Worksman Friction Drive

[Mike B]

This is a re-do. I've had the bike for over a year and it had the China clone Solex on the back.

Today the Solex came off. Along with the lock I couldn't find the key for which is a topic for the safety & theft department.

The Staton bracket was test fit and looking good.

I love this bike. I just love step thru frames, they make life easier. Bracket fits nice, pretty level eh? I'm going to do another remote gas tank on the side opposite motor for the sweet "balanced" look.

After I removed the motor I went for a pedal ride. Nice. I have this geared so low it pedals effortlessley. I have a 36 on the front and a 19 on the back. It don't go fast, but it's nice and low. Your knees are bent way too much for efficient pedal and I put 5 inch cranks on it too, so it's got to be geared low. It's optimised for motoring -

Have Fun!

 

[Mike B]

Welded a stop on the steel bracket today so it would square up against the fender support. I verified the support was square yesterday. That will make install easy. Also cut off the bottoms of the old Solex brackets they will be used to mount the uprights. Not going to screw with springs, the squewer and struts are nice and proven.

I bought 3 of those Tanaka 33's back when Amazon was blowing them out for a hundred bucks and I've got one on the scooter. With gas in it a year old. Primed it up with about 8 pushes, set the choke and pulled the rope twice. Nothin. Ooups, forgot you have to crack the throttle a bit. One more pull and it was purring. Nice. That's why the Solex is hitting the trash.

I am looking forward to the first ride on my new motorbike - If all goes well it should be before I have to go to work again.

When I want to ride, I want to ride, not fix.

 

[Mike B]

More fitting...

Gave up on the copper tubes. pain in the butt. Made an aluminum backing plate and it works good. So good that I think I'll make another tomorrow. The soft aluminum crushes to the steel and is nice and rigid. Going to round over those nasty sharp corners on the steel bracket too. After I get it all fit it's all got to be removed for paint. Ain't gonna be no big naked plated steel bracket on my ride!

Also got the gas tank side bracket done, the struts figured out and yeah Baby, a new tire. Michelin City. Radial. Nothin' but the best for my baby!

 

[Dan]

Lookin' good, Mike.

Really like your bracket. Solid and simple.

 

[Mike B]

Thanks. It's a lot easier than having to make one like I did the first time. I'm getting excited about this thing, the motor is tiny and light, much lighter than the Robin 35. Everything is looking nice and square and rigid. Bike will have 2 controls gas and front brake, clean and simple. Just pedal a few strokes and give it the gas.

At 6000 RPM it will get to a whopping 18 MPH, nice and slow. Should be a good substitute for the Solex that never made 20.

Slow Ride..., Take it Easy -

 

[phatcruiser]

Sweet bike. I have a staton friction drive with the Mitsubishi clone motor and the .910 roller. Top speed is just over 20 mph and it pulls hills real nice. I love how simple they are. I prefer to go slow and enjoy the ride.

I had a drum brake laced into the front wheel and it works great. Can stop with confidence and the coaster brake is hardly ever used now. I had caliper brakes on the bike. They were better than just the coaster brake but not by much. How do you like them on your bike?

My wife was teasing me about the bike, until she rode it. Now she wants me to build her one. Lol. Defiantly getting her a step thru frame. They are all about easy riding.

I like that friction drive bikes aren't trying to look like a motorcycle. The bike still retains it's look.

I met a guy on a stromer electric bike. What a nice piece of kit. We were talking and he was impressed with how light the friction drive unit is. It weighs about as much as his battery and costs less. His bike is silent and has great off the line acceleration. But is heavy and has limited range. His bike weighs 15-20 lbs more than mine.

Steel frames give the best ride and feel for a rigid bike. There is something about a steel frame and how it flexes that is superior to a stiff frame like an aluminum frame.

Sorry for rambling. Staton makes a nice product and it is quality. Please post pics of the finished bike.

 

[RedRider48]

Great tale of your experience. Being new to all of this, I'm still learning the lingo, pros and cons of each drive systems and it's components. I'd give a "Thumbs Up" for the post.

 

[MysterySandwich]

Looks really clean and flush good sir!

 

[Mike B]

A Tale of 2 Motors

Side by side.

The Solex weighs 18.6 lbs, the Tanaka 6.2. Without that gas tank on there it's gonna look even smaller. Tiny. Itsey-bitsey. Sweet.

Got everything painted and ready to bolt on, today wasn't very exciting, like watching paint dry.

Tomorrow we ride!

 

[Mike B]

All Done!

Took it for it's first ride. Sweet. Strong, smooth, responsive. Dunno how fast it was going, made my eyes tear, so had to be at least 20.

