I have a Staton 35 cc Robin Subaru friction drive with a 1 1/8" roller
Its works great and your worries are groundless
I weigh about 175 lbs and its flat around here. I have never been up any
hills and would like to get a 1 1/4" roller which would be the biggest you
would want to use.
It does not burn or slip on tires especially if you use the right tread
Your tires will get old and cracked before they wear out
It will slip in the wet but I don't ride in the rain and a puddle just
requires a little pedaling till the tire dries out
the roller should pressing on the tire just enough so that it doesn't slip
pushing it too hard slows you down
It is easy to get a feel for the right amount of pressure
I pedal to start and hit the thumb throttle at the same time and it moves off the line
pretty fast
I can motor off from a standstill with no roller slippage but I like to go fast
and it is a little hard and noisy on the centrifigal clutch
I have it on a 7 speed cruiser and leave it in top gear and can pedal on the
top end too to go about 28 Mph