My new friction drive!!!

G

Greengabbard

New Member
I recently ordered a Bumble Bee Bolt On and it came in the mail yesterday. So this morning after I put my kids on the bus I cracked open the box and started installing it on my Raleigh 21 speed road bike. Fifteen minutes later I was done. I was shocked!!! It took me longer to go get gas and mix the oil in with it than it did to put the engine on the bike.

So I mounted up and pedaled off, then I engaged the engine on the rear wheel and it started right up!!! No fuss, no issues at all. It runs like a champ and carries my 250 lb frame around without complaining. I only had to adjust one thing after getting her running; I needed to adjust the tension that holds the friction wheel to the rear tire. After that it was smooth sailing.

After several hours of riding I can tell you that it is very easy to install, very easy to start, very easy to run and very easy to ride. It idles along at about 5 MPH and it's flat ground top speed is 25-27 MPH (on my bike anyway).

I have a question for any of you friction drive folks out there: How far do you generally ride in one trip? Any thought for extending the range (the gas tank is tiny)?

I'll post again soon and let folks know how she is doing.

Thanks for reading,
CGGB.cs.
 
Wow, my build (a in frame 2 stroke) never went that smooth. You should go play the Lotto.
Happy it worked out for you. And give us some pics, man!!!
 
Yeah my in frame 2 stroke isn't going well at all....rather let me say that the install went fine but I haven't been able to get the darn thing to start at all. I have spark, compression and fuel....what more do I need. But I digress...

This friction drive was my morale booster that is going to put the pep back in my step so I can attack the in frame build with renewed vigor.

I rode it to Wal-Mart and back today. I pedaled all the way there (3 miles) and motored all the way back. It was a good trip. I'd like to do some longer trips on it but the gas tank is so tiny. Are there any solutions for that besides carrying extra fuel in a container?

Thanks for reading,
CGGB
 
You can mount a remote tank. I am assuming this is a 2stroke(no pics). If so it should have a pumper carb. It could pull fuel from as far away as the handle bars as long as the tank is a bit higher than the carb. A seat post mount would be ideal. You can easily fab a juice can tank. I routinely ride my FD on outings of 50/100mi, and its the primary errand runner for short trips too.
 
I found a Honda Rebel tank and made some mounting brackets out of strap metal. It holds nearly 2 gallons. Put in a search for motorcycle gas tanks & see what you can find..duh.
 
Thanks for the ideas for expanding my fuel range. I am sure I can come up with a solution, I just need to be able to mate up the existing fuel line with the new fuel line. Currently the carb is pulling the fuel up from a tiny tank that is mounted below it. So I know that it can suck up the fuel, but I'm sure there are limits to how much suction it can provide. So I'm left thinking that maybe I need to mount any new tank options as high as (or higher) the engine.

One interesting thing: there are two fuel lines going from the carb to the tank. One feeds the fuel to the carb and the other is a fuel return line that allows you to prime the carb. So I would need to have two fuel lines going to any new tank.

Thanks for reading,
CGGB
 
reb1 said:
Staton motors has a plastic 1/2 gallon tank that mounts to the top of the friction drive. This should be close enough.

http://www.staton-inc.com/store/products/Fuel_tank_64_oz_Top_mount_Gas_Tank_with_Mounting_Bracket_hardware-1365-13.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. It looks pretty good and I will keep it in mind. But I am now planning on building one out of PVC as shown in this thread: http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=21154

I'm headed to Lowes tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading,
CGGB
 
I've spent quite a bit of time riding it and it does pretty good, but I have one issue. When I get to around 21-23 MPH I start getting some noise from the front end of the bike. The faster I go the louder it gets. I've checked all the bolts and nuts up there and everything seems to be good and tight. Could it be that it's the bearing that is talking to me?

Thanks for reading,
CGGB
 
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