my conclusions on motor biking and friction drive .

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moonshiner

New Member
Apr 23, 2011
199
0
0
tennessee
my conclusions on motor biking and friction drive.....

i really like my Subaru 35 cc and friction drive , it is great transportation around town to run to the store and fill up my baskets or just to get a little exercise when i am not really feeling up to riding my pedal only tour bike , the 35 cc 4 stroke is quiet and smooth , but it is at a bit of a disadvantage on the killer hills or shall i say mountains where i live , of course i am no tiny thing myself at 240 lbs , in most places it would not have any problem at all , i live in east TN and its just one hill after another , don't get me wrong it is a great help and i am traveling farther and as fast or faster than i did in my prime on a race bike , there has only been a couple of hills it would not climb and i had to pedal me and it both up the hill , i have 100 miles on the clock now and i don't regret buying it , here are my observations ...

if you are going 4 stroke friction drive and have mountains to climb , go with at least 49cc and a 7/8's or a 1 inch drive roller no more than one inch,
7/8's is probably the best choice with a top speed around 20 mph on
700c wheels , maximize lightness and rolling efficiency ..

my next bike i think will be electric and i will charge it off of solar panels , i am still testing the waters in motorized bicycle riding, i was going to use a LEHR 25 cc propane 4 stroke on the next one , but i don't think it would have the hill climbing power i need where i live , and it appears LEHR is now defunct as well , maybe a Honda 49cc or a HS 49cc converted to propane might fill the bill with a more efficient belt, gearbox or chain drive ....

oh lets not forget i am a Elitist now LOL.. i have the only MB in town and i think maybe the county , i am met with great curiosity when i do a "fiddy" cent fill'er up , or buzz by the cops on a traffic stop at a blazing 20 mph ,rubber neck city buddy ..lol
the most common reply is " a motor on a bicycle , i have never seen a motor on a bicycle" then the next question, where do i get it and how much dose it cost..

well that's all for now folks
live hard ride hard
Keith
cvlt1
 

worksmanFL

New Member
May 25, 2010
579
0
0
Palm Coast, FL
I have recently changed out my drive to a BMP FD.
(with belt and chain option purchased for when I'm bored, i'll change the FD out)

I Loooove it!

Ease of installation, use, etc. The only "hills or mountains" in Palm Coast, FL is the bridges that connects the mainland (goes over the intercoastal) to the beachside A1A.
No problems, justs goes a little slower. I'm @ 185lbs btw.

Its a great conversation starter!

Ride That Thing!

:)
 

gobigkahuna

New Member
Apr 25, 2011
268
0
0
E NC
@worksmanFL - We have the same terrain and bridges up here so it's good to hear it's working out for you. What size roller are you using? I weigh about 55 lbs more than you and I was thinking about a 1" roller would do. Any suggestions?

I'm pretty stoked to get the show on the road, so to speak. Just need to order motor + FD at this point. I wish BMP were still in business, that looked like the better FD. Stanton and DAX have their good qualities as well so I'm sure they'll work equally well.
 

worksmanFL

New Member
May 25, 2010
579
0
0
Palm Coast, FL
@worksmanFL - We have the same terrain and bridges up here so it's good to hear it's working out for you. What size roller are you using? I weigh about 55 lbs more than you and I was thinking about a 1" roller would do. Any suggestions?

I'm pretty stoked to get the show on the road, so to speak. Just need to order motor + FD at this point. I wish BMP were still in business, that looked like the better FD. Stanton and DAX have their good qualities as well so I'm sure they'll work equally well.
Hi!

I'm using the 1.25" roller.

If you are sure you are not going to change your drives around, i'd just cut to the chase and get the Staton FD complete kit. His "standard" workhorse is the one with the Subaru EHO35 engine.

If you think you'd like to switch your drives one day, go with the BMP kit with the chain and belt drive accessories added on. (Thats what I did btw.) I have the chinese Grubee 4GT 49cc 4 stroke honda clone engine. No problems so far.

BMP will re-open next month btw!!! (as per the site)

I dont know why, but given the chance to do it all over again, I probably would have went with the Suburu EHO35 engine. (I guess its based on what i've read, although the grubee 4gt also has rave reviews as well.)

Good Luck with your decision, and please share your build with the forum.

:)
 

gobigkahuna

New Member
Apr 25, 2011
268
0
0
E NC
You sure that BMP will be re-opening in June? I sent them an email and it bounced back as undeliverable and I read in another thread that they were gonzo. Unless you know for absolute sure that they will be reopening, then I'm inclined to think they aren't. At any rate, I'm ready to go right now, not sure I want to wait another 2+ weeks. I like the Stanton FD but I like the DAX 2 cycle motor better and the DAX package price is considerably lower than Stanton's. I'd like to keep the weight and size of the motor + FD as light and small as possible, and I think the DAX motor fits the bill. BTW, I plan on adding a surfboard carrier so I can use my m-bike to take my toys to the beach (3 to 8 miles each way depending on which which break has better waves).

PS - Here's my build thread: http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29901
 

worksmanFL

New Member
May 25, 2010
579
0
0
Palm Coast, FL
You sure that BMP will be re-opening in June? I sent them an email and it bounced back as undeliverable and I read in another thread that they were gonzo. Unless you know for absolute sure that they will be reopening, then I'm inclined to think they aren't. At any rate, I'm ready to go right now, not sure I want to wait another 2+ weeks. I like the Stanton FD but I like the DAX 2 cycle motor better and the DAX package price is considerably lower than Stanton's. I'd like to keep the weight and size of the motor + FD as light and small as possible, and I think the DAX motor fits the bill. BTW, I plan on adding a surfboard carrier so I can use my m-bike to take my toys to the beach (3 to 8 miles each way depending on which which break has better waves).

