Reliable long distance cruiser kit?

Hi,

I have a BMP FD setup with a HS 49cc 4 stroke on a Huffy Cranbrook
It is plug and play.
It sucks in rain.
Other than in the rain, its totally reliable.

For in frame,
I guess you'd need:
a. wide pedal cranks
b. clam shell sprocket adapter & accompanying sprocket.

Good Luck!

I've played with friction drive and Stxxxn rear chain driive. FD tends to drive any screw it picks up thru the rear tire casing. Rear chain drive systems make it hard to do any rear wheel maintenance. They also throw off the front/rear weight bias greatly. My commuter bike is Scooterguy center-frame mounted w/shift kit. My new build will be midframe mounted. Weight bias is more balanced, and access to both wheels is normal.

JMO, one of the biggest issues in commuting and long distance cruising is flat tires. Many riders use slime or tube liners and swear by it. I'm trying to use motorcycle tires w/26.6" diameter. Forks and frame stays need to be modified for 3" wide m/c tires. Downside besides frame issues is the extra weight of the tires, rims, m/c brakes (if used). The bike's weight will also increase, but dependability will increase dramatically.

Just my opinion.

Robby said:

Hi,

I'm about 250lbs and am considering getting a beach cruiser and engine kit that I can ride for hours.

I love the in-frame look of some new 4 stroke kits but I was thinking the other day I would at least need some Swarble Marathon puncture proofs with Slime 5x thick tubes to help avoid a major headache of a rear flat.

I was wondering what other people were doing to increase reliability and simplicity with there in frame 4 strokes?

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I really like 49cc HS 4-stroke mid mounts, even direct drives...



...though I much prefer shift kits as the SBP motor base plate uses 3 U-bolt clamps to secure it and it adjusts to the bike, and course you can use the bikes gears and only have 1 chain to the back wheel.



Though that bike currently runs fine for the customers needs it is not ideal for a guy your size, even HD 7-speed is whimpy and the aluminum frame rear dropout do not take handling the drive toque well, the axle tends to move.

Something more along the lines of a steel Pantera with the back wheel swapped for an interal 3-speed and 12g spokes would go a long way to ruggedness, and the dual V's are a real bonus, especially if you put on a hub with band brake for a 3rd brake and left side lever.



Shift kits have one more chain than a direct drive but on that setup not an issue if you get your primary chain set right and adjusted by the moving the motor forward on the mount a little.

The final drive chain is not an issue, especially with a nice HD 410 chain to an internal shifter as the frame has horizontal drop outs so you just move the wheel back to tighten it.

The middle 2nd chain is another matter, to tighten it you either have to move the whole motor mount platform up or put in a tensioner.
I found that simply using a discarded derailleur gear on a piece of metal with a spring does the job just dandy.



That setup will let you putt around at 5MPH, run 35 with responsive power, and push 45 if you tuck in.


As fore 'bullet proofing' wheels a thick HD tube and liner is all you need, and stay away from slime in the tubes, really, it is a messy useless bandaide for a puncture that already happened.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.

Robby said:

I noticed the very thick tubes on another site I thought they sounded like a great idea, teamed with some puncture proof tires.

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Just consider that tires wear and liners don't.
A good liner is $12, paying an extra $12 for a 'puncture proof' tire and you pay it every time you need a new tire but liners can be reused forever.

Robby said:

I was wondering if you had compared a shift kitted 4g to an EZM direct drive. I read the EZM's aren't suited to shift kits but seem to be ok as they are. Any thoughts?

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No, I have never seen an EZM transfer case, just Grubee Stage III's and both versions of the 4G's.

Assuming their output ratios are the same the only reason I can think of for an EZM to not fit is sprocket alignment to the JS, but since the motor just mounts flat on a plate so as long as you have a bike enough bike cavity the SBP bottom plate can be drilled to put the motor wherever you want.

The SBP 4S JS bottom plate is not ideal to say the least as far as motor movement freedom, the adjustable 2 U-bolt rear and single U-bolt front mount allow you fit that platform in pretty perfect and level in most any frame.