Thinking about a bumble bee

GoldenMotor.com

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
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St.louis
Should I pull the trigger? I like that it's small, inexpensive and easily removable. Any bumble bee owners want to give me some input? Do you have to pull that lever thingy every time I'm at stop light? I'm a newbie, forgive my ignorance.
I had an electric that I liked but it stopped working on me and I'm thinking the bumble bee may be a better fit.
Thanks!
 
Sep 4, 2009
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I like to tell people go with whatever you can afford cause in the long run any money spent on a MB is money saved. If you weigh over 200 LBS like I do I doubt that BB is gonna cut it. Hills are hard enough with a 50cc bike. The BB is 26cc and is sold in Florida (it's flatter than Texas there) here's their web site if ya want to read up on them they have testimonials ect. http://bumblebeebolton.com/
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Howdy Thxcuz, welcome. I have never owned a Bumblebee but a lot of folks here have and there is a lot of posts on em. http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partne...582941j9#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=bumblebee&gsc.page=1

I wholeheartedly agree with George. MBs are great and economical means of travel. Also, a true bolt on (easy to build) is a good way to get your feet wet with motorized bicycle riding. Some folks fall in love with it and are hooked. Others drift away after a while and lose interest after investing a lot of cash.
 
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thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
I am over 200 (for now anyway, the weight is falling off thanks to riding my bike) and St. Louis is hillier than people think. What should I look for in an engine? I saw the golden eagle but it's expensive. Friction may be my best bet due to ease of use. Any kit suggestions?
 
Sep 4, 2009
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If you can afford it an EZ Q-Matic is the way to go. I've never owned one but the reports coming in from users are all good. They do run $600. If you do the math tho even spending $600 on a kit pays off pretty quick fuel savings rack up quickly at 100+ MPG. It really depends on several factors what you choose to buy. I have ran several of the cheapest China kits and am very happy with their performance. These things do take some mechanical aptitude if you aren't a fairly decent mechanic I'd go with a thatsdax.com friction drive with the supertitan 50cc engine gonna run ya around $400. Hope this helps. Dax has an add here in the left column. If you go with the cheaper china kit here's my vendor of choice http://www.piratecycles1.com/66bienkits.html
He may not be the cheapest but shipped to my door $200 is a fair price and I know this dude stands behind his products.
You can expect to spend 8+ hours installing the cheap kit less than an hour on the friction drive which is way more reliable and IDK how long it takes to put the EZ Q-matic on but it has a transmission that extends your power and speed range. Good luck! Have fun!
 
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thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
I wonder if I can put a more powerful engine in bumble bee's bolt on thingy. And I wonder it it will work with a 20" folding bike. I would like to convert my non working electric into something useable.
I'm still not clear on how the bumble bee works. I'm not going on an endless country road, just tooting around the neighborhood. Fiddling around with a lever at every stop light seems to be a pain. But what do I know, I'm a newbie. I have minimal mechanical skills and I'm not looking for anything permanently on the bike, so a china girl, though cool looking, isn't my cup of tea. Dax's stuff looks promising, I just don't like how the engines stick out. Maybe I just need to wait it out and get this MB bug out of my system.
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Really can be ruff deciding at first. But truth be told they all are great fun and each manner of motorizing has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

Just sayin' yer gonna love/hate what ever you decide on, lol
 
Sep 4, 2009
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The friction drive like the BB and Dax just have a roller that spins using the friction against the tire to turn the tire...bout as simple as it gets it's just an extension of the drive shaft pressing down on the tire. They look a bit awkward but believe me you won't know it's back there any more than package on a rack. IDK if you can mount a larger engine on the BB you'd need to email them.
 

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
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St.louis
Bumble bee = 26cc for $250 bucks + shipping
Dax friction drive = $170 shipped with Titan t50 s engine = $170 shipped
$340 total. Maybe a 50 buck difference for double the power. Am I figuring that right?
Can I paint the plastic parts of the engines? The last thing I want is to look like I have a lawn mower strapped to my bike.
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Yes! they have some cool paints for plastic.

One and I forget what it's called but looks like plastic parts look like stout metal. I have used it and it comes out great. Read up on how to spray paint. Doing it fast really shows up bad.
 

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
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St.louis
What? No pro bono for us ignorant newbies? :)
There was a guy who posted a few weeks ago who is from my city AND has a bb. I sent him a PM. I would pay him for advice (or maybe a test drive).
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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I was gonna suggest that. Be great to see and ride one before you decide. Be sure to look for local rides in your area in the events section. Even if no one has a BB, is a chance to see and ride different kinds of builds. Most are normally China Girls.

MB folks are really great and no one will care that you do not have one yet.
 

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
If I have friction drive with a weaker engine, can I still pedal and the engine act as a pedal assist?
 
Sep 4, 2009
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If I have friction drive with a weaker engine, can I still pedal and the engine act as a pedal assist?
Well you can pedal assist to a point you don't want to over rev the engine but to help it up the hills at the rated speed yes. If it's not running the clutch isn't engaged so you can pedal as hard as you like then. The 2 stroke HT kits have a clutch lever to use however you like the FD is centrifigal.
 

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
So if I get this right: friction drives have a centrifugal clutch so when I stop my bike at a stop light, the motor still runs but the roller stops moving on its own power. Does it still spin? Is that why I have to disengage the Bumble bee? I may not be using the right words but im wondering if I can let up on the throttle and coast without lifting the roller off the tire. Do all engines have clutches? (ie a weed wacker engine).
So many questions, I know. I'm really enjoying learning about this stuff. This is a great forum.