View from the handlebars. Simple, neat. Gas, front brake, kill switch. Way better than that Solex pig motor you see in the backround. Time to drain the gas and throw that POS in the trash. Was advertised as a "new" motor. The only thing new was the muffler. Utter crap.

View from the back. A remote gas tank really helps the look of these things. As well as painting the hardware. It doesn't need to look like a refugee from a hardware store.

Removing the gas tank makes the motor look better too. Got my preferred (no match for 30" bolt cutters) 12 mm Master U Lock on there too. No bracket needed, sweet.

Gotta love blue gas and see through tanks. Always know how much is in there. Remote tank is easy to fill too. This tank is 1.5 liter, about 2X the stocker. You can also see how low it's geared. Sweet bike, I'm gonna burn up the rest of my 2 stroke mix tomorrow and mix me a fresh gallon.

Have fun!

 

[RedRider48]

Hi,
I'm still trying to learn what you got going there. Is that a friction drive, that is, it powers a roller on the tire? BTW, it looks like a nice clean job.

 

[deacon]

I am a big fan of friction drive and that is one of the nicest looking ones I have seen job well done/

 

[Mike B]

Hey Ken,

Yup, the motor drives a roller that is pressed to the tire thru a centrifigal clutch. The clutch is part of the motor. The roller is supported by 2 big bearings in the big aluminum channel.

It's as simple as it gets.

 

[Mike B]

Put 6 miles on today. Nice and sunny here but windy and 55 degrees. I was glad to get home. Runs good. Doesn't like half throttle, 4 strokes and runs rough. Likes 3/4 to wide open. Vibration goes away, runs smooth and sounds like an angry weedwacker. Going to see about adding another muffler. Can make some custom brackets and mount on the bottom of the motor on the now vacant gas tank bosses.

 

[RedRider48]

I like the reference to "angry weedwacker". It reminds me of what Enrico Piaggo stated upon hearing and seeing one of his prototype Vespas (late 40s) for the first time: "Sembra una vespa!" (looks like a wasp)

 

[Mike B]

Step 1 of "mo quiet, mo better" brazed a copper street elbow to the steel exhaust nipple. The alignment had to be just like this or the plastic shroud won't go back on.

Quieter already. At least the noise is deflected back and down.

And now I have access to a standard plumbing fitting should I be so inclined to proceed further into the realm of silence.

This bike goes as fast as I ever want to go on a bike like this. It's stable and doesn't scare me, but it's fast enough. I ordered up some soft brake pads for the front caliper, the hard ones on there are not "sticky" enough. The brake is good, it's a center pull, not as good as a cantilever but better than a side pull.

I'll be retired soon and plan to get a lot of use out of these motorbikes for errands and such. Not to mention it's a lot more fun (and safer) riding in the middle of the day in the middle of the week when all the crazies are at work.

 

[RedRider48]

MikeB,
Once retired, you'll wonder when you had time to work. Ha, Ha!

 

[Mike B]

Yup, I have no doubt. People always ask me "what are you gonna do", whatever I want, I've got enough stuff to do here around the house to last for years. After I get that done I'm gonna buy another boat go go fishing out in the delta again. In the middle of the week when the crazed water skiers are gone.

Yup, I'm gonna pick up another one of those 3 HP Briggs mufflers at the hardware store and some more elbows and braze me up a second muffler. I hate loud motors.

 

[Mike B]

Got the muffler, cut off the thread and brazed on a steel tab with a little notch cut in to accommodate the roll crimp.

Made a bracket out of aluminum angle between the tanks bosses. This weekend I'll fit it all up with copper pipe and braze it.

I did one of these for the happy time and it really took the edge off.

 

[Mike B]

Silence

The quest for quiet -

Pipes all fitted and looking good.

From both directions.

I brazed this on the bike so all the fittings would be correct. Gas tank removed of course to prevent suicide.

I love my torch! I hate arc welders. Torching is easy, arcing is difficult. Ready for a test ride. The first elbow is brazed to the muffler nipple, but the muffler assembly is clamped at the elbow with a hose clamp the elbow has 3 slots dremeled into it so the clamp will work. It's a 2 point attach, the elbow clamp and the muffler tab.

The ride was wonderful! I lost about half the noise (almost as quiet as the Solex) none of the speed (well maybe 1 mph dunno) and now I can even poke along at half throttle less than 10 mph w/o 4 stroking & rough running. Wide open is smooth, fast and quiet.

It has been my experiance that more back pressure helps 2 strokes, keeps the charge from blowing out the exhaust port.

Now the shroud is back on and the hi-temp paint is drying.

More pics tomorrow of the done deal!