I've been thinking about buying a friction drive kit and I'm starting a thread on the research I've done so far. There is no Friction Drive section so I'm posting it here. I'm excluding Electrics and DIY. If you have opinions please post! Vendors welcome of course. This is a work in progress and this is what I have so far.
Staton-Inc: $180 + 13 shipping to 85635. Home Staton-inc has been around for a long time and is well known in the industry. Their website says since 1984. They are also made in the USA. They offer a variety of engines for their friction drive. Both 2 and 4 stroke and a recent addition of a propane version. cool. There is a also a selection of 6 roller sizes, more than other retailers I've seen. The roller itself is SOLID and screws into a clutch bell. I doubt it will break. I wish the rollers had a sprag gear. For those that don't know a sprag gear allows you to coast downhill without the friction of the engine turning. The Un-spraged roller does however allow for engine braking, up to a point. The roller is suspended by two bearings which are press fit into an aluminum channel. I think It would be more convenient to be able to replace the bearings by hand without the aid of a press but I guess it makes for a more solid device. There are two clutch bell sizes to choose from. A 78mm and a 54mm. staton is the only option for a 52m clutch engine... I think. I don't know if the rollers are interchangeable but I would think you could just unscrew it and put another one on. I'm impressed by the aluminum channel. It's thick and looks sturdy. It's harder to weld on aluminum so if you want to do modifications it may be harder to do. The kit hardware looks quality too and comes with a throttle and kill switch. Staton has emailed me his opinion on the his and the other kits but asked me not to post them here.
Bike Motor Parts: $140 + $15 shipping BICYCLE ENGINE KITS FROM BIKEMOTORPARTS.COM. Website is down! This is quite a versatile friction drive. Not only is it capable of operating as a friction drive but you can buy some extra parts to make it into a belt/chain drive. $60 for belt and $70 for chain. It's nice If you want to try something else. It also has the capability of working as a rear or front mounted drive system. Their old kit used a sprag type roller which I like but now they have converted to a steel drive that uses a set screw to hold a interchangeable roller. It's cool you can change sizes but they only sell a 1" or a 1.25" diameter roller. I don't know if it's as durable as the one piece roller staton sells. Their channel body is steel and doesn’t look as thick as statons either. I think it’s because steel doesn’t need to be as thick but who knows. The kit comes with a channel bracket that’s 5" but they also sell a longer one (8.5") for mono-shock stile bikes. I'm willing to bet they would sell you kit with this version if you ask them. BMP doesn’t sell engines with their kits and you have to buy your engine somewhere else. I kind of wish they did so I could save on shipping cost. They ship priority mail with a delivery time of 2 weeks. 2 weeks kind of sucks in my book. They also don't come with a throttle or kill switch and you have to buy it extra. Throttles cost $16 and kill switches are $5. That’s fine with me (because I like to make my own) but some may find it irritating. I have heard good things about their customer service and their kits come with a 5 year warranty but will only be repaired or replaced at their discretion. Again, this may all change with new management.
Thats dax: $150 + $19 shipping KIT_FRICTION_DRIVE. That's dax has a new friction kit that I don't think, as of this writing, anyone has tried. Dax has said that it's improvement over the old design but I think they were just re-selling a BMP kit. The website says it has a "New Radius Designed Main Bracket." The old kit cost $100 so it's at $50 improvement. The kit looks similar to the every other kit (especially the drive roller, 1" and 1.25") but I would assume its different because of the warning on dax's website. "Any duplication in part or whole without the written permission from Howell Labs is strictly prohibited!" I really don't like this hard core patent protection. We all want to share ideas. Dax has been pushing their new pocket bike engine in conjunction with the friction kit. I have only read good things about it (except for the price). The website has a picture of someone holding the motor in one hand. It’s really small but I'm assuming really powerful.
