BGF has hongdu solex clones

[joek]

just bought one, will report. fwiw Joe

[bandito]

OK Ill bite, what is it? How big is it? Is that a gearbox with it?.......more details please and pics. Is that a head light on the front of that thing? Looks like a reservoir on the left side for fluid, kinda reminds me of a hydraulic pump.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by bandito

OK Ill bite, what is it? How big is it? Is that a gearbox with it?.......more details please and pics. Is that a head light on the front of that thing? Looks like a reservoir on the left side for fluid, kinda reminds me of a hydraulic pump.

I could be wrong, but it appears to be a clone of a French Solex front wheel friction drive motor. First made before WWII, I believe, they were quite popular and were made for a long time in France, then more recently the company has changed hands several times... made for a while in Hungary I think, then maybe China? Not sure. The Solex still have many enthusiasts and they come up for sale now and then on eBay. It is mounted on a pedal bicycle and there is a shifting lever which engages the engine once you get rolling. Economical and kind of under powered, they were well made and are still sought after. The Japanese made Tanaka front wheel friction drive engine was a similar and simpler design, sold in the US under the name Bikebug, Taz Sptiz, Sears Free Spirit and something else I forget they were popular here in the 60' and 70's. At only 26cc they were kind of on the wimpy side for my needs. I still have a couple that run or did when I quit using them and have lots of parts. The photo you see shows a headlight built into the engine, which is how the Solex was made. The Tanaka had no headlight. Installation is pretty simple with no real modifications to the host bicycle necessary other than the front part of the front fender has to go.
SB

[joek]

guessing it is a hongdu, they bought the original solex tooling. think its made by the same company as the chang jiang sidecar rigs and the jawa 353 clone. I had a solex 4800 and it definitely was no dog. fwiw Joe

[pedro5189]

Is there a link?

I'm a tad curious

[joek]

Originally Posted by pedro5189

Is there a link?

I'm a tad curious

motorized bicycle kit gas engine front friction 49cc - eBay (item 170393843026 end time Nov-11-09 11:08:22 PST)

[silverbear]

Just looked at the auction listing. If it is truly a clone, the solex motorbike was well proven by it's longevity. If it is pretty close in design and quality (the big if) then that would be good. Set up is much easier than a 2 stroke kit and there isn't much to go wrong. An advantage for anyone wanting to peddle and for this engine to be assisting the peddler who wants the excercise but also some assistance on hills, this could be a sensible choice. One thing I really liked about the Tanaka motors I had was that when you shut off the engine and disengaged it from the wheel it was absolutely silent, unlike our experience with the chain drive motors. There's a good bit of noise coming from the chain passing through the engine, if what one wants is silent running. I guess i would characterize it as the solex type arrangement is more like a bicycle than a motorcycle, whereas the HT kits mounted on a bicycle make it a little more like a motorcycle than a bicycle. So it seems to me. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with friction drive so long as one doesn't mind some slippage in wet weather. For the Tanaka motors I made my own drive wheels. Others using these motors had the same problem since the company no longer made them. Some people made them from skateboard wheels, driving the bored out wheel onto the aluminum core of the original rollers. I made mine with epoxy (found jb weld in large containers) casting them in orange juice cans. The cans were then peeled away when it was dry. Some were smooth and to others I added fine sand I sifted from the nearby lake. This gave the wheel more bite, but also wore down the wheel quicker. But it worked in the rain. It might be that with this motor you will end up improving on the drive wheel, or at least making it work better in wet conditions, especially wet climates. It can be done. Tanaka originally sold two versions of the roller, one with grit embedded in the rubber and the other without.
There's a very good yahoo group of solex enthusiasts. No doubt some of what they know would be of benefit to you. Good luck with your new motor. Please give us updates. How many cc's is this clone? (I couldn't bring that up on the auction... just studied the picture.) It's probably a pretty nice setup. The Tanaka gas tank attached to the wheel at the axle if I remember right. It later occurred to me that the carb would have liked it better with the tank higher up, like behind the seat, maybe, or even have a peanut tank as backup or additional fuel. Share pictures please.
SB

[fall_down_stand_up]

It is a 49cc engine....

[BarelyAWake]

Is there a coralation between Solex and Velosolex?

Velosolex 2200 from 1963


I would assume there is... but lol @ assumptions o_O

[toker_ace]

keep us posted on the outcome!