Friction drive and Knobbies? IS IT POSSIBLE +safe? Knobby nobby nobbies tire tires.

Roadkill · #1 (**permalink**) 02-23-2009, 06:20 PM

Better start here.. Knobby tires and friction drive.. Has anyone thought of a way to do this in an emergency? I wonder if on could pour paint and fine sand on a tire or glue, rubber, etc and make it stick between the knobs? I wanted to share the following like a kid and his first puppy...

Hi all. I got the kit and the Robin. All I have to do is put this powder puff cupcake together.. The engine has a tag that says "air index of the engine is 1.33" on a scale from one to ten that is good the state. it is also meant to be run for extended time over 300 hours.. I guess that is 12 and a half days long. Masybe that would be a good time to change the oil.

deacon · #2 (**permalink**) 02-24-2009, 03:27 PM

The only time i tried to run a friction drive on a knobby it shook the drive wheel off. Broke clean.

Roadkill · #3 (**permalink**) 02-24-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deacon

The only time i tried to run a friction drive on a knobby it shook the drive wheel off. Broke clean.

Yikes.. Jeepers.. Whatever.. That is good to know and important for other visitors. Broke clean.. Ouch.
Went on my first tow today and got a lot of torque getting a load and little towing it back. I was using the 1.5" roller. I will throw on the 1" tonight and see the difference in the morning. It was fun not knowing what the black ice would bring when I hit it. Shot right over. I usually go down because I pedal
.. I swear these ads here block the text I am typing in firefox. ..

Thanks for the knowledge. Cheers

Etacovda · #4 (**permalink**) 02-25-2009, 03:48 AM

ive been wondering if it would be possible to run a friction drive off the rim of the bike, rather than the tire (perhaps use a gear system + drive off both sides of the rim) - could use rubber similar to brake pads to transfer power to the rim... if you had it on gearbox then you could clamp down on the rim quite hard from opposite sides (think v/cantilever brakes)

Just a thought - wouldn't matter which kind of tire you were running then, and you wouldn't wear down your tires.

deacon · #5 (**permalink**) 02-25-2009, 07:36 AM

Someone was doing that with a vertical shaft engine. I don't remember where it is probably in the diy section.

Roadkill · #6 (**permalink**) 02-25-2009, 08:15 AM

I believe somebody posted a link of a functional rim drive in my vertical shaft post.. Do a you tube search for vertical shaft bike motor or browse the posts I have been it.

This is one of the best designs I have seen though I wonder how ANY friction drive works after
impact with a pothole and warping of rear tire occurs? They are fun and have less stuff to malfunction.
Look into the vertical shaft idea and you will get by cheaply if you can muffle it down.

Good luck...

I am still wondering if it is bad to ground out an engine with a kill switch!

ZnsaneRyder · #7 (**permalink**) 02-25-2009, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadkill

I am still wondering if it is bad to ground out an engine with a kill switch!

It's fine. There's not enough current generated in the ignition coil to burn anything out. For example, I have an old Briggs & Stratton engine and it has a metal lever that you flip to touch the sparkplug electrode to ground it out to the engine block to shut it off.

A lot of the ignition systems on the bike engines use a second coil with lower voltage to ground out, making it safe from electric shock. Either way, it's OK to ground it.

Roadkill · #8 (**permalink**) 02-25-2009, 08:41 PM

Ok good to know. I figured it was OK but was unsure. My kit works great. It bogs the engine with the 1.5" roller and really revs with the 1" roller. Now I wonder if the 1" consumes more fuel than the 1.5" roller.. Now for disguise. I just bought a car alarm for the bike. Should be quite an adventure this summer. I also got my Bike Bug today.. Don't know what bike to stick it on yet. I will probably stick it on a classic or a 3 speed cruiser..

Thanks for the help.

5-7HEAVEN · #9 (**permalink**) 02-25-2009, 11:48 PM

Roadkill, stick the Bike Bug engine onto the same MB with the Robin...just for kicks.