that simple and with practice it only takes a few seconds. The adjustment should be checked everytime fuel is added. Get in a routine to just do it and before long you won't even notice.
Questions? EMAIL me at "NevadaWalrus@WebTV.net"