V-Belt Drive Tanaka PF3300 w/Pipe

lowracer

lowracer

New Member
I figured it was time to 'thread hop' from my friction drive thread, http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=37008, to this one since I changed over to v-belt drive.
Today I installed the new power pipe I got on eBay for $39 & it fits perfectly. I can tell that power is improved in the mid to upper range rpm's w/the pipe. The stock little exhaust muffler seems very restrictive probably cause it also has a catalytic converter built into it. I noticed alot more heat coming off the exhaust while running it with the little stock muffler. The new pipe is also surprisingly quiet w/ a deep throaty sound (possibly cause I've grown accustomed to the pocket bike engines which are stupid loud). I havent taken it out for a WOT speed run yet since I want to do a little bit of break in, but so far it feels about the same power as my trusty ole Subaru Robin EH035.
Here are a few of todays pics.
-Lowracer-
 

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Too cool LR! Love the pipe. Hard to believe its only $39! Is it off a Goped ? So its a belt drive 33cc? That pretty rad.
 
Yeah, the pipe was a deal & he still has a few more left...Perfect for all those who bought the Amazon 'deal of the decade' Tanaka PF 3300 engines for $89/free shipping. Its made for the BladeZ Pave Runners that run the Tanaka engines on the right side (opposite the LH friction drive BladeZ scooters). It mounted right up with no modifications & came with 2 exhaust headers (one for the 33cc & one for the 40cc) springs, 3 mounts for each size engine too & bolts. I also bought a replacement expansion chamber for 'The Beast' from the same seller should I ever need it or if I mount up one of the 2 PB engines I still have in storage & it was only $15 (all brand new stuff).
-Lowracer-
 
I took it out for a test spin today w/the new engine & pipe.
I rev'd it up a bit higher to test higher rpm performance.
The engine is not broken in yet & only has ~3 miles on it.
At higher rpm, the engine definitely begins to sing beyond where the stock catalytic canister muffler restricts performance. I dont wanna hurt this sweet little engine by going too hard too soon, but so far I'm happy with the performance & I think its got more on top than the Robin. Hope it gets even better once broken in (as I've heard these Tanakas do). Not a bad powerplant for $89 + $39 for the pipe...Now I only wish I bought a few more engines while they were available for $89
-Lowracer-
 
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I took it out today for around a 65 mile ride (took it to work) & got a chance to really test this puppy out. I was amazed at the top end of the Tanaka 32cc...
Getting tucked in low, I was able to hit & maintain 40 mph for as long as I wanted to stay tucked in.
The pipe definitely allows this engine to get into its powerband & changes the personality of this little engine. I think this pipe is a must have for all those who purchased the Tanaka PF-3300 on Amazon recently for $89...
I really had fun with this bike today& now I'm on a mission to either find a relatively inexpensive front fairing bubble from a motorcycle or recumbent windscreen manufacturer or make one myself out of Coroplast (ugly) to mount onto the handlebar/forks.
When I got home from my MB adventure, the 2 additional MSR tanks came in the mail today along with 2 (of the 4) handlebar mounted water bottle cages I won on eBay. Good thing too since I ran out of fuel with about 1 mile left till home. What I do is pull over, set the bike up on the centerstand & un-set the V-Belt. Then I tie the V-Belt up in two locations to the bike frame using two velcro staps that I keep strapped onto the bike seatpost at all times for just such an occasion.
The added MSR tanks will get me further down the road, now I just need some sun screen (got sun-burned today...lol)
-Lowracer-
 
You are into a complex area here LR. Agreeably a well designed fairing/body works well on in increasing speed. A poorly designed on can actually slow you down. The ulitimate fairing is one the seperates the air and puts it back together with no turbulence-a tall order. I read a few years back the the current superbikes of the time though they looked slick actually had a drag coefficient of the front of a Peterbuilt, raw HP was responsible for the high terminal velocoties. Certainly not trying yo discourage you, but you might want to read all you can before you commit a design to materials. I did seem to notice a slight difference witht the fairing on my recumbent. Your biggest enemy is low pressure turbulence behind objects like the rider, frame work etc. If you have ever seen an M/C going really fast the riders clothes if loose enough are lifted off his back. Thats what you are fighting for good aeros. All that said, Im no expert, have just read a bit, but am really interested to see what you come up with. Split the wind LR!
 
