Lifan 2.5 in a Cranny

[lowracer]

cannonball2,
I have had my eye on the Worksman bikes with their dual drum brakes on their alloy rims.
The frames seem super heavy duty & I like their bombproof wheels. The bearings look to be extra stout which works best for the speeds these Lifan's can propel a bicycle.
Problem is I have 5 bikes now taking up most of the garage & house...lol
-Lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

Wow, thats the same # I have with 2 "victims" waiting in the garage. For years I was into homebuilt aircraft, expense finally drove me out. MBs are like pocket change in comparison, so dont guess I will stop til I run out of room, and I have a lot! That would be a great build, I love the Worksman bikes. Properly built you could ride it forever. Are you going to use the same rim/sheeve drive?

 

[lowracer]

cannonball2,
I would use my same type drive sheave if it fit within the rear triangle of the Worksman. I really like the simplicity of my sheave & how it creates the correct gear ratio without the need for a jackshaft. I've got so many bicycle parts & rims laying around to build up another drive sheave without having to buy anything. Just dont have the MTB deep V's unless I went with a 650c setup, but the tires are too thin (650X23c). Do you know if a Worksman is a 135mm MTB Std rear width or less? (coaster type std hub (110)
-Lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

No, dont know, sorry. With as many Worksmans builds on the site here shouldnt be hard to find out.

 

[deacon]

I have got to tell you guys, after having run that 3hp snow blower motor on a friction drive, the on in frame must be a beast. The friction drive doesn't bog down on the hills any worse than the china kit bike. It might not be as bad even. So those in frame chain driven models must really be something.

 

[cannonball2]

Finalizing the Cranny. Everything is fitted and bolted down . Have a double idler system. The rear is a constant tension system, in theory never needs adjustment. The front is an adjustable idler, loosen one bolt lever it up, retighten and thats it.. The back wheel is fixed as well as the engine. No need to move either to tension the belts. I hate moving engines/wheels for adjustment. My HS powered bike has a chain idler on the engine as well as the pedals, no need to work one against the other with the back wheel, just adjust the one that needs it. Any way all the remains is the throttle control, and clamps for the fuel tank and its time to test ride! Maybe tomorrow. Sorry about the pics, the kid(as always) has the good camera.

 

[lowracer]

cannonball2,
Looking awesome!
Can't wait to hear your ride report once its road ready.
Please dont leave any details out...
-Lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

Thanks lowracer! Heres a pic I forgot to load, showing the back idler system.

 

[cannonball2]

FINISHED! Took it for several rides this morning and Im just blown away by how nice it is. Cant say enough about how good the little Lifan runs. Makes tons of power for its size, and is super smooth. With the current gearing, I havent found anything it cant climb with authority. We have a long steep hill at the end of our road that is the ultimate test of a MBs climbing ability. It not only climbs it well, but you can stop any where on the hill and start off and it just powers up the hill. Top speed is around 27mph. Where I live, hill climbing is more important than a high top speed. The floor boards are nice, this is probably the most comfortable of my 5 bikes. The double belt drive is smooth and quiet. The little straight pipe is just right, not too loud, but sounds good, and has an endearing snarl and crackel on back down. The coaster brake is sufficient for the cruise speed of the bike. So far there is nothing I see that needs changing, very pleased with this one!

 

[corgi1]

And it looks good too

 

[lowracer]

cannonball2,
Awesome ride report!
I think after our glowing reports of these Lifans, more MB'ers will build with them.
Great to hear that these engines can be geared to climb like a billygoat.
I live in a flat area & my goal was to 'take the lane' throughout my 40+ mph community, which it does well.
-lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

And it looks good too

Thanks! First time I have used a new bike. The Cranny is about the lowest $ you can spend. Took a lot of thought about what to do with it. When I found the little Lifan, looked like a good match. About that time I got the digital plans for the 1950s power bike. I dont have a lot of $ in this build, but it is a great rider and a vintage piece no matter what year it is!

 

[mapbike]

Very nice bike connonball2,

If you dont mind me asking......what is that you use for that rear pully attached to the wheel spokes?

is that a smaller Dia. bike wheel outer rin that is modified?

Or is it something else?

Thanks, just curious and it looks so very nice, you did a great job on the, my hats off to ya bro.

Peace

 

[cannonball2]

Thanks! The sheeve on the rear is a new generation Whizzer I bought off ebay. Makes using a belt drive real easy. Fits with in the frame with out having to widen the rear frame members like you have to do when using the double stacked rims. Requires a jackshaft to get the proper ratios, but that enables various ratios with just a pulley and front belt change.

 

[cannonball2]

More refinements to the Cranny. The floor boards would buzz just enough too irritate you at higher speeds, found some cool small isolators on ebay that were 10/32 thread, the same as the threaded holes for attaching the boards. Was an easy bolt on. Did raise the boards 1/2" but absoutely no vibes! Went to the 6" pulley belt combo with an overall ratio of 12:1, still has plenty of power, cilmbs well and is more relaxed at cruise speeds. The 7" combo is around 14:1, good for trailer or stump pulling. Thats the beauty of the jackshaft, can change ratios in less than 5 min. The little Lifan is just so sweet, makes me want to dump the Hauseng on one of my other bikes. And the Gulf decal, what can I say, worked at a Gulf station when I was a kid, got to like blue and orange.

 

[cannonball2]

An addition of a generator. I just dont like em hanging off the frame near the wheel(couple of my bikes are like that though). the first pic is off, where it will spend most of its life Im sure. Second pic is "on". Test drove it jut rigged together and it works.

 

[lowracer]

cannonball2,
I like the detailed shots you took.
Very cool how you cut the chainring away to just use it to run the coaster brake.
What kind of belt wear do you think running the generator off the v-belt will have?
I changed my oil again today on my Lifan after 'wringing the dirt out of it' lately and was surprised how good it looked. I am an oil change freak & like to change it often. Hopefully keep it from blowing up on me...lol
-Lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

Thanks lowracer, I think the belt will be fine. I have done this before but the gen. was run on the top of the belt, wouldnt work out, this time. I guess I rode it 20min and see no wear yet, not under too much tension. I tell ya, I like the 2.5 enough to buy one to shelve it for the next project. Except for my Hondu/Solex, this is the smoothest thing I have gotten from China. I bought a 200cc Sunel dirt bike. It vibed so bad it need to pull a trailer to catch the parts that fell off! I agree on the oil, I am going to change mine after a couple of hours(getting close), the a couple of more then go to synthetic. Should run forever.

 

[lowracer]

cannonball2,
Tell me more about the Hongdu Solex engine since I am a fan of front drivetrains.
I saw a video on Youtube & it was kinda 'throaty' sounding.
What is top speed & is this the same engine being sold now on eBay by BGF?
About the Lifan, I didnt know what to expect when I bought it. I was a bit scared about buying a Chinese engine from all the horror stories I hear. I've owned a Briggs 2 HP that was an awesome engine for my kid projects (minibike, motorized skateboard, motorized go-cart (wooden) and MotorBicycle (30 yrs ago). The Lifan price was right so I bought it & am blown away with the quality & reliability so far. Lifan is like the largest small engine manufacturer now worldwide.
-Lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

The Hd/Solex is a friction drive and by design is limited to a top speed of around 20mph. It quiet and smooth. Not hard to mount, though is easier on a bike with no front suspension. They are kinda in a world of their own, the design goes back to the mid 40s. I am crazy about mine. Mine is in fact a BGF. I assume you have been through the thread in the 2 stroke engine section?