This information came from dax: Our FD Kit uses a 1.25 one way sprag free wheel roller. What separates our FD from all the others consists of many reasons. I will list a few of the main reasons, first being that the main bracket is a dual Function Bracket being that it can be used for both Friction Drive or chain drive. It is the same bracket thus the name Universal. Also. For the use of Friction drive, the bracket has a Copyrighted Radius design. No other FD kit has this and can not have it since it is our protected design. The Radius design allows the installer to pivot the engine if needed to make sure it is a level install. A critical function for any carburetor engine. Also, our FD kit is longer and step drilled Pivot points to allow the installer to use the best position for the U brackets and wheel position. A lot of these new bikes have stretched frames and this is also critical for a successful install. Also, the Universal Radius Bracket is tapered towards the pivot bolt position. This serves several functions. First and most obvious , it saves weight, but mostly, it changes the resonance of the bracket and this virtually eliminates vibration that enters the frame of the bike making for the smoothest ride any one will experience. It is un real how smooth your ride is with this setup. The list of differences goes on and on. Our Support straps have a much longer slot to accommodate dual stepped holes for the Quick Release FD or Threaded Rod CD so you can fit best your install for your particular bike. Our Bearings are the largest I have seen and the Bell and shaft is one piece steel and a much larger shaft for more durability and strength. Also.. Our U bracket has off set holes for shifting the U bracket up or down, very important. Also.. Our U bracket support backing strap can be set inside the U bracket or out side. A simple function, but critical for some installs as this will allow the installer to invert the U bracket on top of the bike rear stay, or under it. This can raise or lower the front of the Main bracket by up to +- 2cm or 3/4 inch. Again.. Critical for a level install. Again. The list goes on.. I will have to make a Video showing all the features of this kit. These are all simple features that are copyright protected. And so simple. Kind of like the paper clip or mouse trap. We have the better mouse trap. Boy.. I am long on wind here. When I get a chance , I will whip up a video on this FD CD Universal Kit. Enjoy the ride..
Dimension Edge: Dimension Edge 1987. I really don't like this companies website. It has a lot of disjointed links and the site doesn’t flow together. For instance they have a separate website for ordering. Also it seems to have a lot of old info and products that are not available. That being said, This is a pretty cool design because it doesn’t require a centrifugal clutch. They sell a centrifugal clutches for their kit but engagement of the roller to the wheel relies on a lowing mechanism. Less parts to break and you can raise the engine for coasting and pedaling. I really like this. Dimension edge calls it "shift on the fly." Most kits rollers are supported by two bearings but DE’s is connected directly to the engine with no supports. I think this is bad but it does allow for on the fly roller change out. I also like the choice of drive roller material and sizes. website says caspen, aggregate, or urethane drive wheels. They also sell a kit called the "Simple Simon." This kit is cool because of how simple it is. It's essentially just a L bracket attached to the bike frame and has no moving parts. There is no way to disengage the drive roller from the wheel unless you unbolt the bracket.
Bumble Bee Bolt-on: $245 + $26 shipping to 85635 Bumble Bee Bolt On
Daemon Bikes: Welcome To Daemon Bikes
Island Hopper Bicycle Motors: Island Hopper
Staton-Inc: $180 + 13 shipping to 85635. Home Staton-inc has been around for a long time and is well known in the industry. Their website says since 1984. They are also made in the USA. They offer a variety of engines for their friction drive. Both 2 and 4 stroke and a recent addition of a propane version. cool. There is a also a selection of 6 roller sizes, more than other retailers I've seen. The roller itself is SOLID and screws into a clutch bell. I doubt it will break. I wish the rollers had a sprag gear. For those that don't know a sprag gear allows you to coast downhill without the friction of the engine turning. The Un-spraged roller does however allow for engine braking, up to a point. The roller is suspended by two bearings which are press fit into an aluminum channel. I think It would be more convenient to be able to replace the bearings by hand without the aid of a press but I guess it makes for a more solid device. There are two clutch bell sizes to choose from. A 78mm and a 54mm. staton is the only option for a 52m clutch engine... I think. I don't know if the rollers are interchangeable but I would think you could just unscrew it and put another one on. I'm impressed by the aluminum channel. It's thick and looks sturdy. It's harder to weld on aluminum so if you want to do modifications it may be harder to do. The kit hardware looks quality too and comes with a throttle and kill switch. Staton has emailed me his opinion on the his and the other kits but asked me not to post them here.
Bike Motor Parts: $140 + $15 shipping BICYCLE ENGINE KITS FROM BIKEMOTORPARTS.COM. Website is down! This is quite a versatile friction drive. Not only is it capable of operating as a friction drive but you can buy some extra parts to make it into a belt/chain drive. $60 for belt and $70 for chain. It's nice If you want to try something else. It also has the capability of working as a rear or front mounted drive system. Their old kit used a sprag type roller which I like but now they have converted to a steel drive that uses a set screw to hold a interchangeable roller. It's cool you can change sizes but they only sell a 1" or a 1.25" diameter roller. I don't know if it's as durable as the one piece roller staton sells. Their channel body is steel and doesn’t look as thick as statons either. I think it’s because steel doesn’t need to be as thick but who knows. The kit comes with a channel bracket that’s 5" but they also sell a longer one (8.5") for mono-shock stile bikes. I'm willing to bet they would sell you kit with this version if you ask them. BMP doesn’t sell engines with their kits and you have to buy your engine somewhere else. I kind of wish they did so I could save on shipping cost. They ship priority mail with a delivery time of 2 weeks. 2 weeks kind of sucks in my book. They also don't come with a throttle or kill switch and you have to buy it extra. Throttles cost $16 and kill switches are $5. That’s fine with me (because I like to make my own) but some may find it irritating. I have heard good things about their customer service and their kits come with a 5 year warranty but will only be repaired or replaced at their discretion. Again, this may all change with new management.
