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Originally Posted by Ravenshurst  I have been looking at a lot of pictures of pre-war bikes, Monarchs, Whizzers, etc. & I really like that style of bike. I was wondering though, why all belt drive bikes have such large rear pulleys. Good torque, I suppose, but it cuts waaaaaay down on top speed, correct? Not that I really care so much about top speed with a cruiser bike, but I am curious about the size of that rear pulley. If I decided to build a belt drive bike with a chinese engine, would I need a gigundous pulley? Also, I am sure that a belt is quieter than a chain, but it would almost have to be a smoother ride too, right? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Ride Safe!
Gonzo |
The engine and clutch pulley on the whizzer is relatively large, so the rear wheel sheave pulley has to be way larger. Way back when, I converted a whizzer Pacemaker to chain drive, but the gear ratio was way too high. For the power a Whizzer engine has, the big pulley is pretty necessary. Some of the new bike engines now use chain drive, and have a smaller bolt-on rear wheel pulley and small engine pulley. The existing pulley setup on a whizzer should get you between 25 and 40 MPH, and is still marginal for climbing moderate uphill grades. A smaller rear pulley would produce more top end, but the engine would certainly stall going uphill.
Traveler