CB2,
I'm hunting for a nicely shaped front fairing now but haven't found anything yet. If I am able to get one at a reasonable price, I'll surely want to do some more experimenting...
Only problem I may run into is what Law Enforcement thinks when they see something go by that looks like an unregistered motorcycle??? I've been able to blend well into bicycles up to this point.
-Lowracer-
 
CB2,
I received the handlebar mounted water bottle cages I bought on eBay recently & mounted them. I really didnt like the way they looked or mounted, so I removed them.
Now I'm making a light aluminum front rack mount to either mount a milk crate or just to hold a 1 gallon red fuel tank. I havent done the vertical struts yet...Just a mounting tab & one angle aluminum beam off the tab. (see pic)
If I use the basket, I'll have extra room for storage & a few mounting points to attach some kind of aero bubble fairing onto...
-Lowracer-
 

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I mounted up some MSR bottles today to the frame instead of the handlebars. This should get me further down the road between fill-ups. 60 oz on the bike & 20 oz in the tank should get me well over 100 miles.
I am loving this fuel economy.
I also installed a small 90 degree copper elbow pipe on the exhaust to better direct the fumes back & away from my body. I noticed the other day in the wind that my shirt was all smelly like 2-stroke...This seems to help.
-Lowracer-
 

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Like the bottles LR, kinda Hi-vis. The elbow makes sense, nothing worse than showing up somewhere smelling like you have been weedeating for 45min.
 
CB2,
LOL...weedeating.
I am still blown away by the fuel economy. My last jaunt took me just over 60 miles on 40oz of fuel & it was a windy day (ran out of gas 1 mile from home). Unless my math is flawed, I got over 190 mpg's...& I held it WOT in the full aero tuck for 40 mph for a few sections.
That is crazy...
-Lowracer-
 
Yeah the fuel economy of smaller engines is amazing. The Velosolex was advertised at something over 200mpg, like 220 maybe? Thats 10hrs operation@20mph. Thing is you are going twice as fast for only slightly less mileage.
 
CB2,
I wanted to put 3 (of my 4) MSR tanks to the test, so today I loaded each with 20 oz of fuel & the engine tank with 20 oz (80 oz total) & hit the road to do my job. I didnt do much calculating for this trip cause if I run out of fuel, I'll just pop the v-belt off & pedal home (something I'm ok with since I normally pedal for exercise ~120 miles per week on my road bikes) I hit the road at 9:00 am & didnt get back till 4:00 pm. The little Tanaka just purred along without trouble & the bike performed beautifully (no mechanicals). When I got home, I went onto my Gmap Pedometer program to map my ride. I definitely didnt get the 195 mpg's I thought I was getting. I covered 92 miles & used up 75 oz of fuel. Looks like 157 mpg's...I did hold it WOT alot more than I did on my last trip & that could account for my diminished fuel economy?
All in all, 157 mpg's aint bad & I had a fun adventurous day that would have been boring sitting behind the wheel of my Camry & going to exactly the same stops for my job. I am now starting a mileage log book to write off my MB mileage for business purposes (roughly 50 cents/mile) as I do for my car...This could start paying off in the long run...lol
-Lowracer-
 
I took the bike out again today for another journey. Did 77 miles on 75 oz of fuel.
Today my fuel economy really suffered since I was riding on fast roads and pretty much had to keep it WOT & aero tucked most of the way to avoid being blown away by cars & tractor trailers. Fortunately they gave me a wide berth probably due to my very bright 1watt flasher called the Radbot 1000. I did the math & enfded up with 131 mpg's....Still good for WOT?
-Lowracer-
 
Sounds like you are having a blast LR! The fuel mileage is good considering you are feeding 4+hp? Im really enjoying my big tank not having to fill it on the road. No matter how I tried I always got gas on my hands which means dont come in the house til the smell is gone. Takes a bunch of hand washing! You are lucky being able to use you bike for work. If you can do it a large % of the time youre gonna save some $$. Whats your average cruise speed?
 
CB2,
This little Tanaka is closer to 2 hp (not 4+hp like the PB2 engine)
Yeah, filling on the road via the MSR bottles kinda stinks (literally), but I havent come up with a clean way to mount my little red 1 gallon gas can to the handlebars yet (quick release). I am enjoying the outdoors & biking it to work now 2 days in a row. I'm beat come the end of the day, but sleep well...lol
Avg cruising speed is around 30 mph with WOT in aero tuck getting me 40 mph
-Lowracer-
 
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