Thats dax: $150 + $19 shipping KIT_FRICTION_DRIVE. That's dax has a new friction kit that I don't think, as of this writing, anyone has tried. Dax has said that it's improvement over the old design but I think they were just re-selling a BMP kit. The website says it has a "New Radius Designed Main Bracket." The old kit cost $100 so it's at $50 improvement. The kit looks similar to the every other kit (especially the drive roller, 1" and 1.25") but I would assume its different because of the warning on dax's website. "Any duplication in part or whole without the written permission from Howell Labs is strictly prohibited!" I really don't like this hard core patent protection. We all want to share ideas. Dax has been pushing their new pocket bike engine in conjunction with the friction kit. I have only read good things about it (except for the price). The website has a picture of someone holding the motor in one hand. It’s really small but I'm assuming really powerful.
This information came from dax: Our FD Kit uses a 1.25 one way sprag free wheel roller. What separates our FD from all the others consists of many reasons. I will list a few of the main reasons, first being that the main bracket is a dual Function Bracket being that it can be used for both Friction Drive or chain drive. It is the same bracket thus the name Universal. Also. For the use of Friction drive, the bracket has a Copyrighted Radius design. No other FD kit has this and can not have it since it is our protected design. The Radius design allows the installer to pivot the engine if needed to make sure it is a level install. A critical function for any carburetor engine. Also, our FD kit is longer and step drilled Pivot points to allow the installer to use the best position for the U brackets and wheel position. A lot of these new bikes have stretched frames and this is also critical for a successful install. Also, the Universal Radius Bracket is tapered towards the pivot bolt position. This serves several functions. First and most obvious , it saves weight, but mostly, it changes the resonance of the bracket and this virtually eliminates vibration that enters the frame of the bike making for the smoothest ride any one will experience. It is un real how smooth your ride is with this setup. The list of differences goes on and on. Our Support straps have a much longer slot to accommodate dual stepped holes for the Quick Release FD or Threaded Rod CD so you can fit best your install for your particular bike. Our Bearings are the largest I have seen and the Bell and shaft is one piece steel and a much larger shaft for more durability and strength. Also.. Our U bracket has off set holes for shifting the U bracket up or down, very important. Also.. Our U bracket support backing strap can be set inside the U bracket or out side. A simple function, but critical for some installs as this will allow the installer to invert the U bracket on top of the bike rear stay, or under it. This can raise or lower the front of the Main bracket by up to +- 2cm or 3/4 inch. Again.. Critical for a level install. Again. The list goes on.. I will have to make a Video showing all the features of this kit. These are all simple features that are copyright protected. And so simple. Kind of like the paper clip or mouse trap. We have the better mouse trap. Boy.. I am long on wind here. When I get a chance , I will whip up a video on this FD CD Universal Kit. Enjoy the ride..
Dimension Edge: Dimension Edge 1987. I really don't like this companies website. It has a lot of disjointed links and the site doesn’t flow together. For instance they have a separate website for ordering. Also it seems to have a lot of old info and products that are not available. That being said, This is a pretty cool design because it doesn’t require a centrifugal clutch. They sell a centrifugal clutches for their kit but engagement of the roller to the wheel relies on a lowing mechanism. Less parts to break and you can raise the engine for coasting and pedaling. I really like this. Dimension edge calls it "shift on the fly." Most kits rollers are supported by two bearings but DE’s is connected directly to the engine with no supports. I think this is bad but it does allow for on the fly roller change out. I also like the choice of drive roller material and sizes. website says caspen, aggregate, or urethane drive wheels. They also sell a kit called the "Simple Simon." This kit is cool because of how simple it is. It's essentially just a L bracket attached to the bike frame and has no moving parts. There is no way to disengage the drive roller from the wheel unless you unbolt the bracket.
Bumble Bee Bolt-on: $245 + $26 shipping to 85635 Bumble Bee Bolt On
Daemon Bikes: Welcome To Daemon Bikes
Island Hopper Bicycle Motors: Island Hopper
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