Deacon's Bike

deacon · #91 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 07:00 AM

Well I made the purchase.

The bike already has a compatible throttle and controller, so now I have a new motor with gear (The old one has a direct drive wheel attachment) I also have a chain and rear drive assembly including sprocket coming.

I'm thinking build an open box for the drive assembly. Attach the box to the top rear of the bike over the wheel and at the wishbone. then secure it to the bike frame at the axles. There point hook up don't ya know. Then attach the motor to the wishbone with a couple of big hose clamps. Hook up the wiring and the chain and it should run.

My question is... There is a larger sprocket on the rear wheel than the direct drive was thick, so the drive wheel will turn slower, but it is much bigger than the direct drive wheel. 7.5 inches vs 2.5 inches. I wonder if the top speed will be increased. I'm thinking it will, since most of the rpms with the drive wheel got wasted anyway in the scrubbing motion. I'll know in a week.

If this works, it means simply that anyone who can find an old scooter at a yard sale can easily build an ebike. Wouldn't that be a kick in the butt.

If it had the right sprocket I could hook it to the china engine and have the perfect bike. Maybe I can find a #35 gear to replace the #41 gear in he china bike.

deacon · #92 (**permalink**) 05-19-2008, 07:41 PM

Ah the beauty of it all.

The eight inch scooter wheel with sprocket, the 250watt motor with sprocket and the chain arrived today. It was so easy to mount I feel stupid for having wasted so much time building drive wheels. I will test it tomorrow if it doesnt rain and shoot some pictures if I can.

All I have to do then is put the new hummer bee paint job on it and its ready.

deacon · #93 (**permalink**) 05-26-2008, 12:36 PM

A couple of things I have learned that might be of interest to someone here. I am back to foolin with the weedwacker concept because I'm bored.

You might remember from the ebike I have found that I can make a good friction drive wheel from the rear wheel of a scooter with the sprocket still attached. Most electric motors you buy on ebay came from a scooter and will have the matching sprocket on them... So now I have a heavier duty motor coming for the ebike. I am looking forward to it

In foolin' around with the weed wacker, I removed the cover and put a friction drive wheel on the motor. To do that I had to drill a pen hole in the shaft. The motor really will not sit straight and i'm expecting the shaft to go bad in a few hours like that. So what I did was to buy a caliper today. the shaft is 11mm maybe a hair more. So I just ordered a 12mm ID sprocket for the scooter chain. I think I can make a rig like the ebike housing only mount the gas motor instead of an electric. If I do it right the darn thing should work fine. I might have to shim the sprocket but maybe not just depends. I still want to use that kind of engine for the power source.

If i get the ebike running well this week, I am going to work on the weed eater bike next. If I can work out those two, I'm going to pull the engine from my china bike and sell it on ebay. I rode it about eight miles today and found that it is a bit heavy for me since my balance has taken another hit.

I still plan to motorbike around I just think I might do better with a lighter bike. I would sacrifice speed for stability any day. Of course I can do without the chain issues as well.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #94 (**permalink**) 05-26-2008, 12:41 PM

Pictures and updates as warranted!

deacon · #95 (**permalink**) 05-26-2008, 12:51 PM

this is the wheel friction drive unit. I'm going to build another on more or less like it for the weed eater. Attach the weedeater to the frame and run a chain back to the wheel sprocket. I have ordered the motor sprocket already.

deacon · #96 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 02:12 PM

the new heaver amperage motor came in. I was some better but still wasn't much. If i took it off the controller it got abou 20% more drive power. I guess the controller spreads out the energy from the batteries. On a scooter without pedals that would be good, on a bike that kind of thing isn't much good. Now it might be on one of the hub motors, but on a pure assist motor it doesn't help it actually hinders the performance of the bike.

Anyway that's my take on it.

I have a gear for the weedwacker coming in the next couple of days. I think I'm going to give that engine a shot at the drive wheel I have already made.

Someone who knows tell me if I can kill the engine by throwing in full choke. I hate to hook up the kill switch until I have to.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #97 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 02:45 PM

You can use the choke to kill it, but a good kill switch is best.

deacon · #98 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bikeguy Joe

You can use the choke to kill it, but a good kill switch is best.

I checked it out just now to be sure it would still start and the choke did kill it fine. I have the wires for a kill switch just have to take them up front. I found out the centrifugal clutch isn't working at least not the way this thing is configured now.

Im gonna rig a henge and lift action for the assembly somehow. It is getting to be quite an interesting project.

deacon · #99 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 06:37 PM

I just dawned on me that one of the reasons the ebike runs a bit slow is that there is a gearing effect between the engine and the sprocket on the small wheel that I am using as a drive wheel. It slows the drive wheel down which seems to have been a mistake. It isn't much different but some. Oh well I'll go back to it after I finish with the weed eater engine test.

deacon · #**100** (**permalink**) 05-31-2008, 02:19 PM

well I got the weed eater going. I just took it a block after that it had shook all the bolts loose. I am probably going to have to buy a real throttle cable cause the short one patched is unreliable. The cable lift clutch likewise is hit or miss.

Starting the engine with a rope is by far the easiest way to start it so far. I'm sure it will drag start after it has run a while but cold the rope over the drive shaft is the easiest way. I still think I would prefer the sprocket and chain to the drive wheel of the scooter but I don't know how that would work out start wise.

As for power with the 35cc engine, it's a lot like the ebike so far. You have to plan on doing some work with it. Of course I only rode it a block before I shook apart. I'm going to make some new plans for it, now that I know it will at least move my lard butt around.