How long have you ridden your motorized bicycle?

mapbike said:

Cant beat that with a stick............. I'm assuming you are a FD fella..., I will be building me another as well, got an old Ryobi 31cc with a zama carb, bullet proof old engines, haven't been into it yet but I think I can make a good little FD set up with it.

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a_dam said:

Yep. The friction setups have made me happy. So far I've only used 25cc and 28cc motors and have been mostly satisfied with the power. Your 31cc Ryobi sounds good. I've got a 31cc Echo motor that will be used on something someday. It's definitely built better than my other motors. Two piston rings, bearings on each side of the crankshaft, etc. Probably similar to yours.

Oh, and I should admit that I put a little extra money into those motors. New fuel lines and filters, a Frank Bowman ring in each, small stuff like that. Maybe about $50 total for 3 good motors. Still cant beat with a stick.

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mapbike said:

sounds to me like you have done great with your blkes, you have built what you wanted and what you need and done it with the least amount of investment and it's something you enjoy that's a win win in my book and the way I try to do a lot of the things that I enjoy would love to see some pictures of your box and how you have them set up.

Map

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a_dam said:

Thanks Map.

The bike is all apart getting a new paint job right now. I was posting paint pics in the "what did you do to your bike today" thread, but will now post those in the painting (chop shop) forum. While it's tore down for paint, everything will be cleaned and detailed before reassembly. I'll take more pics.

I've been lucky over the years- several mods each improved things a bit at a time. Now it runs pretty trouble-free and tires and rollers last a long time. There are still other design ideas (improvements?) I plan on trying.

BTW. I just looked at your albums. Lots of nice rides there! Not a FD in the bunch? I don't blame you. I would go chain-drive with a DIY motor in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the pesky reduction problem. I might even break down and buy a china girl someday, but I must enjoy doing things the hard way.

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dtawse said:

April 2014 - This is the start of my 2nd season here in Nova Scotia, Canada. We still have snow on the ground here, but the roads are clear. Last October I was riding my 66cc china girl when the engine seized up solid, almost sending me into the ditch out of control.
The internal components were too badly damaged to make a rebuild worthwhile so I have recently installed a new engine after cleaning and repainting my mountain bike. Wish me luck !!
Only 3 rides so far this year, but no mishaps so far.

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