PS - Here's my build thread: http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29901
Hi,

Please see this BMP webpage about 1/3 rd the way down:

BICYCLE ENGINE PARTS, MOTORIZED BICYCLE PARTS
 

gobigkahuna

New Member
Apr 25, 2011
268
0
0
E NC
Right, saw that. But as I said, I sent an email to them and it bounced (which means that the email address is no longer active) and someone else posted that they were indeed out of business for good. Add it all up and it doesn't look good. If you know for a fact that they will re-open in June, then please say so. If the owner(s) of BMP truly intend on re-opening in June, it would be wise of them to post an update in the forums and on their website. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hoping they're dead, I'm just not willing to wait to find out.
 

worksmanFL

New Member
May 25, 2010
579
0
0
Palm Coast, FL
Right, saw that. But as I said, I sent an email to them and it bounced (which means that the email address is no longer active) and someone else posted that they were indeed out of business for good. Add it all up and it doesn't look good. If you know for a fact that they will re-open in June, then please say so. If the owner(s) of BMP truly intend on re-opening in June, it would be wise of them to post an update in the forums and on their website. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hoping they're dead, I'm just not willing to wait to find out.
Hi, I'm just going by the statement on the website.
Who knows... maybe thatsdax bought out BMP.
Good Luck with whatever you decide.

:)
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
Why not just move up to the big leagues, and get a China Girl? Is it because you're intimidated of all the powah? Grow some nads and unleash the beast.
 

happyvalley

New Member
Jul 24, 2008
784
1
0
upper Pioneer Valley
I have one Robin 35 with over 500 hours on it, I figure somewhere around 7000 miles. I've used it on a touring bike with some fairly long trips, last summer one of a thousand miles and it never missed a beat. For reliability it's a great engine and weighs just 8 pounds.
 

gobigkahuna

New Member
Apr 25, 2011
268
0
0
E NC
For me, it's between the Staton FD + Robin 35 (33cc 4 cycle) or the DAX FD + racing engine (49cc 2 cycle). I'm looking for minimum weight, reliability and moderate hill climbing ability. No interest in high speeds. I prefer aluminum FD construction, mostly because it'll be easier for me to modify with the tools I have. Didn't realize that the Robin is only 1.5 lbs heavier, that's good to know. But the Staton package is still $50 more expensive than the package from DAX. Anyone use both and have an opinion?
 

gobigkahuna

New Member
Apr 25, 2011
268
0
0
E NC
50 dollars more will save your a$$ do whats right buy american and dont look back
Since when did Subaru become an American company? LOL :) FWIW both DAX and Staton are American companies, DAX is in CO and Staton is in OK. DAX's motor (according to DAX) is assembled from components from China, USA and Japan and AFAIK the Subaru is made in Japan. I'm leaning towards the Staton kit, largely because I prefer aluminum over steel (lotsa salt water here) and Japanese motors have a reputation for being very well made.
 
Last edited:

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
48
58
Moosylvania
my conclusions on motor biking and friction drive.....

i really like my Subaru 35 cc and friction drive , it is great transportation around town to run to the store and fill up my baskets or just to get a little exercise when i am not really feeling up to riding my pedal only tour bike , the 35 cc 4 stroke is quiet and smooth , but it is at a bit of a disadvantage on the killer hills or shall i say mountains where i live , of course i am no tiny thing myself at 240 lbs , in most places it would not have any problem at all , i live in east TN and its just one hill after another , don't get me wrong it is a great help and i am traveling farther and as fast or faster than i did in my prime on a race bike , there has only been a couple of hills it would not climb and i had to pedal me and it both up the hill , i have 100 miles on the clock now and i don't regret buying it , here are my observations ...

if you are going 4 stroke friction drive and have mountains to climb , go with at least 49cc and a 7/8's or a 1 inch drive roller no more than one inch,
7/8's is probably the best choice with a top speed around 20 mph on
700c wheels , maximize lightness and rolling efficiency ..

my next bike i think will be electric and i will charge it off of solar panels , i am still testing the waters in motorized bicycle riding, i was going to use a LEHR 25 cc propane 4 stroke on the next one , but i don't think it would have the hill climbing power i need where i live , and it appears LEHR is now defunct as well , maybe a Honda 49cc or a HS 49cc converted to propane might fill the bill with a more efficient belt, gearbox or chain drive ....

oh lets not forget i am a Elitist now LOL.. i have the only MB in town and i think maybe the county , i am met with great curiosity when i do a "fiddy" cent fill'er up , or buzz by the cops on a traffic stop at a blazing 20 mph ,rubber neck city buddy ..lol
the most common reply is " a motor on a bicycle , i have never seen a motor on a bicycle" then the next question, where do i get it and how much dose it cost..

well that's all for now folks
live hard ride hard
Keith
cvlt1
That was a great and fun read Keith. TY!
I know what you mean about being the only MB around. I secretly hope they don't catch on, up my way.

We had a group ride yesterday. Passing a neighbor, I waved and smiled. Could see on her face; "Oh, thats nice. The crazy guy on the bicycle with a motor has friends"
Snork! Really was funny.

I been wondering and asking for yrs, a boat trailer roller as a roller? I have yet to try a FD but am thinking as it is rubber or a palmier and would have more contact, wouldn't it make a great roller? Dunno, gonna have to try it